Apple cannot wait to “pro and tell” all next week, which if you’ve been following the rumor mill, is marketing speak for we’re announcing new Macs and we’re going to enjoy the pun.
A deluge of leaks point to an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro, a new entry-level M6 MacBook Pro, M6 iMac and an OLED iPad mini 8 — with announcements expected at an in-person media “experience” on Wednesday, October 28, and sales starting as soon as Friday, November 6.
Translation for anyone with a shopping cart open right now: close the tab.
First, the thing you actually came here to do
If you are considering buying a MacBook Pro, iMac or iPad mini in the next 30 days, stop.
You are standing in the exact spot where people have handed Apple full price for hardware that becomes last year’s model in literal days. Three separate outcomes favor you being patient:
- You want the latest? Wait two weeks — the new machines are about to exist, and the OLED MacBook Pro is the biggest notebook upgrade Apple’s shipped in years.
- You want a bargain? Wait slightly longer — when Apple refreshes, the outgoing machines don’t vanish. They get discounted, and retailers will start clearing stock at genuine discounts within weeks.
- You need a laptop today? That’s fine, this advice has an escape hatch, and it’s at the bottom of this piece.
Now, the fun part — what have you been waiting for.
What October 28 is (probably) going to bring
Let’s start with the big one: the OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro. This redesigned prosumer notebook has been rumored for years, and it’s going to be the biggest change to Apple’s notebook lineup in years.
Outside of all that vivid OLED goodness, gorgeous contrast and easy-on-the-eyes HDR, this is a tectonic shift in the way you can actually interact with your Mac — taking notes from the iPad to bring touch to the conversation. If you’ve faithfully owned an M1 MacBook Pro, this is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for.
Then, there’s the new entry-level M6 MacBook Pro. The rumors seem to be aligning around this sharing the exact same 14-inch shell of the MacBook Pros you’ve seen over the past few years, but with that all-important silicon upgrade.
As we’ve found out from testing this base model over the past few years, it’s become clear that the “cheapest MacBook Pro” has always been the best-value Mac nobody noticed.
Next, the all-in-one looks set to get the silicon bump. The M6 iMac is less revolution, more the annual injection of “newer is faster,” to keep the all-in-one up-to-date for folks who would rather not think about towers, monitors or cable management.
And finally, there’s the OLED iPad mini — which is, low key, the one I’m most excited for. I’ve loved the iPad mini for a while now, but that LCD display has always been the thorn in its side. Clearly, the mini’s been on borrowed time for two years; this is Apple saying it isn’t dead, it’s just been saving its energy.
Who’s actually safe to buy now?
Playing both sides of the wallet is my job, so here’s the honest carve-out. If your laptop just died, your classes start this month, or you’re about to spend your rent money — buy what you need, today.
Any Mac on Apple’s current shelves is absurdly fast; your productivity is worth more than a speculative OLED panel, and the M4 MacBook Pro is still a monster.
What you should not do in a panic: buy the current MacBook Pro at full price as a “just in case” machine while your old one still works, which is how a lot of folks look when refresh cycles hit.
And if you’re holding a trade-in-eligible Mac: lock in your trade-in quote now or wait for the dust to settle, because trade-in allowances on older generations typically drop once new silicon is officially on the table.
What to do while we wait
Stay locked in on Tom’s Guide — we’ll update the moment Apple confirms or changes anything. We've received our invite to the October 28 event, and we can’t wait to see everything the Cupertino crew’s been working on!
On top of that, we’ll keep an eye on the prices of outgoing models the day they’re discounted, so you’ll know exactly when the discount is real. If the November 6 sale date is true, Black Friday collides with fresh discontinuations, and that is going to be the single best fortnight of the year for buying Macs.
The “Pro and Tell” pun may be a bit cringe, but the buying window is not.