Weekend Wrap-Up: Apple's October 16 Event is For Real, iPad Pro Reportedly Delayed

It’s Sunday — know what that means? It’s Weekend Wrap-Up time, where we get you caught up on the most important tech stories from the past week.

Companies making news this week include Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

Let’s find out why.

Apple Will Hold Event on October 16, But We May Not Get the iPad Pro Until 2015

“It’s been way too long.” That’s the type of thing you’d say to a friend you haven’t seen for ages, and it seems fitting that this is the tagline for Apple’s upcoming October 16 event. It’s expected to be a Mac-and-iPad-focused gathering, and while we just got new iPads last year — including a redesign with the iPad Air — the company’s iMac and Mac mini lines haven’t really changed much in the past few years. In fact, it’s been two years since the iMac has taken center stage at an event, and two years since the Mac mini received any kind of update. Expect that to change this Thursday.

As far as the iPad goes, there will likely be updates to the iPad Air and iPad mini. But one curveball Apple was expected to throw out, the iPad Pro, has reportedly been delayed until 2015. The large-screen tablet, which some expected to meld the iOS and OS X experiences, saw its production scaled back so Apple could meet consumer demand for the iPhone 6 Plus. Will we see the iPad Pro, at least? We’ll get that answer later this week.

Surface Pro 4 Coming? Microsoft Sort of Says Yes

Microsoft isn’t too big on secrets. Ask any other company about the unborn successor to one of their flagship products, and, even though you know one has to be coming, the company probably won’t flat out tell you. That’s how companies keep the devoted interested. That’s how products get hyped. That’s how stories about products never seem to go away. But Microsoft felt compelled to set the record straight regarding its Pro line of Surface tablets, telling the press that accessories for the Surface Pro 3 “are designed with our product roadmap in mind and will be compatible with the next generation of the ‘Pro’ line of Surface.” Why? Because of stories stating that the Surface Pro 3 wasn’t a great seller, and that Microsoft was considering axing the line altogether. The Pro line may not be going away, but now the Surface Pro 4 won’t be a surprise to anyone. Was it worth it?

Amazon is Opening a Brick and Mortar Store in NYC

Reading about this story instantly reminded me of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, where Catherine Keener’s character runs a storefront with products that can’t actually be purchased at the store, but instead have to be bought on eBay. Amazon is feeling a bit left out in the brick and mortar game, as Apple has stores, Microsoft has stores and Google is opening stores. But what is the point of an online retailer opening a physical location? Our own Brian Rubin pointed out that this is sort of a step back for the company, which ascended to the retail throne by avoiding the pitfalls associated with opening physical stores. “I still have to wonder why Amazon feels the need to change what’s been working for so long,” he says, and I agree. Maybe we’ll get some more clarity when the store, which will be located in downtown Manhattan on 34th St., opens for the holiday season later this year.