Apple's October 28 Launch Experience--Bloomberg Says Media Are Invited to Los Angeles for the Touch-Screen OLED MacBook Pro, an M6 MacBook Pro and iMac, and an OLED iPad mini, and a Reported November 6 Store Date

2026October 16, 2026Macs Only!Events
A space black MacBook Pro seen head-on against a black background, its screen showing a photo-editing window with histogram and color-wheel panels on the left and, on the right, a person in a glossy purple coat and silver shirt standing in a cloud of orange and green powder.
Photo: Apple · A space black MacBook Pro seen head-on against a black background, its screen showing a photo-editing window with histogram and color-wheel panels on the left and, on the right, a person in a glossy purple coat and silver shirt standing in a cloud of orange and green powder.

Apple is inviting selected media to an "all-day product launch experience" in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote in a post on October 15, for the touch-screen MacBooks, a new iPad mini and Macs with M6 chips, as MacRumors relayed it. As of October 16 Apple had posted no invitation and no press release, so this is a report and not an announcement. If it holds, Apple's first touch-screen Mac, reported in our October 4 item, has a date, a city and no keynote.

Two days of hands-on replace a keynote

On October 8 9to5Mac relayed Bloomberg's report that the products would arrive "on or around Tuesday, October 27" with "an online video presentation and in-person component for the press," a launch "geared toward creative professionals who work in video production, photo editing and music production," as in October 2024, when the press got hands-on time with the M4 Macs in Los Angeles. On October 12 MacRumors relayed Gurman's Power On newsletter: a two-day showcase in Los Angeles on October 27 and 28, "experiences" for content creators rather than a livestreamed event, like the one in New York on October 13, the day of the HomeView, HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K announcements we covered, and likely Apple's final major launch of 2026. The October 15 post narrowed the media date to October 28; MacRumors notes it does not say whether the products are announced that day or before it.

What the reports expect

The reports name four products and one more alongside:

  • 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with OLED touch screens, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a Dynamic Island and a "significantly lighter" case; MacRumors' October 12 report adds possible built-in cellular, and its October 15 report says they could sit as a higher-end option beside the mini-LED models.
  • A 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 that, per 9to5Mac's relay, will "look like" the current one.
  • A 24-inch iMac with the M6 and, per the October 12 report, new colors, in the current design.
  • An iPad mini with an OLED display, a front camera moved to the landscape edge and a redesigned speaker system; the October 12 report calls it the iPad mini 8 and adds an A20 Pro chip and water resistance.
  • A Mac Studio with 512GB of memory, expected in late October by the same report.

All of it is Bloomberg's reporting, and none of it is Apple's.

Stores could have them November 6, the third Friday of four

MacRumors reported on October 15 that Gurman said on his podcast that the touch-screen MacBook Pro could reach stores on Friday, November 6, since Apple's stores apparently have a "big floor reset" scheduled for the evening of November 5 into November 6, and that he expects Apple to "do something" and "have those videos" at the "very least." 9to5Mac lines up the four Fridays: the iPhone Duo on October 23, the HomePod mini 2 on October 30, the touch-screen MacBook Pro, M6 iMac, M6 MacBook Pro and OLED iPad mini on November 6, and HomeView and the Apple TV 4K on November 13, after which it expects no further launches until early 2027.

What Apple sells on October 16

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 would replace the M5 model of Apple's October 15, 2025 press release, which started at $1,599. The M5 Pro and M5 Max models of Apple's March 3 press release started at $2,199 and $3,599 in the 14-inch size; since the June 25 increase in 9to5Mac's price list the three 14-inch models are $1,999, $2,499 and $4,099. The iMac is the M4 model of Apple's October 28, 2024 press release, $1,299 then and $1,499 since June 25; by our count an M6 iMac announced on October 28 would come two years to the day after it. The iPad mini is the A17 Pro model of Apple's October 15, 2024 press release, $499 then and $599 since June 25.

Then and now

On October 16, 2001 we ran New Apple 'Books Today?, because the cover of a MacMall catalog that had arrived the day before showed 600 MHz iBooks and 550 and 667 MHz Titanium PowerBooks. Apple announced them that day, and our October 17, 2001 report found the catalog "right on target for the CPU speeds": 667 MHz PowerBooks at $3,000 and $3,300 and a 550 MHz model at $2,200. In April 2003 our commentary on an Apple tablet said "We'd buy at least one if given the chance." A catalog cover then and a Bloomberg reporter's post now; the chance, if the report is right, comes October 28, and we would not buy a MacBook Pro, an iMac or an iPad mini before then.

Sources

  1. MacRumors, “Apple Now Inviting Media to October 28 'Launch Experience' - MacRumors” accessed Oct 16, 2026October 15, 2026, 4:13 am Pacific: Apple has begun inviting selected media to a product launch experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who described it in a post on X as an "all-day product launch experience"; for the touch-screen MacBooks, a new iPad mini and Macs with M6 chips; the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED displays, a Dynamic Island and significantly lighter designs, M6 versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac, and an iPad mini with OLED, a landscape front camera and a redesigned speaker system; Gurman had earlier said the devices would come "on or around" October 27 with an online video presentation and a hands-on experience for the media, and the post does not say whether the announcements fall on October 28 or before; accessed October 16, 2026.
  2. MacRumors, “Apple Plans Two-Day Event to Showcase Trio of New Macs and iPad Mini - MacRumors” accessed Oct 16, 2026October 12, 2026: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman's report of a two-day product showcase in Los Angeles on October 27 and 28, "experiences" for content creators rather than a traditional livestreamed event, like Apple's October 13 event in New York; the products expected: 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with OLED touch screens, M5 Pro and M5 Max, Dynamic Island, a lighter design and possibly built-in cellular; a 24-inch iMac with M6 and new colors; a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6; an iPad mini 8 with OLED, A20 Pro, a landscape front camera, a redesigned speaker system and water resistance; a Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM in late October; "This will likely be Apple's final major launch in 2026, according to Gurman"; accessed October 16, 2026.
  3. 9to5Mac, “Apple to launch touchscreen MacBook Pro and more on October 27 - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 16, 2026October 8, 2026: Bloomberg's report that Apple will launch the products "on or around Tuesday, October 27" with "an online video presentation and in-person component for the press," "geared toward creative professionals who work in video production, photo editing and music production," likened to the October 2024 Mac launch with hands-on time for the press in Los Angeles; the touch-screen MacBook Pro "significantly lighter" with M5 Pro and M5 Max and a Dynamic Island; the M6 iMac and entry-level 14-inch M6 MacBook Pro that "look like their current versions"; accessed October 16, 2026.
  4. MacRumors, “Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Launch on November 6 - MacRumors” accessed Oct 16, 2026October 15, 2026, 12:09 pm Pacific: Gurman on his latest podcast, the announcement on October 27 or October 28; Apple's retail stores "apparently have a 'big floor reset' scheduled for the evening of Thursday, November 5, and into Friday, November 6"; the machines "could launch on Friday, November 6"; Gurman did not say whether there would be a classic event but suggested Apple will "do something" and "have those videos" at the "very least"; the OLED models "could be sold as a higher-end option alongside the current mini-LED models"; accessed October 16, 2026.
  5. 9to5Mac, “Apple is about to kick off four weeks straight of new product launches - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 16, 2026October 15, 2026: the four Fridays, iPhone Duo on October 23, HomePod mini 2 on October 30, the touch-screen MacBook Pro, M6 iMac, M6 MacBook Pro and OLED iPad mini on November 6, and HomeView and Apple TV 4K on November 13; "No additional product launches are expected until early 2027"; accessed October 16, 2026.
  6. Apple Newsroom, “Apple unveils new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip, delivering the next big leap in AI for the Mac - Apple” accessed Oct 16, 2026The October 15, 2025 date; the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 starting at $1,599; accessed October 16, 2026.
  7. Apple Newsroom, “Apple introduces MacBook Pro with all-new M5 Pro and M5 Max - Apple” accessed Oct 16, 2026The March 3, 2026 date; starting prices of $2,199 for the 14-inch M5 Pro and $3,599 for the 14-inch M5 Max; the press picture of the MacBook Pro showing Capture One; accessed October 16, 2026.
  8. 9to5Mac, “Apple announces significant price increases for MacBooks, iPads, more - 9to5Mac” accessed Oct 16, 2026The June 25, 2026 price increases and the list entries "M5 MacBook Pro: $1,999 (up from $1,699)", "M5 Pro MacBook Pro: $2,499 (up from $2,199)", "M5 Max MacBook Pro: $4,099 (up from $3,599)", "iMac: $1,499 (up from $1,299)" and "iPad mini: $599 (up from $499)"; accessed October 16, 2026.
  9. Apple Newsroom, “Apple unveils the new iMac with M4, supercharged by Apple Intelligence and available in fresh colors - Apple” accessed Oct 16, 2026The October 28, 2024 date; the 24-inch iMac with M4 starting at $1,299; accessed October 16, 2026.
  10. Apple Newsroom, “Apple introduces powerful new iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence - Apple” accessed Oct 16, 2026The October 15, 2024 date; the iPad mini with A17 Pro starting at $499 for the Wi-Fi model with 128GB; accessed October 16, 2026.

Then and now

All pairings

A catalog cover gave away the new iBooks and PowerBooks on the day Apple announced them in 2001; a Bloomberg reporter's post gave the October 28 date for the touch-screen MacBook Pros in 2026.

More on Apple silicon Macs

Also on October 16, other years

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