Apple is hosting an online event on the evening of October 30, at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. The company has sent out email invites to media and analysts on the heels of widely varying rumors about the Mac.
Many of the most recent rumors regarding Apple's computers are in two product lines: the iMac and the MacBook Pro. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman pointed out that both are seeing stock shortages, suggesting something new could be coming.
A new iMac would be a long time coming. The colorful 24-inch all-in-ones launched with M1 in 2021 and never saw a refresh. The MacBook Pro would be a bit more surprising, as those have all been updated with the latest M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max processors this year. Apple was rumored to eventually make a larger iMac Pro, but that hasn't yet come to pass.
It's possible that Apple will use the event to launch M3 and a new lineup of Macs. While the 15-inch MacBook Air launched this year with M2, that chip launched in the summer of 2022.
Recent Mac rumors have seen two high-profile Apple-whisperers debate. Gurman predicted updates to the Mac, while analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was more cautious, suggesting that, at the very least, no MacBooks would come out by the end of the year.
While Apple updated its iPhones and AirPods with USB-C, there have also been no iPad updates this year. There have been fewer rumors recently in that area, though, so all eyes will be on the Mac.
The pre-Halloween event comes just before Apple's next earnings call, which is on November 2. One thing we can say for some certainty is that the Cupertino company could use a boost to its Mac sales, after recent reports (also from Ming-Chi Kuo) suggest that sales of Apple's laptops and desktops are down 30%.
