New iPad Pro, new MacBook Air, updated Mac Mini and more: what to expect from the Apple event held in Brooklyn on October 30th

Apple has a final major event planned for 2018and it could be a huge one.

After announcing the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and the Apple Watch 4 In September, the company is expected to unveil a handful of additional products on October 30th. A series of reports from journalists and analysts exposed Apple's alleged plans to announce new iPads, a radically remodeled MacBook Air, and possibly others. new hardware, software and services. The company did not respond to our attempts to confirm these rumors.

According to what has become a custom, a week before the planned event, Apple's veteran analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, released his pre-show predictions (via MacRumors) of what 's expected. he thinks we'll see Tuesday. Although it is not always 100% accurate, Kuo has a good track record and much of the content of his latest report is closely related to the rumors we heard in the spring and summer.

Apple has of course not announced anything beyond the date, time and place of the next event. But we have analyzed all the rumors and information gathered over the past year, and we present below an enlightened estimate of what Apple will unveil and not reveal on October 30th.

And remember: CNET will liveblogging and simulcast the live event Tuesday, October 30 at 10:00 am ET / 7:00 am Eastern Time.

New iPad Pro

Based on the volume of rumors and the level of detail, Apple will probably announce new versions of its high-end tablets. Since the company added Pencil holder and a faster processor the $ 329 iPad entry in March, the IPad Pro 10.5 inches and IPad Pro 12.9 inches seemed a little overpriced at $ 649 and $ 799, respectively. Of course, these are still the only Apple tablets with laminated True Tone displays, quad speakers, and smart connectors, but a growing number of alternatives offer competitive features at a similar price, including Microsoft Surface Pro and Google's new Pixel Slate.

It is worth noting that Kuo now predicts that Apple will also unveil a new version of the long-neglected version. ipad mini, but not necessarily at the October 30 event. This is in contradiction with a previous Bloomberg report that the smaller form factor would not be updated. If this happens, we would like an "iPad Mini 5" to receive at least one A11 chip or newer with a lower price. But with the biggest IPad 9.7 inches costing "only" $ 329 and Apple repugnant to compete with the world's ultrabudget Fire tablets, this one is still a bit hard to believe.

According to rumors, here's what Apple could have with the next-generation iPad Pro:

• New models featuring thinner glasses and no home button
• Apple TrueDepth Camera
• Face ID, which can be supported in landscape mode
• Faster loading
• USB-C connectivity
• Upgraded components, including new processors
• A new version of the pencil Apple

Lily: All the rumors regarding the iPad Pro 2018

New MacBook Air

In August, Bloomberg announced that Apple was planning to unveil a new "low-cost MacBook" by the end of 2018. According to sources, it will not be a modest upgrade, but from a radically redesigned laptop that includes modern features of Apple, but at a reasonable price. this remains affordable for students, schools and other budget-conscious consumers.

Apple has constantly updated its premium MacBook Pro line, introducing new 13-inch and 15-inch models in July. But the company has not done much with the popular MacBook Air, but aging, in recent years. In fact, the $ 999 laptop remains essentially the same device that the one introduced by Apple in the fall of 2010, but for some modest updates. The current model, released in August 2017, includes a number of obsolete components, including a fifth-generation Intel Core processor (compared to eighth-generation competitors) and a LPDDR 3 memory. Meanwhile, "Apparent Airs" – the 12-inch MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Pro without touchbar – struggled to reach the general level of interest in the Air, largely thanks to their starting price of $ 1,300.

In short: it is high time to buy a new MacBook Air.

The new supposed features include:

• A new 13-inch design
• New processors and other components
• Retina screen of high quality
• Supports possible for Touch ID
• USB-C ports
• A starting price of $ 1,000 or less

Lily: MacBook Air 2018: All rumors about specification, price, release date

Other Mac updates

In addition to the MacBook Air, a few other Apple computers are waiting to be updated. Of all Apple devices, none are as late for an update as the Mac Mini, which was last updated in 2014. It's rumored that we'll see a new version on the 30th. October, possibly with configurations with more "pro" folded.

Tuesday would also be the perfect time for Apple to implement microprocessors and superficial specifications upgrades to other Macs in the lineup that also retain the same basic design. Do not be surprised if the iMac and the 12-inch MacBook benefit from the eighth-generation Intel processor, for example.

MacBook Pro with touch bar already has a good refresh for 2018and the iMac Pro is not a year old, so do not expect them to be on stage. And if the new MacBook Air arrives at the expected fair value in terms of price and specification, do not be surprised if this non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro disappears when the Apple Store returns after the event.

Less likely to be seen in Brooklyn

The confidence level of new iPad Pro and new Macs is high. With regard to other long-rumored products in the Apple pipeline? These products are possibilities, but we would call them long shots.

AirPower charge block

Apple introduced its AirPower USB Charger in September 2017. The concept: Charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously without the hassle of cables and plugs. Since the announcement, which omitted any clarification on the price or the release date (beyond "somewhere in 2018"), we have not heard much about it. AirPower has been referenced in some Promotional material for iPhone 2018but it was also largely cleaned up from Apple's Web site. When Apple slipped a USB-C magnetic charger for Apple Watch in its online store on October 19, this was done quietly, as if the company did not want to draw attention to the issue of wireless charging.

In June, Bloomberg had announced that Apple was having trouble with the AirPower touchpad, but still hoped to release it in September. Obviously, that did not happen. Since then, there have been murmurs that Apple has killed the product. But Kuo said the company could launch AirPower at the October event, later in 2018 or early next year – possibly in a reconfigured form.

Lily: What happened to the Apple AirPower Wireless Charger?

AirPods 2

We heard that Apple was developing a pair of high-end AirPods with noise suppression, water resistance, wireless charging box and Siri hands-free support. In September, the company might have teased the new AirPods in its video "Mission: Impossible", which opened the events. But we have not heard much since, and it is unlikely that the new AirPods will be unveiled Tuesday.

Lily: All the rumors about AirPod 2

In preparation for 2019 and beyond

• The Apple TV service is supposed to launch next year. The company is already committed to invest $ 1 billion As part of this effort, he hired two senior television executives to lead and signed large-scale contracts with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Night Shyamalan and Steven Spielberg.
• Given the deployment of TVOS 12 In September, it is unlikely that Apple will unveil new TVs or updates in the near future.
• Despite persistent rumors of a new iPhone SEits inability to present itself at the September event is probably the death knell of the popular diminutive device. Apple has refreshed it for the last time in 2017.
• It is said that Apple is thinking about a smaller and cheaper HomePod. According to rumors, 2019.
• Apple has confirmed a Mac Pro totally revamped and new Apple brand screens are occurring, but not until 2019.
• A Apple AR Headphones? Maybe, but do not expect it until 2020, at the earliest.

See all that Apple has announced at its September 12 event

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