Apple’s got a “little more to show you,” and their highly anticipated media event is less that 24 hours away! There have been more rumors about what could be announced at the event than there are Leprechauns in Ireland – but what should you really expect? We’ve dug through the rumors to give you a better idea!
iPad
- iPad Mini (Likelihood: Almost certain)
The iPad, of course, is expected to be the real star of the show tomorrow, with the expected launch of the iPad Mini at the top of the list. The iPad Mini is expected to be available for between $200 and $330, and should give Apple that extra push to take on the Kindle Fire, Nexus 7, and other 7-inch tablets. Check out our full roundup on what to expect from the iPad Mini for all the rumors, and our assessment!
- Revamped 3rd-gen iPad (Likelihood: 85%)
While some have doubted that Apple would update the 3rd-gen iPad just 6 months after it was released, it’s not unprecendented at all for Apple to push out a minor spec update to their products. This is expecially true of the Mac lines – but the iPad 2 received a mid-cycle update as well, bringing a smaller, more efficient version of the A5 chip.
Apple is putting a lot of effort into pushing their new Lightning connector, and updating the 10-inch iPad would bring their entire product lineup to spec with Apple’s new, smaller connector. Apple may also make some improvements to the screen, as well as improved global LTE support.
Such an update would likely be minor, and probably wouldn’t affect the launch of a major “iPad 4” update in early 2013.
Mac
13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Likelihood: 90%)
We’ve been hearing for quite a while that new Macs are expected this fall – and one of the most persistent rumors (and backed by the largest number of credible sources), is a 13-inch version of the Retina MacBook Pro. The device has shown up in numerous leaked benchmarks, and predicted by many well-sourced analysts and pundits.
The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is expected to feature a similar ultra-thin design and port layout as the 15-inch version, and is rumored to start at around $1700 in price.
New iMacs (Likelihood: 85%)
The iMac is overdue for an update – it’s been over a year since the last iMac refresh. Rumor has it that new iMacs would have been announced at Apple’s WWDC keynote, but that production issues delayed the launch. The new iMacs would likely feature new Ivy Bridge processors, as well as USB 3.0 support.
New Mac Minis (80%)
The Mac Mini is also due for an update – but given that the Mac Mini is losing its popularity and relevancy, given that Apple’s desktops are becoming more affordable, a separate display (for a separate price) is required, and the fact that users are increasingly looking to mobile solutions, we don’t consider a Mac Mini upgrade to be as likely – or as much of a priority to Apple.
iTunes 11 / “The new iTunes” (Likelihood: Almost Certain)
Apple announced during their iPhone 5 event that a new version of iTunes would launch this fall – and considering that this is likely Apple’s final event of the year, it’s extremely likely that Apple will release the new version of iTunes, or at least announce a launch date at tomorrow’s event.
iBooks 3.0 (Likelihood: 85%)
TheNextWeb was the first to report that Apple would focus on education at their October 23 media event – and iBooks is becoming an increasingly deeper focus for Apple toward the education market, ever since they rolled out support for their new e-Textbook initiative alongside iBooks Author.
iBooks hasn’t been updated for a while, and considering that the iPad Mini is targeted at devices like the Kindle Fire, and the Barnes & Noble Nook, both of which are focused on the reading experience, and update to iBooks would be very fitting for the event.
iOS 6.0.1 (Likelihood: 95%)
It’s been about a month since the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 were released – and a number of glitches have already been reported, from an unusual on-screen keyboard glitch to decreased battery life. An update to iOS 6 is absolutely due by now – and what better way to launch it than at an event that Apple has already scheduled? Apple has even reportedly already started testing the update.
It iOS 6.0.1 is not released tomorrow, you can expect it to arrive within the next couple of weeks. Count on it.
Wrapping it Up
As always, nothing is officially until Apple passes down the official word from Mount Cupertino – but we think these are extremely plausible candidates for discussion at the event. It’s also possible that certain products will be “silently” updated on the Apple Store, or may launch within the next 1-2 weeks.
What are your thoughts? Is there anything we missed? Let us know by sounding off in the comments!
