Apple surprised us with a surprise October event this week, and interestingly enough, this event will take place on Monday, October 30th at 5pm PT. Apple has never held a night event before, so Monday should be pretty interesting.

The “Frightening Fast” event will focus on the Mac, as confirmed by Apple’s artwork for the event. On Apple’s website there is an Apple logo that turns into a Mac Finder icon, so we will see the Mac itself. Rumors are mixed about what we can expect at the event, but it looks like we’ll be getting the full M3 chip lineup. We’ve summarized what we’ve heard, but we may also receive some unexpected announcements.

14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro

14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models were updated with M2 Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips in January 2023; So it’s still early for an update, but it’s not unheard of for Apple to update Macs twice a year.

Apple is expected to update its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with next-generation M3 Pro and M3 Max chips; This will come less than a year after Apple introduced the ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips.

The base M3 Pro chip will feature a 12-core CPU and 18-core GPU, with upgrades for the 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU available. The base M3 Max chip will have a 16-core GPU and a 32-core GPU, with the option to upgrade to a 40-core GPU.

Upgrading from ‌M2‌ Pro/‌M2‌ Max to M3 Pro and M3 Max will deliver noticeable performance improvements, especially when it comes to the GPU and the MacBook Pro’s ability to run high-end games.

DigiTimes recently published rumors that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will feature more energy-efficient miniLED displays; Therefore, we are likely to see a change in screen performance.

If we get an update for the M3 and a new miniLED display, there could be significant improvements in battery life for MacBook Pro models. Apart from new chips and a possible new display, we do not expect any other design changes in the MacBook Pro models.

iMac

Apple hasn’t updated the 24-inch iMac since 2021 and is still using the M1 chip. The ‌iMac‌ is expected to receive an update at the Apple event, and the new version will use the M3 chip, the same chip found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Switching from ‌M1‌ to M3 will increase CPU and GPU performance, especially GPU performance. The M3 chip supports more RAM, so with the update we can see more maximum memory as well as a larger solid state drive.

There will be no visible design change on the ‌iMac‌ screen, but Mark Gurman Bloomberg He believes Apple will adjust the stand. Some of the ‌iMac‌’s internal components will be ported and updated, and a new manufacturing process will be used to assemble the stand.

An upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E is also likely, as is Bluetooth 5.3. These are the technologies that have been featured in other Macs in the past year. The M3 ‌iMac‌ has reportedly been tested in orange, blue, pink, and silver, so we should see some of the color options available on the ‌M1‌ ‌iMac‌.

USB-C accessories

Apple is expected to remove the Lightning port from many Mac accessories, including the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard. These devices will use a USB-C port instead of Lightning as part of Apple’s transition to USB-C across its entire product line.

Other possibilities

Apart from the ‌iMac‌ and the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, there are no rumors that other devices will be updated. Initial reports indicated that the 13-inch MacBook Pro could receive an update with the M3 chip, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirmed that the 13-inch MacBook Pro will be updated at a later date.

Other Macs, including the MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro and Mac Studio, won’t be updated until 2024, as will iPads and AirPods. We don’t expect new iPads or new versions of AirPods until next year.

How to watch

Apple’s “Scary Fast” event will begin on Monday, October 30 at 5pm PT. Apple is streaming the event on its event website, which can be viewed in any web browser, and there will also be a livestream on YouTube.

For those who access the Apple TV app via an “Apple TV” set-top box or smart TV, Apple will also offer the option to live-stream events to your TV. For those who can’t watch; MacRumors MacRumors.com and MacRumorsLive will provide full coverage of the event on Twitter.