Apple Officially Announces Second Fall Keynote – Here Are 6 New Products to Expect

Apple on Thursday officially sent out media invites to the second major fall keynote event of 2018.

The October event will kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. Pacific) on Tuesday, Oct. 30. It will be held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House in New York City. Press invites for the event feature various Apple logo designs, with the same handwritten-style tagline: “There’s more in the making.”

While Apple did not elaborate on the specific announcements to be made at the event, there are a number of pending refreshes to the company’s iPad and Mac lineups — as well as some other product segments. Continue reading to learn about all of Apple's new products you can expect!

6 New iPad Pros

Apple is largely expected to debut two new refreshed iPad Pro models at the event.

Both devices are expected to adopt an iPhone-style design, with an edge-to-edge display, no Home button, gesture-based controls, and Face ID in lieu of fingerprint-based authentication.

The exact specifications differ, though it’s likely that one model will be in the 10.5- to 11-inch range while the other will retain a 12.9-inch footprint. Both devices might be smaller and lighter than past models.

The 2018 iPad Pro lineup is also rumored to ditch its Lightning port in favor of USB-C, as well as introduce a new Smart Connector placement for various accessories.

5 New 13-inch MacBook

The company is also rumored to be developing a new 13-inch Mac notebook that could be a spiritual successor to the aging MacBook Air lineup.

Though pricing rumors are inconsistent, the 13-inch Mac notebook is expected to be a budget-friendly, entry-level notebook. It isn’t clear whether it will be marketed as a new MacBook Air, or as a 13-inch Macbook.

As far as specifications, there aren’t many rumors. But at least one report indicates that the new notebooks would run on Intel Kaby Lake Refresh processors.

4 Mac mini Refresh

It’s looking increasingly likely that Apple will debut a new Mac mini at this month’s event.

Unfortunately, there’s little to no substantial evidence suggesting what the new Mac mini could look like, or what features it would sport.

All we know is that the product is long overdue for a refresh. And this year, that refresh might finally arrive.

On the other hand, comments from Apple executives suggest that the 2018 Mac mini could sport more Pro-level capabilities — and might not “be so mini anymore.”

3 Possible iMac Refresh

Like the Mac mini, details about a possible refresh of the standard iMac lineup have been sparse.

If Apple does end up releasing 2018 iMac devices, we expect them to feature incremental processor upgrades and other capabilities.

Similarly, in a research note penned earlier this year, renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the new devices could sport “significant” display upgrades.

2 New Apple Pencil

Recent reports may also suggest that a new Apple Pencil model will launch alongside the redesigned iPad Pro devices this year.

According to code found within the iOS 12.1 beta, the new Apple Pencil may feature wireless, proximity-based connectivity similar to Apple’s AirPods.

That could allow the new Pencil to seamlessly and easily connect to an iPad Pro without the need for physical contact.

Such a device could feature Bluetooth as a connectivity option. Alongside new iPad regulatory filings, Apple filed a listing for a “Bluetooth device.”

Though there’s no indication proof that the Bluetooth device is the upcoming Apple Pencil, it’s possible that both are one and the same.

1 AirPower (And New AirPods)

It’s been over a year since Apple surprised us all by offering a sneak peek at its first-party AirPower charging mat. But despite that, the Qi-based accessory is still nowhere to be seen.

Reportedly, its absence from past launch events is attributable to severe engineering bottlenecks. But recent clues hint that the project has not been scrapped.

Apple said the device would launch sometime within 2018 — so we’re still in that timeframe. An October keynote may be one of the last opportunities to debut AirPower before the year is over (unless it’s officially delayed).

When AirPower launches, we can probably expect new AirPods with incremental updates and a new case that can be wirelessly charged.

One More Thing..

Apple, of course, always relishes the opportunity to “surprise and delight.” While not every Apple event features a surprise announcement, the company could take the opportunity to announce new products we thought were dead — or haven’t heard about at all.