Apple Event vs. Apple Experience on October 13: Here's the Difference

Apple has invited selected reporters and content creators to an "experience" in New York on Tuesday, October 13 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. The invitation has a "Welcome home" tagline, suggesting that Apple plans to unveil new products for the home, with rumors calling for an all-new smart home hub, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV 4K.

Apple has a penthouse in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, which is likely where this "experience" will be held. There, invitees will likely receive hands-on time with the new products that Apple announces on October 13.

Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo in the same manner earlier this year.

Apple has purposefully used the word "experience" rather than "event" for this, and the "Welcome home" launch is not listed on the Apple Events page. What's the difference? Mainly, an "event" includes a pre-recorded keynote-style video that is streamed live on Apple's website and YouTube, while an "experience" does not.

On Tuesday, we expect the new home hub, HomePod mini, and Apple TV 4K to be unveiled in a series of press releases on the Apple Newsroom website, accompanied by shorter YouTube videos for each product. Then, those invited to the New York gathering will likely share hands-on photos and videos that provide a closer look at the products.

The bottom line: do not expect a keynote-style video for this launch.