No New Macs At Apple's September Event, But The Year Is Not Over Yet
Apple's 'California Streaming' September event came and went with no sign of a new Mac. Rumors had suggested that a few updated models were to be expected and that still might prove to be true since the year isn't over yet. With more than three months left of 2021, Apple has plenty of time to announce another event. The iPhone event only came with one week's notice, so it's possible for a presentation to be given as late as December.
Apple introduced several new products at its September 2021 event. The headliner was the iPhone 13 series, which includes four models, all with greatly improved cameras and the long-anticipated arrival of a 120 hertz refresh rate for the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. An update to the iPad mini was expected and the leaks suggested the new model would be quite similar to the fourth-generation iPad Air but smaller. While those leaks proved to be accurate, the sixth-generation iPad mini included a surprise. It's powered by an A15 chip, the same processor used in the new iPhone 13, making it faster than the iPad Air. Both the new 10.2 iPad and the mini were updated with an ultra-wide selfie camera with Center Stage, just like the iPad Pro. The latest Apple Watch Series 7 also made its debut featuring a 20-percent larger and 70-percent brighter display, albeit without any new sensors.
Apple events follow a predictable pattern, but not always. Every September for nine of the last ten years, Apple has held an event to announce its newest iPhone, and sometimes one or more new Mac computers are part of the presentation. This year, the iPhone was announced right on schedule, although this time no Mac computers made it to the stage. In 2020, the iPhone event was delayed until October, presumably because of delays that came as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic slowing production and shipping. Apple hasn't confirmed this and the company is generally tight-lipped about such decisions and the influences or external factors. Updates to the iPad and Apple Watch came in September and Apple's M1 Mac computers debuted in November. Apple's fall events normally happen in either one or two parts and six of the last ten years saw the second event in October. That means more Mac computers could arrive in October and still be on schedule, or in November, possibly setting a new live streaming standard.
The fact that rumors can be very wrong was demonstrated by the Apple Watch Series 7. Not only did it not include any new sensors, but instead of being flat-edged as suggested by multiple reliable leakers, the Watch Series 7 turned out to be rounder than ever before. However, Apple stated in June of 2020 that it intends to fully transition to Apple Silicon and away from Intel CPUs within two years. If the clock started in June, that would mean there are only nine months remaining. While Apple isn't forced to meet a self-imposed deadline it will probably try to honor that statement.
The current Apple Silicon lineup includes a MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, a Mac mini, and a 24-inch iMac. That leaves a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 27-inch iMac, and a Mac Pro if Apple keeps every current model. Technically, Apple still sells an Intel version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini with greater memory capacity, so Apple might replace those as well. The form factor that is expected in a few weeks is a more powerful version of the MacBook Pro, possibly the 16-inch model along with a 13 or 14-inch option. The speculation is that these laptops will use a new Apple Silicon chip called the M1X. This speculation was fueled further after it was noticed the tag 'M1X' had been used in a YouTube video by Apple. It could have been a typo, and no such device launched in 2020, but that Apple slip might have also been a teaser.
Source: Apple, Max Balzar/Twitter