Apple's October is not over yet. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on October 8 that Apple plans a second product launch this month, "on or around" Tuesday, October 27, headlined by the company's first touchscreen MacBook Pro and a new iPad mini.
The format pairs an online video presentation with an in-person press gathering, pitched at creative professionals in video production, photo editing, and music production — echoing the October 2024 Mac launch that gave select press hands-on time in Los Angeles.
The redesigned notebooks come in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, code-named K114 and K116. Beyond the headline touchscreen, they switch to OLED displays, adopt the iPhone's Dynamic Island for the first time on a Mac, and will be "significantly" thinner and lighter than current models. Earlier reporting described them as powered by M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
Apple reportedly considered branding the line "MacBook Ultra," but Gurman's sources say both sizes will stay within the MacBook Pro family.
The touchscreen redesign won't be alone on stage. The same event is expected to bring an M6 version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iMac (code-named J804 and J833), both looking "like their current versions." That could put two 14-inch MacBook Pros side by side: the familiar design with an M6 chip, and the redesigned touchscreen model.
The new iPad mini, code-named J510, gets an OLED screen, a front camera moved to the landscape edge — good news for anyone whose FaceTime calls look off-center when the tablet is turned sideways — and a revamped speaker system. Code references point to an A20 Pro chip replacing the current model's A17 Pro. Gurman had previously placed the tablet in a late-October-to-November window; the new date narrows it to around October 27.
A touchscreen Mac marks a reversal of more than a decade of Apple's stance that anyone wanting to tap a screen should buy an iPad. Bloomberg first reported the touch-Mac project back in 2023, and new references to touch gestures in the macOS 27.2 beta 3 suggest the work is far along. The approach positions touch as a complement to the keyboard and trackpad, not a step toward a Mac-iPad hybrid.
On the record, Apple declined to comment on the reported plans. Context: this would be October's second event, following the October 13 "Welcome home" smart-home event in Tribeca, New York — expected to introduce the first smart-home hub, a new HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV 4K — plus this month's debut of the new iPhone Duo.
Watch for whether Apple issues official invitations in the coming weeks, and whether pricing and ship dates arrive with the announcement; the current reporting carries no pricing details.