Updated Oct. 13 with further commentary about upcoming releases and more details of the release date and iPad Pro leak.
Apple’s big event of the year took place in September, with the release of iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11, Apple Watch SE3, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and AirPods Pro 3. Time for a quiet moment following that activity, surely? But there’s more to come and it looks like a reliable source, AT&T may have indicated that the release of one of the new products is coming very soon. Now, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in on what’s happening. Here’s what to expect, when.
There are several products in the immediate pipeline, it seems, including an updated MacBook Pro. In fact, this looks like the most likely first release as stocks are short of some models in Apple Stores, it seems. And a video has also been released claiming to show the new model.
Soon after, it seems, there could be an update to the iPad Pro line, last refreshed in May 2024. Reports suggest that both MacBook Pro and iPad Pro will be cosmetically unchanged from the last updates, and the focus will be on upgrading the processor to the latest M5 processor (although, according to Macworld, not yet with M5 Pro or M5 Max chips for the laptop).
The same report says that the same M5 chip will also be introduced for a new version of the Apple Vision Pro.
On Sunday, Oct. 12, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had his own thoughts in his Power On newsletter, which I’m happy to say align with mine. “Apple’s much-anticipated October product launches are about to happen. With the iPhone 17 line, iPhone Air, AirPods Pro 3 and new watches already out, Apple will turn its attention to the rest of its fall product pipeline this week,” he said.
“The lineup will include the M5 iPad Pro and a Vision Pro with a faster chip and improved strap. Both are already in mass production, and the company is gearing up for an imminent release,” he added.
What, no MacBook Pro, you ask? Don’t worry. “It’s also likely that a new MacBook Pro gets announced this week. I previously reported that Apple plans to launch the MacBook Pro updates early next year, slightly later than its usual October or November time frame. The specific reason was that the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips — the central upgrades in the next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros — won’t be ready in volume until that point. But the entry-level M5 chip is clearly ready for prime time since it’s in the new iPad. That means the base-level 14-inch MacBook Pro is also ready for launch (the new chip is the main change).”
This does not mean that Apple will lead with the iPad Pro necessarily. I think the focus will be on the chip first and all it can do, justifying its presence in the new MacBook Pro, alongside the iPad Pro and Vision Pro.
So, will there be an October event? Apple has regularly held these in addition to the September shindig, but it’s not a given. Two years ago, a “Scary Fast” event was held in New York City on October 30, to unveil the iMac and MacBook Pro models.
But last year, Apple unveiled the iPad mini by a Newsroom announcement on Oct. 15 followed by a new iMac on Oct. 28, Mac mini on Oct. 29 and MacBook Pro on Oct. 30. That’s a lot of products, but there was no special event.
I believe Apple will take the same route this year, with a series of announcements on apple.com/newsroom. Gurman has a similar opinion. “I’m expecting a number of new products to be introduced in this latest wave — with the announcement coming online, rather than through a flashy event on Apple’s campus,” he said.
The next question is exactly when this might be.
If Macworld is right and M5 is coming to MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Vision Pro, then the timing may match last year’s, beginning as soon as next week.
Apple likes Tuesday and Wednesday for such announcements, so look out for products to be unveiled at around 8 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 14 or Wednesday, Oct. 15, or both.
Another indication of the immediacy of these announcements, or one of them at least, comes from an unexpected source: AT&T. As spotted by Joe Rossignol at MacRumors on Saturday, Oct. 11, the iPad page on AT7T’s website includes references to a completely unannounced iPad. The text, which has now been removed, was pretty clear: “Shop Apple iPad Tablets: iPad Pro M5 Pre-Order Soon,” it said.
Beneath this, it said, “Shop Apple iPads, including the new iPad Pro M5, and get the best prices and deals at AT&T.”
There was no date attached but it tells us several things: Apple will likely call the new model iPad Pro M5, which is in line with current naming procedures, and that there’ll be a pre-order period which will go live some time after Apple’s announcement is made. Please check back as I’ll update this post as things become clearer.