Apple Plans First Touchscreen MacBook Pro for October 27 Launch, Bloomberg Reports

Apple plans a second October product launch on or around Tuesday, October 27, to introduce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models and a new OLED iPad mini, according to a Bloomberg report summarized by MacRumors and 9to5Mac.

The reported launch comes after an October 13 event focused on a new smart home hub, a revamped Apple TV 4K and a refreshed HomePod mini. According to Bloomberg, both October launches will use an online video presentation paired with hands-on time for media.

What Bloomberg says is coming

MacRumors reports that the touchscreen notebooks will be 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that are thinner and lighter than the current versions, with OLED displays and a Dynamic Island. 9to5Mac adds that those models are expected to use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and describes them as significantly lighter than current MacBook Pros.

The same launch is also expected to include a 14-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac powered by the M6 chip in designs similar to the current models, according to MacRumors and 9to5Mac. The iPad mini would move to an OLED display, place its front camera on the landscape edge for video calls and use a redesigned speaker system, according to both reports.

Aimed at creative professionals

Bloomberg describes the late-October launch as geared toward creative professionals who work in video production, photo editing and music production, according to 9to5Mac. MacRumors notes that Apple has worked on an OLED Mac for several years, and that earlier speculation about a possible MacBook Ultra name has given way to Bloomberg’s expectation that the touchscreen notebooks will remain in the MacBook Pro family.

Reporting based on coverage by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, reporting on Bloomberg.