Everything Apple is unveiling at its October 'Scary Fast' event (and how to watch it)

October 27, 2023

`Everything Apple is unveiling at its October 'Scary Fast' event (and how to watch it)`

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Everything Apple is unveiling at its October ‘Scary Fast’ event (and how to watch it)

New iMacs, MacBooks, and M3 chipsets are on the docket of what is likely Apple’s final product event of the year.

Written by June Wan, Reviews Editor

A red 24-inch iMac at the Apple store. — Jason Hiner/ZDNET

It’s been an eventful year for Apple’s Mac line; the company unveiled 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max configurations back in January, the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air along with new Mac Studio and Mac Pro models at WWDC in June, and a Vision Pro headset that may eventually replace the laptops we so heavily rely on today.

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Apparently, that’s not enough hardware for consumers to throw their wallets at, because what’s coming next may be the most enticing ensemble of Mac computers this year. Apple on Monday (Oct. 30) will be hosting its next (and likely final) product launch event in 2023, dubbed “Scary Fast,” at its Cupertino headquarters at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET), making it the first time the company has presented during the evening.

There’s plenty of speculation about what the event tagline is referring to, but the most prominent sources — and those who patiently waited for the event teaser animation to display the “Finder” symbol — point to snappier, more performant Mac computers.

How to watch Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ event

The keynote presentation will begin on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) and be livestreamed across Apple’s homepage and official YouTube channel. There won’t be an in-person element, unlike WWDC and the iPhone 15 event, so everyone will have the best seats in the house.

Until then, here’s the breakdown of every product Apple is expected to unveil during its pre-Halloween extravaganza.

1. M3 chips in all sizes

A close-up shot of the MacBook Pro's display. — June Wan/ZDNET

At the center of Monday’s hardware announcements will be Apple’s newest silicon: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. According to a recent Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman, the new M3 chips will be built on TSMC’s 3nm process, succeeding the M2 chips’ 5nm process and falling in line with the new iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chip.

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Much like the M2 processors that classify Apple’s latest Mac computers by performance and efficiency, expect the three-tier approach to carry over to this next wave of models as follows:

M3: Eight main processing (CPU) cores (four performance and four efficiency) and 10 graphics (GPU) cores
M3 Pro: Starting at 12 main processing cores (six performance and six efficiency) and 18 graphics cores. Apple may also offer a more performant configuration with 14 main processing cores (10 performance and four efficiency) and 30 graphics cores.
M3 Max: Up to 16 main processing cores (12 performance and four efficiency) and 40 graphics cores.

2. 24-inch iMac

It’s hard to believe that the oh-so-colorful 24-inch iMac is more than 900 days old, and I blame its timeless design and reliable M1 chipset for that. During Apple’s “Scary Fast” event, expect the company’s all-in-one computer for the mainstream to see a much-needed revamp — mostly internal, of course, with the new base-level M3 chip taking the M1’s place.

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A new monitor stand may be in the cards, too, along with different colorways to help discern the new model from the last. It’s a strategy Apple frequently uses with iPads and iPhones. And I wouldn’t put it past the company to continue transitioning its product portfolio to USB-C, doing away with the Lightning port on the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse.

3. MacBook Pro

The 16-inch MacBook Pro opened and on the floor. — June Wan/ZDNET

Apple’s MacBook Pro line is more convoluted than it seems, with touch bar and no-touch bar models still being sold. The new M3 upgrades may streamline things going into 2024.

According to multiple sources and the ever-dwindling inventory of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros on Apple’s storefront, the two larger laptop models are expected to debut with fresher M3 Pro and M3 Max chips during the “Scary Fast” event.

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Expect a similar form factor as the MacBooks that launched back in January, with mini LED displays that get plenty bright and all the ports for professional users, but with a meaningful improvement to the performance and battery life. The new 3nm process should also yield a greater gaming experience, like how the A17 Pro enables the iPhone 15 Pro to run triple-A titles with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

As for the 13-inch MacBook Pro that debuted about a year and a half ago, Apple has three ways to go about it:

Keep the design (including the touch bar) but replace the M2 chip with an M3
Modernize the design (and remove the touch bar) and replace the M2 chip with an M3
Not do anything at all