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Apple's 'Pro and tell' on October 28: a touchscreen MacBook Pro leads the rumors
Apple's press and creator briefing could bring its first touchscreen and first OLED laptop, plus a new iMac and an OLED iPad mini.
What Apple has scheduled
Apple's 'Pro and tell' event is scheduled for October 28 at 1PM ET in Los Angeles [1]. It is expected to be a briefing for the press and creators rather than a traditional event [2].
Apple has not confirmed the products it will announce, and the touchscreen MacBook Pro is expected to be the star of the show [2].
The touchscreen MacBook Pro
The touchscreen MacBook Pro has been rumored since at least early 2023 and is described as an OLED touchscreen model [1]. It would be the first touchscreen laptop and the first OLED laptop from Apple [1].
The OLED display is expected to allow thinner bezels and a hole-punch camera cutout with a Dynamic Island instead of a notch [2]. The laptop is reportedly going to feature an iPhone-style Dynamic Island [1]. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the new MacBook could be thinner and lighter [2].
Touch without the iPad hybrid
The touchscreen MacBook is not expected to be an iPad-style hybrid [1]. It may include only a few flourishes, such as a magnification effect when touching the screen or new gesture controls in native apps [1].
The name MacBook Ultra has been circulating, but Apple is unlikely to rebrand its flagship laptop line [1].
Chips and price
According to Gurman's sources, the touchscreen MacBook Pro is expected to keep the current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips rather than move to the M6 family [2]. Apple is rumored to refresh the high-end MacBook Pro with M7 Pro and M7 Max chips in 2027 [2].
A Macworld report says the touchscreen model is expensive [2]. It is likely to be an even more expensive model that expands the lineup rather than replacing existing models [2].
The base MacBook Pro may get a slight redesign including a hole-punch style camera [1]. It is expected to come with a price increase due to component shortages [1].
An iMac update after nearly two years
The M6 was introduced in August with the latest Mac mini [2]. The iMac is expected to get an M6 update, nearly two years after its last revision, skipping the M5 [1].
The current iMac was introduced in 2024 and still runs on the M4 chip [2]. It may receive new color options, as was done with the M4 model [1].
An OLED iPad mini
The OLED iPad Mini may debut on Wednesday, and would be a long-rumored device [1]. Apple is reportedly adding an OLED display to the iPad mini for the first time [2]. Other than the iPad Pro, Apple's tablet lineup has used LCD screens until now [1].
The OLED screen upgrade may add $100 to the cost of the iPad Mini [1]. The current iPad mini runs on the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro and is known for heating up a lot [2].
Other rumored changes include thinner bezels, a relocated front-facing camera, and some level of water resistance for the first time [2].
What this means for you
If you are shopping for a MacBook Pro, the touchscreen model is likely to cost more than existing models, because it is expected to expand the lineup rather than replace them [2]. The base MacBook Pro is expected to come with a price increase due to component shortages [1].
If you own the current iMac, it still runs on the M4 chip, and the expected M6 update would come nearly two years after its last revision [1][2]. If you are eyeing the iPad mini, the OLED screen may add $100 to the cost [1].
Apple has not confirmed any of these products, so the October 28 event at 1PM ET in Los Angeles is the date to watch [1][2].
Sources
Written from the sources above and checked twice before publishing. How we work · Report an error
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