Apple just announced plans to live stream its upcoming special event on Oct. 16, when the company is expected to unveil its new-generation iPads and possibly iMacs.

Lots of rumors recently hinted at Oct. 16 as the date for Apple's next special event, and the company has now officially confirmed it. On Friday, Oct. 10, Apple announced through its website that it will live stream its launch event next week.

According to the company's website, the Oct. 16 event will stream live through a special webpage, which is typically reserved for hosting webcasts of major product launches. Most recently, the webpage in question live streamed the launch of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch back in September, and now it's ready for the next product launches.

Apple will start live streaming its event at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Eastern Time, with coverage expected to include news pertaining to iOS devices, Macs, and Apple TVs. The company sent out invitations to the event a couple of days ago, with the same tagline as seen on its website: "It's been way too long."

At the Oct. 16 event, Apple is widely expected to introduce its new-generation iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3, both of which are rumored to boast Touch ID fingerprint recognition, updated Apple A8 processors, as well as some improvements in the design department. The iPad Air 2, for instance, will reportedly launch as the company's thinnest tablet ever, and recently-leaked images of a dummy unit revealed some changes such as recessed volume rocker, porthole speaker grills, and a slimmer profile.

Recent whispers have also indicated that Apple's 2014 iPad lineup will borrow the iPhone's color palette, launching in silver, gray, and gold color options. Apple first introduced a gold color option with its iPhone 5S last year, and it has proved to be widely popular.

Some rumors also suggested that the company may unveil at least one new iMac model at its Oct. 16 event, but it remains uncertain at this point. Nevertheless, the rumor mill expects to see a 27-inch iMac all-in-one (AIO) desktop with a 5K display, as well as an updated Mac Mini.

Lastly, Apple is also expected to offer a final look at its OS X Yosemite before public release.

So far, the only thing that's officially confirmed is that Apple will hold its special event on Oct. 16, which means that everything else remains in the rumor state for now. With the event just around the corner, however, we'll soon learn all there is to know about the rest of Apple's 2014 lineup straight from the source.