Apple holds events at certain intervals in the year at which it announces new products. The company tends to hold a March or April spring event, the WWDC keynote in June, an event to celebrate the new iPhone launch in September, and a late fall event in October at which it has been known to release new iPads and Macs. The company has even held an event as late as November 10 (in 2020 when it unveiled the first batch of M1 Macs).
Apple introduced the new iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 at an event on September 12. It then introduced a new iPad mini on October 15, 2024. Has the company finished releasing new products for 2024? No! We think there are more new products to come and we could see new Macs at an Apple event in October 2024.
Update 24 October: Apple looks set to launch its new Macs without an event, but it has something planned for the week commencing Monday 28 October.
When is Apple’s October event 2024?
It looks like there won’t be an Apple Event this October, but Apple definitely has something planned. On Friday October 24, Apple’s Greg Joswiak tweeted: Mac (😉) your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned…
While this may mean there will be no video broadcast from Cupertino with Apple’s Tim Cook and others telling viewers about the new products. We do expect that Apple will issue press releases about the new Macs in addition to inviting journalists to a hands-on.
X / @gregjoz
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had hinted that invite-only hands-on events would will be held in Los Angeles on October 30.
Last year Apple held an event on 30 October. Dubbed Scary Fast, probably due to its proximity to Halloween (in fact if you aren’t in North or South America this event will start after midnight on 31 October.) This was quite late for an Apple event (late in the month and late in the day – especially if you weren’t in the U.S.
Gurman had previously suggested that the event would happen in late October, with new products launching on November 1. He also indicated that iOS 18.1 and, by association, macOS Sequoia 15.1 will arrive on Monday October 28. So Monday looks set to be a busy day.
Over the years Apple has held many second fall events in October (and once in November). It has launched new Macs, iPads, and AirPods at these events. For example, at the 2021 Unleashed event we got the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and the third-gen AirPods, while the previous year brought the M1 versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini on Tuesday, November 10.
However, as you can see from the list of October event dates below, Apple does not always hold an October event. Over the past 12 years, Apple has held eight October events, so it’s not unprecedented to skip it.
- 2023: Monday, October 30
- 2022: No event
- 2021: Monday, October 18
- 2020: Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, November 10
- 2019: No event
- 2018: Tuesday, October 30
- 2017: No event
- 2016: Thursday, October 27
- 2015: No event
- 2014: Thursday, October 16
- 2013: Tuesday, October 22
- 2012: Tuesday, October 23
- 2011: Tuesday, October 4
What time will Apple’s October event start?
It doesn’t look like there will be an event – but if Apple does make an announcement press releases tend to be issued around 6am PT, 9am ET, or 1pm GMT (although with the U.K. clocks changing this weekend that timing could be different). However, the release could come later in the day and it is possible that Apple will release products on different days.
Usually, Apple events kick off at 10 a.m. in California, which is:
- U.S.: at 10 am (PST/PDT), 11 am (MST/MDT), noon (CST/CDT), 1 pm (EST/EDT)
- Canada: as above, and 2 pm (AST/ADT)
- U.K.: at 6 pm (GMT/BST)
- Europe: at 7pm (CET/CEST), 8 pm (EET/EEST)
- India: at 10.30 pm (IST)
- Australia: Next day at 1 am (AWST/AWDT), 2.30 am (ACST/ACDT), 3 am (AEST/AEDT)
- New Zealand: Next day at 5 am (NZST/NZDT)
How to watch the Apple event
If you want to watch an Apple event live, Apple will stream the keynote on its website and YouTube channel. We will also embed the video above so you can also watch it here.
What will Apple launch at the October event?
Whether there’s an event or not, we expect that Apple will unveil new Macs in October. These are expected to include the following:
Mac mini with M4 & M4 Pro
The Mac mini may get an update to M4 and M4 Pro, missing a generation and replacing the M2 and M2 Pro Mac mini introduced in January 2023. Some big changes are expected: the Mac mini could be even smaller, but this may mean fewer ports.
More here: M4 Mac mini rumors
MacBook Pro with M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max
It’s been a year since Apple updated the MacBook Pro with M3-series chips, so M4 MacBook Pro models are possible this fall.
More here: M4 MacBook Pro rumors
iMac with M4
It’s also a year since Apple introduced the M3 iMac and the rumors suggest that we could be seeing the M4 iMAc arrive at the October event. No sign of the rumored iMac Pro yet though.
More here: iMac M4 release date
We may be waiting a little longer for the following products, which may not arrive until 2025…
Mac Studio with M4 Max and M4 Ultra
It’s been more than a year since the M2-series Mac Studio was introduced at WWDC 2023, so we are hoping for a new model in October. However, there are suggestions that the wait could be even longer, with a spring or WWDC 2025 launch predicted.
More here: M4 Mac Studio rumors
Mac Pro with M4 Max and M4 Ultra
Like the M2 Mac Studio, the Mac Pro is overdue an update. But this is another Mac that we could be waiting even longer for. Is Apple back to neglecting the creative pro market? We hope not.
What did Apple launch at the last October event?
In October 2023 Apple launched the M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max processors. Receiving the new processors were the MacBook Pro, which got all three, and the iMac, which gained an M3 chip. The 13-inch MacBook Pro was discontinued in favor of a M3 variant of the 14-inch model. Read about that event here: Everything Apple announced at the ‘Scary Fast’ Mac event.
Apple didn’t hold an October event in 2022. In October 2021, Apple launched redesigned models of the high-end MacBook Pro, with a 14-inch and 16-inch models making their debut. Powering the new MacBooks were the high-end M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that built on the already impressive M1 chips that arrived in November 2020. The laptops received new designs with slim bezels and extra ports, including MagSafe, HDMI, and an SD card slot.That event also saw Apple unveil the third-generation AirPods, new HomePod mini colors, and a cheaper, Siri-powered Apple Music subscription, Apple Music Voice.
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.