Apple will be holding its ‘One more thing’ event on November 10th. This will be Apple’s third product launch event in less than three months and within a month of the iPhone 12 unveiling in October. This time around, Apple is expected to announce its new Apple Silicon Macs which are expected to be a game-changer in terms of battery life and efficiency.
Unlike Apple’s September ‘Time Flies’ and the iPhone 12 event last month, the company’s upcoming ‘One More Thing’ event is not going to be filled with product launches. It will likely center around Apple Silicon Macs, macOS Big Sur, and perhaps even AirTags. Below is everything Apple is expected to announce at its ‘One more thing’ November 10th event next week.
Read: How to Watch Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ November Event Live
What to Expect from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ November Event
Apple Silicon Macs
Apple announced back at WWDC 2020 itself that it is switching away from Intel CPUs to its own Arm-based chips inside Macs. This is a major shift underlying shift which has likely been warranted by Intel CPUs not really offering a notable jump in performance or efficiency over the last few years. Plus, a number of major security flaws have also been discovered in Intel CPUs in recent years. On the other hand, Apple’s A-series chips used inside the iPhone and iPad have been offering a massive jump in performance year on year.
Even if the first Apple Silicon Macs offer the same performance as existing Intel-based Macs, they should offer longer battery life and improved performance in AI and ML tasks. Rumors point to Apple working on a new MacBook refresh with Apple Silicon featuring a super lightweight design and up to 20 hours of battery life. This kind of vertical integration could allow Apple to offer even more features and performance that would simply not have been possible otherwise.
Apple expects to complete the transition to Apple Silicon across its entire Mac lineup within the next two years. However, this does not mean that right out of the gate, we will get a powerful Mac Pro replacement. Instead, rumors point to Apple first launching a 13-inch MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air with Apple Silicon chip. The company is also working on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with its own custom CPU but it is unlikely to make its debut at the company’s ‘One more thing’ event. There’s also a new 24-inch iMac in the works with a redesigned chassis and slimmer bezels but that’s expected to launch in Q1 2021.
The first Apple Silicon-based MacBooks will not be too different from their Intel counterparts. It will just be a major internal overhaul, with the exterior design remaining unchanged. This means if you were hoping for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with slimmer bezels like the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you are going to be disappointed. That refresh is still some time away. What you will get, however, is better performance, battery life, and improved security along with other major usability improvements.
AirTags
The AirTags was first rumored to launch alongside the iPhone 11 series last year. When that did not happen, rumors indicated a launch in the first half of 2020 but then Covid-19 struck. Then, there were rumors of the Tile-like tracking tags launching in Apple’s September ‘Time Flies’ event and then the iPhone 12 event in October. Now, if Apple even intends to launch the AirTags this year, we should see them make their debut at the company’s ‘One more thing’ event. If even that does not happen, then the AirTags are simply not going to see their public release this year.
Leaker Jon Prosser does claim that Apple has the AirTags ready for launch alongside iOS 14.3 which points to their impending launch.
AirTags are Tile-like tracking tags from Apple that you can stick to your item and can track them later on using the Find My app in case you ever lose them. Apple is expected to make heavy use of AR with AirTags as well as the U1 chip inside the iPhone 11 and presumably iPhone 12 lineup for precise indoor positioning.
Read: AirTags: Everything We Know About Apple’s Tracking Accessory
macOS Big Sur Public Release
Apple released the first beta of macOS Big Sur right after WWDC 2020 in June. Since then, the company has gone on to release over 11 beta builds of the OS for developers and public beta testers. At its ‘One More Thing’ event, Apple is finally expected to announce the public release date of macOS Big Sur. This will be one of the biggest updates to macOS in quite a few years as it brings a major visual overhaul, add Apple Silicon support, bring a redesigned Control Center and Notification Center, and more.
AirPods Studio
Another Apple product that has been in development for quite a long time but there’s no clarity on when it will launch. The rumored over-ear headphones from Apple were supposed to launch last year but that did not happen. This year, the AirPods Studio was first expected to launch in September before a last-minute rumor claimed their launch has been delayed.
Apple did not talk about the AirPods Studio at its iPhone 12 event in October as well though it did stop carrying third-party speakers and headphones in its retail stores. However, it looks like the AirPods Studio is not going to make their debut this year at all. Leaker Jon Prosser claims that due to some manufacturing issues, Apple has delayed the AirPods Studio launch until March next year. But with Apple, you never know. Perhaps the company gets around to announcing the AirPods Studio and puts them on sale later in the year or even early next year.
What are your expectations from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ event on November 10th? Are you looking forward to the new Apple Silicon Macs? Do you plan to upgrade to an Apple Silicon Mac as soon as they are out? Or are you going to stick with your Intel-based Mac for another year? Drop a comment and let us know!
