Apple is set to hold a special event at 10 a.m. PT on November 10, where it will likely show off the first Macs powered by Apple Silicon processors, alongside a range of other possible products. It will mark the third virtual Apple event has held in as many months, after the company’s shows in September and October.
At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2020, Apple announced that it would stop equipping its Macs with Intel processors, instead replacing them with its own custom ARM-based chips. These new processors — dubbed Apple Silicon — are much more powerful than previous Intel equivalents, yet use much less power, Apple claims.
Ever since that statement, speculation has been rife as to which Macs will be the first to sport Apple Silicon. Two strong candidates are the 16-inch MacBook Pro and its 13-inch sibling. The 16-inch MacBook Pro was revealed on November 13, 2019, almost exactly a year prior to Apple’s upcoming event, and is due an update.
Aside from that, there is also talk that Apple is working on a 12-inch Apple Silicon Mac, which could be a resurrected 12-inch MacBook or a revived 11-inch MacBook Air with a larger screen and thinner bezels. According to China Times, Apple is also preparing to launch an Apple Silicon iMac in the first part of 2021. While it is possible that all these devices may be shown off at the November 10 event, a smaller selection is more likely.
More than just Macs
When he revealed the switch away from Intel at WWDC, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the first Apple Silicon Macs would come before the end of 2020. Given that the event is scheduled in early November, that still seems possible, since the company often launches products a week or two after announcing them. The iPhone 12 Pro, for example, launched on October 23, 10 days after it was revealed at Apple’s October iPhone event.
What else could we see come November 10? According to various analysts and leakers, Apple has been hard at work on a set of high-end headphones known as the AirPods Studio. These would offer active noise cancellation and several modular, swappable parts, and would be priced at $349.
There is also evidence of Tile-like tracking devices known as AirTags. These would be able to magnetically attach to your valuables and be tracked in an app on your Apple device. Hints as to their existence have been floating around for more than a year, with leaked iOS 13 code revealing the name in October 2019.
Apple has been using its own custom ARM-based chips in its devices for many years, with iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch, and more all using some form of Apple-designed processor. Macs, however, have remained largely exempt (barring the T2 Security Chip) — but it seems Apple’s frustrations with Intel’s frequent delays has pushed it to extend the Apple Silicon family to include its laptops and desktop computers. We’ll know more in a matter of days.
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