Apple has invited a group of social media influencers to Colorado this week for an unusual event involving group hiking, trail running, and other outdoor activities designed to showcase the company's recently launched iPhone 17 Pro Max, AirPods Pro 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3.


An invitation was shared on X (Twitter) by photographer Johnny Hawk, featuring a simple message: "Hi Johnny. We're so excited to welcome you to Colorado. Please enjoy this bag of essentials to use during your time here. See you soon!" The card is accompanied by a black backpack emblazoned with Apple's logo and a white flask.

When news of the mysterious Colorado gathering first surfaced, there was some speculation online that it might relate to Apple's anticipated October product refresh, which is expected to include new iPad Pro models with M5 chips and an updated Vision Pro, with potentially other updates also coming. Apparently, that's not the case at all.

The Rocky Mountain gathering appears to be just another aspect of Apple's marketing campaign for its been-and-gone iPhone 17 fall event. In follow-up posts on X and Instagram, Hawk revealed that he had been brought to Colorado's rugged terrain by Apple to test how the new iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watch perform in demanding outdoor conditions.

• Apple Event This October? Here's the Latest on What to Expect

Apple has occasionally held regional events for influencers to preview products in unique settings, but these have usually occurred in major metropolitan centers like New York City. So far we've not heard rumors of anything in that vein taking place this month.
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Apple today released new beta firmware that's designed for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4. The firmware is limited to developers at the current time, and it has a build number of 8B5014c.


The firmware comes as Apple is testing the iOS 26.1 update. It likely adds support for Live Translation in new languages, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified).

With iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe, Apple added a beta firmware update installation option that's available from the AirPods settings interface when the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, which facilitates beta testing.

Developers can use the beta option to turn on beta downloads.
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While it is unclear if Apple will host an October event this year, or stick to press releases, rumors suggest it will announce several new products this month.


Below, we have recapped everything to know about a potential Apple event this October.

When

The table below outlines when Apple teased its October launches over the past four years.

Year	Announcement/Teaser	Event/Tagline	Event/Press Releases
2021	Tuesday, October 12	"Unleashed" Event	Monday, October 18
2022	Tuesday, October 18	"Take Note" Teaser	Tuesday, October 18
2023	Tuesday, October 24	"Scary Fast" Event	Monday, October 30
2024	Thursday, October 24	"Mac Your Calendars" Teaser	Monday, October 28 to Wednesday, October 30

Apple recently announced its next quarterly earnings call will be held on Thursday, October 30, and Apple's Chatswood Chase store in Australia will be reopening on the same day. Earnings calls and store openings are sometimes timed with product launches, so we could see announcements in the last week of October.

What

A handful of Apple products are expected to be updated as early as this October, with the following new features and changes rumored:

• iPad Pro: A seemingly-legitimate unboxing video has revealed that the next iPad Pro will be equipped with an M5 chip, but lack any major external design changes. It was also reported that the next iPad Pro will feature two front cameras, but the unboxing videos do not show this, so such a change is not guaranteed.


• Vision Pro: A faster M4 chip or M5 chip, a more comfortable "Dual Knit Band" head strap, and potentially a Space Black color option. The next Vision Pro was accidentally confirmed by FCC documents that were supposed to remain confidential.
• Apple TV: A faster A17 Pro chip that will support next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, and likely Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support. A built-in FaceTime camera has been rumored for a future Apple TV, but it is unclear if that will arrive with the next model specifically.


• HomePod mini: S9 chip or newer with support for next year's revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, likely Apple's N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, improved sound quality, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for proximity features, and potentially new color options like Red.


• AirTag: Up to 3× longer item tracking range vs. current AirTag, a more tamper-proof speaker, and "very low" battery life alerts.

What about Macs? Apple's next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips will reportedly enter mass production soon, but it is unclear if some or all of the models will launch in late 2025 or or early 2026. While new Macs are often unveiled in October, there is precedent for a launch earlier in a year too, as Apple announced MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in a January 2023 press release.

Apple is reportedly also planning a lower-priced MacBook with an A18 Pro or A19 Pro chip, but the rumored launch timeframe for that is also late 2025 or early 2026, so it is unclear if it would be announced this October. This model would likely be the spiritual successor to the MacBook Air with an M1 chip, which is still sold by Walmart in the U.S. for $599.
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Keyboard manufacturer Akko has just launched an iPhone keyboard case called MetaKey, proving that BlackBerry nostalgia is alive, well, and willing to add inches to your smartphone's length.


Like Clicks' cases, the MetaKey case connects via USB-C and adds a QWERTY keyboard to the bottom of the iPhone. However, priced at $59.99, it's half the cost of the Clicks keyboard case, which launched in January 2024 at $139.

The case features backlit keys and includes shortcuts for common tasks like accessing Siri, triggering voice-to-text, and entering numbers. There's also a unique scrolling mode that converts the top two rows of keys into large scroll buttons for browsing social media.

One of the practical challenges of these sort of keyboard cases is that they can be top-heavy. To address this, the MetaKey includes a removable 9-gram weight that attaches to the back of the keyboard to improve balance while typing.

MagSafe-compatible and with a USB-C passthrough port for charging, the MetaKey is currently available for the iPhone 16 Pro Max in black, white, and pink. An iPhone 17 Pro Max version is also available in black, orange, pink, blue, lavender, sage, and white, though some of these are currently out of stock.

For what it's worth, Clicks recently launched similar cases for iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro starting at $139, with a 17 Pro Max version at $159.

The physical keyboard case category is undoubtedly niche, but the MetaKey's lower price might appeal if you want to try out the concept without committing to Clicks' premium pricing.
This article, "Adding BlackBerry-Style Keys to Your iPhone Just Got More Affordable" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Browser Company's Dia app is now open to anyone on Mac. It's the first time the AI-powered browser has been widely available since its beta launch in June.


Following on from Opera's Neon, which arrived last month, Dia is another AI-first browsing experience that's centered around tab-based chat functionality. The browser includes Skills, which are a mix of user-created and built-in shortcuts for everyday tasks like planning, learning, writing, and coding. Current Skills include summarization, fact-checking, browsing history analysis, outlining, and productivity planning.

Users can mention tabs in any chat query, add attachments to conversations, and personalize Dia with Memory, which helps the browser understand preferences over time. Meanwhile, students get dedicated tools that turn notes, lectures, and readings into flashcards, quizzes, and custom study guides.

Dia requires macOS 14 or later running on Apple silicon. The Browser Company offers both free and Pro ($20/month) tiers. Free users get access to all core features including chat, custom Skills creation, tab mentions, attachments, and Memory personalization, while Pro subscribers receive unlimited chat usage within the terms of service, plus a 14-day trial period.


Acquired by Atlassian for $610 million last month, the Browser Company says it is resuming weekly updates, and plans to bring Arc browser features to Dia. October's releases include more powerful memory of user tabs, redesigned Dia Skills, and Arc's Focus Mode (CMD-S). Dia is available to download directly from the company's website.
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