Apple ‘is planning surprise Mac announcement soon’

Customers are waiting weeks for their computers – which tends to suggest new ones are coming

(AFP via Getty Images)

Apple could be about to launch a host of new MacBooks.

The company is planning a major event next week at which it will update at least some of its Macs, according to a new report.

The most likely new computer is an update to the 24-inch iMac, which was first released in April 2021 and has not been updated since.

But Apple could also be planning new versions of the MacBook Pro.

Apple is preparing for a Mac-related launch event that could happen on either Monday, 30 October or the following day, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. He cited sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, but also noted that stock for Apple’s existing Macs is running low.

That 24-inch iMac as well as the 13-, 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro all show long waits for delivery in both the online and physical Apple stores, he noted. That can suggest that an update is incoming, as Apple clears out old units before the new ones arrive.

The last time that Apple held its results in November came in 2018, when Apple released new iPads and Macs in late October. Apple will also be holding its quarterly results in November this year, Mr Gurman noted.

The new reports do not indicate what changes Apple might be planning for the new computers. But the 24-inch iMac has now gone almost three years without an update, and is still using Apple’s old M1 chip, making it the only computer in Apple’s line-up to do so.

A new 24-inch iMac would presumably update that processor while presumably making other changes.

It is less clear how Apple would update its 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, which are the very top of its professional line-up. Those received upgrades to Apple’s top-of-the-line M2 processor family in January.

Mr Gurman suggested that the computers could also get “minor improvements to displays”. Previous reports have suggested that Apple could be adding more efficient screens to those premium laptops.