Apple Skips M6 Pro, Brings Touchscreens to MacBooks
Canceled M6 Pro chips force Apple to reuse M5 silicon in its first-ever touchscreen laptops debuting Oct. 28.
Apple is bringing touchscreens to the MacBook Pro for the first time. The company confirmed its second hardware event of October — dubbed “Pro and Tell” — for Oct. 28 in Los Angeles, where it will unveil redesigned laptops running M5 Pro and M5 Max chips after scrapping plans for high-end M6 silicon.
The touchscreen overhaul marks a sharp reversal from Steve Jobs’ long-standing refusal to put touch displays on Macs. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple will dedicate the full-day event to showing off 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that feature OLED panels and the Dynamic Island interface previously exclusive to iPhones. The notch replacement will run natively on macOS.
Under the hood, the flagship laptops will not get a generational processor bump. Months ago, reports surfaced that Apple canceled development of the M6 Pro and M6 Max entirely. That decision forces the new chassis to rely on the same M5 Pro and M5 Max architecture introduced earlier this year. The next true high-end leap, the M7 Pro and M7 Max, is not expected until late 2027, assuming component shortages do not cause further delays.
The M6 chip itself is not absent from the lineup. It will power a new entry-level MacBook Pro equipped with a mini LED display and ProMotion refresh rates. Apple is also slotting the base M6 into a refreshed 24-inch iMac, though that desktop will retain its existing design and screen specifications.
Beyond computers, the Oct. 28 presentation covers tablets. An iPad mini with an OLED screen is scheduled to debut alongside updates to the iPad Pro line. This follows last week’s announcements of the HomeView smart display and a refreshed Apple TV 4K.
October has traditionally functioned as Apple’s professional hardware window, distinct from the September iPhone and Apple Watch cycle. The Los Angeles venue breaks from the company’s recent pattern of streaming pre-recorded launches from Apple Park in Cupertino, signaling a heavier emphasis on press and developer interaction for the redesigned machines.
