Apple's October event - what to expect
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It's the second Apple event in as many months, and tonight's launch could see a lot of exciting new kit unveiled. As Apple's official invite states, "We still have a lot to cover."
From information that we've seen through the year, Apple has always promised to unveil a lot of products throughout autumn and into next year. With the Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C the only products to come out of the September event, that means that there's still plenty for Apple to unveil today. Here we'll take a look at the most likely products to be unwrapped.
NEW APPLE iPADS
Top of the list has to be the new iPads, the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2.
It's been a year since Apple launched the iPad 4 and iPad Mini, so we're definitely due new models.
Word is that this year we can expect some big differences. First up, is the iPad 5, which we can expect to have the same size screen and resolution as the existing iPad 4. However, Apple is said to be taking design cues from the iPad Mini, so this year's full-size iPad is going to have a much thinner bezel and a slimmer chassis, making it considerably smaller. Rumours also point to the company introducing a new smart cover with integrated keyboard, taking a swipe at Microsoft's surface.
For other improvements, we can expect to see an updated Apple A7 processor, as found in the iPhone 5S. If Apple continues its normal route, the iPad 5 should get an Apple A7X SoC, which will have quad-core graphics to power the higher screen resolution. It's also expected that the Touch ID fingerprint reader, which appeared on the iPhone 5S will now make it into the tablet.
For the iPad Mini 2 we're expecting less of a change in the case, as Apple typically uses the same chassis for two generations. However, the comparatively low resolution of the iPad Mini surely means that we're now due a Retina version of the tablet.
Technically speaking, the iPad 4's resolution of 2,048x1,536 would be more than Retina on the iPad Mini 2's 7.9in screen. In Apple's definition of what Retina is, this is pointless. However, Apple likes use the same resolutions where possible so that all apps continue to work properly. With this in mind it seems likely that the iPad Mini 2 will have a resolution of 2,048x1,536.
It also seems likely that the iPad Mini 2 will also get the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Apple clearly wants to push this technology and the ultimate goal must be to open the tech up to other app manufacturers, such as banks. Having Touch ID in as many devices as possible makes a lot of sense.
OS X MAVERICKS
OS X Mavericks was announced in June at the Apple WWDC. This update to Apple's desktop operating system adds the company's Maps application, has better support of multiple monitors, improved battery utilisation and adds iCloud Keychain, so that your usernames and passwords and synchronised across all of your computers and iOS devices.
OS X Mavericks has hit gold status, which means that Apple is effectively ready with it. It stands to reason, then, that the company will officially announce the final version at tonight's event.
NEW MACBOOK PRO WITH RETINA DISPLAY LAPTOPS
Apple really pulled out all of the stops when it launched its MacBook Pro with Retina laptops last year. It launched the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display back in June 2012, followed by the November 2012 launch of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. That means that we must be due new models.
Intel Haswell processors are bound to be used, and they'll have a dramatic impact on battery life. The question is whether or not Apple will go for discrete graphics or hope that the Haswell chips' integrated graphics (particularly the Iris Pro versions) will offer enough firepower. It's also been rumoured that the 13-inch model will be slimmed down, giving people a headache over whether they should go for the Air or the Pro with Retina.
Given that Apple should be introducing OS X Mavericks, it makes sense that it will have new laptops to go with the new OS.
MAC PRO
At WWDC earlier in the year Apple teased the Mac Pro with Haswell, and it looks amazing. The cylindrical shaped computer looks absolutely stunning and it's promising to be fast, too.
"With the latest Xeon processors, dual AMD FirePro GPUs, ECC memory, PCIe-based flash and Thunderbolt 2, all built around a revolutionary thermal core, the next generation Mac Pro is the most radical Mac yet," Apple's Phil Schiller said at the unveiling. "All this performance and expandability is packed into a dramatic new design that’s one-eighth the volume, and best of all, it will be assembled here in the USA." This refers to Apple's new California-based production line.
With the product already teased and OS X Mavericks bound to be released, it makes sense that Apple will choose tonight to officially launch the product.
APPLE TV
Less certain is that we'll see a new Apple TV. Original rumours suggested that there was going to be both a product refresh, with a faster processor in a new model, and a major software update. The software update was said to introduce a brand-new user interface.
More recently, those rumours have been played down, with reports coming out saying that Apple isn't ready with its new user interface. We could see a tease of a new product and some information on the expected updated, but it's not looking as though we'll get more than a tease.
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