Apple to launch touchscreen MacBook and OLED iPad mini

MW Contributor · 2026-10-13T20:13:14+08:00

Apple is expected to launch its first touchscreen MacBook alongside the first OLED iPad mini at a product event planned for 27 October. The launch will run as a two-day showcase in Los Angeles on 27 and 28 October, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It follows the company's "Welcome Home" smart home event in New York on 13 October. Neither occasion is a traditional livestreamed keynote. Apple is instead publishing online videos and inviting media and content creators for hands-on sessions. The Los Angeles event is expected to be Apple's final major launch of 2026. The headline product is the first MacBook Pro with a touch-enabled OLED display, ending decades of Apple's refusal to bring touch input to its laptops. Reports say the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch models, codenamed K114 and K116, will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, weigh less than current models and may replace the notch with a Dynamic Island. A 14-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac running the M6 chip are also expected to be announced at the event. The new iPad mini will be the biggest update to the compact tablet in years. Codenamed J510, it moves from an 8.3-inch LCD to an OLED panel, improving contrast and colour. Reports disagree on the processor, with older code leaks pointing to the A19 Pro and a more recent discovery suggesting the A20 Pro from the iPhone 18 Pro. Either would be a clear step up from the A17 Pro in the current model. The display is still expected to run at 60Hz rather than the 120Hz used by the iPad Pro, while the front camera is rumoured to move to the landscape edge and a new speaker system may remove traditional speaker holes. In Malaysia, the current iPad mini starts at RM2,699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model after Apple raised prices across its range in June. The tablet launched locally at RM2,199 in October 2024, meaning buyers now pay RM500 more than at introduction. The OLED model is not expected to be cheaper. Industry reports suggest the replacement could cost considerably more than the current US starting price, though nothing is confirmed until Apple publishes details. The rest of Apple's iPad range waits until next year. A new entry-level iPad, the first since the 2025 model, has slipped to early 2027. Leaked code indicates it will run the A19 chip with 8GB of RAM, enough for Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, plus Apple's N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth and Thread. A cellular version is expected to use Apple's C1X modem. New iPad Pro models are also a 2027 story. Further out, Apple is planning a refreshed MacBook Air, a second-generation MacBook Neo with an A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM, and the iPhone 18 lineup. Apple has not confirmed the 27 October date or any product details. Malaysian pricing and availability will be announced separately when the devices launch.

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October 13, 2026 at 8:13 pm
MW Contributor
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Apple is expected to launch its first touchscreen MacBook alongside the first OLED iPad mini at a product event planned for 27 October.
The launch will run as a two-day showcase in Los Angeles on 27 and 28 October, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It follows the company’s “Welcome Home” smart home event in New York on 13 October. Neither occasion is a traditional livestreamed keynote. Apple is instead publishing online videos and inviting media and content creators for hands-on sessions.
The Los Angeles event is expected to be Apple’s final major launch of 2026. The headline product is the first MacBook Pro with a touch-enabled OLED display, ending decades of Apple’s refusal to bring touch input to its laptops. Reports say the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch models, codenamed K114 and K116, will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, weigh less than current models and may replace the notch with a Dynamic Island. A 14-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac running the M6 chip are also expected to be announced at the event.
The new iPad mini will be the biggest update to the compact tablet in years. Codenamed J510, it moves from an 8.3-inch LCD to an OLED panel, improving contrast and colour. Reports disagree on the processor, with older code leaks pointing to the A19 Pro and a more recent discovery suggesting the A20 Pro from the iPhone 18 Pro. Either would be a clear step up from the A17 Pro in the current model. The display is still expected to run at 60Hz rather than the 120Hz used by the iPad Pro, while the front camera is rumoured to move to the landscape edge and a new speaker system may remove traditional speaker holes.
In Malaysia, the current iPad mini starts at RM2,699 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model after Apple raised prices across its range in June. The tablet launched locally at RM2,199 in October 2024, meaning buyers now pay RM500 more than at introduction.
The OLED model is not expected to be cheaper. Industry reports suggest the replacement could cost considerably more than the current US starting price, though nothing is confirmed until Apple publishes details.
The rest of Apple’s iPad range waits until next year. A new entry-level iPad, the first since the 2025 model, has slipped to early 2027. Leaked code indicates it will run the A19 chip with 8GB of RAM, enough for Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, plus Apple’s N1 networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth and Thread. A cellular version is expected to use Apple’s C1X modem.
New iPad Pro models are also a 2027 story. Further out, Apple is planning a refreshed MacBook Air, a second-generation MacBook Neo with an A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM, and the iPhone 18 lineup.
Apple has not confirmed the 27 October date or any product details. Malaysian pricing and availability will be announced separately when the devices launch.
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