Apple has scheduled a product launch event for October 28 in Los Angeles, with analysts expecting new Macs — potentially including the company's first touchscreen laptop — under CEO John Ternus.
Apple sent invitations Monday to media and analysts for a product launch event on October 28 in Los Angeles, teasing the gathering with the phrase "Pro and tell" — language that strongly suggests the company will focus on high-end devices built around its homegrown silicon.
The event will mark the third product launch under CEO John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook last month. Previous events under Ternus covered new iPhones — including the foldable Duo — as well as smart home hubs and a new screen-equipped speaker called HomeView, both unveiled at a New York gathering.
Ben Reitzes, an analyst at Melius Research, wrote in a note Monday that he expects new Macs to be introduced, "including a touchscreen notebook," this fall. He characterized the accelerated launch cadence as a "meaningful shift" for Ternus, who has now presided over three events in rapid succession since taking the top job.
Apple updated its Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops with new chips in August and refreshed its MacBook Pro in the spring alongside a new lower-cost MacBook Neo. The iMac desktop, however, has not received an update since October 2024, making it a likely candidate for a refresh.
A touchscreen Mac laptop would represent a notable change in direction for Apple. In 2018, software chief Craig Federighi explained that the ergonomics of reaching out to touch a laptop display would fatigue users — a position Apple maintained for years while rivals shipped touch-enabled Windows machines.
Macs have taken on increasing strategic importance within Apple's artificial intelligence push. The company's proprietary chips are capable of accessing more memory at higher speeds than competing consumer processors, a characteristic Apple has leaned on heavily in its AI messaging. Last week, Apple and Meta announced a collaboration to bring a large open-weight model, developed by Meta, to multiple high-end Mac Studios — an alliance that reflects shifting dynamics in Silicon Valley.
In its most recent quarter, Mac sales accounted for roughly 10% of Apple's overall revenue, with the company remaining heavily dependent on iPhones for the bulk of its business.
Apple shares have risen 26% so far this year, outperforming the S&P 500, reinforcing investor confidence even as the broader consumer hardware market remains under pressure.
The October 28 event in Los Angeles will be closely watched as a signal of how aggressively Ternus intends to push into new product categories — and whether Apple is prepared to abandon one of its longest-held hardware stances.
TechEchelon Staff bylines are produced collectively by the newsroom for short, breaking, and wire-style coverage. Longer-form reporting is published under the responsible reporter's name.
More from the Staff →Economists and labor researchers warn that women face disproportionate exposure to AI-driven job losses, citing their concentration in clerical and administrative roles — a pattern echoed by the automation of telephone switchboards, which eliminated an estimated 75,000 jobs held overwhelmingly by women.
Anthropic announced it is committing 5% of its shares to a newly created "public benefit fund," with provisions to contribute more as the company's valuation grows. CEO Dario Amodei has described the AI industry as facing "fundamentally a crisis of trust."
A new generation of AI wearables from Apple, Amazon, and Meta can continuously listen and transcribe conversations without storing audio — raising unsettled legal questions about wiretapping that experts say could expose wearers, not just device makers, to liability.
Written for readers who already know the basics — markets, AI, and the policy decisions that shape both.