Touch displays are finally coming to Apple's pro laptops. Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to introduce new MacBook Pro hardware with OLED panels and touchscreen support on or around Tuesday, October 27.
The refresh spans both the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16 inch sizes. Despite early chatter suggesting Apple might split these overhauled machines off into an expensive "MacBook Ultra" tier, the report indicates they will remain anchored firmly within the core MacBook Pro family. The hardware shaves down chassis thickness and weight relative to today's editions. Beyond the touch-sensitive OLED display, the laptop screens will adopt the Dynamic Island cutout previously reserved for mobile devices.
Moving to OLED panels across both the 14-inch and 16-inch form factors should provide true per-pixel black levels and deeper contrast compared to the current mini-LED setups. The inclusion of touch sensors also represents an about-face for macOS, an operating system that Apple executives spent more than a decade protecting from direct finger inputs.
Apple is also preparing silicon refreshes alongside the radical form-factor updates. That late-month roster includes an M6 14-inch MacBook Pro along with a refreshed M6 iMac desktop.
Tablets get attention on the same date. Apple is readying an OLED iPad mini, bringing richer contrast and deeper black levels to the company's smallest slate. The compact tablet is tipped to shift its front-facing camera to a landscape orientation for video calls, alongside a redesigned speaker array to boost audio output.
If the schedule holds, late October will serve as the second chapter of a crowded month for Apple. The company already has an October 13 product window lined up for living-room gear, which is expected to deliver a brand-new smart home hub, a refreshed Apple TV 4K, and a HomePod mini update. Bloomberg reports that both gatherings will follow a hybrid presentation blueprint: an online video broadcast accompanied by in-person preview rooms for invited media.
Pricing and firm ship dates remain under wraps until Apple streams its broadcast. With October 27 falling on a Tuesday, official retail pre-orders typically kick off within days of the final announcement.
CDFiled by The Computing Desk
Laptops, desktops, processors, graphics cards and the operating systems that run on them.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.