Apple is ready for One More Thing - another new iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, a month after its last announcement That means that just as the holiday shopping season begins to heat up, Apple will use its latest Apple event to finish unveiling its new products

With all the devices Apple unveiled in September, it is a matter of speculation that Apple's Mac lineup needs time in the spotlight But unlike the Google Pixel fall launch, which will take place the day after Apple's October 18 event, Apple hasn't really revealed its hand on what to expect when it begins its live stream at 1 pm ET/10 am ET on Monday So while we may have a rough idea of what is planned, the actual specifics remain a mystery

Still, we can make a fairly informed guess about the new Apple products coming our way, based on the rumors we've heard so far Here's a closer look at what will be announced at Apple's October event, and what may or may not be announced

New MacBook Pro: If the rumors surrounding the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro are not incessantly heard, this one is pretty clear: Apple's event invitation, titled "Unleashed," is a statement that Apple has designed chip, suggesting that we will see more news on Apple's efforts to release more Macs with Apple-designed chips

In the case of the new MacBook Pro model, that would be the M1X processor This is expected to be a variation of the M1 chip that debuted last year, but this version will only have more CPU and GPU cores Additionally, the M1X is said to offer more Thunderbolt channels and support for multiple external monitors It appears to be a professional processor that matches the user base of Apple's professional MacBook Pro models

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is rumored to offer a mini LED display and a new flat-edge design; the 16-inch MacBook Pro is also expected to add these, along with a larger screen MagSafe could also return to the MacBook Pro lineup, a separate charging cable rather than the similarly named wireless feature on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13

New Mac mini: The Mac mini got on the M1 chip train last year, and Apple is apparently already planning a revamp Rumors suggest that the smaller desktop may also feature the M1X chipset, and rendered images suggest that the Mac mini may be even smaller The new design will not be as large as the current Mac mini, and leaker Jon Prosser goes a step further, claiming that the revamped Mac mini will have a two-tone look with plexiglass over an aluminum closure

Does the Mac mini call for an update? No But the addition of CPU and GPU cores and the Thunderbolt channel are in line with the needs of Mac mini seekers, and the jump up to the M1X chipset seems like a no-brainer

macOS 12 Monterey ship date: In September, Apple released a software update that was first previewed at the June developer conference At the very least, new hardware should be available to run this software

Now that several months have passed since the macOS 12 Monterey preview, here's a quick recap The new Mac software will support many of the same features introduced in iOS 15 on the Mac This includes Live Text for capturing text from images and FaceTime SharePlay support As with these devices, Safari will be significantly revamped on the Mac, and Notes will add organization capabilities along with a handy Quick Notes feature The new "Universal Control" feature, which allows users to control up to three iPads and a Mac with the same keyboard and mouse, has disappeared from the beta version of macOS 12

Given the sheer number of changes in macOS 12 Monterey, the new feature may be outlined at the October 19 Unleashed event

AirPods 3: OK, this is probably wrong Like the MacBook Pro announcement above, rumors about Apple's updated AirPods are flying fast and furious, with more sophisticated audio features expected to be added, such as Dolby Atmos support and spatial audio Apple is also shortly redesigning the stems of its wireless earbuds, which could also include active noise cancellation

So it looks like AirPods 3 will be here at some point I just don't think an event heavily focused on the Mac is the place to do it

It is true that Apple could sum up the iPhone 13 - the company never misses a chance to climb the victory ladder - and in that segment could roll out the latest AirPods But otherwise, the connection between Mac and AirPods is tenuous Besides, the AirPods 3 are beginning to have the same aura as the Apple AirTag Long rumored, this feature did not appear at any number of Apple product launches before it finally appeared

Still, given how far along AirPods 3 is in development, a case could be made that Apple won't let the holiday season pass without letting people choose new AirPods whether or not the AirPods are announced at a Mac event as such, it may have to be

Apple's M2 processor: We mentioned the M1X above, but this is an extension of the M1 chipset announced last year, not its successor The successor role will be played by the M2, whose chips are not expected until next year

When the M2 is introduced, it will be manufactured on a 4nm process, compared to the 5nm M1 family This should mean improved performance and efficiency over the M1 (For more on the differences between the two chipsets, see our comparison of M1X and M2) Still, no one expects the M2 to be included in the new MacBook Pro model Instead, the next MacBook Air should be the lucky recipient, but that laptop is not scheduled to appear until early 2022

Anything but Mac: Just before Apple's September announcement, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman tweeted that a second Apple event would likely take place in October and that it would focus on the Mac and iPad While he is obviously correct about the timing of that, we do not think the iPad portion will happen This is because the iPad Air 5, the most likely candidate for the next tablet to emerge from Cupertino, looks likely to appear in early 2022, not next week

In fact, Apple is likely to have a very busy first few months of next year That's when the iPhone SE 3 is expected to arrive and bring 5G connectivity to Apple's compact, inexpensive smartphone; add the iPad Air and, even if it's MIA again next week, the AirPods 3, and Apple's October 19 launch will distract from its Mac efforts Without turning its attention away from its Mac efforts at the October 19 launch, it will have plenty of products in the pipeline