Apple Sets Oct. 28 'Pro and Tell' for Its First Touchscreen Mac

Apple Sets Oct. 28 'Pro and Tell' for Its First Touchscreen Mac

Apple locks in Oct. 28 Los Angeles showcase

Apple has confirmed a special event titled "Pro and tell" on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Los Angeles, starting at 10 a.m. PT, according to Bloomberg. Marketing chief Greg Joswiak shared the invitation artwork on social media. Reporting by 9to5Mac and Engadget describes it as the second gathering of the month and the third product event of the season.

What Apple confirmed, and what it did not

Apple itself has confirmed only the date, place and event name, with attendance limited to media and analysts. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on Oct. 15 that Apple had invited selected journalists to an all-day product launch experience centered on touchscreen MacBooks, a new iPad mini and M6 Macs, a report relayed by MacRumors, 9to5Mac and TechRepublic. Pricing, full specifications and on-sale dates remain unconfirmed by Apple.

Why touch now after years of saying no

Apple long resisted touch on the Mac. CNBC recalled software chief Craig Federighi saying in 2018 that the ergonomics of a touchscreen laptop would fatigue users. The shift comes with hardware and software groundwork. 9to5Mac reports the new MacBook Pro moves from mini-LED to OLED, the first OLED display on a Mac. MacRumors and 9to5Mac add that macOS 27.2 beta 3 contains gesture-recognition tools for Photos, Notes, Safari and Quick Look, alongside system support for touch and a Dynamic Island.

Four products expected, with an unusual chip split

Reporting points to four products: redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with OLED touchscreens, an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the standard M6 chip, an updated M6 iMac, and a redesigned OLED iPad mini, according to Bloomberg and Quartz. The high-end touchscreen models are expected to use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, skipping M6 Pro and M6 Max entirely, while the entry 14-inch model keeps the current design with the M6 chip that arrived in the Mac mini in August, according to MacRumors and Gadget Hacks. Quartz cites internal designations K114 and K116 for the redesigned Pros and J804 and J833 for the entry Pro and iMac. The redesign is said to bring a Dynamic Island cutout and a significantly lighter and thinner enclosure; current 16-inch models weigh up to 4.7 pounds, per MacRumors.

Who should watch, and what happens next

Current MacBook Pro owners and creative and business buyers waiting for touch are most affected. Third-party retailers have cut prices on current M5 Pro and M5 Max configurations by up to 900 dollars as channels clear stock, according to Time News. MacRumors, via Gurman, points to pre-orders around Oct. 28 and a possible retail launch on Friday, Nov. 6. Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes told clients to look for new Macs this fall including a touchscreen notebook, according to CNBC. Until Oct. 28, chips, prices and dates remain outlet-reported expectations, not Apple statements.