Unless you're among a select group of journalists and Apple tech partners, chances are you didn't get an invite to the big iPad event out in California next week. But that doesn't mean you have to be the last to hear about the next-generation iPad lineup, and whatever else Apple has under wraps.
Anyone eager to find out about the new Apple tablets will be able to follow all the action online. That's right, Apple fans. Block off your calendar for an hour or so, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific next Thursday, because the event will be live-streamed.
Apple just updated its Live page with the invitation to "Join us here … on October 16 at 10 a.m. PDT to watch our special event live." Note that you'll need to use the Safari Web browser on an Apple device to access the stream, and there are certain operating system requirements.
If you plan to watch it from your computer, make sure your machine is outfitted with OS X v10.6.8 or later, and you're running Safari version 5.1.10 or later. You can also watch it from your iPhone or iPad, as long as it's running at least iOS 6, and the stream will be available via Apple TV units with second- or third-generation Apple TV software 6.2 or later.
The event is expected to mark the arrival of some new iPads, including a new gold model. Apple is also likely to show off some new Macs and share news about OS X Yosemite and Apple Pay, both of which are expected to drop this month. One thing we probably won't see, however, is a tablet with a larger screen.
Apple live-streamed its iPhone event last month, though it ran into a few technical difficulties. The iPad event will be a bit more low-key than the iPhone 6 launch (no U2 concert), but PCMag will be there, so check back on Oct. 16 for our in-depth coverage of all the news Apple has to share.