Apple to debut touchscreen MacBook and new iPad Mini in late October

Apple is set to introduce a new MacBook Pro with a touchscreen and an updated iPad Mini "on or around" October 27th, Bloomberg reports. If true, that would put the event just two weeks after the October 13th event Apple announced today. Bloomberg says that the late October event will include an "online video presentation" and an "in-person component for the press," which it reports is similar to what Apple is planning for the October 13th event.

New MacBook Pro Models

At this Mac and iPad event, Bloomberg reports that Apple will announce new MacBook Pros that are lighter than what’s available now, have touchscreen OLED displays, and iPhone-like Dynamic Island interfaces. Apple is also apparently planning to announce MacBook Pros that retain the current design but have the M6 chip introduced with the new Mac Mini.

According to Macworld, the standard M6 MacBook Pro is expected to retain the existing design, with the new processor providing the main upgrade. The more substantial changes—including an OLED touchscreen and redesigned chassis—are reportedly reserved for premium MacBook Pro models that will continue to use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Apple is reportedly skipping the M6 Pro and M6 Max generation to accelerate development of the M7.

The M6 chip is Apple’s first M-series chip built using TSMC’s 2nm manufacturing process. The M6 in the Mac mini features a 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU, up from the M5’s 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU. It also introduces Neural Accelerators in every GPU core and a dual 16-core Neural Engine, boosting performance in AI workloads.

iPad Mini and iMac Updates

The iPad Mini, which was last refreshed in 2024, will be updated to shift the front-facing camera onto the landscape side of the tablet and to add a "revamped speaker system," Bloomberg says. The announcement will also include a new iMac, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Pricing and Supply Constraints

The existing M5 MacBook Pro starts at $1,999/£1,999, following the price increases introduced in June 2026, and the M6 could retain that starting price. However, another price increase is possible. Ongoing memory and storage shortages continue to affect Apple’s manufacturing costs.

During Apple’s Q3 2026 financial announcement in July, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Kevan Parekh made it a point to explain that the supply chain constraints will affect production costs for months to come. "We expect the impact from supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially," said Parekh. "The projected supply constraints in the September quarter affect iPhone, Mac, and iPad." Cook said, "With less flexibility in supply chain, we expect the impact from the supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially."

Why it matters

The reported October 27 announcement would fit Apple’s recent release pattern. The M5 MacBook Pro arrived in October 2025, while its predecessor launched in November 2024. This creates an unusual buying decision for consumers: wait for the M6 chip, choose one of the redesigned touchscreen models, or hold out until 2027 for the next generation. The redesigned OLED touchscreen models are also expected to carry a premium over the existing MacBook Pro lineup.

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Sources

• theverge.com: Apple will reportedly debut its first touchscreen MacBook in three weeks | The Verge
• macworld.com: M6 MacBook Pro: October 27 release date, specs, price rumors | Macworld

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.