What to Expect From the 'Scary Fast' October 30 Apple Event

[shr631]

two words: Dynamic Island

99% of MBP users want one thing: a big dynamic island to 10x productivity. Displays are vestigial tech, who uses that? In fact, a 14-16” dynamic island with a keyboard and VGA port 👌🏼

 

[Gloor]

None of that will be noticeable except the ram.

I think people have unrealistic expectations. Almost seems that they buy the specs on paper rather than the specs the need/notice

snapier web browsing for one, faster SSD's, better heat dissipation, more RAM on the base models

 

[tny]

A bit pedantic of me, but 5PM is not "nighttime".

It's commute time, at least out here where Apple HQ is located.

It's also the start of the workday in Japan, Korea... all the way down to Australia.

About half the US lives in the Eastern Time Zone. For them it is nighttime.

 

[Gotfredsen]

The Black Finder animation on the Event Page would suggest better darkness in the displays ?.. it also can suggest that the webcam will have a pin-hole like the iPhone lineup has dropping the NOTCH ... so can we expect

MacBook Pro 16 inch with M3 Ultra chip (Scary Fast for a Portable?) Also might mean the Mac Pro and Mac Studio gets M3 Extreme Chip ?
- Up to 192 GB Unified Memory on the MacBook Pro M3 Ultra (384 GB on the Mac studio and Mac Pro with the M3 Extreme)
- Slimmed Down bezel with better performance
- No more notch but pin hole
- Dynamic Island comes to the Mac ?

Keynote with performance comparison between the new MacBook Pro M3 Ultra and the Old Intel Xeon Mac Pro ?
Keynote speaker saying .. This benchmarks are of the chart .. Its truly extreme

One more thing .. The MacBook Pro top end is now called MacBook Ultra ...

 

[JimmyG]

If they cough up a 28" XDR M3 iMac, I'll be all over that!

 

[canon-cinema-0r]

And what about Mac Mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro? Just seems odd to update a quarter of their desktops and half the laptops, with a mix of pro and non-pro products getting m3. I know historically Apple silicone updates have been non-linear but keep thinking some logic is inbound with Pro devices staying a generation ahead similar to iPad Air and iPad Pro

That's why I think it will be a Pro/Max release with a 27-30" iMac.

 

[kerr]

Remaining products with a lightning connector: iPad (9th Gen), Pencil (1st Gen), iPhone SE, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 14+, AirPods, AirPods Max, EarPods

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If they cough up a 28" XDR M3 iMac, I'll be all over that!

How much cash do you think you'll be coughing up FOR that?

 

[jpohio]

I have a 24" iMac that runs flawlessly and does everything I need it to do. If a 24" M3 iMac gets announced but still has upper limit of 16GB, will stay with what I have. If a 24" M3 iMac gets announced with upper limit of 32GB, I will be interested enough to look at pricing, specs, etc. If a 27" M3 Pro iMac is announced, with 32GB available, my wallet is probably open unless price is insane. I don't need any type of upgrade, but that has never stopped me before.

 

[jimbobb24]

If they don't re-design where the USB-C port is on a new mouse they're insane...literally the biggest complaint so would be totally tone deaf LOL

It’s in the right place. Someone else explained this but they wanted the mouse to be used wirelessly to help apple uses transition. So they made it impossible to use it wired. They could replace it with some sort of induction charger.

 

[Warped9]

I think people have unrealistic expectations. Almost seems that they buy the specs on paper rather than the specs the need/notice

I’m in retail selling computers and thats exactly what many people do. They look at numbers without really knowing what those numbers mean. A lot of them also assume all personal computers are essentially the same.

Frequent things I hear:
- I’m not a techie, but I don’t need all the bells-and-whistles.
- My son (grandkids, techie brother-in-law or whatever) tell me I need an i5 or i7 and at least 16GB RAM. And all they’re doing is email, browsing, Facebook and Youtube.
- I hate Apple. And yet you soon find out they have never owned or used an Apple device.
- I was told to get nothing but Intel.
- I have a few hundred photos so I need lots and lots of storage, easily 1 or 2TB.
- I don’t like/trust the Cloud. I don’t like my stuff being “somewhere out there.” But they have no problem with their emails being on a server “somewhere out there.”

It’s also crazy how so many people are inept at managing their messages and email. They have hundreds to thousands (really!) of messages in their inbox they no longer have use for yet never delete/trash or save/archive if they do need to hold onto something. They’re like message hoarders who never learned how to use delete. It’s insane.

 

[Galas]

I'm really really counting on new peripherals (i.e Apple ripping off Logitech)

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Been feeding off the ridiculously good deals on MBP14 M1 and MBP16 M1 lately, easily saving $1000 on even base models.

If M3 Pro comes out, here comes the deals on M2 Pro which haven't really been discounted at all up to now.

 

[MaxSP26]

I bought an 16 inch M1 Max 4tb ssd, 64gb ram a month ago for $2999 brand new. I know I got a great deal but it's still annoying they're launching a new MBP in the same year.

Every report was saying spring at the earliest.

 

[smorris]

What to expect? People who spent a ton on a MBP in January to be disappointed? I would be no matter the explanation. I’ll still watch even though I’m not in the market for any more Macs this year.

I spent a ton on my MBP in January. January 2015. So I don't think I'll be the least bit disappointed.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Sadly, Windows is beginning to take the title of just works. I'm finding it easier to use for work. Mac OS is now what I use at home when not working. Rather disappointed.

Despite the thumbs down and LOL's people give your post, they're still comparing to Windows from a decade ago.
Not counting people who build their own Frankenstein computer and have issues, prebuilts (Dell, HP, etc) are very stable and as a person who supports hundreds of Windows and Mac users and use both myself, that Windows, for the most part, "just works" and rarely has issues. I'm not a huge fan of Windows 11 because of the UX changes MS made, but then I'm not a fan of how macOS works either. People here can downvote all they want with their singular experience years ago and haven't touched Windows since but the corporate world runs on Windows for a reason. And before you say "but Windows gets viruses", I've used Windows since the beginning of time and can't remember ever being infected with one. Be responsible, smart and use protection and you'll be fine.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I bought an 16 inch M1 Max 4tb ssd, 64gb ram a month ago for $2999 brand new. I know I got a great deal but it's still annoying they're launching a new MBP in the same year.

Every report was saying spring at the earliest.

You'll feel better when you see the price of the M3 Max with 64GB and 4TB SSD and realize how much you saved. You still have a ridiculously fast, capable machine.

 

[Gloor]

I used to work in retail (Apple) and I can totally relate to this.
Most people have very limited knowledge so they come with the ideas their friends, colleagues etc. told them but they never realise that their needs are totally different.

It was funny how many times someone wanted to get Mac Pro or another beefy machine just for the fairly basic tasks.

The other problem was money - this store was in one of the 'rich' areas of London so people didn't often care how much it was they just wanted 'the best' (worst mentality actually).

I loved saving them money and get the right product for their needs. That was the fun part of the job.

Regardless, a lot of us (even people here) would benefit in 'reality' check as a lot of people get a machine that is total overkill for their needs. That saved money they could have could be invested elsewhere to enrich their lives better. Unfortunately, talking sense is often met with a deaf ear which is a shame.

C'est la vie

I’m in retail selling computers and thats exactly what many people do. They look at numbers without really knowing what those numbers mean. A lot of them also assume all personal computers are essentially the same.

Frequent things I hear:
- I’m not a techie, but I don’t need all the bells-and-whistles.
- My son (grandkids, techie brother-in-law or whatever) tell me I need an i5 or i7 and at least 16GB RAM. And all they’re doing is email, browsing, Facebook and Youtube.
- I hate Apple. And yet you soon find they have never used an Apple device.
- I was told to get nothing but Intel.
- I have a few hundred photos so I need lots and lots of storage, easily 1TB.
- I don’t like/trust the Cloud. I don’t like my stuff being “somewhere out there.” But they have no problem with their emails being on a server “somewhere out there.”

It’s also crazy how so many people are inept at managing their messages and email. They have hundreds to thousands (really!) of messages in their inbox they no longer have use for yet never delete, trash or save/archive if they do need to hold onto something. They’re like message hoarders who never learned how to use delete. It’s insane.

 

[smorris]

It’s also crazy how so many people are inept at managing their messages and email. They have hundreds to thousands (really!) of messages in their inbox they no longer have use for yet never delete, trash or save/archive if they do need to hold onto something. They’re like message hoarders who never learned how to use delete. It’s insane.

That's my wife. She has signed up for so many mailing lists, business adverts, etc., that she gets many time more main per day than she can look at. Last time I looked there were over 20,000 unopened emails. She also keeps every email she's ever sent in the last 15+ years, just in case. All told, there are over 50,000 emails on her computer. And she complains how slow it is...

And then there's iMessages. We have two grandkids, so every photo that's been sent vial messages over the past six years is still there, along with every conversation ever. She refuses to move the photos to Photos, or delete old messages. Messages is the single largest file on her MBP, iPhone, and iPad.

I've given up trying to help. I secretly hope her email database implodes and she loses everything.

 

[N0ughtsAndCr0sses]

OLED iPads, please.

 

[Gudi]

Given that this is Apple we are talking about, the re-sell values will not plummet in a year and if you are not a slob, you should be able to sell it if you really want that new "super" computer.

That's exactly what happened to the M1 iMac. The re-sale value plummeted within the first year and then stabilized at $1000 no matter the color or configuration. It's not going to be worthless anytime soon, but the 1st year drop was huge.

 

[subjonas]

Looking forward to new MacBooks with Dynamic Island 👍.

The notch is dead.

Probably not. First major reason being that would mean making the menu bar thicker, would it not? Secondly, as another user pointed out, the presumed reason that Apple made it a Dynamic pill instead of a Dynamic notch is that on the iPhone there is limited space for status icons, and due to the curved corners, the animations of the DI required that the status icons (as well as the pill) needed to be lower in the display away from the corners. MacBooks don’t have the same space constraint.
There is a better chance Apple may make the MacBook notch dynamic just via a software update, but even that I don’t think is that likely since the DI is basically a widget and Apple’s answer for quasi-multitasking on the iPhone, but the MacBook is already great at multitasking and widgets can be placed anywhere. And even if Apple wants to for the sake of unity with the iPhone, that leaves the iPad the odd one out, which doesn’t even have a notch. But Apple may still do so because a very small dynamic widget on the menu bar might be useful.

Edit- forgot desktop Macs and 13” MBP don’t have notches either, along with iPads. So I’m not sure how Apple would handle that fragmentation if they wanted to expand the Dynamic feature.

 

[CPmav]

If this ends up just being a spec bump for the MacBook Pros, I may get a discounted M2 Max 16 to replace my M1 Max 14

 

[DanVM]

I work in a Mac-dominant setting. Every time we have Windows-using folks from the "outside" visiting us I get the same feeling as I had in the 90's (and 2000s) - intrusive and unfocused OS either on cheap awful boxes or Apple knock-offs. And more to the point, I cannot see one can claim an increase general office productivity (apart from MS purposefully crippling the Office suite on a Mac).

Apple devices are definitely better than the "cheap awful boxes or Apple knock-offs" you mentioned. The story is different when you compare Apple devices with Lenovo and HP business devices (and maybe Dell devices). I have seen ThinkPad's in my customers and are very well built, sometimes better built than Apple notebooks. And they last a long time without issues. And they have no issues at all with Windows, from stability or productivity POV.

The only thing missing is the efficiency from the M-series processors, but it looks like Qualcomm, Nvidia and AMD will take care of that soon.

 

[DanVM]

IDK man. The new form factors an either gimmicks like the Duo screen ROG, or seriously dragged by Windows like the Surface. Not to mention the reliability of some of their product, or the fact that they would suddenly start updating the OS in your bag and sound like helicopters.

If you ask me, Surface devices (specifically the Surface Pro) work extremely well because of Windows. Just compare Windows to the limitations of iPad OS, especially when you use the device as a laptop replacement.