From the first touchscreen MacBook to an OLED iPad mini, here’s everything Apple is expected to announce next week.
Following the launch of the HomeView and other smart home products last week, Apple has now confirmed its third product event of the season. Invitations bearing the tagline “Pro and Tell” went out this week, and the showcase will take place on October 28 in Los Angeles. However, it won’t be a traditional event, but rather a briefing for the press and creators. As usual, Apple doesn’t reveal in advance which products it will announce, but all signs point to two main categories: Mac and iPad. If the rumors are true, we’ll see the first MacBook with an OLED display and touchscreen, and the M6 chip coming to more Macs. In addition, the iPad mini might also get a major update with an OLED display and a faster chip. Here’s everything to expect from next week’s event.
A MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen
The star of the show is expected to be a new MacBook Pro, which will is supposed to be the first Mac with a touchscreen. Rumors suggest it will come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes like the current models — but they may end up looking quite different. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently reported that this new MacBook could be thinner and lighter, while the OLED display should allow for thinner bezels and a hole-punch camera cutout with a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. Chances are this will be the biggest redesign of the MacBook Pro since the versions that were introduced in 2021.
However, don’t expect to see the new M6 chip inside it. Gurman’s sources claimed that Apple will stick with the current M5 Pro and M5 Max, rather than switching to the M6 family. If you were hoping for a faster MacBook Pro, you’ll likely have to wait until 2027, when Apple is rumored to refresh its high-end laptop with the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips. This Mac won’t come cheap either, according to a report by <a href="https://www.macworld.com/article/3124481/apples-ultra-roadmap-confirmed-iphone-macbook-and-more-on-the-way.html” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Macworld. It probably won’t be a successor to existing models, but rather an even more expensive version that expands the lineup. The current models without touchscreens should remain available for those not wanting to pay the higher price.
M6 chips come to more Macs
Although the touchscreen MacBook won’t get the M6 chip, other Macs will. The M6 was introduced in August with the latest Mac mini, and now other Macs are rumored to be getting it as well. The leading candidate is the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro — Apple did something similar last year with the M5 version. Don’t expect a touchscreen, OLED display or any design changes in this version, though. The only upgrade should be the M6 chip, which offers improved performance and lower power consumption.
The iMac is also a strong candidate for an update next week, especially since the current model was introduced in 2024 and still runs on the M4 chip. Here, the M6 chip is expected to mark an even more significant jump, with much better CPU and GPU performance. The M6 also comes with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, which runs AI tasks much faster. We may also see new color options available, although the design will remain the same.
An iPad mini with OLED
Macs likely won’t be the only products getting an update at next week’s event. The iPad mini is also expected to get some spotlight with a new generation, and this will be a big one, too. Apple is reportedly adding an OLED display to the iPad mini for the first time. Current models still have LCD screens. If true, the mini will be the first iPad besides the iPad Pro to feature an OLED display.
Another upgrade should be the A20 Pro chip, which is already in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. Currently, the iPad mini still runs on the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro — and is known for heating up a lot. Other rumors about the new iPad mini include thinner bezels around the screen, a relocated front-facing camera and some level of water resistance for the first time. Of course, none of these details have been confirmed yet, so we’ll find out what Apple has to share for sure on October 28.
