Apple Oct 22 iPad Event: What To Expect

The next big Apple event will take place the 22nd of October and it'll be featuring several new pieces of hardware. Amongst these are a new iPad, a new iPad mini, and quite possibly a flow of new information on the 2013 edition of the Mac Pro and a set of new MacBook Pros as well – right in time for OS X Mavericks. This event was announced with an invitation with colorful leaves falling on an Apple logo that simply suggested that "we still have a lot to cover."

Saying that we have "a lot" that we need to cover suggests that there's not just going to be a couple of device reveals. With the next-generation iPad and iPad mini ready to appear almost certainly, the possibility of a couple more reboots is very much in the air. Approaching the end of the year here in October of 2013, there's little doubt we wont hear anything new on the Mac Pro 2013, too – it's got 2013 in its name, for goodness sake.

The iPad 5 will be delivered with a body that's ever-so-slightly taller than that of the iPad 4 with a thinner bit of bulk and slightly more rounded edges. Images leaked over the past few weeks indicate that this iPad will take on an appearance not unlike the iPad mini.

The iPad 5 will also have slimmed right and left bezels around its display. The top and bottom bezels are sticking with nearly the same size, while the whole machine is set to be a bit lighter, as well. This version of the iPad will work with iOS 7 right out of the box.

Inside you'll also find some advanced processing power. The iPad 5 will likely keep the same display technology as the iPad 4, but the processor will make a jump to what may be called an Apple A7X chip. This will bring performance similar to the iPhone 5s to the larger display of the iPad 5.

The 2nd generation iPad mini is a bit more of a mystery. Here we're finding suggestion that the iPad mini will grow in size – thickness, that is – to make way for a newly sharpened display. This could be a "Retina" display, or the size could simply mean that a new, larger battery is readied for the newer device.

The iPad mini 2 will likely take on the same processor as the iPhone 5 / the iPhone 5C, that being the Apple A6 chip. This will bring the iPad mini 2 some extra oomph while it aims to keep pace with the rest of the smaller-sized tablets in the industry today. The display may also stick with the same resolution as presented in the first-generation iPad mini.

Both the iPad and the iPad mini in their rebooted form will likely appear in stores one week after the event, placing the release dates for both at November 1st. This idea is based solely on precedent, as each iPad release has followed this pattern.

It's possible – however likely or unlikely – that the iPad and/or the iPad mini will gain access to a Touch ID sensor the same as the iPhone 5s. The addition of this bit of technology would follow with the size of the leaked devices seen over the past couple of weeks, their home button holes allowing the same amount of space as the iPhone 5s.

The Mac Pro 2013 has been popping up here and there since its first debut at Apple's developer conference WWDC 2013 at the start of this Summer. Here we'll likely see the final introduction to the public of the Mac Pro 2013 along with release information at last. This would also be a prime time to reveal timing for the release of OS X Mavericks.

Along with the Mac Pro 2013 comes a whole lot of compatibility with 4K resolution monitors. Could it be that Apple would reveal another new Thunderbolt display to roll with the punches? It's more likely that the company will stick with their current-sized displays and wait until the 4K resolution display market hits a point at which a massive monitor just for a desktop computer would be at least relatively affordable for the common user.

It's been suggested that we're right around a place where a new collection of MacBook Pro units are delivered. While we're not as certain on the release of a new set of MacBook Pro units here at this event as we are in the iPad and the iPad mini, it's not unbelievable that Apple would suggest new models are on the way.

Most likely is a new 12-inch model of a MacBook Pro with Retina display readied for release in early 2014. Inside the next several months, the most we'll probably see out of the notebook universe for Apple is more Haswell – and more talk of 4K here and there.

As with each other Apple event in recent memory, we'll be covering this Apple event live! You'll be able to follow along through SlashGear's Apple hub . You can also head down the rabbit hole to all the recent chatter on the iPad, the iPad mini, and the Mac Pro 2013.

For all the live coverage you can handle, head down to the SlashGear Liveblog October 22nd at 10AM PT (1PM ET; 6PM BST) over at live.slashgear.com, we'll be there all event long, straight from Apple!