Apple's Pro and Tell event: Live updates as we wait to see a MacBook Pro with a touch screen
Reports indicate that a "MacBook Ultra" with a touch-sensitive display is likely on the agenda today.
It's finally time for Apple to get touchy with its MacBook screens. After years of anticipation, the company is expected to actually unveil a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen today. This would mark the third day of news releases in a row for Apple, and the umpteenth product launch this fall. This week alone, we've already seen the iPad mini with OLED screen, 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iMac with M6 chips — two things we expected to see at the "Pro and Tell" event today. I suspect we'll still get to check them out at the Los Angeles launch, but the star of the show is quite likely to be the purported MacBook Ultra.
I'm not convinced that will be the product's real name, given we thought the iPhone Duo was going to be called the iPhone Ultra right until the morning of the device's launch in September. Regardless, given there is probably going to be just one product to unveil this afternoon, the presentation should not take too long. In fact, another new MacBook launch this year comes to mind: the MacBook Neo reveal barely lasted 15 minutes.
Our deputy editor Nathan Ingraham will be live on the ground at Apple's launch in Los Angeles, and we'll be reporting the news as it breaks. Given the company's activity in the last few days this week, it's possible we learn the details of the new MacBook first thing in the morning. But I imagine we'll see more from Apple at 1PM ET. Our liveblog will start at 10AM ET, and make sure you leave us your comments while you wait! I saw in some previous posts that our readers think a Mac Neo is the next thing Apple should make — we'll see if that ever happens! Stick around, we can't wait to hang with you.
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The number of times I have yelled at Nate to explain why macOS handles screenshots and app windows the way it does...
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I have been Cherlynn's macOS Sherpa for a few years now and I get a strange amount of satisfaction from solving her problems and her grudging but ongoing appreciation for the Mac.
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I will say this. In the early years of my career as a reviewer, I tested a ton of Windows laptops. I always thought Apple was behind in not offering touchscreen MacBooks. Then I started testing MacBooks and was eventually forced at some point to switch to a MacBook for work (draconian IT policies).
I realized how nice it was to accidentally touch the laptop's display and not have to worry I deleted or moved something. I can quite freely close the lid or move my MacBook around, and I don't have to be super careful about avoiding the screen. I get it.
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Yes, to Nate's point, a 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro with, say, an M6 Pro, might still arrive later this year.
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Right right, I was thinking about like classic Apple hardware launch events. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, though.
My guess is that Apple treats whatever we see today as an entirely separate part of the lineup, like you said — an expansion. I wager that later this year or early next year the standard 14- and 16-inch MBP will get updates with more powerful variants of the M6, and these touchscreen ones will just be in a tier above them.
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Someone in the comments section left their whole government email address as their name and I'm really hoping they realized this. Anyway, that person said "So instead of offering osx on iPad Pro, I'm expected to pay $4-5K for a MacBook Pro. that I don't want a touch screen on! Nice!"
From the rumors so far, this touchscreen MacBook is not expected to replace any existing MacBooks and will instead expand the portfolio. So you could probably still get the M6 MacBook Pro announced yesterday (though only a 14-inch model was revealed, and maybe the 16-inch is what's coming today).
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I get the sense that Apple has held events in LA before, they just weren't launch events. I believe my creator friends have flown there for content capture opportunities in the past, but Nate you're right. For Apple it's typically been Cupertino or NYC, at least if I'm not missing anything.
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Greetings from currently-foggy, soon-to-be-sunny Los Angeles! Apple's event doesn't start for another two and a half hours, but I'll be heading over to the event space before long to see what we have in store for us.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this feels like a pretty rare Los Angeles-based event for Apple? I feel like if it's not in the Bay Area, it's in NYC. LA makes you think creators, which is likely going to be the vibe for this whole event if I had to guess.
Also, that Ternus video is definitely teasing a MacBook with a glowing Apple logo on the lid, a design flourish that went away about a decade ago. Is it time to bring it back?
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Thanks a ton to Engadget's chief recapper (and griller (of meats)) Billy Steele for that catch-up on Apple's news this week. He's the best.
Speaking of the lead-up to the Pro an Tell event later, CEO John Ternus posted a video to his X account this morning that clearly teases a MacBook. What do you think?
— John Ternus (@johnternus) October 28, 2026
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Ahead of the anticipated MacBook Ultra announcement today, Apple revealed an M6-powered MacBook Pro yesterday. This upgrade is only available on the 14-inch model though, as the 16-inch version is powered by either an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip. Pricing starts at $1,999 with 16GB of unified memory and a 1TB SSD.
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Yesterday, Apple followed up with several announcements. The company announced a substantial upgrade to its all-in-one desktop, the iMac. This new version comes with an M6 processor, which is a big improvement over the M4-powered 2024 models. The M6 first arrived on the Mac mini and Mac Studio just weeks ago, but now it's available in Apple's popular desktop as well. Of course, Apple is hyping the M6's AI capabilities in its sales pitch, including faster on-device prompt processing.
The new iMac is available for preorder later today, starting at $1,499.
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Let's start with what Apple already announced this week. First up was the iPad mini. Apple upgraded to an 8.5-inch OLED display that's available with nano-texture coating. There's also an A20 chip inside, the same SOC that debuted earlier this year alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Pricing starts at $699 with preorders opening today ahead of wide availability on November 6.
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Hello everyone! Welcome to our liveblog of Apple's "Pro and Tell" event today. We're not very sure how everything is going to go down this afternoon, but we're going to strap in and report it all to you here.