Apple could announce October Mac event today as M3 iMac looms

Top Apple insider Mark Gurman says that if Apple is planning to hold a Mac event next week, the company could send out invites on Tuesday, but has warned an in-person event seems unlikely at this stage.

This all comes after we’d all but given up hope of any new Macs launching in October or indeed the rest of the year. As recently as September, prolific analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had stated that Apple “will not launch new MacBook models (equipped with M3 series processors) before the end of this year,” a prediction echoed in October by Digitimes.

Gurman posted to X Monday stating “If Apple is holding an event early next week I’d have to imagine they will send out invites sometime tomorrow.” However, he cautioned that Apple is unlikely to be hosting an in-person launch, given there are no signs of the “normal preparations” that usually take place ahead of such events.

We know that Apple has a new M3 chip in the works, its next iteration of Apple silicon, and we also know that the 14- and 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro and M3 MacBook Air probably won’t debut until next year, so what’s going to happen next week?

New October Macs

Gurman revealed on Sunday that a Mac event was likely to happen at the end of October, citing dwindling supplies of the iMac and some MacBook Pro models. Specifically, he said that Apple “is planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month” and hinted at the launch of the 13-inch MacBook Pro as well as Apple’s 24-inch iMac.

Gurman also cited the fact that Apple’s next earnings call is set for November 2, another possible indicator.

Beyond the new M3 chip, which will be more potent and more efficient thanks to its new 3nm process, the scope of upgrades for all of Apple’s upcoming new Macs appears to be quite limited. There are no rumors of any major design changes or significant new features. Perhaps the most seismic rumored Mac launch is the 32-inch OLED iMac we’ve been told to expect in 2025, but that’s still some way off. If the Air and larger MacBook Pro models are still some way off, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with M3 could be Apple’s best MacBook for several months in the meantime.