The iPhone 13 Pro line and Apple Watch Series 7 have been announced and are shipping, so expect Apple to announce an event teaser for its last big (online) event for 2021. I think this week (perhaps even tomorrow) we’ll see a teaser for upcoming MacBook Pros.
I think the MacBook Pros announcement will be made either Oct. 12 or Oct. 18 with the products shipping in late October or early November. I also expect the “AirPods 3” will be previewed at the event.
New MacBook Pros
Expect the MacBook Pros to have the same chip and the same performance. In other words, both the 14-inch and 16-inch model will pack the Apple-made M1X processor.
The upcoming laptops are expected to have a major redesign, run on Apple Silicon (M1 chips), and sport mini-LED displays. The mini-LED displays will likely use 10,000 mini-LEDs and will be comparable to OLED screens.
They’ll result in good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and HDR, and local dimming. Also, look for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros to ditch the controversial Touch Bar.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro will purportedly feature a display with a resolution of 3021 x 1964 pixels while the new 16-inch MacBook Pro will yield an increase in resolution from the 3072 x 1920 pixels of the current Intel model to 3456 x 2234 pixels. In both cases, MacRumors has calculated that this should see an increase in pixel density of Apple’s current MacBooks from around 227 pixels per inch to around 250 pixels per inch.
AirPods 3
The “AirPods 3” are expected to look pretty much the same as the current version, but with a shortened stem, adjusted earbud body and an AirPods Pro-style charging case. No word on when an update to the AirPods Pro might arrive, though September/October is possible. The AirPods Pro 2 will reportedly have a round design and eliminate the short stem that currently sticks out from the bottom.
A new Apple display
I’m hoping that Apple will finally get around to making external displays that those of us (which is most of us) who can’t afford an US$5,000 Apple Pro Display XDR when it unveils the new laptops. I’ll be bummed if it doesn’t.
Apple discontinued its Thunderbolt Displays in 2016 (which was a bad idea). Since ditching its own display line, the company has been recommending LG’s UltraFine 4K and 5K monitors, which are okay, but they lack the oomph factor and gorgeous looks of the late, lamented Thunderbolt Displays.
New Apple monitors would make a great candidate for not only new laptops, but also the current MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.
