Apple announces product launch event for October 28
Apple shares are up 26% so far this year, outperforming the S&P 500 ahead of a newly announced product launch event scheduled for Oct. 28 in Los Angeles. The company sent invitations to media and analysts for an “Apple Experience in Los Angeles,” featuring the tagline “Pro and tell,” which points toward a focus on high-end devices powered by homegrown chips.
Macs Drive Apple's Artificial Intelligence Strategy
In the most recent quarter, Apple’s Mac sales accounted for about 10% of overall revenue, keeping the company heavily reliant on iPhones. Even so, Macs have grown into one of the strongest parts of Apple’s artificial intelligence story. This strength comes from proprietary chips capable of accessing more memory at higher speeds than competing consumer processors. Building on that momentum, Apple and Meta teamed up last week to bring a large open-weight model developed by Meta to multiple high-end Mac Studios.
The upcoming October gathering follows a busy autumn schedule for the tech giant. Earlier, the company held an event at its Cupertino headquarters for new iPhones, including the foldable Duo, followed by a New York gathering centered around smart home hubs and a new speaker with a screen named HomeView. The New York showcase also introduced the HomePod mini 2 and a refreshed Apple TV 4K.
Touchscreen Laptops and New Hardware Expectations
Analysts anticipate that the Los Angeles stage will host the introduction of new Macs, including a touchscreen notebook, according to a note written on Monday by Ben Reitzes of Melius Research. This potential release marks a notable reversal for a company that has historically dismissed touchscreen laptops. Software chief Craig Federighi explained back in 2018 that the ergonomics of touchscreens would fatigue users. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicated the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will feature bright OLED displays, a Dynamic Island, and a lighter frame driven by M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
Beyond laptops, hardware updates are expected across other product lines. Apple plans to update the iPad mini with an OLED screen, an upgraded speaker setup, and a landscape-edge FaceTime camera. Mainstream desktop and entry-level laptop lines, such as the base 14-inch MacBook Pro and the all-in-one iMac, are slated to receive Apple's M6 processor following its recent debut inside the updated Mac mini.
For CEO John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook last month, the upcoming Oct. 28 event represents his third launch in a brief tenure, marking a shift from the company’s traditional cadence of two events per year. Meanwhile, marketing chief Greg Joswiak shared the event invite on social media, teasing an all-day hands-on experience designed to put the new portable hardware directly into the hands of creative power users and entertainment professionals.
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