Apple has two busy weeks coming. The company confirmed a product launch for Tuesday, Oct. 13, with a two-word teaser from marketing chief Greg Joswiak: “Welcome home.” Reports say a second round of launches, focused on the Mac, could follow around Oct. 27.
Apple has not said what it will announce or whether Oct. 13 will be a video event or a set of press releases. Some reporters have been invited to an “Apple Experience” in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood that morning at 9 a.m., which suggests hands-on time with new products.
Expected Oct. 13: The Smart Home
The “home” hint lines up with reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. None of this is confirmed by Apple:
- A smart home hub. The headline product would be a new device that combines ideas from the iPad and HomePod: a square display (reports range from about 6 to 7 inches) for controlling smart home gear, FaceTime calls, video, news, weather and calendars. It is expected to lean on voice and Apple’s upgraded Siri, come in countertop and wall-mounted versions, and use a camera and presence sensor to recognize who is in front of it. MacRumors floats a price of around $350, without naming a source.
- A new HomePod mini. Expect a faster chip, better sound, Apple’s N1 wireless chip with Wi-Fi 7, support for the new Siri, and new colors such as pink and green.
- A new Apple TV 4K. A faster chip (likely an A19 or A19 Pro), 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB, the N1 chip and an updated Siri Remote.
The hub matters because it would be Apple’s clearest push yet into the shared, always-on screens that Amazon and Google have offered for years. Reports say Apple imagines people putting one in several rooms, and the hub is expected to be built around the new Siri, with voice as the main way to use it. Recognizing different family members and showing each person their own information is meant to be part of the pitch. It is also expected to use an A18 or newer chip and come in multiple colors.
Expected Around Oct. 27: Pro Macs and a New iPad mini
Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning a separate, creator-focused launch on or around Oct. 27, again with an online video and in-person press sessions:
- 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with touchscreen OLED displays, a Dynamic Island for the first time, much lighter designs and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.
- An entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and a 24-inch iMac with the M6 chip, in designs similar to today’s models.
- An iPad mini with an OLED screen, a relocated FaceTime camera for landscape calls, a revamped speaker system and a more water-resistant design.
Apple has also said a 512GB-memory configuration of the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra would arrive in late October. MacRumors separately reports, citing multiple sources, that more product announcements are planned for the final week of the month. Bloomberg compares the plan to Apple’s October 2024 Mac launch, when new models were announced over several days with hands-on time for select press, and says the new Macs are aimed at creative pros in video, photo and music work.
Already on the Calendar
If you are waiting on Apple’s foldable, preorders for the $1,999 iPhone Duo open Friday, Oct. 16, at 8 a.m. ET (5 a.m. PT), and it goes on sale Friday, Oct. 23, according to MacRumors.
The Catch
Everything beyond the Oct. 13 date comes from reports, not Apple, and features and prices can change before launch day. Reports also differ on some details, such as the hub’s screen size, and it is not yet clear whether the OLED iPad mini will appear on Oct. 13 or later in the month.
Should You Wait to Buy?
If you are thinking about buying a HomePod mini, Apple TV, iPad mini or MacBook Pro right now, it is worth waiting a few weeks to see what arrives and whether current models get discounted. The exception: if a device you rely on has died, buy what you need now. Today’s models aren’t going to stop working when the new ones arrive.
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