Key Takeaways
- Apple’s upcoming October event, dubbed Scary Fast, has sparked speculation about what they will unveil, with rumors pointing towards new iMac and MacBook Pro models.
- The event, scheduled for October 30, deviates from Apple’s usual afternoon timing, potentially in line with the Halloween theme.
- While expectations for an M3 chip are low, the possibility adds excitement to an event that would otherwise focus on updated iMacs and MacBooks with M2 chips.
Apple has just announced its next big event. This time, the company has given it the moniker Scary Fast, leading to speculation about what exactly it could show off. We’ve heard plenty of rumors about a new iMac, which makes sense in terms of timing, but could these new computers feature the rumored M3 chip, or will they stick with the existing silicon (perhaps with one of the more powerful versions, though)?
When is the Scary Fast October Apple event?
Apple’s next hardware event is scheduled for October 30, 2023. Interestingly, it starts at 5 pm PT (8 pm ET, 1 am BST). That’s atypical for Apple events, which usually happen in the afternoon. Perhaps the company is opting for a late-night event to fit the scary theme since the announcements happen the day before Halloween.
What do we expect to see?
Leaks regarding this event have been minimal so far, with the most reliable one suggesting that Apple will announce new 24-inch iMac models at the October Scary Fast event. That model still totes an M1 chip and hasn’t seen an upgrade since 2021, so the timeline fits perfectly for Apple to put out a new model. The iMac has a long and storied history, though they haven’t received as much love in recent years.
The same report suggests that Apple will announce a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, another model due for a refresh. That said, we don’t expect anything too revolutionary unless Apple shocks us and releases it with an M3 chip. If this happens, we could see a very exciting new laptop.
Do we actually expect the M3 chip to be there? Probably not. The timing doesn’t seem right, with the company releasing the Vision Pro on the M2. Announcing the M3 would make that very expensive piece of tech feel outdated before it even launches, something Apple would almost certainly want to avoid. Instead, we expect Apple to announce the new M3 chip at WWDC this year, but only time will tell.
What’s more likely is that we see M2 chips in both new devices, which is less exciting but could still make for some notable performance improvements. Apple could offer M2 Pro or M2 Max models, which would further bump up the speed and performance, much like the company did with the larger 16-inch MacBook Pro. Offering these chips would also bump the price, but that could be an acceptable tradeoff for the boost in power.
Still, that Scary Fast name is leaving us to speculate that it could be something more. The company is setting lofty expectations by calling the event that (obviously, it’s playing off the event’s timing relative to Halloween). While we’re reasonably confident the M3 won’t be there, the slight chance it will is making the event far more exciting than a new iMac and MacBook would on their own.
