Apple October 28 event: OLED MacBook Pro, what to expect

Apple has another launch lined up, and this one is for the Mac. On October 19 the company sent invites for a "Pro and Tell" product experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak teased it on X: "Can't wait to pro and tell next week."

Apple hasn't said what it will show. But Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, whose reports have been echoed by MacRumors, 9to5Mac, The Verge and Engadget, says the star is a redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen. That would be the first Mac with a touchscreen. Here is when it happens in your time zone, what is expected, and what the new devices might cost.

When is Apple's October 28 event?

The event is on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). That is 17:00 UTC, 5 p.m. in London, 6 p.m. in Paris and Berlin, and 10:30 p.m. in India. In Tokyo it is 2 a.m. and in Sydney 4 a.m. on Thursday, October 29. Clocks in the UK and Europe go back on October 25, so those times already allow for that.

This is not a classic Apple keynote. Invited press, analysts and creators get an all-day, hands-on "Apple Experience" in Los Angeles, much like the October 13 "Welcome home" launch in New York that brought HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and a new Apple TV 4K. MacRumors expects Apple to publish press releases when the event starts at 10 a.m. PT.

Will it be livestreamed? Apple has not announced a public stream as of October 19. Gurman earlier said the launch would include an online video presentation, so a pre-recorded video on apple.com and YouTube is possible, but it is not confirmed.

OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro: what to expect

The headline product is a redesigned MacBook Pro in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. According to Gurman, it switches from today's mini-LED screen to OLED, which can switch off individual pixels for deeper blacks and better contrast. It also adds touch, so you could tap and swipe the screen as well as use the keyboard and trackpad.

The notch at the top of the screen is expected to go. In its place, reports point to a small hole for the camera with an iPhone-style Dynamic Island around it, the pill-shaped area that shows alerts and live activity. Gurman also says the new machines will be "significantly lighter" than current models, and 9to5Mac adds that they should be slightly thinner.

Chips are a slight puzzle. Gurman and 9to5Mac say the OLED models use the M5 Pro and M5 Max, the same chips that went into the current MacBook Pro in March. Tom's Guide notes that some rumors point to the newer M6 instead. Apple's current M5 Pro and M5 Max have up to 18 CPU cores, up to 40 GPU cores and up to 128GB of memory.

There are hints in software, too. iClarified reports that new touch-gesture references have appeared in macOS 27.2 in apps such as Photos and Notes. That doesn't prove a touchscreen Mac on its own, as macOS already handles touch through the iPad's Sidecar feature.

The name may stay simple. Early rumors suggested "MacBook Ultra", but Gurman reported earlier this month that the devices stay in the MacBook Pro family, and the "Pro and Tell" tagline points the same way. 9to5Mac says the OLED model will sit above the current MacBook Pro as a new higher-end option rather than replace it.

M6 MacBook Pro and M6 iMac

Apple is also expected to bring its M6 chip to two existing designs: the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. Gurman says both will look like the current versions. The iMac has been on the M4 chip since October 2024, and Apple's site still lists the M4 model as of October 19.

M6 is not new. It made its debut in the Mac mini in August. Apple calls it its first 2-nanometer chip, with a 12-core CPU (two more cores than M5), a 12-core GPU, a Dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple says it is up to 1.2x faster than M5 at multithreaded work. 9to5Mac also expects new colors for the M6 iMac.

OLED iPad mini with A20 Pro

The iPad mini is due its biggest update in years. Reports say it moves from an LCD to an OLED screen, which should mean deeper blacks and better contrast. The front camera is expected to move to the long edge for landscape video calls, and Gurman mentions a "revamped speaker system". 9to5Mac and The Economic Times also expect better water resistance.

Inside, leaked code points to the A20 Pro, the chip in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo, replacing the A17 Pro the current iPad mini has used since October 2024.

How much will the new Macs and iPad mini cost?

Apple hasn't announced prices, and no reliable report has given any yet. What we do know is where today's models sit after Apple raised prices on all Macs and iPads in June, blaming the cost of memory chips as AI data centers buy up supply.

On Apple's US store, checked October 19, the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 starts at $1,999 (it launched at $1,699 in March). The 14-inch with M5 Pro starts at $2,499, the 16-inch with M5 Pro at $2,999, and M5 Max models from $4,099. The M4 iMac starts at $1,499 and the iPad mini at $599 for 128GB.

Because the OLED MacBook Pro is reported to be a step above the current Pro, it's very unlikely to cost less than these models. In India, Apple currently lists the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 from Rs 2,39,900, the iMac from Rs 1,74,900 and the iPad mini from Rs 69,900. There are no official Indian prices for the new devices yet.

When can you buy them?

Apple often opens pre-orders on the day it announces new Macs, but it hasn't confirmed anything for October 28. MacRumors reports that Gurman said last week the OLED MacBook Pro and the other devices could go on sale on Friday, November 6.

The launch also shows a faster pace under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook last month. CNBC quotes Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes calling it a "meaningful shift" from two events a year. It is Apple's third launch since September, after the iPhone event and October 13's smart home products.

Should you wait to buy a Mac or iPad mini?

If you were about to buy a MacBook Pro, iMac or iPad mini, waiting a little over a week is the safe call. Even if you don't want the new models, new launches often bring discounts on the old ones at third-party stores.

If you want a touchscreen or an OLED screen on a Mac, this is the launch to watch. If you only need a solid laptop, the M5 MacBook Pro already on sale isn't going away, and the M6 version should look the same, just a bit faster. MacBook Air and Mac mini buyers aren't expected to see anything new at this event.

Top photo: the current 14-inch MacBook Pro in silver, with the camera notch the redesigned OLED model is expected to drop. (Image: Apple)