Apple Plotting Mac Focussed Event In Late October: Report

Apple is reportedly planning an event for the launch of the second-generation M-series iMac all-in-one computer, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This is expected to be the M3 iMac, seemingly skipping the M2 chipset. The iconic all-in-one computer was redesigned with the M1 processor in the first half of 2021, soon after Apple started its transition towards its in-house M series of processors based on the ARM architecture, moving away from Intel's x86 architecture.

Gurman reports that Apple will likely launch the new iMac with an M3 chip, which will be the first Mac-focused chip made on TSMC's 3nm processor. This processor debuted with the A17 Pro chip for the iPhone 15 Pro models. He also noted that the 13-inch MacBook Pro has been out of stock for a while, and the iMac has also been unavailable.

He also noted that the latest configurations of the 2023 M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models are unavailable, which could mean an early update for them as well. However, that is not considered highly likely.

Gurman believes this event could take place on October 30, three days ahead of Apple's November 2 earnings call. Previously, Apple hosted an event on October 30 in 2018 in New York City for the launch of the new MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and iPad Pro. In 2019, Apple also debuted the AirPods Pro on the same day.

Gurman believes that, apart from the processor, there will be no major updates to the Mac. He says that a major redesign is in the works, which will add a touch screen, but that could be two years away.

The iMac was the product that revived Apple from the brink of bankruptcy in the late 90s with the return of its late co-founder Steve Jobs. The iMac led to an encore of hit products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Earlier in the year, Apple showed off Apple Vision Pro which is its spatial computer and its first new foray in a product category since the Apple Watch.