Top Stories: Apple Watch Pre-Orders, October Apple Event?, Remembering Steve Jobs, and More

The first full week of October was a busy one for Apple news, including the launch of pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7, the 10th anniversary of Steve Jobs' death, and speculation about another Apple event later in the month.

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Apple also continued to roll out new features during the iOS 15.1 beta cycle and pushed some new features to several AirPods models, while we shared 50 of our favorite tips and tricks in iOS 15, so read on for all of the details!

Apple Watch Series 7 Now Available for Pre-Order

Apple surprised us a bit this week by announcing just a few days ahead of time that the Apple Watch Series 7 would become available for pre-order on Friday, October 8 ahead of a launch on Friday, October 15.

Apple Watch 7 Pre order live feature
Pre-orders are now underway, although shipping estimates for many models quickly slipped, suggesting that supplies are indeed tight as had been rumored due to manufacturing difficulties.

Apple Commemorates 10th Anniversary of Steve Jobs Passing Away

This week marked the 10th anniversary of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passing away. Apple celebrated his life with a full-page tribute on its website, including a video called "Celebrating Steve" and a statement from his family. Apple CEO Tim Cook reflected on Jobs in a memo to employees, and Apple's former design chief Jony Ive wrote a touching remembrance.

steve jobs 10 years
We also heard some interesting Steve Jobs stories this week, including that he once tossed the original iPhone across a room to impress journalists, and that he offered to license classic Mac OS to Dell in the 1990s.

When Could the October Apple Event Be Held?

It's likely that there will be at least one more Apple event this year, as rumors suggest that redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a faster iteration of the M1 chip are nearing launch.

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It's looking increasingly likely that the event will be held in late October, or perhaps in November, and we've rounded up a few other things that Apple might announce in addition to the new MacBook Pro models.

iOS 15 Features, Tips, and Tricks You Probably Don't Know

A few weeks have passed since Apple released iOS 15, and we've rounded up a list of 50 features, tips, and tricks that you might not have known, complete with a video providing hands-on demonstrations.

iOS 15 50 Tips Feature
The list includes key features of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, in addition to smaller changes that aim to make the time you spend using your ‌iPhone‌ and iPad more efficient, more functional, and more enjoyable.

Everything New in iOS 15.1 Beta 3

Apple this week seeded the third beta of iOS 15.1 to developers for testing, and as usual, we've uncovered some new features and changes.

General iOS 15
We've rounded up everything new in iOS 15.1 beta 3, including ProRes video recording in the native Camera app and a new Auto Macro toggle switch in the Settings app that can be turned off to prevent automatic switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos.

Apple Updates AirPods 2, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max Firmware

Apple this week released a new firmware version 4A400 for the second-generation AirPods, the AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Max.

AirPods Firmware Update 4A400 Feature
The new firmware enables Find My network integration for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. On the AirPods Pro, the update also enables a new Conversation Boost feature for face-to-face conversations. We've shared step-by-steps on how to turn on Conversation Boost in our story.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

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Top Rated Comments

Black Belt Avatar
49 months ago
Apple Watch preorders were a disaster after the iPhone 13 went so well. Stainless and Titanium nowhere to be seen.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
49 months ago
S7 is such a stopgap between s6 and the redesign. This model will look so outdated in a year.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
49 months ago
This week I was touched by all the personal memories of Steve Jobs on the 10th Anniversary of his passing. Such a loss at his age.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Harvey Zoltan Avatar
49 months ago
There is no need to upgrade your current Watch apart from the larger screen on the 7. Considering the screen is a major feature of the Watch I would say there is a pretty good reason for people who want that to upgrade. To me it seems like the difference between the 6 and the 7 is far greater than that between the 5 and the 6, yet I don’t recall reading all that much negativity about the 6. Are people really that upset about the not particularly attractive flat sided concept not showing up.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nowast3ddays Avatar
49 months ago

There is no need to upgrade your current Watch apart from the larger screen on the 7. Considering the screen is a major feature of the Watch I would say there is a pretty good reason for people who want that to upgrade. To me it seems like the difference between the 6 and the 7 is far greater than that between the 5 and the 6, yet I don’t recall reading all that much negativity about the 6. Are people really that upset about the not particularly attractive flat sided concept not showing up.
Yeah, I don’t know if it’s the alleged squared-off redesign rumors messing with people’s expectations, or just general pessimism, but people seem to have lost their minds on this release and forgotten all the context of the previous watch iterations. IMO, Series 7 is the biggest upgrade to the Apple Watch since the Series 4.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
49 months ago
Another week of 2021 has pass by. This week, Steve Jobs loss made the biggest headline for me as well. RIP
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)