After much speculation as to ‘will they, won’t they’, Apple has finally announced an online-only event called ‘Scary Fast’ for October 30th 2023. As always, we don’t know for sure what they will announce, but in this article, we share what we know.

As we reported in our updated article Apple - No New M3 Macs Expected Until 2024 At The Earliest, published on 20th October 2023, all the evidence was pointing to Apple not having a traditional Mac-related event in October to announce new Mac computers. Then, on Sunday, 22nd October, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his PowerOn newsletter, announced his belief that Apple would indeed hold a Mac event to announce new Mac hardware…

“I believe the Mac announcement will take place on either the 30th or 31st of this month. Apple is holding earnings on Nov. 2. It will be the first time since 2018 that the company posts its quarterly results in November (usually it occurs in late October). The last time this happened, the earnings followed an iPad and Mac event on Oct. 30.”

Then, the day after Mark’s newsletter, Apple did, in fact, announce an online-only event to be held on Monday, 30th October 2023. However, in a break with tradition, this event will not start at the usual time of 10 a.m. Pacific time, but at 5 p.m. PT, which is 8 p.m. ET and 12 a.m. GMT.

Also, it is being interpreted that the Apple logo morphing into the old Apple Finder smiley face icon is a nod to this event being Mac orientated and that the tag ‘Scary Fast’ refers to new faster M3 chips.

What Will Apple Announce?

In his PowerOn newsletter on 22nd October 2023, Mark also reported that “Apple’s iMacs and MacBook Pros are in short supply ahead of planned launch at end of month.” He went on to say…

“Apple retail stores are in short supply of the iMac, as well as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and high-end MacBook Pro — two other models that may be due for a refresh. If you try to order the products from Apple’s website, several configurations won’t arrive until mid-November. That several-week delay is a clear sign that something is about to happen.”

Mark Gurman is very much of the opinion that Apple will announce a new 24-inch iMac…

“Apple last updated the iMac in April 2021, introducing a version of its iconic all-in-one computer with an M1 chip. Since then, news about a follow-up model has been as elusive as a PowerBook G5. In an era of in-house Apple chips, it’s rare for a Mac to go this long without an upgrade. Fans of the iMac have waited more than 900 days since the last model debuted.

This was never the plan. Apple had aimed to release a larger, pro-focused iMac soon after the 24-inch iMac launched. Under the original road map, you would have seen the M1 24-inch iMac, then an M2-based iMac Pro and, finally, a 24-inch iMac refresh.

I’m told that the company tabled the iMac Pro plan a while ago due to cost concerns. So Apple has had to adjust. That’s included positioning the Mac Studio and Studio Display combination as a high-end iMac replacement. But any passionate iMac user knows that’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Fortunately, a new iMac is finally on the way. As I reported in March, the company has been readying the updated 24-inch iMac — a model that could be out soon. How soon? Well, I’m told that Apple is planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month. That could be its chance to announce this model.”

As to other iMac developments, Mark Gurman added this postscript…

“It’s worth noting that the pro version was tabled but never cancelled. This larger model is still poised to follow the 24-inch one, coming in either late 2024 or 2025. It will have a 32-inch display, making it the biggest iMac in Apple’s history. It’s something I’m watching closely. After all, the iMac, which turned 25 this year, was what got me interested in Apple in the first place.”

As to other products that might be announced at the ‘Scary Fast’ Event on Monday, 30th October, 2023, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) on 24th October 2023…

“I believe M3 series MacBook Pro will be Oct 30th media event's focus. I previously predicted a launch this year is unlikely due to limited 4Q23 shipments (less than 400-500k units in total). If new MBPs launch in Nov-Dec, tight supply will last into 1Q24 unless demand weakens.”

He followed that post just over an hour later with this one…

“As far as I know, Apple attributes the significant decline in MacBook shipments in 2023 mainly to the limited M2 computing power upgrade. I believe this is why Apple may prefer to launch the M3 series MacBook Pro even when its production volume is still low rather than continue to ship the M2 series MacBook Pro. Theoretically, the M3 should offer a more significant boost in computing power.

However, if even the M3 can't boost MacBook shipments, I think the likelihood of introducing the all-new design MacBook Pro in 2025 may increase. Furthermore, Apple may also consider (but hasn't decided yet) introducing a more affordable MacBook model to boost shipments, with a target of 8-10+ million units per year.”

All of which backs up Mark Gurman’s view (see above) that Apple need to announce new Macs to increase sales.

A couple of hours after Ming-Chi Kuo’s second post, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman posted this on ‘X’…

“New high-end MacBook Pros are in mass-production and are likely shipping imminently. I have little doubt these are being announced next week.”

Mark Gurman also posted these two posts on ‘X’ in quick succession…

“… And MacBook Pro inventory has run dry.”

“While rare, Apple has refreshed a Mac twice in one year. I’ll never forget Apple announced the iMac G5 with a built-in iSight camera in Oct. ’05 and then hilariously updated it to Intel in Jan. ’06 - only 3 months later. And the M2 MacBook Pros were meant for Oct. 2022, not Jan.”

What Does This All Mean?

Reviewing this flurry of announcements, it would appear that Apple will announce a new M3-powered 24-inch iMac and new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, although due to the limited number of M3 chips, it is likely that availability, especially of the MBP models will be limited as Kuo said in one of his tweets, “ I previously predicted a launch this year is unlikely due to limited 4Q23 shipments (less than 400-500k units in total). If new MBPs launch in Nov-Dec, tight supply will last into 1Q24 unless demand weakens.”

Interestingly, an unverified image has since surfaced, reshared on ‘X’ by ShrimpApplePro, showing what looks like Apple packaging featuring a MacBook Pro with a new wallpaper design on the display, which looks a bit like an Apple iPhone 15 Pro wallpaper. However, it's not clear if the image is legitimate or fake.

If true, it does add credence to Apple getting ready to ship new MacBook Pro models soon.

There you have it. If we learn more, we will bring it to you.