Apple will unveil touchscreen MacBook Pros in late October

Apple sent invitations on Monday, October 19, for a special Apple Experience in Los Angeles on October 28, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern. Marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased it on X the same day, writing that he couldn’t wait to pro and tell next week.

The date lines up closely with early October reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said Apple would launch the touchscreen MacBook Pro and an OLED iPad mini on or around Tuesday, October 27, as the second of two October launches.

Don’t expect a classic keynote. Apple has not announced a public livestream. As with its October 13 smart home launch, Apple is expected to post online videos and press releases while invited journalists try the products in person. That earlier event brought the HomeView smart display, an updated Apple TV 4K and the HomePod mini 2, exactly as reports had predicted.

Reports describe redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with three headline changes:

• Touch input: you’ll be able to tap and swipe on the screen as well as use the trackpad and keyboard. Code in macOS 27 suggests Apple is adapting the Mac interface to fingers without dropping the desktop layout.
• OLED screens: replacing the mini-LED panels in current models. OLED lights each pixel on its own, which gives deeper blacks and stronger contrast.
• A Dynamic Island: the pill-shaped camera cutout from the iPhone, replacing the notch at the top of the screen.

The new models are also expected to be lighter. Early talk of a much thinner laptop was later scaled back. The touchscreen models are reportedly built on Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which Apple introduced in March, rather than a brand-new chip generation. Some early rumors used the name MacBook Ultra, but Bloomberg’s reporting places these laptops in the MacBook Pro family.

The touchscreen models may not be the only laptops. Apple is also expected to update the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip that debuted in the new Mac mini this fall, while keeping its current design. The 24-inch iMac is also tipped for an M6 upgrade, possibly with new colors but no major redesign.

That sets up an unusual choice. The cheaper 14-inch model would carry the newer chip generation, while the premium touchscreen models would use M5 Pro and M5 Max. A newer base chip is not automatically faster than an older Pro or Max chip, so buyers will need to compare full specs, not just the number on the box.

The iPad mini, last refreshed in 2024, is expected to switch to an OLED display for the first time. Reports also point to a front camera moved to the long edge, so you are centered on video calls when the tablet is held sideways, a redesigned speaker system, more water resistance and a faster processor.

Apple has not announced prices. Expect the OLED touchscreen models to cost more than today’s MacBook Pro, since OLED and touch hardware add to production costs. The upgraded iPad mini is also expected to cost more than the current version.

Reports suggest preorders could open during the October 28 event, with devices arriving about a week later. That is not confirmed by Apple.

If you are about to buy a MacBook Pro, iMac or iPad mini, waiting a week makes sense. Even if you don’t want a touchscreen, new models often push down the price of the ones they replace, and you will know exactly what the M6 versions offer.

If you want touch, wait for hands-on reviews before preordering. The big open question is how macOS actually works with fingers. Apple has not shown how touch targets, existing Mac apps or Apple Pencil support will work, and a touchscreen does not make the MacBook a tablet. Also check the exact model name: not every refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro is expected to get the OLED touchscreen.