Apple's October Releases: What's in Store For The Rest of 2022?

Now that the dust has settled from Apple's annual iPhone-centric event in September 2022, thoughts are turning to what else Apple may have in store for the remainder of the year. Rumours of an October event started making the rounds long before the September event was even official. The gathering at Apple's $5-billion USD HQ brought refreshed iPhones, AirPods Pros, and updated and expanded the Apple Watch line-up.

Notably missing from the September event was the official public launch of MacOS Ventura, with Apple reporting the 13th incarnation of its desktop software would be available "sometime" in October this year. This is likely due to the negative reception of the new "Stage Manager" window management feature by the press and beta testers alike. The extra time would allow Apple to address these issues and ensure it's ready for primetime.

MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch

It's been almost a year since Apple's pro-focused laptops broke cover, and now with the well-received 2022 MacBook Airs sporting the newer M2 architecture, it's a sure thing that we'll see an M2 refresh for the top-tier models. The M2 Pro and M2 Max-totting models are unlikely to receive any other hardware updates, apart from minor tweaks to the display panel in peak brightness or increased dimming zones.

Mac Mini and Mac Studio

Like the MacBooks above, the now two-year-old Mac Mini is likely to receive some M2 love. A long-rumoured design refresh, moving towards a smaller form factor, is unlikely. Many have long hoped the smaller SOC footprint would lead to a "Mac Micro", but Apple seems to be content to stick with the now 12-year-old chassis design. The March 2022 released Mac Studio could also get the M2 upgrade, to align it with its pro-level peers.

iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9-inch

It's almost certain the 11 and 12.9-inch iPads will move up to M2 chips in time for the festive season. Not much else is expected to change, with most improvements coming via new software features in iPadOS 16. The long rumoured MagSafe connector (wobbly iPad anyone?) and switch to mini-LED for the 11-inch model both seem like long-shots, at best.

Base-model iPad

Those looking for a basic iPad may want to wait a few weeks, as speculation of a full refresh of the entry-level model has increased towards the end of the summer. Rumours point to a design more in line with the newer iPad Air and Mini's appearance, with flattened sides and reduced display borders. It would also see the last iPad hold-out finally switching to USB-C for charging and connectivity. Internally, the family-friendly device would likely adopt the A14 Bionic processor from the iPhone 12.

One More Thing?

As always with Apple's product launches, there is a lot of wild speculation about products that we are unlikely to see revealed. Currently on the wish list is the long-awaited replacement for the "trash can" MacPro, a 27-inch iMac Pro replacement based on the industrial design of the new Studio Display, and a successor to the great-sounding but overpriced HomePod. The latter may come as part of the launch of Apple's expected release of a stand-alone classical music platform after their acquisition of streaming service Primephonic.