What to expect from next week’s keynote

We may be approaching the year’s end, but Apple still has a few tricks (and treats) up its sleeve. Just when we had thought that no new Macs or iPads would launch until 2024, the company announced what will likely be its last media event for 2023. ‘Scary fast’ will be taking place as soon as next Monday, October 30, at 8:00 p.m. ET. So what exactly are we expecting (and not expecting) from Apple’s ‘Scary fast’ event? Here’s what you should know.

What to expect from ‘Scary fast’

An upgraded iMac

During the upcoming Apple event, we almost certainly will be seeing at least one upgraded iMac. This Mac type is the last to still not offer an M2 variant, and its last refresh dates back to April 2021. The 24-inch iMac (2023) will likely offer the unannounced 3nm M3 chipset in a familiar chassis. After all, Apple overhauled its exterior in 2021, and we don’t expect the upcoming version to feature a drastically different outer shell. Of course, it may offer new color options or minor tweaks on the outside, but that should pretty much be it.

Boosted MacBook Pro models

Apart from the iMac, recent reports suggest that we could also be seeing 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models during the ‘Scary fast’ event. These two variants will possibly be upgraded from M2 Pro and M2 Max to their M3 counterparts. Beyond that, the company could also pack in some other internal upgrades, but we similarly expect their outer designs to remain largely the same. The 13-inch MacBook Pro, however, may not receive a bump from M2 to M3 until 2024.

An emphasis on Mac gaming

With macOS Sonoma, Apple introduced an all-new Game Mode and the Game Porting Toolkit. So it goes without saying that the company has been actively trying to elevate the gaming experience on macOS — which is currently considered inferior to that on Windows. That’s why it’s very possible that Apple will dedicate a segment of its ‘Scary fast’ event to discuss gaming on the new Macs it’ll likely reveal. Furthermore, there have been rumors about Apple featuring some major Japanese game developers during its upcoming event. That’s not to mention that the M3 could potentially support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which is available on this year’s A17 Pro iPhones.

USB-C accessories

Apple has been slowly retiring the Lightning port on its devices in favor of a USB Type-C connector. So we wouldn’t be surprised if the company made the port switch on some of its Mac accessories during or right after the event. These accessories could possibly include the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Keyboard.

What not to expect from the Apple event

Final Cut Pro on an M1 iPad Pro

While Apple has been refreshing at least one iPad model annually, 2023 may be an iPad-less year. The company recently revealed the Apple Pencil (USB-C) on its own, and no reports point to new iPads during this event. As a result, we likely won’t be seeing fresh tablets from the company until 2024. Similarly, we don’t expect to see any new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, HomePods, or Apple TVs.

Despite Apple’s ‘Scary fast’ keynote potentially revolving around the Mac exclusively, not all of the company’s computers will be upgraded to M3 during this event. Recent rumors and leaks suggest that we will only be seeing the aforementioned iMac and MacBook Pro 14 and 16 models, so a MacBook Pro 13, MacBook Air, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro likely won’t make it to the show.

The unlikely plot twist

Considering that the ‘Scary fast’ event starts at a relatively late hour and will be online-only, there’s a very small chance that it’ll be short and somewhat insignificant. In this case, it would focus on an M2 iMac, and the M3 series wouldn’t debut until 2024. Though, again, this is just an unlikely scenario that has been surfacing on some online spaces, and it probably won’t be the case. Had it been so, the company would’ve possibly relied on a press release instead of opting for a dedicated media event.

How to watch Apple’s ‘Scary fast’ event

The ‘Scary fast’ keynote starts on Monday, October 30, at 8:00 p.m. ET or 5:00 p.m. PT. Just like previous Apple events, you can watch it on different platforms, based on your preference.

Apple’s website: This stream is usually a few seconds ahead of other platforms, but it buffers a lot on unstable or slow networks.

YouTube: The official Apple channel on YouTube also provides a live stream of the event, and it usually offers the smoothest playback, particularly for those on slow networks.

Apple TV app: The Apple TV app is built into iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. You can watch the ‘Scary fast’ event through it if you don’t want to rely on the company’s website or YouTube.

As always, XDA will be covering the announcements as they occur. So make sure to check back during and after the event to read our in-depth news coverage, product reviews, opinion pieces, and more.