What to expect from Apple's “One More Thing” event: first Apple Silicon powered Macs, a macOS Big Sur release date, and potentially AirTags, over-ear headphones
It seems likely Apple will reveal the first computers powered by its custom silicon
Context & Ripple Effects
This event was set up weeks ago: Bloomberg sources reported in early October that the Macs would skip the October 13 show and get their own stage (a separate November event), and Apple then confirmed the date with invites titled “One more thing” (announced November 3). Today’s keynote delivers what those reports promised — the first Macs running Apple’s own processors, a macOS Big Sur release date tying the OS to the new hardware, and possibly AirTags plus over-ear headphones as side announcements.
The significance is that this opens a multi-year transition rather than being a one-off launch: analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s 2021 roadmap already assumes “more Apple Silicon Macs,” and by October 2021 Apple’s Unleashed event was previewing further redesigned Mac hardware on the new platform.
First-order effects
- Mac buyers get the first machines built on Apple’s own silicon, and the Mac line officially begins its move off third-party processors — with macOS Big Sur’s release date anchoring when software support for the new machines lands.
Second-order effects
- If AirTags are announced, Apple adds an item-tracking accessory category alongside the Mac news, giving the event a second product line to carry; Kuo’s subsequent roadmap treating AirTags as a 2021 shipping product suggests the announcement feeds directly into next year’s pipeline.
Third-order effects
- Once Apple controls its own chip design, Mac refresh timing decouples from any supplier’s processor roadmap — the pattern visible across Kuo’s 2021 list of additional Apple Silicon Macs and the 2021 Unleashed event’s continued hardware redesigns points to an annually refreshed, self-paced Mac hardware cycle.
The trend: Apple is migrating the entire Mac line from third-party processors to in-house Apple Silicon on its own annual cadence, with each event adding both new machines and adjacent accessories like AirTags.