Apple in October: Six New Things to Expect This Month

The calendar has turned to October, and it should be another busy month for Apple.

Apple is likely to hold another event this month to announce new Macs and iPads, and there are also a couple of iOS 18 updates that are expected to be released soon.

Below, we outline six new things to expect from Apple this month.

MacBook Pro

Apple plans to announce updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips in the coming weeks, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. No design changes have been rumored for the laptops this year, with improvements such as an OLED display and thinner design not expected until 2026 at the earliest.

Apple last redesigned the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2021, and the latest models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips were released last October.

iMac

Apple also plans to update the iMac with the M4 chip in the coming weeks, according to Gurman. No design changes are expected for the desktop computer.

An unanswered question: Will the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad accessories for the iMac finally switch from Lightning to USB-C this year?

Mac mini

Gurman expects the Mac mini to be updated with M4 and M4 Pro chips in the coming weeks, and he said the desktop computer will be redesigned to become nearly as small as an Apple TV. The new Mac mini will apparently lack USB-A ports, and instead feature five USB-C ports, including two on the front of the computer.

This would be the Mac mini's first major redesign since 2010.

iPad mini

One of the new iPads expected this October is a seventh-generation iPad mini.

Rumored features for the next iPad mini over the previous model include a faster chip, upgraded front and rear cameras, a fix for "jelly scrolling" screen tearing in portrait orientation, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 support, and new color options.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said the next iPad mini would enter mass production in the second half of 2024.

Apple released the current iPad mini in September 2021, with new features at the time including a larger 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, the A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera with Center Stage support, compatibility with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and more.

iOS 18.0.1

Apple is internally testing iOS 18.0.1 for the iPhone, according to our website's analytics, and the update should be released this month.

We expect iOS 18.0.1 to be a minor bug-fix update that hopefully addresses the following issues:

• Touchscreen issues affecting the iPhone 16 series and some older models
• An iMessage bug where a shared Apple Watch face can cause the app to repeatedly crash
• iPadOS 18 bricking some iPad Pro units with the M4 chip

The update could also include security patches.

It is unclear when iOS 18.0.1 will be released, but our best guess is the update will be made available in the first half of October.

iOS 18.1

During its iPhone 16 event last month, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.1 will be released in October.

Already available in beta, iOS 18.1 includes the first Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone, including writing tools, notification summaries, and more. Apple Intelligence is available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any iPhone 16 model.

Expect more Apple Intelligence features to roll out between iOS 18.2 and iOS 18.4.