ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Apple appears to be announcing its touchscreen OLED MacBooks on Oct. 28.
- The new MacBooks will have the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
- Another Apple device will also get a refresh with an OLED display and M6 chip.
Rumors of an OLED touchscreen MacBook have been brewing for years, but it looks like it’s finally happening. Apple started inviting media to an “all-day product launch” in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, where the new touchscreen MacBooks, refreshed iPad mini, and M6 MacBooks will be unveiled, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
There appear to be two product lines of the new MacBooks: one with OLED touchscreens in 14- and 16-inch sizes in a redesigned, more lightweight form, and another 14-inch MacBook with the base model M6 chip and a largely unchanged build.
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The new OLED MacBooks will feature the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and are reportedly “significantly lighter,” indicating some physical redesigns to distinguish them from their predecessors. They’re also rumored to have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, and could support 5G connectivity, presumably as an optional add-on.
The M6 MacBook Pro will essentially be the same we’d otherwise expect in the 14-inch model, probably with a focus on Siri and AI-powered features in MacOS. This upgrade configuration would match Apple’s release for Mac Mini in September, which launched with both the M5 Pro chip or the base model M6 (for half the price).
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Splitting the new MacBook offerings this way would allow Apple to pursue a premium-tier line of cutting-edge, AI-powered MacBooks targeted at enthusiasts and power users with a flashy touchscreen, while maintaining the core laptop product line that the vast majority of users will be more interested in. Code-named “MacBook Ultra” (although we saw how that panned out with the iPhone Duo), the new OLED MacBooks are likely to be pricey, Gurman said, which is no surprise given the reality of the current market.
New OLED iPad Mini
Apple is also reportedly announcing a new iPad Mini with an OLED display, the first refresh to its bite-sized tablet since 2024 with the A17 Pro chip. The new Mini will come with the M6 chip and be “considerably more expensive,” likely starting at $799 (compared to its current starting price of $599).
Other upgrades to the Mini include a repositioning of the camera to the long end so it’s used in landscape mode instead of portrait, as well as an all-new speaker system. The 8-inch iPad Mini certainly sits in a unique position in Apple’s line-up now that we have the iPhone Duo, which, at 7.6-inches fully extended, is nearly the same size. Apple may be looking to differentiate the device with its new OLED display, better speakers and camera, and revamped iPadOS.
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Apple would do well to look at upgrading its iPad lineup, as the tablet market is about to heat up. Amazon recently announced its new lineup of Alexa Tablets, including a 12-inch Pro model with a nanomatte anti-glare display, along with kid-focused devices with increased durability and bright colors.
The new Alexa tablets have a more premium construction, Google Play Store support, and a plethora of integrations with the home assistant of the same name and Amazon’s sprawling ecosystem of smart home devices.
Along with the MacBooks and iPad Mini, Apple is also set to announce its new line of iMacs featuring the M6 chip. The new all-in-ones appear to be chip refreshes, without any major design updates except for (maybe) new colors.