Sept. 9 was Apple's big event of the year, but Cupertino still has a couple of relatively big reveals planned for 2014, specifically for its Oct. 16 event, which the company already sent out invites to the technology press for.
While Oct. 16 will not be full of the Hollywood-esque glitz and glamour of the debut of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple fans and followers have several major upgrades to a number of Apple products to look out for, namely the iPad, iMac and Apple's OS X Yosemite.
First on the list is Apple's new iPad Air 2. Apple typically announces updates to its flagship tablet every October, so we can expect an amped up iPad next week. The reports point to the addition of a Touch ID fingerprint and a new iPad that comes in gold to match the color of the iPhone 6.
A more exciting rumor, however, is the change reportedly coming to the iPad's display, including a triple Retina display, first discovered by developer Hans Souza who says he found code in iOS 8 beta for the iPad and iPhone that points to triple Retina support. Souza posted a photo on Twitter comparing image quality taken in triple Retina to Retina and double Retina displays.
Some Apple frameworks on iOS 8.1 contain @3x iPad assets. Bring on the Retina HD iPads! pic.twitter.com/QY3rX0SLVy
— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) October 9, 2014
The iPad Air 2 is also said to feature split-screen mode for multitaskers as well as significant upgrades under the hood, including a faster A8 processor similar to the one used in the iPhone 6.
Rumors also say Apple is working on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, though other analysts believe Apple has pushed back the release of the bigger iPad to make room for suppliers to meet the current backlog in iPhone 6 demand. However, it is possible that we may get an early glimpse of the new iPad Pro next week, which could possibly come with ultra-high definition 4K display and a keyboard cover, similar to the cover for Microsoft's Surface Pro.
Of course, there should also be an iPad Mini upgrade, since Apple normally pushes out yearly updates. There aren't very many reports on Apple's plans with the iPad Mini, but any updates the company will introduce will likely be in line with the changes made to the bigger iPad Air.
Also to be expected is a 27-inch iMac with 5K resolution, which Apple was rumored to be testing in late September. Currently, Apple's 27-inch desktop monitor has a resolution of 2560 x 1440p and the new model will reportedly come somewhere in the range of 5120 x 2880p.
There could also be a redesigned 12-inch MacBook Pro in the works, since it has been four years since Apple released a new design, though the company recently pushed a minor spec bump to its MacBook Pro line earlier this year. However, delays in Intel's mass production of processors could actually push the arrival of Apple's new laptop to a later date, likely next year since the chip maker is said to begin production in December.
Not surprisingly, Apple is also said to officially launch its latest generation software, which has been available as a beta version for developers for a while. OS X Yosemite will come with a cleaner, more colorful interface, iCloud Drive and SMS Continuity, which lets users continue tasks done on their other Apple devices on their Apple computers.
What not to look out for, however, is an all-new iPod Touch, which barely received any updates from its maker in recent years. Apple has slashed the device's price to $199 from its starting price of $299 and has quietly killed the iPod Classic shortly after introducing the iPhone 6, indicating the iPod, which is basically a mini version of the iPad, is a declining business. However, there seems no sign that Apple will drop the iPod soon, though it's fair not to expect any major updates for the device either.
