By Hamza Faisal

Apple has officially confirmed its next product event: a "Pro and tell" showcase in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28 — where the company is widely expected to unveil its first-ever touchscreen Mac. The invitations went out to members of the media on Monday, and Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased the event on X, writing: "Can't wait to pro and tell next week."

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the event will kick off at 10:00am local time in Los Angeles, and he describes it as an "all-day product launch experience" covering touchscreen MacBooks, a new iPad mini and M6-powered Macs. This would be Apple's second event of October, following the "Welcome home" launch in New York City on October 13 that debuted the HomeView smart display, the HomePod mini 2 and a new Apple TV 4K.

A touchscreen Mac, at last

The headline act is expected to be new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays — the first Macs ever to support touch input. The screens are reported to use a two-layer tandem OLED design for higher brightness, borrow the iPhone's Dynamic Island cutout for the webcam and background app status, and sit in a noticeably thinner, lighter body than current models.

The new Pro models are expected to run on Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Face ID is not expected on these models, but macOS is rumored to gain touch-friendly interface tweaks. The "Pro and tell" tagline also effectively kills the long-rumored "MacBook Ultra" branding — just as the once-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up launching as the iPhone Duo.

M6 iMac, OLED iPad mini and more

Beyond the Pro models, Gurman expects an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and a new iMac, both powered by Apple's next-generation M6 chip, keeping today's designs. A revamped iPad mini with an OLED screen is also tipped, with a new speaker system and the FaceTime camera relocated for landscape use. Sales of the new Macs and iPad mini are expected to begin November 6.

Pricing remains unannounced, though the OLED MacBook Pro models are expected to cost noticeably more than today's M5 machines. The iPad mini is rumored to start around $799. The rest of Apple's busy fall schedule includes the iPhone Duo hitting stores on October 23, the HomePod mini 2 on October 30, and the HomeView hub and Apple TV 4K on November 13.

Ternus's third act

The event marks the third launch in CEO John Ternus's brief tenure, following September's foldable iPhone Duo debut and October's smart-home push — a cadence analysts describe as a meaningful shift from Apple's traditional two-events-a-year rhythm. The iPhone Duo launch has reportedly seen strong initial demand, with delivery estimates stretching into January 2027.

For Apple, a touchscreen Mac would close one of the longest-running gaps in its lineup. The company has spent years steering touch interaction toward the iPad while keeping the Mac strictly keyboard-and-mouse. If the rumors hold, October 28 is when that wall finally comes down.

By Hamza Faisal