Apple is now expected to release OS X Mavericks and new MacBook Pros in addition to the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 on Oct. 22.
The company's invitation for its Oct. 22 event seems to be living up to its message of "We still have a lot to cover." There are new reports claiming that Apple will use the scheduled event to launch the iPad 5, iPad mini 2, updated MacBook Pros, and release OS X Mavericks on the Mac App Store soon after it announces the OS update.
Mac OS X Mavericks is the first version of OS X to not be named after a cat. The latest version of Apple's desktop operating system takes on even more iOS features than previous releases. Apple Maps and iBooks have now been ported to OS X Mavericks and users with MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops will also benefit from a new feature called App Nap, which will increase battery life on the devices. Mavericks can tell when you're using multiple apps at once and is able to notice when an app is buried behind windows. It will then slow the app down to conserve battery life and will return to full speed when you go back to the app. Apple hasn't revealed how much it plans to charge for OS X Mavericks, but it will probably be around $20, like previous updates to OS X.
The report also claims that we will see new and upgraded MacBook Pros. The update will reportedly include new 13-inch and 15-inch notebooks that will offer increased specs and battery life, since they will be upgraded to Intel's latest Haswell processors. The laptops could also ship with faster PCI Express-based flash storage; this is the same kind of storage found in the MacBook Air, Apple's iOS devices and iPods. It saves a ton of battery life and offers increased performance.
Apple is definitely setting itself up nicely for the holiday season. New iPhones, iPads, and MacBook Pros are bound to be some of the most popular gifts received during the holidays. Apple sure does have a lot to cover on Oct. 22.
