Pro and Tell Apple Event Taking Place 28 October

Apple has today announced yet another special event, titled 'Pro and Tell', taking place next week on Wednesday, 28th October.

Announcing the special event via X, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak posted a short message, alongside a short video of the event’s Apple logo.

Can't wait to pro and tell next week.

The event logo features a black background and a light blue Apple logo, that seems to resemble some sort of light, with hints of orange, red and yellow.

Apple was already rumoured to be hosting a media event at the end of October to introduce their first-ever touchscreen Mac and potentially an OLED iPad mini which could feature a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate.

Alongside this short teaser, content creators and members of the press have been sent invites, to a 'Special Apple Experience' taking place in Los Angeles, California.

The event will take place on Wednesday, 28 October, at 5pm GMT in the UK, following the end of British Summer Time.

What to expect

After new iPhones, AirPods and Apple Watches in September, and new home devices just last week, it's now the iPad and Macs’ turn.

iPad mini

Firstly, the two-year-old iPad mini could get a significant refresh, potentially introducing an OLED display for better colours, contrast and deeper blacks. The screen on the current model has been my biggest complaint since I bought the device last year, and an OLED upgrade would be tempting.

Unfortunately, most rumours point to the display remaining at a 60Hz refresh rate, though Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported Apple has tested a 120Hz display on the iPad mini, so this could be coming.

Alongside these much needed display upgrades, it could get a performance boost upgrading from the A17 Pro chip to the latest A20 Pro. This could bring the more powerful Apple Intelligence capabilities to the iPad mini, such as expressive Siri voices.

Touchscreen MacBook Pro

The showstopper this time round will be the redesigned touchscreen MacBook Pro.

In addition to a touch interface for the first time on macOS, Apple could introduce an OLED panel to its high-end laptop model. This will be an upgrade from mini-LED, and further increase the gap between the mediocre LCD display on the MacBook Air.

The new MacBook Pro is expected to remain at a 120Hz refresh rate.

The somewhat iconic and perhaps infamous notch that has appeared at the top of Apple's MacBooks since 2022 is set to be replaced with a Dynamic Island, which is currently a feature exclusive to the iPhone.

If this works like on an iPhone, it will utilise the touch interface, take up less room than the notch, and show live activities rather than putting them in the menu bar.

macOS already has some Dynamic Island-inspired interfaces when mirroring Live Activities from iPhone, which appear in the top right of your menu bar in what essentially looks like a mini Dynamic Island that has been pulled directly from your iPhone.

Other changes to this MacBook Pro is that it could get a new external design, making it slightly less thick and a little lighter, which will be a bonus for people who carry this device around with them all day.

We're not expecting any new M-series chips, with these new models expected to use the M6, M5 Pro and M5 Max.

M6 iMac

There’s just one more Mac that remains to not have received a refresh this year. The iMac M4.

Apple refreshed the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in March, discontinued the Mac Pro at around the same time, and introduced new Mac mini and Mac Studio models in September.

This leaves just the iMac, which could receive the M6 chip and new colours.

The refreshed colour lineup is slightly ironic, after Apple showcased its new HomePod mini 2's as colour-matched speakers to the device just last week.

iPad Pro?

Last October Apple refreshed its iPad Pro line, debuting the all-new M5 chip in the device. This year, the M6 chip is already out so Apple could potentially give its high-end iPad model a quick spec bump.

However, there are no rumours circulating about a new iPad Pro, which you would expect this close to a product launch. This suggests Apple may skip the iPad Pro this time around, and save the next-generation model for 2027.

Previous Late October Events

On the 30th October 2023, Apple hosted a Scary Fast Mac event at Apple Park.

This was live-streamed, with a darker-themed Apple logo (just like this time round), where then-CEO Tim Cook introduced the M3 generation of MacBook Pros.

In 2024, Apple focused on the Mac, with three short keynote-style video announcements that were posted to the Apple website and its YouTube channel. These refreshes included the M4 generation of iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

With new MacBook Pros expected, the iMac turning two years old, and previous October launches oriented around the Mac, it feels almost certain that this will be a Mac-focused product launch.

Will there be a livestream?

Apple usually announces live-streamed keynotes publicly on its website, with a clear time to watch the event and a scheduled live stream on YouTube. These are not present today, and media have been invited to an experience in LA, rather than Apple Park in Cupertino.

This suggests it may be a similar launch to the Welcome Home event which took place on the 13th October, when Apple gathered the media in a room with demo devices, and the public got to read press releases and watch promotional videos on the Apple YouTube channel.

Follow the launch with Everything Apple

Everything Apple will be here with our eyes on the Apple Newsroom, to bring you the latest product announcements as we get them. You can keep an eye on our news page from 5PM GMT on the 28th, subscribe to push notifications in settings to get alerted when new products drop, or visit the Everything Apple Product Library shortly after the event to see our full breakdowns of any new devices.