Apple October event rumors: M5 iPad Pro, maybe MacBook Pro

Not everything Apple plans to launch this fall will be on view at Tuesday’s Awe Dropping event. There are so many new products coming this week that others will be held back so they get proper attention.

Not that people are likely to overlook what the rumors say is coming: the Apple M5 processor, a new iPad Pro and (hopefully) the next MacBook Pro. And there could be more.

Apple anticipation

Apple always has a product launch event in September for the latest iPhone models. This year, that’s the Awe Dropping event coming on September 9, where the iPhone 17 series will be the stars, along with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11.

But that’s not Apple’s only fall tradition. Another company habit is that MacBooks aren‘t announced at the same time as iPhones. Those wait until October, and sometimes later. The M4 MacBook Pro got unveiled on October 30, 2024, for example. The M3 version came to light exactly a year earlier.

As for tablets, Apple also never launches its premium iPad Pro models at the same events as iPhones. These don’t always come in the autumn — sometimes these happen in the spring — but fall launches never come in September. The sixth-generation iPad Pro got announced on October 18, 2022, while the third-generation model came on October 30, 2018.

So… what’s on tap for mid-fall 2025? Here’s what the rumors say.

Apple October event rumors: M5 iPad Pro and maybe M5 MacBook Pro

Sources consistently point to a next-generation iPad Pro this autumn. And the highlight will supposedly be an Apple M5 processor. In addition, the 2025 iPad Pro will supposedly sport a second set of front-facing cameras and Face ID scanners so it works equally well in landscape mode and portrait mode.

Ordinarily, even a premium tablet would be overshadowed by a fresh version of the MacBook Pro with the M5 processor, but a reliable source says the new notebook won’t launch until early 2026. Of course, that could turn out to be incorrect, in which case October will bring an M5 MacBook Pro after all. Whenever it comes, this will allegedly be a “chip and ship” update without a redesign.

Just so there’s no confusion, no one should expect an M5 MacBook Air until 2026. It won’t launch until about a year after the March 2024 launch of the M4 version.

Still, fall 2025 should bring the launch of the Apple M5 processor, whether in just a new iPad Pro or in a revamped MacBook Pro, too. In addition to a general performance gain, the chip is expected to feature enhanced AI performance when compared to its predecessors. That’s critical at a time when artificial intelligence is hot, hot, hot. Apple emphasizes its computers’ ability to run AI models locally, and therefore more securely.

Other possible new Apple products in October

Rumors point to a number of other new products coming soon from Cupertino. But what hasn’t leaked out is whether these will launch in September or October. We’ll likely have to wait to see what comes at Tuesday’s Awe Dropping event. Any of these that don’t launch should be expected in October.

High on the list are AirPods Pro 3, possibly with a new heart-rate monitoring feature. There’ve also been rumors of an updated Apple TV 4K and AirTag 2.

Literal Apple October event? Maybe.

Although there’s an Apple October event every year, the same isn’t true for the product launches that come in October. The M4 MacBook Pro and M4 Mac mini were both unveiled with press releases and YouTube videos — there was no big event. Which means there might be an Apple October 2025 event for the new products, but it’s certainly not definite. We could be in for another round of press releases and YouTube videos instead.

In the meantime, here’s everything we’re expecting at the Awe Dropping event on Tuesday.