Apple’s “Pro and tell” event is tomorrow, October 28, in Los Angeles, and surprisingly, Apple has already announced the iPad mini 8 with a press release on Monday. We were expecting a plethora of products to be announced together, but it appears that the company made the right call making it a Mac-centric event.
It also tells us how big Apple thinks tomorrow is. Apple doesn’t clear the stage for a spec bump.
If you want to watch the event live, it begins at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 5 PM UK / 6 PM CET, and we will be covering it live as well, so feel free to choose whichever medium suits you. However, Apple didn’t promise a livestream, so check apple.com on the day. It’s billed as an in-person “launch experience” for press and creators.
What you should expect
Here’s what we expect Apple to announce tomorrow based on all the leaks, rumors, and reports.
Touchscreen MacBook Pro with an OLED display
Let’s get the big fish out of the water first. Apple is expected to announce its first-ever MacBook Pro with a touchscreen display, and above all, it will house an OLED panel. It’s a big move for the company, as it has resisted a touchscreen for almost the entirety of the Mac’s life.
Back in 2010, Steve Jobs said that “touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical,” and Apple executives have repeated the same line for over a decade. If the reports are right, tomorrow is the day Apple changes its mind.
An OLED display will be a major upgrade for the Mac, and based on leaks, it will be a tandem panel, similar to the latest iPad Pro models. In terms of design, it will feature a thinner and lighter chassis compared to the current models, potentially following the same approach as the iPad Pro models. The OLED display will replace the notch with a Dynamic Island, but we doubt it will have Face ID sensors behind it.
The OLED MacBook Pro with touchscreen will come in 14-inch and 16-inch display sizes with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. It was also rumored that the machines will feature M6 chips, but we’ll leave the final judgment for tomorrow.
It was also reported that Apple will launch the OLED touchscreen model with a new name, potentially the “MacBook Ultra.” With a new design and upgraded display, the cost is also expected to increase by $300 to $500. The higher price is also due to the memory shortage, so all factors would result in a significantly more expensive upgrade.
Don’t expect the keyboard and trackpad to go anywhere, though. All reports point to touch being an extra way to use the Mac, not a replacement, so this isn’t an iPad with a keyboard attached.
14-inch entry-level MacBook Pro with M6 chip
It was also rumored that the current 14-inch MacBook Pro will be upgraded with an M6 chip, as the only entry-level ‘Pro’ model. However, there are no concrete details available, and the company could let go of the old design for good, so do take the news with a pinch of salt.
If it does happen, it would be a smart move. Apple keeps a cheaper Pro for buyers who don’t want to pay extra for OLED and touch, and the new model gets to be the premium option.
iMac with M6 chip
Apple’s only iMac will also be upgraded with an M6 chip, but with no design changes on the outside. The company could equip the all-rounder with exclusive features, but that’s about it.
New macOS 27 update
New hardware is usually accompanied by matching software updates. If that’s the case, we could see macOS 27 with some pretty major changes that could support touch input. Apple could take design inspiration from iPadOS and how the window resizing tools are now enlarged.
This is the part we’re most curious about. A touchscreen is only as good as the software under your finger, and macOS was built around a tiny pointer. How Apple solves that will decide whether the touch Mac is a hit or a gimmick.
What you shouldn’t expect
Apple already announced the iPad mini 8 with an OLED display, so here’s everything else that you should not be looking forward to.
- iPad mini 8: It’s already out, and pre-orders will go live starting tomorrow at $699.
- No iPhones: The iPhone Duo just launched earlier this month, and the rest of the iPhone lineup is expected early next year.
- No MacBook Air or Mac Pro
- No big software reveals beyond what ships with the hardware
Should you wait or buy?
If you’re about to buy a new MacBook Pro or iMac, the logical choice is to wait one more day. You’ll have more options to compare your purchase with for an informed decision. If you don’t want a newer model with more computing headroom, the current models could drop in price. In both cases, we would advise users to wait until tomorrow.
We will be covering the event live with all the major announcements and little details. We will also cover all the follow-up details that Apple doesn’t share on stage, including benchmarks.
