Apple iPads Special Event October 2014 (Start Time): New iPads, iMacs Expected

By Mark Rollins
Apple Event
(Apple)

Apple has recently sent out press invites to its second special event this fall on October 16, starting at 1PM ET/10 AM PT. It is rumored that the company intends to unveil new versions of its popular tablet, the iPad, as well as new versions of iMacs.

The October event intends to be very low-key, with not as much showiness as last September, when Apple announced their new iPhone, the long-awaited Apple Watch, as well as the new Apple Pay program. It is not known if Apple CEO Tim Cook will be there to announce the product himself.

Considering the company's timeline on their big announcement events, it makes sense that a new version of the iPad Air will be announced on October 16. After all, last year's two big events in September and October respectively gave consumers new versions of the iPhone and iPad in that order. Since Apple has already announced the new version of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September of this year, it seems like the new iPad will be unveiled this time around in October of this year.

As far as what can be expected, there will probably be a lot of advancements in the new iPad 6 or iPad Air 2. Some leaks have shown that the new version of the Apple tablet could have a thinner case, as well as an arrival of a Touch ID. The Touch ID was introduced to the Apple iPhone, and it allows users fingerprint coded access on the home button.

Related: Apple October Event 2014 May Give Release Date for iPod Touch 6G, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 

As far as the iMac is concerned, speculation is that Apple will announce a next generation "retina" iMac, possibly using Intel's Core M chip. Some have also theorized that the company could announce a next generation of MacBook Air.

Most people predicted the announcement of the new version of the Apple iPhone last September, as older versions are usually leaked several weeks before their formal announcement. There have been rumors of the Apple Watch for the past three years, and so it was not too much of a surprise that it was announced last September, even though consumers won't be able to purchase it until 2015. It was Apple Pay that really took users by surprise. This leads to the question of whether or not Apple intends to surprise us again at this more low-key October event.