Apple took the stage at the Flint Center last week to unveil the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch and Apple Pay mobile payments platform, at what was arguably the Cupertino-based company’s most important keynote in several years. But the iPhone maker isn’t finished yet, with its next major product event reportedly slated for the second half of October. It would mark the fifth consecutive year that Apple has held an event during the month.
AppleInsider has learned that Apple’s next major product unveiling will occur in mid-to-late October, corroborating several rumors that expected Apple to host a product event in both September and October. Apple has held special events in October in the past, most recently introducing the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display last year. In October 2012, the first-generation iPad mini was announced alongside the ultra-thin iMac.
The agenda for this year’s October event is unclear, but it is widely expected that Apple will introduce its latest iPads. The next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display are expected to feature a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which remains limited to the iPhone as of now, and Apple A8 processor found on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. OS X Yosemite should also be talked about in detail, tying in closely with the iOS 8 software update.
There could also be a focus on Apple Pay, the new mobile payments platform for iPhone and Apple Watch that is set to launch following an update to iOS 8 in October. Apple Pay enables you to make a one-touch payment by simply holding your iPhone near a point-of-sale system and verifying that you are the card holder by scanning your thumb with Touch ID. The system stores your credit card info in an encrypted and secure fashion, with the help of Touch ID and the new A8 chip.
It is also speculated that Apple could unveil a highly-anticipated refresh to its MacBook Air lineup, featuring a Retina display and brand new ultra-thin design. The existing 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models were last updated in April with a bump to the latest Intel processors and a slight price cut. It was rumored earlier this year that Apple is working on a 12-inch MacBook that would be positioned between those two current notebook sizes available.
The report adds a pinch of skepticism by noting that the MacBook Air with Retina display could be delayed until next year.
Apple could also update the all-in-one iMac and Thunderbolt Display with higher resolution Retina Displays, the latter of which has been highly anticipated since the company introduced the cylindrical Mac Pro in late 2013. The Apple TV set-top box could be in the mix as well, but the latest rumors claim that Apple is still in negotiations with cable companies and content owners.
There’s also Tim Cook’s comments about Apple working on products that haven’t been rumored yet.
What are you looking forward to most during the October event?
[via AppleInsider]