What to expect from Apple’s October 2018 event

Tom Bedford October 19, 2018

Apple has announced its second product event of the year, following on from the September showcase that debuted the iPhone Xs, Xs Max and XR, as well as the Apple Watch 4.

What to expect from Apple’s October 2018 event

The event, scheduled for 30 October, is likely to show off Apple’s non-phone products. We were disappointed that there was no showing of the new iPad Pro 2018 during the September event, nor any new Apple Mac computer or Apple AirPods 2. Hopefully, these products will be revealed at the end of the month.

Apple announced the event by sending out uniquely designed versions of the iconic logo that adorns the company’s products. Since the iPad range is marketed as a tool for graphic designers, it’s not the biggest stretch to take this as a sign the newest iPad will make an appearance.

We’ll find out for sure on 30 October at 4pm, when the event will be held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Apple October event: What to expect

New iPad Pro 2018

Many are expecting the iPad Pro 2018 to take an iPhone Xs-esque approach to unlocking, by dropping the home button and instead including TrueDepth cameras to allow Face ID. Whether this is a good change, however, is a point of contention — Face ID works in phones, but many people use tablets as laptops rather than phones, with a different orientation that could trip up Face ID. We’ll have to see if Apple alters the security measure to reflect this.

According to reports, the hardware itself will see some significant changes too. The tablet’s screen size will be bumped up to 11”, from the 10.5” screen on the iPad Pro 2017. In addition, it could use USB-C connectivity instead of a lightning port, which would be an unprecedented move for an Apple product. However other rumours contradict this, suggesting 3.5mm headphone jacks will be dropped in favour of lightning ports.

New Apple Mac

The MacBook Pro 2018 was released with a touch bar in July, but there are many other Mac devices that we are waiting for. The MacBook Air line hasn’t seen a new product in a while, and reports from earlier this year suggest Apple is preparing for its return.

Currently, we’ve no idea exactly what Mac product Apple will bring to the October event, but with 2018 so far seeing fewer of the range than other years, it’s almost definite there will be at least one.

Apple AirPods 2

Another product that was expected at the September event was a second version of the AirPods wireless headphones. These ultimately never appeared, so the October event is our second chance to see them (or to be disappointed again, since a Bloomberg report suggests they’ll be released mid-next year).

AirPower charging was announced by Apple nearly a year ago, although an Apple-branded charging matt has yet to appear on the market. Many are expecting that to change with the AirPods 2, which will reportedly come with a charging case so you can charge your earphones on the go.

In addition, new noise cancelling tech patented by Apple last year suggests the AirPods 2 could use a novel ‘acoustic pass valve’ that lets you choose how much of the outside world you can actually hear.

As well as the AirPods 2, Apple is said to be working on a high-end range of headphones (as if its products weren’t high-end already) as an alternative to the Beats by Dre range, which could be shown at the October event too. Given that the event takes place in the Brooklyn Academy of Music, it’s a strong possibility there will be something music-related launched during the event.