Apple’s October 18 Event May Show New Macs, M1X

Apple logo made of shooting stars
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple is hosting an event this Monday, October 18, following months of rumors regarding updates to its Mac computers.

Apple senior vice president of marketing Greg Joswiak said that the event, called "Unleashed," will cause the next six days to "speed by," suggesting we may see some new, faster processors.

Rumors have persisted regarding 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, possibly with a new "M1X" chip, succeeding Apple's existing M1. The scuttlebutt surrounding the new systems also includes a new industrial design that matches the more blocky iPhone 13, the elimination of the touch bar, and more ports, including HDMI and an SD card slot. MagSafe has made a comeback on the iPhone, and many expect it to return to the MacBook as well. There have been reports that Apple may be considering mini LED displays, though supply chain issues may have nixed that.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro, which uses Intel processors, hasn't been updated since its launch two years ago. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman points out that its hard to track down and is unavailable at many Apple stores.

The same chip is expected to show up in a refreshed Mac Mini. Both the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini still use Intel for high-end models, so this would be  way for Apple to further its progress in eliminating Intel's processors from its computers altogether. 

There have, however, been a handful of other Apple rumors circulating lately. The biggest are third-gen AirPods, which were mysteriously absent from Apple's September iPhone and iPad event.

Apple still has a handful of other Intel-based devices, including its Mac Pro desktops and the 27-inch iMac, but the hearsay regarding them has been thin of late. We'll see what happens at 10 a.m. PT on October 18.

Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and Mastodon @FreedmanAE.mastodon.social.