After already preparing to roll out a redesigned smart home approach the following week, Apple Inc. is lining up a second launch event in October to present its first touchscreen MacBook along with a refreshed iPad mini.
The product unveiling is set for on or about Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to people familiar with the plans. The late-month announcements will also feature versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac equipped with M6 chips, said the people, who requested anonymity because the plans have not been made public.
Similar to its smart home event on Oct. 13, the upcoming launch will combine an online video presentation with an in-person gathering for the media. The Mac and iPad debut will target creative professionals working in video production, photo editing and music production. Apple last hosted a comparable new-product showcase in Los Angeles in 2024.
The introductions form part of a record-setting lineup of new products under Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who assumed the top role last month. He is seeking to push the tech giant into new markets and increase revenue from related services.
A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
The company's home event next week will feature its first smart home hub with a display, a new HomePod mini and an updated Apple TV set-top box, all centered on the Siri AI assistant. Apple will also roll out a home ecosystem that will include accessories from LG Electronics Inc. and Schneider Electric SE.
Apple is aiming to turn around its fortunes in the home market and more effectively challenge Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google. Amazon, for its part, introduced a major new tablet line this week built around the Alexa+ platform.
The Mac and iPad event will represent Apple's long-awaited entry into touch-based computers. The new MacBook Pros, code-named K114 and K116, will be lighter than current models and offer OLED screens, a sharper display technology whose name is short for organic light-emitting diode. The devices will also carry the Dynamic Island on-screen interface that iPhone users know well. Bloomberg News first reported on the project in 2023.
The new M6 Macs, code-named J804 and J833, will resemble their current versions, while the new iPad mini, code-named J510, will also include an OLED screen, a videoconferencing camera moved to the landscape side and a redesigned speaker system. The company is planning several other new Macs and iPads for the first half of next year, Bloomberg has reported.