At the time of writing, the Apple Store is effectively down mere hours ahead of the Apple Unleashed event, signaling new products are being added and will likely go up for pre-order after the event finishes.
Those products are expected to be the MacBook Pro 2021 and a new MacBook Pro 16-inch. And there's also murmurs that a Mac mini 2021 with the rumored M1X chip will make its debut, as well as the AirPods 3, which were seemingly forgotten at previous Apple events.
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The new MacBook Pros are expected to be the star of the show, thanks to a new design — although maybe one that includes a display notch — plus the return of more ports and MagSafe, as well as new mini-LED displays to replace the good-but-rather-dated LCD Retina displays on the current MacBook Pro M1.
Under the hood, we’re expecting to see a M1X chip: a boosted take on the Apple M1 chip, with more processor and graphics cores. Expect more RAM and storage, too.
As for a new Mac mini, that's expected to get the upgraded slice of Apple Silicon, as well as a new chassis. The leaks around a new Mac mini haven't been prolific, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
And then there's the AirPods 3. We had been expecting to see them launch alongside the iPhone 13, but they were missing in action at Apple's September event. However, a barrage of tips and rumors have them slated to make their debut before the end of 2021, so today’s Apple event could be the moment they are finally revealed.
We’re expecting to see an AirPods Pro-like design from the AirPods 3, as well as some improved audio features, potentially even active noise cancellation. Other rumors point towards improved health-sensing tech, but that may be reserved for the AirPods Pro 2, which have yet to surface beyond a clutch of early rumors.
If you want to get all the news from the Apple event as it happens, including leaks and tidbits before the showcase kicks off, then check out our Apple Unleashed event live blog.
