Apple’s “Let's Rock” media event earlier this week saw the launch of a refreshed iPod line, but those hoping for a surprise notebook announcement which has been rumored for weeks went home disappointed. According to John Gruber of Daring Fireball blog, that was all part of the plan.

Citing sources “familiar with Apple’s hardware plans,” he claims that the company will be releasing new notebooks on October 14th. This timeframe fits into recent expectations of a more staggered release, and although it misses the back-to-school rush, the lucrative holiday season is still ahead. Sadly, Gruber offers no specific details as to what the company might have planned for that day – though rumors about impending MacBook and MacBook Pro updates have been circulating for some time now. We’ll know for sure in a few more weeks.