Updated Oct. 12 with 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. 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.
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. 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.