Forget iPhone Duo and HomeView. This is probably the biggest week of Apple announcements of 2026, as the Cupertino crew looks set to announce a new OLED MacBook Pro with a touchscreen.
There’s much more too. Apple’s already jumped the gun and announced the iPad mini 8, which makes me think we’re getting daily announcements — today we received the M6 MacBook Pro and iMac, with the OLED main event coming Wednesday.
And on this live blog, we will cover every single announcement as it happens — exploring every nook and cranny of leaks and rumors and breaking down whether these are the right machines for you. So keep us bookmarked!
What has been announced so far?
- iPad mini 8: OLED screen, under-display speakers, A20 Pro, starts at $699. Pre-ordering starts Wednesday, October 28
- M6 iMac: Powerful M6 chip, 7 colors, 24‑inch 4.5K Retina display, Pre-ordering starts Wednesday, October 28
- M6 MacBook Pro: 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, up to 24 hours of battery life, Powerful M6 chip, Pre-ordering starts Wednesday, October 28
What may be announced this week?
- M6 MacBook Pro (Announced today): Same mini-LED design you’re used to, but with M6 inside.
- M6 iMac (Announced today): Same design as before, but with M6 inside.
- OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro (PREDICTED ANNOUNCEMENT WEDNESDAY): OLED touchscreen, Dynamic Island, M5 Pro/Max. Predicted starting price $2,999
LIVE UPDATES
You probably don’t need to upgrade
With the cavaet that we’re expecting a decent leap in performance, if you’re rocking an M4 or M5 MacBook Pro, you’re probably good.
However, if you’re still rolling with an M1, M2 or even an Intel MacBook Pro, then yeah, you’ll see a significant leap in performance.
Plus, there’s that OLED MacBook waiting in the wings, price be damned.
No 16-inch version of the MacBook Pro
Notably, Apple did not announce a 16-inch version of the M6 MacBook Pro. Right now on the site you can get an M5 Pro or M5 Max version but no M6.
Usually, Apple announces both a 14 and 16-inch version.
My speculation is that Apple is saving the 16-inch version for the OLED touchscreen, which is partly why the price is expected to be over $3k.
Tomorrow: More OLED
We started the week with a new OLED display on the iPad mini 8. Today, wasn’t as display focused but that should change tomorrow with the OLED MacBook.
Let me know what you’re interested in
It’s been a bigger day with the new MacBook Pro and iMac featuring the M6 chipset.
But what are you interested in? What’s grabbing your attention or are you still waiting? Let me know in the comments.
Apple claims 24 hours of battery life
For the M6 MacBook Pro, Apple is claiming up to 24 hours of battery life. We’ll put that to the test in our Tom’s Guide testing lab.
For comparison, in our testing, the MacBook Pro M5 battery lasted 18 hours. So, 24 hours would be a huge leap.
Try out the M6 chip now
If you’re curious about the M6 chipset you can test it out already on the M6 Mac mini that released a couple months ago.
We’ve already tested M6 Mac mini and found it much faster. Whether that’s worth the higher price is up to you, but that’s case for every Apple device these days.
iPad mini 8 versus Duo
While the iPhone Duo deals with hinges issues, perhaps you can get your tablet and phone fix by going with the iPad mini 8 and iPhone 18 Pro.
For one, it’s cheaper, and two, the devices are more established, meaning most of the issues have been ironed out. Seriously, the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPad mini 8 for the base models tops out at $1,898, while the Duo starts at $1,999.
No power adapter?
I’ve seen reports on social media that the M6 MacBook Pro doesn’t come with a power adapter.
I tried a fake checkout on the Apple Store, and it gave me the option to choose a 70W or 96W adapter for no extra charge.
However, based on what I’m seeing, this might be affecting EU/UK customers, where the 70W costs 59 Euros and the 96W version is 79 Euros.
Last year’s M5 model also did not come with a power adapter in the UK or EU. There was speculation that the EU banned Apple from including a charger, but it seems more likely that Apple decided not to and is scrapping the money barrel by charging extra.
Better connectivity
The new MacBook Pro, and iMac as well, have better connectivity compared to their predecessors.
Both now have Bluetooth 6 and WiFi 7 meaning your connections should be more stable and faster.
What we’re waiting for
One device we haven’t seen yet this week, is the rumored MacBook Pro featuring an OLED touchscreen. We expect the device debut tomorrow, October 28.
Here’s everything we know about the MacBook Pro OLED or MacBook Ultra, and its predicted $2,999 starting price.
Don’t forget the iPad mini 8
Apple has announced one new product a day this week. Just in case you missed it, yesterday was the updated iPad mini 8.
Like the iMac and new MacBook Pro, the main upgrade is a new chipset. The iPad mini 8 features the new A20 Pro, the same as in the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro models.
But should you upgrade, we investigate the differences between the iPad mini 8 and iPad mini 7.
How to pre-order the M6 MacBook Pro
Apple announced the M6 MacBook Pro today, but it’s not up for pre-order just yet. The window opens at 10:10 am PT on October 28, with a ship date of November 6.
Here’s how to pre-order the M6 MacBook Pro from Apple and retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.
New iMac is a performance upgrade
The new iMac is mostly a spec refresh with the upgraded M6 silicon and upgraded connectivity but that means its getting a major performance boost over its predecessor.
Here’s a table with our testing numbers for the M6 version of the Mac mini to give you an idea of how much faster the new iMac should be compared to the M4 version.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Mac mini M6 |
MacBook Pro M5 |
MacBook Pro M5 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6.7 single-core |
4708 |
3613 |
3701 |
|
Geekbench 6.7 multi-core |
21405 |
17505 |
29411 |
|
Handbrake (Mins:Secs) |
2:45 |
3:31 |
1:45 |
Hands-on time
Tomorrow, at Apple’s Pro and Tell event we’re expecting to get some hands-on time with all the new devices including the rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro.
Is there anything you’re curious about or want us to check out? Let us know in the comments.
Creator Studio update
This news isn’t getting as much attention, since new hardware tends to get the most attention:
Apple announced a Creator Studio update that adds MotionVFX content to Final Cut Pro, video assets to the Content Hub, expanded music creation tools in Logic Pro, and new intelligence features in Logic Pro, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
Read Apple’s full news post for a detailed breakdown of what’s new.
A small but exciting change for the iMac
Apple added a small upgrade to the M6 iMac that’ll come in handy for anyone who uses wired internet on their device.
Now, the base model can get up to 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet rather than the 1 Gigabit Ethernet Apple offered in previous models. The more expensive model with four ports includes 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet without an upgrade.
The most expensive M6 MacBook Pro
I went to Apple’s purchase page and played with the configurations for the M6 MacBook Pro and it appears that most expensive model you can get is $4,069. That comes with the Nano-texture display, 32GB of unified memory, 4TB of storage and a 96W power supply.
Sound off!
Let us know whether you’re interested in either of Apple’s new models below:
M6 MacBook MacBook Pro in video
The new MacBook Pro with M6 delivers blazing-fast performance and up to 24 hours of battery life. – YouTube 
Read more about the new devices…
If you want all the details about the new iMac and MacBook Pro, we have broken down all the specs in the posts linked below:
M6 performance
If you’re curious about just how powerful the M6 is, here are the benchmark results from testing in the Mac mini M6. Obviously, we haven’t gotten hands-on with the new iMac and MacBook Pro, but seeing how powerful the chip is makes me excited to try them.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Mac mini M6 |
MacBook Pro M5 |
MacBook Pro M5 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6.7 single-core |
4708 |
3613 |
3701 |
|
Geekbench 6.7 multi-core |
21405 |
17505 |
29411 |
|
Handbrake (Mins:Secs) |
2:45 |
3:31 |
1:45 |
Apple’s environmental pledge for its new models
Apple talked about the new MacBook Pro and iMac. “The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 was built with the environment in mind and drives progress toward Apple’s ambitious plan to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030,” the company wrote in a news post.
For the M6 MacBook Pro, Apple said it used 45% recycled content overall. For the iMac, Apple didn’t say what percent of the total is made with recycled content, but it said it’s made with 100% recycled aluminum in the stand, 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100% recycled gold plating and tin solder in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards.
How much are the M6 iMac and MacBook Pro?
Apple kept the same starting prices for its new computers, which is always nice to see in the post-RAMageddon world. Apple is charging $1,499 for the iMac and $1,999 for the MacBook Pro.
While neither is “budget-friendly,” it’s always good news that high-end devices are maintaining the same price as the previous version.
Both devices are available for pre-order starting tomorrow, 10/28.
As predicted… M6 iMac and MacBook Pro
Apple jumped on its newsroom to reveal a new MacBook Pro and iMac, both powered by M6 chips.
Keeping the iMac legacy alive, Apple is offering the all-in-one computer in seven vibrant colors. There’s also a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display that should look great for all kinds of tasks.
And for the MacBook Pro, Apple offers up to 24 hours of battery life, which sounds great if it actually lives up to it.
I’m excited for how thin the iPad mini is
The thing that has me most interested in the new iPad mini is how much thinner it is than previous models. Apple dropped it from 6.3mm to 5.4mm thick. With it being the company’s smaller tablet, it only makes sense for the tablet to be thin to keep up with the design aesthetic.
In making it thinner, Apple also dropped some weight of the iPad mini, further pushing it towards being a more portable option while still offering a larger screen that makes sense as a tablet.
1 more hour
The first predicted announcement is today at 9 a.m. ET. It’s expected to be the M6 iMac and MacBook Pro with the touchscreen MacBook coming tomorrow. It’s an exciting time to be an Apple fan (and a less exciting time to an Apple fan’s bank account).
What’s the first thing you’ll touch?
With the rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro expected to be announced today, we can’t help but think about what the first app we’d want to use on a touchscreen MacBook would be.
I’m actually writing this post on a MacBook, and I can’t think of any particular app in its current form that would be better with a touchscreen. The current macOS design doesn’t really need a touchscreen, since it works well with a mouse cursor and keyboard shortcuts.
It’ll be interesting to see how Apple sells the touchscreen and what use cases it presents during its event.
Sure, artists will benefit from drawing on screen with an Apple Pencil, but will other MacBook Pro users really see a reason to pay extra for a touchscreen model? We’ll see.
Why I think the iPhone 18 Pro + iPad mini 8 is the better buy over iPhone Duo
Now, before you come at me, the iPhone Duo is a fundamentally great phone. But now we’ve got the iPad mini 8 with OLED and its confirmed $699 price tag, the economics of it don’t make sense.
For the iPhone Duo, you’ve got to spend two racks, and with all the Crackgate stuff flying around, it’s a sensitive piece of tech.
Meanwhile, if you look at the iPhone 18 Pro with a better camera system and the more durable bigger screen of iPad mini 8…
That’s $100 off for the same full setup just in two devices. Of course it’s your choice, but I know which way I’d go.
Predicted M6 iMac and MacBook Announcement at 9am ET
Yesterday, we saw the iPad mini 8 get announced at 9am ET, and if Apple does something consistently, it’s work to patterns. I’d anticipate an announcement in just under a couple hours time!
Trade-in values have gone up!
If you’re keen to jump on a new MacBook Pro, iPad mini or iMac, there’s some good news…ish.
The trade-in value of Apple products have gone up! However, does that hint towards a price increase of the new hardware to offset that? We’re a little suspicious.
M5 brute force vs M6 efficiency
So if the reports are true, you’re about to see a confusing lineup on paper. The base model MacBook Pro will sport M6, while the more expensive OLED options will sport either M5 Pro or M5 Max.
Well, it comes down to use cases. While M6 will have the faster single-core speeds, the Pro and Max chips reign supreme in data transfer speeds and multi taksking-heavy workloads!
Swipe to scroll horizontally
|
Chip |
Geekbench single/multi-core |
Blackmagic Disk Speed Text (MBps write/read) |
Handbrake (transcode 4K movie to 1080p mm:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
M6 (Mac mini) |
4708 / 21405 |
6577 / 6372 |
02:46 |
|
M5 Pro (MacBook Pro) |
4306 / 28586 |
8989 / 12711 |
01:45 |
|
M5 Max (MacBook Pro) |
4338 / 29430 |
12857 / 12870 |
01:55 |
How big of an upgrade is iPad mini 8 over mini 7?
We’ve done the full comparison to help you out here. While it’s easy to see the very visible difference (the OLED screen), and you’ll feel the horsepower lift with A20 Pro, there are many other small subtle changes here too.
For example, this has IP67 water resistance now, and an upgrade to Wi-Fi 7, all while being lighter and thinner too!
In my mind, these changes make it absolutely worth the upgrade (a new iPad mini has been long overdue).
Don’t expect an OLED MacBook Air anytime soon
All this talk of an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro has prompted a question amongst the team: will the MacBook Air get the OLED treatment? Short answer: not for a while.
According to reports, Apple are indeed testing one, but it’s “some way off,” and the annual spring time update will bring a standard LCD display to the Air again.
The OLED MacBook Pro won’t come cheap
I spoke to David Naranjo, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, who just ran a Bill of Materials (BOM) analysis to see what the price of the OLED MacBook Pro would actually be. Spoiler alert: it’s going to get a price hike.
Price prediction is “between $2,799 and $2,999.”
Some of this is the tandem OLED screen inside being more pricey than the mini LED panel you see at the moment. But what we’re seeing is OLED being used as a “way for PC makers to justify higher prices as memory and component costs go up,” in Naranjo’s own words.
Is macOS ready for touch? Here’s what I’d change
So ahead of the (reportedly) imminent MacBook Pro with OLED touchscreen, I stuck the Intricuit Magic screen to my M5 MacBook Pro to see how it fares.
Now, I know that chances are Apple has already thought about this, and will launch a touch-friendly version of macOS with the Pr-OLED.
But I hope it comes with aggressive icon scaling to improve the hitbox on smaller things, actual multitouch gestures like what you see on the trackpad, and some lessons learned from the iPhone Duo snapping apps together easily in splitscreen sesions.
iPad mini 8 pre-orders start at 10:10am PT on Wednesday… why the weird timing?
That is a weirdly specific time for the pre-orders to begin…I think that’s a tell for something here, which I’ll explain. And it’s something MacRumors also picked up on too.
The LA experience begins on Wednesday at 10am PT sharp, so that’s a 10-minute gap…seems like a nice enough gap for a certain video detailing the new OLED MacBook Pro!
BTW, you can see where you can pre-order the iPad mini 8.
How much will M6 iMac and M6 MacBook Pro cost?
Now, this is where we’ve not heard much in the rumor mill, so let me take a crack at it.
RAMageddon hit Apple hard earlier this year, as prices of all its computing tech went up by around $2-300. That puts the iMac at $1,499 and the base model MacBook Pro at $1,999.
These will most probably start at a base memory configuration of 16GB, and these sound like nice, round prices, which I think the Cupertino Crew will keep.
So my official predictions:
- M6 iMac: $1,499
- M6 MacBook Pro: $1,999
M6 by the numbers
So we’ve already tested the M6 in this year’s Mac mini, and in my mate Anthony Spadafora’s words, the chip “really shone” and “didn’t miss a beat” under strenuous multitasking pressure.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Mac mini M6 |
MacBook Pro M5 |
MacBook Pro M5 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6.7 single-core |
4708 |
3613 |
3701 |
|
Geekbench 6.7 multi-core |
21405 |
17505 |
29411 |
|
Handbrake (Mins:Secs) |
2:45 |
3:31 |
1:45 |
Compared to the previous M4 iMac, this is a warmly welcomed upgrade, and those super cores do point to a notable improvement over the M5 MacBook Pro.
Not to say you should upgrade if you already have one! But good to see!
Expect M6 stuff today
If you’re locked in for the OLED MacBook Pro, chances are you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Apple revealed its hand when unveiling the iPad mini 8 yesterday!
My guess: they’re going to slow-play this over the next couple of days leading up to a big fanfare announcement on Wednesday at the actual event in LA.
So if the touchscreen Pr-OLED is going to be Wednesday for the big thing, what does that leave? Simple: I’m predicting that today we’ll see the M6 iMac and M6 MacBook Pro (base model) announced.
I imagine it’ll be similar to yesterday’s announcement — an update of the Apple Newsroom and a promo video. Keep it locked here for the second it happens at (total prediction) 9am ET.
Jason, checking in!
Welcome to the Apple ‘Pro and Tell’ live blog! I’ve been combing through the news, leaks and rumors leading up to this event for months now, and we’re finally (possibly) at the start of a new paradigm shift for the MacBook Pro!
I’ll walk you through everything. But to kick things off, we got one particularly mini but mighty announcement — an overhauled iPad mini with OLED display.
And I’ll be real with you… I’m so tempted to pre-order. This is the upgrade I’ve been waiting for: that gorgeous OLED panel, A20 Pro chipset, under-display speakers to seal it for better durability!
But I wanna know what you think.
Better connectivity
The new M6 MacBook Pro has better connectivity options featuring both Bluetooth 6 and Wi-Fi 7.
That should make your connections more stable and faster.
Additionally, the laptop has faster charging plus a claimed 24 hours of battery life. We’ll reserve judgement on that until we can put it through the paces in our testing lab, but we’re still expecting big numbers.
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