Apple announced its upcoming event set for October 18 where it is expected that the company will unveil new MacBook laptops and AirPods.
The ‘Unleashed’ event will be broadcast from Apple Park and online at apple.com, starting at 1 p.m. EST (19:00 SAST).
The new MacBooks are expected to see significant upgrades and may include updated variants of Apple’s M1 chips, that were introduced last November.
Apple marketing senior vice president Greg Joswiak also tweeted about the mid-October event, noting ‘these next six days are going to speed by.’
The upcoming laptops could have screen resolutions of 3456 x 2234 and 3024 x 1964 for the 14-inch and 16-inch models, MacRumors reports, citing code from the latest macOS Monterey.
This would give both laptops approximately a 226 to 227 pixel per inch density. For comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a pixel density of 227, while the current 16-inch model has pixel density of 226.
In July, it was reported that the new MacBook Pro screens would use 10,000 mini-LEDs to allow for higher brightness, deeper blacks and localized backlighting.
The new screen, which Apple refers to as Liquid Retina XDR display, is already available on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, released in April.
It’s also possible that the new laptops sport the magnetic MagSafe chargers of years past, TF International Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo said earlier this year.
The MagSafe chargers allow the computer to charge and if someone accidentally trips on the cord, the charger pulls out of the laptop, leaving the computer as is.
In January, Bloomberg also reported Apple would bring back magnetic charging to upgraded MacBook Pros.
The new laptops may also include SD card slots and HDMI outputs, along with new processors and new designs.
Apple is also reportedly working on a new MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iMac and updated Mac Mini.
Led by CEO Tim Cook, Apple has seen a resurgence in Mac sales during the past 12 months as many employees work from home during the pandemic, resulting in a need for new equipment.
In addition to the new computers, Apple may introduce new AirPods at the event, a product that has not seen a design refresh since 2019.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported the Cupertino, California-based tech giant will unveil its latest version of the entry-level AirPods with a new case and shorter stems.
The new design of the popular wireless headphone, first introduced in September 2016, is expected to be similar to the more-expensive AirPod Pros.
The new version of the AirPods Pro could have motion sensors to enable better fitness tracking.
