Apple has sent out invites to a virtual event on 18 October where it's expected to unveil its first major revamp of the MacBook Pro in five years.
The event, which features the tagline "Unleashed", will be streamed on Apple's website on Monday. The company has held virtual launch events since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, including last month's unveiling of the iPhone 13 and new iPads.
Apple is widely expected to launch new 14in and 16in MacBook Pro models at next week's event, with Bloomberg describing the incoming hardware as "the biggest change to the product since the current design was introduced in October 2016".
The new MacBook Pro models will be the first Apple laptops to feature the same mini-LED technology that's found on the 12.9in iPad Pro, according to rumours, as well as the first high-end MacBook Pros to replace Intel chips with Apple-designed processors. The company is expected to equip the laptops with its second-generation M1X processor, which reportedly has ten CPU cores compared to the M1’s eight, plus graphics processors with 16 or 32 cores compared to seven or eight in M1-equipped machines.
The MacBook Pro models are also expected to hail the return of magnetic MagSafe charging, as well as an HDMI port and SD card slot, and are also expected to remove the much-maligned OLED Touch Bar in favour of a traditional row of function keys, according to Bloomberg.
Rumours suggest that Apple will also debut a redesigned Mac Mini at next week's event, which is also tipped to feature Apple's ARM-based M1X processor. It's also expected to pack more ports than last year’s M1 model, with two Thunderbolt USB-C ports and two USB-A ports.
With Mac being the focus of Apple's 18 October event, the company is also expected to announce macOS Monterey’s official release date during Monday’s event. The operating system is currently in beta testing and is expected to be released to the public within the next few weeks.
Apple's 18 October event will be live-streamed on Apple’s website, on the company’s YouTube channel, and via the Apple TV application on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
