What Apple Is Expected to Launch on 28 October, and What's Only Rumour

Apple is not finished with October. After the smart home launch on Tuesday, the next two weeks are shaping up to bring the first touchscreen Mac and a new iPad mini, and if you are thinking of buying either, this is the moment to pause. Here is what Apple has actually said, what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is reporting, and what it means if you have a purchase in mind.

What Apple has confirmed

Very little, which is normal. Apple said back in September that the Mac Studio with 512GB of memory would arrive in late October. Beyond that, the only official signal is that it has started inviting journalists to an all-day product launch in Los Angeles on Wednesday 28 October, which several outlets reported this week. There is no event invitation to the public and no confirmed livestream.

What Mark Gurman is reporting

Everything in this section is rumour, from a reporter with a very good record on Apple, but rumour all the same.

• A touchscreen MacBook Pro, in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, with an OLED screen, a Dynamic Island in place of the notch, and a lighter body. It would be the first Mac with a touchscreen and the first MacBook Pro redesign since 2021. He says it keeps the current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips rather than getting an M6.
• A new iPad mini with an OLED screen, a front camera moved to the long edge for video calls, and new speakers. He says Apple tested both 60Hz and 120Hz screens and he does not yet know which one shipped.
• M6 versions of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iMac, with the chip updated and the design left alone.
• Timing: announcements around 27 or 28 October, with the products reaching shops on Friday 6 November, which he infers from a big overnight reset planned in Apple's stores.

He has also said what is not coming: no M6 Pro, M6 Max or M6 Ultra at all, with Apple jumping to M7 for those next year, no new MacBook Air until early 2027, and nothing more from Apple this year after this.

What I am hoping for

This is the part where I stop reporting and start wishing. I am excited about the touchscreen Mac, and what I would love is for it to be a separate product rather than another MacBook Pro, something called MacBook Studio that leans properly into creative work and Apple Pencil. Picture a screen that tilts two ways: folded down over the keyboard so you can lean on it and draw, or stood up like a normal Mac when you want to type. That is a machine that makes sense of a touchscreen, rather than a laptop you occasionally poke. The reporting says it stays in the Pro family, so I may be dreaming, but that is the version I would queue for.

The iPad mini is the one I am buzzing about. An OLED screen, a camera in the right place for video calls and better speakers is a mini Pro in all but name, and it is the iPad I recommend most often to people who want something for the sofa, the car and the bedside table.

What it means if you are buying now

• MacBook Pro 14 or 16-inch: wait. Even if the touchscreen model is too expensive for you, the current models often drop in price or appear refurbished once the new one lands.
• iPad mini: wait. The current one is from 2024 and a new screen is the one thing it needs.
• iMac: wait a fortnight for the M6 version, unless you find a strong deal on the current one.
• MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Studio, iPad, iPad Air: buy now. None of them are expected to change.

The buying guide has a verdict on every model and I will update it the moment Apple announces anything. If you would like help deciding, that is a conversation we have most weeks, so book a session and we will talk it through with your actual needs rather than the headlines.

Alex