Apple Oct. 22 event: We Still Have A Lot To Cover

[Eug]

http://allthingsd.com/20131015/apple-announces-october-22-event/

Tuesday, October 22, 2013. I'm thinking:

New 64-bit A7X iPad with fingerprint scanner
New iPad mini
New garbage can Mac Pro
10.9 Mavericks

Maybe new slim MacBook Pros <-- If not then silent update on Apple Store.

 

[nickbits]

I might be in for a retina mini. Would sell my iPad 2.

 

[Kaido]

I'd be in for a Retina iPad Mini for sure.

Retina Air would make my day as well :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

Maybe new slim MacBook Pros <-- If not then silent update on Apple Store.

I wonder if they'd dump the Air in that case?

11" slim MBP
13" slim MBP
15" slim MBP

Retina IPS + SSD + ULV CPU...hmm. My favorite Macbook design ever was the original 12" Powerbook G4:

http://2f.zol-img.com.cn/article/3/565/li6OyRxpYQKD2.jpg

Or maybe just do a 12" slim MBP & a 15" slim MBP...

 

[Eug]

My favorite Macbook design ever was the original 12" Powerbook G4:

Same, which is why I'm gonna wait, if they don't release a 12" Retina on Oct. 22.

Back in the day, my 12" iBook G3 was too slow, and Apple released a 15" G4 TiBook, and nothing G4 in the iBook line, so I bought the TiBook even though I thought it was too big.

Then just two months later Apple released the 12" PowerBook aluminum. Argghh!

 

[bearxor]

I was really thinking about a retina iPad Mini.

But I think I'm really, really, really close to deciding to go with a Dell Venue Pro 8.

Apple really needs to kick the functionality of the iPad up a few notches.

 

[Kadarin]

I was really thinking about a retina iPad Mini.

But I think I'm really, really, really close to deciding to go with a Dell Venue Pro 8.

Apple really needs to kick the functionality of the iPad up a few notches.

What functionality are you looking for, specifically?

 

[bearxor]

I guess I'm basically past just wanting a larger version of my phone and am looking for more laptop-like functionality.

Not to knock the iPad too much, because I think it's a pretty boss device and it was certainly a great "third category of device" when it was launched. But the increased functionality of these upcoming WP8.1 tablets where they can now basically replace both my laptop and my iPad is pretty alluring.

I was really looking forward to replacing my aging MBP (early 2008) with a 13" rMBP but now I'm even thinking about replacing it outright with a Venue Pro 8 or possibly shelling out a little extra cash for Venue Pro 11 or Surface Pro 2.

This isn't meant to exactly be a knock against the iPad but it's not really evolved that much since the first release in 2010, functionality-wise. That's a pretty good feat, IMO, because it was simply that far ahead of everything else, just like I consider the iPhone was.

But the iPhone and the iPad have essentially become my only computing devices. So rather than looking for that third category of device in between a phone and a notebook, I'm really looking for just a second category of device that can do the duties of a tablet and a notebook and Apple's just not interested in filling that slot, IMO.

 

[MrX8503]

Apple has A LOT to update. I don't ever remember it being this many.

-MBP
-ACD
-Mac Pro
-iPad
-iPad Mini
-Mac Mini
-Apple TV

whew!

 

[mmntech]

I wonder if they'd dump the Air in that case?

11" slim MBP
13" slim MBP
15" slim MBP

Retina IPS + SSD + ULV CPU...hmm. My favorite Macbook design ever was the original 12" Powerbook G4:

http://2f.zol-img.com.cn/article/3/565/li6OyRxpYQKD2.jpg

Or maybe just do a 12" slim MBP & a 15" slim MBP...

I had the 12'' iBook G4. Was a godsend back in university compared to the bulky PC laptops of the era that had crappy battery life.

As much as I'd love to get a 12'' slim MBP, I can't justify it. Don't really need a laptop anymore.

 

[Koing]

I wonder if they'd dump the Air in that case?

11" slim MBP
13" slim MBP
15" slim MBP

Retina IPS + SSD + ULV CPU...hmm. My favorite Macbook design ever was the original 12" Powerbook G4:

http://2f.zol-img.com.cn/article/3/565/li6OyRxpYQKD2.jpg

Or maybe just do a 12" slim MBP & a 15" slim MBP...

I don't think they would dump the MBA. They were updated this year to haswell.

I don't think they would release a 12" rMBP this year. If so that would be out of the blue imo. I was just expecting rMBP haswell updates. An interesting 7 days to wait.

Koing

 

[spencers]

Apple has A LOT to update. I don't ever remember it being this many.

-MBP
-ACD
-Mac Pro
-iPad
-iPad Mini
-Mac Mini
-Apple TV

whew!

-OSX

 

[Eug]

I posted this here that I think TouchID is a lock for the new iPad. For the new iPad mini, it's a strong possibility too, but if not this year, then next year.

If Apple choose to have a multi-tier approach like currently though, the low end models will not have it.

ie:

iPad Retina + TouchID
iPad mini Retina + TouchID

iPad non-Retina without TouchID
iPad mini non-Retina without TouchID

It also makes me wonder if Apple will simply keep the iPad 2 (or a variant of it) and current iPad mini around another year.

I'm curious about the new laptops and desktops too, although I'm not convinced it will show up in those, since it'd require a different implementation, and we didn't see it in the new iMacs. I'm not sure how Apple could implement it without it seeming superfluous or gimmicky. OTOH, integrating it into the home button on an iPhone (or iPad) is a no-brainer.

 

[Pheran]

The "We still have a lot to cover" tagline makes me think they are going to introduce a type cover for the iPads a la Surface.

 

[Spineshank]

The "We still have a lot to cover" tagline makes me think they are going to introduce a type cover for the iPads a la Surface.

If the Surface ran something other than Windows, I would probably be all over it. From a design factor, I think its awesome. I do think the keyboard/cover is too expensive for it though.

 

[SamQuint]

I wish they could make a MB Air convertible computer/tablet. Runs full OSX and then flip the screen and it runs IOS in tablet mode. However the IOS mode takes full advantage of the hard drive and whatever storage capacity you purchase.

I would also like to see the new OSX Mavericks full touch screen compatible with all new iMacs touch enabled.

 

[bearxor]

I posted this here that I think TouchID is a lock for the new iPad. For the new iPad mini, it's a strong possibility too, but if not this year, then next year.

If Apple choose to have a multi-tier approach like currently though, the low end models will not have it.

ie:

iPad Retina + TouchID
iPad mini Retina + TouchID

iPad non-Retina without TouchID
iPad mini non-Retina without TouchID

It also makes me wonder if Apple will simply keep the iPad 2 (or a variant of it) and current iPad mini around another year.

I'm curious about the new laptops and desktops too, although I'm not convinced it will show up in those, since it'd require a different implementation, and we didn't see it in the new iMacs. I'm not sure how Apple could implement it without it seeming superfluous or gimmicky. OTOH, integrating it into the home button on an iPhone (or iPad) is a no-brainer.

I think it really depends on what you consider the probability of the A7 being in the iPad Mini is. If the A7 is in there, then TouchID. No A7, no TouchID.

What I'd really, really, REALLY love to see is a 11" or 13" Haswell powered tablet that runs OS X and uses Thunderbolt for it's connectivity. I think it's wishful thinking and it certainly wouldn't hit the price point these 10-11" Haswell Windows 8.1 tablets are hitting (under $800) but I'd really like to see it.

 

[bearxor]

If the Surface ran something other than Windows, I would probably be all over it. From a design factor, I think its awesome. I do think the keyboard/cover is too expensive for it though.

I'm kind of waiting to see what the Hackintosh-ability of the Dell Venue 8 or 11 or Surface Pro 2 might be...

 

[Eug]

I think it really depends on what you consider the probability of the A7 being in the iPad Mini is. If the A7 is in there, then TouchID. No A7, no TouchID.

Good point. TouchID needs the crypto support that A7 includes, and the extra speed doesn't hurt either.

However, I'm not sure how much Apple is going to push A7 in 2013. It's a lock (or A7X is) for the iPad Retina, but I'm not sure for the mini.

I'd like to see those four iPad tiers though, with the top two tiers, including both iPad and iPad mini, both getting A7X and TouchID. Considering it's a 28 nm chip and not too huge, that is definitely plausible.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, I'm just not sure if the A7 is a lock for the iPad Mini. But it wouldn't surprise me. I'm not even so sure about an A7X. The A7 seems plenty powerful enough to handle 2048x1536. There might not be a need for an iPad specific chip and I think that probably fits in better in the grand scheme of things for a Apple.

 

[mavere]

An A6 on a Retina Mini would bring per-pixel performance that's equivalent to an iPad 3. As an owner of an iPad 3 running iOS 7, I can tell you that is absolutely unacceptable, and I'd be floored if Apple management thinks differently and releases a new product based on that.

The answer then is either an A6X or an A7 for the rMini, with the A7 being the obvious choice, as it has a more die efficient GPU design and is already benefitting from the iPhone 5s's manufactory ramp.

Edit: There's recently been a lot of blog posts and articles from the chattering class regarding possible price points. Building off of that, I'm going to guess $299 A6 vanilla Mini, $399 A7 retina Mini, $499 A7X full-sized iPad. Also, if the leaks showing the full-size iPad's volume reduction are indicative of the final weight (I'm betting on <1.2lb but hoping it's close to 1.1lb/500g), the product's achilles heel might be "solved".

 

[Ns1]

The "We still have a lot to cover" tagline makes me think they are going to introduce a type cover for the iPads a la Surface.

What I came in here to post.

 

[amyklai]

Edit: There's recently been a lot of blog posts and articles from the chattering class regarding possible price points. Building off of that, I'm going to guess $299 A6 vanilla Mini, $399 A7 retina Mini

A $299 A6 vanilla Mini is going to be absolutely DOA in a world where a $229 Nexus 7 exists. Same thing with a $399 retina Mini - the 4:3 aspect ratio and the slightly higher resolution do have their advantages, especially for pdf reading. But it's not going to sell at nearly 2 times the price of the N7.

 

[recoil80]

The "We still have a lot to cover" tagline makes me think they are going to introduce a type cover for the iPads a la Surface.

I was about to write the same thing

 

[Eug]

New iLife - new icons for iPhoto and GarageBand have surfaced, and then disappeared.

http://9to5mac.com/2013/10/16/redes...-appears-indicates-likely-makeover-next-week/