Apple to Skip October Event to Launch New iPad, MacBook: Report

Apple is reportedly set to skip its traditional October fall event, after its much-hyped ‘Far Out’ event on September 7 witnessed the launch of the iPhone 14 series, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch SE, and AirPods Pro. Over the years, Apple has built a habit of hosting four events in a calendar year, out of which the last one is usually dedicated to the Mac and the iPad in a less-hyped setting as compared to the breakthrough standalone launch events earlier in the year.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gunman, Apple might not have many major developments left for 2022 that would demand another standalone marquee event or additional marketing expenditure at all. This is despite the fact that the company is expected to announce an updated iPad Pro, Mac mini, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models this year. Apple is more likely to release its remaining product updates for the calendar year 2022 via press releases, website updates, and selectively-invited media briefings rather than a full-fledged digital or physical event, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter.

The company’s updated 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, Mac mini, and the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are all expected to transition to the M2 chip; the new processor that was announced at Apple’s June 2022’s WWDC event on the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.

According to Gurman, Apple could potentially also announce its updated Apple TV set-top box housing an A14 chip with improved RAM this year. However, apart from the new chip transition, the remaining updates for 2022 to the Macs and iPad, and the Apple TV set-top box, will be relatively routine incremental ones and would therefore not demand another event, according to the report.

Although unusual, such a move is not unprecedented for the company, with it has opted to launch far more significant products such as the AirPods Max, and the original AirPods Pro, via press releases in the past.