Apple will introduce new OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro models and an OLED iPad mini "on or around" Tuesday, October 27, reports Bloomberg. The launch will also include an M6 14-inch MacBook Pro and an M6 iMac.
Bloomberg says both the October 13 and October 27 product launches will include "an online video presentation" as well as a hands-on experience for members of the media.
Apple has been working on an OLED MacBook for several years now, and while some rumors indicated it could be named the MacBook Ultra, Bloomberg suggests the 14-inch and 16-inch notebooks will be in the MacBook Pro family. The devices will be thinner and lighter than current MacBook Pro models and they will have OLED displays, touchscreen capabilities, and a Dynamic Island.
The iPad mini will have a landscape camera for video calls, a redesigned speaker system, and a new OLED display.
Starting today, iPhone users still running iOS 26 will see iOS 27.0.1 as the prominent software update in the Settings app under General → Software Update, with iOS 26.7.1 now relegated to a smaller "Also Available" section at the bottom.
iOS 27 was released on September 14, but until now that update and later iOS 27.0.1 were shown under the "Also Available" section, with iOS 26.7 and later iOS 26.7.1 shown in the prominent position. By reversing the order in which the updates are shown today, Apple is more actively encouraging iPhone users who are still on iOS 26 to install iOS 27.
Apple is not forcing iPhone users to install iOS 27, but at least installing iOS 26.7.1 is recommended in order to receive the latest security fixes.
CEO John Ternus is making changes to Apple's leadership, reports Bloomberg. Apple veteran Steve Smith will take over mergers and acquisitions and corporate development, which was previously led by Adrian Perica. M&A is an important team at Apple, handling acquisitions and arrangements like the deal Apple had with OpenAI to add ChatGPT to Siri.
Perica will stay at Apple to oversee iCloud, Fitness+, and Apple News, which he has done since 2023, and will now report to App Store and services lead Eddy Cue. While Perica reported to Tim Cook in his M&A role, Smith will report to Apple CFO Kevan Parekh as M&A moves back to the finance division.
Carson Oliver is being promoted to vice president of the App Store, and he has been in charge of the App Store since Phil Schillerstepped down from his role as App Store chief in late August. Oliver is reporting to Cue, who is now overseeing the App Store and other services.
According to Bloomberg, Cue is assessing potential successors, and Perica is a lead candidate. Apple Music lead Oliver Schusser is also in the running.
Apple's new smart home hub is coming next week, expected to allow users to control all of their HomeKit gadgets directly from its rumored 6-inch square display, or via Siri AI. In anticipation of the home hub launch, we've gathered some of the most notable (and discounted) HomeKit and Matter-enabled smart home devices below, all of which you'll be able to control via the home hub.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
In his new role as the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, Tim Cook told The Independent's David Phelan that he is "not meddling" with Apple's new CEO John Ternus.
"First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," said Cook. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm focused on right now is worldwide policy. And the interface with governments around the world matters because there are lots of things where we're trying to advance or advocate for change. There's a significant amount of work in that, and I'm doing that and helping John in any way he sees fit. I'm not meddling. I'm not a meddler."
The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO.
Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."
"It's been an interesting transition," said Cook. "We really set out to have the best transition ever, a textbook example that people could look back to and learn from. It actually started years ago. Obviously, these things are not quick things and I feel so great about how things are going. I think everything has gone sort of exactly the way I had envisioned it. And it feels fantastic. Because Apple deserved the best."
Cook said that he stepped down on September 1, just eight days before Ternus unveiled the iPhone Duo, in part to give Ternus some immediate momentum.
"I wanted John to have some wind at his back," said Cook. "And the wind at Apple is very much based on the product cycle. This product cycle feels unbelievably great. The Duo is coming in a few weeks and it's amazing."
Cook had the seemingly impossible task of succeeding the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO. Jobs told Cook not to make a decision simply because it is what Jobs would have done, and Cook said that he provided Ternus with similar advice.
"The advice I've given him is, make it your own job," said Cook. "Put your time in the things that you can add the most value to around the company. And that means don't mimic me. Just like I didn't mimic Steve. We all have different strengths."
Apple and The King's Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III, on Wednesday announced an "immersive new education program to help young people build careers in the creative industries," with more details outlined in our previous coverage.
Cook commented on the program in his interview with Phelan.
"It's a way for us to give back in a way that is uniquely Apple," he said. "There are a lot of ways to do philanthropic activities, but I think you want to do ones where you can give part of yourself... not just your resource, but part of yourself, and we have such great creative people in the company that can be incredible mentors to these folks."
Cook also touched on the new Apple Music Hall inside Apple's Battersea headquarters, describing the performance venue as "uniquely Apple."
"I'm not sure there's a lot of people that could do it, and there's certainly not a lot of people that would. Every detail has been thought through, the construction, the design, the technology behind it, spatial audio capabilities: it's the perfect place to perform, whether you're a top-tier artist now, or an emerging artist, one that's just starting out. And it's a commitment to live performance and the recognition that that is so important."
Apple today announced an upcoming product launch that will take place on Tuesday, October 13. We are expecting Apple's announcement to focus on new smart home products, including the long-rumored smart home hub, a new Apple TV 4K, and a refreshed HomePod mini.
The home hub is an all-new device that's like a cross between an iPad and a HomePod. It's rumored to have a 6-inch square display, and it's designed as a multi-person device to control smart home products, place FaceTime calls, watch videos, get news and weather information, stay up to date on calendar events, and more. It will integrate with Siri AI, and voice will be the main method of interaction.
Apple envisions people installing a hub in multiple rooms in the house. There will be a version meant to be mounted on the wall and a version with a half-dome speaker base, similar in design to the iMac G4. A camera and a presence sensor will detect when a person is in the room, and the device will be able to tell who it is to show a customized interface with widgets and apps. Pricing could be around $350.
Welcome home. October 13. https://t.co/ChelGSDOTI
— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) October 8, 2026
The HomePod mini is going to get new colors, an N1 networking chip for improved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a faster S-series processor that will support Siri AI. The Apple TV 4K is going to get an A19 or A19 Pro chip, a RAM upgrade, the same N1 chip as the HomePod mini, and an upgraded Siri Remote.
There is an OLEDiPad mini in development, and it could come during the home event. The iPad mini is expected to be more water-resistant with a faster chip and the first OLED display in a smaller tablet size.
Timing on the October 13 product launch is unknown, and it is also unclear if there will be an event component or if the devices will debut via press release. Some members of the media have been invited to an "Apple Experience" set to take place in Tribeca, New York on October 13 at 9:00 a.m. Attendees will likely get hands-on time with the new products Apple introduces.
Rumors suggest Apple has several Macs coming before the end of the year, but those could be introduced at later in the year instead of during the home product launch.
Amazon today announced a new lineup of Alexa Tablets, introducing three aluminum tablets with Google Play access, integrated Alexa+, and prices starting at $229.99 to compete with Apple's iPad lineup.
The new tablets run Android, moving away from Amazon's Fire OS and its separate app store. Google Play support brings access to apps such as YouTube, Gmail, and Google Docs, addressing a longstanding limitation of Amazon's tablets.
The flagship Alexa Tablet 12 Pro starts at $499.99 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, aiming to rival the iPad Pro at a significantly lower price point. It features a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 chip, a 12-inch display with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a 3:2 aspect ratio, a 6.5mm-thick aluminum body, Wi-Fi 6E, and quad Dolby Atmos speakers. Amazon claims that the device has up to 16 hours of video playback.
A $549.99 version adds a "Nanomatte" display, using precision-etched glass developed with Corning to reduce glare. Higher configurations offer up to 16GB of RAM. Unlike Apple's nano-texture display option, which requires a 1TB or 2TB iPad Pro, Amazon's matte finish is available with 128GB of storage.
Amazon is also introducing a $149.99 Pro Keyboard and $89.99 Pro Pen for the 12-inch model. Both attach magnetically, while the keyboard includes a trackpad and connects without Bluetooth pairing. The pen supports pressure sensitivity and wireless charging, and the tablet supports multiple app windows for multitasking.
The Alexa Tablet 11 starts at $329.99 with 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, offering an 11-inch 2.5K display with a 90Hz refresh rate. A 128GB version costs $379.99. The smaller Alexa Tablet 8 starts at $229.99 with an 8.7-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.
Alexa+ can answer questions and control smart home devices through voice or touch. An optional On-Screen Intelligence feature lets the assistant respond to displayed content, with screen access disabled by default and a visual indicator when active. Tablet-specific Alexa+ access is included, while full access across compatible Alexa devices requires Prime membership or a separate Alexa+ subscription.
The lineup also introduces a Kindle reading mode that silences notifications and reduces blue-light output. Amazon quotes up to 20 hours of reading on the 11-inch and Pro models, and up to 19 hours on the compact model.
The tablets undercut several models in Apple's lineup. The Alexa Tablet 11 starts below the $449 entry-level iPad, although Apple's model includes 128GB of storage. The Alexa Tablet 12 Pro costs less than the $749 11-inch iPad Air, while offering a larger display and higher refresh rate. Apple's $1,199 iPad Pro offers a tandem OLED display and an M5 chip.
Amazon also announced Kids tablets in 8.7-inch and 11-inch sizes, starting at $229.99 and $329.99, respectively. Versions for ages three and up include a soft bumper case, while those for ages six and up come with a slim hard case. Each includes a year of Amazon Kids+ and parent-managed access to Google Play.
Parents can set screen-time limits, filter content, and monitor activity through the Parent Dashboard, also available on iOS and Android. A new AI-powered Storybuilder feature lets children use their voices to create illustrated stories.
Orders open today, with shipping starting October 14 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on October 19. The Kids models also launch in Japan on October 14.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event has ended, but the Apple deals have kept rolling into today, with the year's best prices still available on AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 12, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
AirPods
Some of the best overall discounts this Prime Day were on AirPods, and you can still get the AirPods Pro 3 for the record low price of $179.00, down from $249.00. We haven't seen a deal this good since over the summer, during the first Prime Day event in June.
For the Apple Watch Series 12, you can get the 42mm GPS model for $349.99 and the 46mm GPS model for $399.99, both of which are $49 discounts and new all-time low prices. Both of these models have two colors available at these all-time low prices, and you'll find a few cellular options on sale as well.
Apple's M5 Max Mac Studio with 36GB RAM and a 512GB SSD is still on sale for $2,299.00, down from $2,499.00. Regarding the Mac mini, you can get the 16GB RAM/256GB SSD Mac mini for $779.99, down from $899.00, and the 16GB RAM/512GB SSD model for $949.99, down from $1,099.00.
Amazon introduced $200 off nearly every M5 MacBook Air model for Prime Big Deal Days, and every single model is still available today. These are the best prices we've seen on the M5 MacBook Air in the wake of Apple's summertime price hikes.
In terms of 13-inch models, Amazon has the 16GB/512GB 13-inch MacBook Air for $1,099.00, down from $1,299.00. This one is available in all four colors on Amazon, and it's accompanied by the 16GB/1TB and 24GB/1TB model for $200 off as well.
For the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air models, prices start with the 16GB/512GB model for $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00. You can also get the 16GB/1TB model for $1,599.00, down from $1,799.00, all $200 off and the best prices we've seen in months.
Amazon has introduced a giant $600 discount on the 36GB/2TB 14-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro, now priced at $3,499.00. This is the steepest discount on the 14-inch models right now, but you'll also find a few entry-level options on sale below.
In terms of the larger display models, we're tracking big discounts on all four models on Amazon. These start at $2,749.00 for the 24GB/1TB M5 Pro configuration ($250 off), and reach up to $4,499.00 for the 48GB/2TB M5 Max device ($500 off).
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Apple's entry-level 16-inch MacBook Pro has received a massive discount today on Amazon, coming in at $563 off its new price. This is the 18-Core M5 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, available for $2,436.53, down from $2,999.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This is a $563 discount on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it beats the previous markdown we tracked during Prime Day this week by over $300. As of writing, it's only available in the Space Black option, and delivery times are slipping into November.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find as we head into the holidays? You can sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
On his Power On podcast today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman insisted that Apple plans to hold an "online home event" on Tuesday, October 13 to introduce an all-new smart home hub, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV 4K, all with Siri AI.
It is not clear if Gurman is referring to a feature-length, live-streamed event video, or if he considers a series of Apple Newsroom press releases and per-product YouTube videos to be an "event." Either way, selected reporters and content creators would likely receive hands-on time with the devices later on Tuesday.
Jon Prosser is arguing that Apple's alleged trade secrets are now public, while the company seeks his YouTube revenue records, channel analytics, and third-party messages to investigate his alleged financial gain from leaks about iOS 26.
In a new joint status report filed yesterday, Apple said it is still waiting for YouTube revenue reports, channel analytics, and third-party communications requested from Prosser more than three months ago. The materials concern his alleged financial gain and how Apple's confidential information was obtained and shared, continuing the discovery dispute detailed in August.
Prosser's lawyer says he has already fulfilled the discovery obligations agreed to when the parties sought to set aside the default against him. He says Apple keeps requesting more documents each time records are produced.
His attorney also argues that Apple's identified trade secrets are now public following the release of iOS 26 and macOS 26, and questions whether some were ever secret given earlier third-party disclosures. He says Apple's written descriptions lack corresponding images, making its claims difficult to assess.
Apple disputes that its disclosure is deficient and says it is willing to discuss it with the defendants' lawyers. It also says Prosser's deposition testimony and his Signal exchanges with Michael Ramacciotti suggest the pair coordinated to obtain and disclose confidential information for financial gain, contradicting Ramacciotti's denial of a conspiracy.
Ramacciotti wants to distance his case from Prosser's defense, with his lawyer saying he is "unwilling to be drawn into it." He has asked Judge James Donato for an October conference at which Apple would explain what further evidence it needs, followed by a deadline within 30 days to dismiss its claims against him or commit to trial. He now conditions a second deposition and updated written answers on Apple first providing a roadmap to resolution.
Apple filed the lawsuit in July 2025, alleging that Prosser and Ramacciotti coordinated to access an Apple employee's development iPhone and profit from unreleased software information. Prosser published videos showing recreations of iOS 26's Liquid Glass redesign before Apple's announcement. Apple is seeking damages and an injunction against further disclosure of its trade secrets.
In his July 2 response to the lawsuit, Prosser admitted participating in a FaceTime call during which Ramacciotti showed him features running on the development device. He denied participating in a coordinated scheme or that the information he viewed constituted trade secrets.
If the court does not grant Ramacciotti's request for an October status conference, the parties plan to submit their next update on December 2.
Apple's iPhone Air 2 will be approximately 0.4mm thinner than the current model despite having a higher-capacity battery, claims the account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog. Apple lists the original iPhone Air at 5.6mm thick, so a 0.4mm reduction would put its successor at approximately 5.2mm, around 7% thinner. Interestingly, that would match the thickness of the new iPhone Duo when unfolded.
A previous rumor claimed the iPhone Air 2 will feature a 3,500mAh battery. That's up from the 3,149mAh battery in the current iPhone Air, indicating around an 11% increase in raw capacity. The next-generation device is expected to launch early next year alongside the iPhone 18e and the regular iPhone 18.
Ahead of the expected imminent launch of the new iPad mini 8, word out of Asia suggests that the device will feature a 60Hz OLED display rather than a ProMotion 120Hz display.
The information comes courtesy of a hit-and-miss tipster running the account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog. "There have been mentions of 120Hz in some overseas reports, but the domestic production quantity has already been confirmed to be LTPS at 60Hz," the tipster wrote. "That's it."
It's not the first time we've heard that OLED iPad mini won't share the same ProMotion display as the iPad Pro models. In July, the same leaker claimed they had been told by a source in Apple's supply chain that the unreleased iPad mini is equipped with a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) backplane hybrid OLED panel clocked at 60Hz.
Apple's iPad Pro models feature two-stack low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels, which makes the display capable of dynamically adjusting its refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz (aka ProMotion). In contrast, LTPS OLED panels are usually paired with fixed refresh rates – such as 60Hz, 90Hz, or 120Hz – and are typically dimmer than LTPO panels.
If the leak is true, it's likely to disappoint iPad mini fans. Previous reports have not been clear on whether the iPad mini 8 will feature a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz LCD display used in the existing iPad mini 7. Given that the base iPhone 17 uses a 120Hz ProMotion panel, some would have believed it was reasonable to expect the same on the first OLED iPad mini. That said, the iPhone 17e goes to show that Apple is still in the 60Hz OLED business, so it might not consider the iPad mini to be a big enough market to justify the more advanced panel technology.
The new iPad mini is expected at some point in October, but Apple has not yet announced a launch date. Apple will unveil some new home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, MacRumors' sources indicate that Apple plans to hold a separate event in the final week of October, so the iPad mini 8 could arrive then.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has walked back somewhat on his previous reporting that Apple's upcoming touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro will be thinner than current models. "I don't think it'll be significantly thinner in the end," he posted on X late Wednesday in reply to a question about the machine, which is expected to launch later this month.
In October 2025, Gurman reported that the OLED MacBook Pro models would have "thinner and lighter" frames. Then again in November 2025, he said the touchscreen models would have "a thinner chassis." Now it seems that they will only be "significantly lighter," per Gurman's October 2026 newsletter. It seems thinner and lighter do not necessarily go hand in hand.
Microsoft today announced launch timing and pricing for the Surface Laptop Ultra that it unveiled earlier this year.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra is priced starting at $2,599, undercutting Apple's $2,999 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it targets the same creator and developer market. Microsoft says it is built for "demanding creative, software development, AI, engineering, and 3D workloads."
Microsoft's new laptop uses an Nvidia RTX Spark chip, which includes an Nvidia Blackwell RTX GPU with up to 6,144 cores and an Nvidia Grace CPU with up to 20 cores. It supports up to 128GB of unified memory and has a new thermal architecture to support the hardware. The RTX Spark is an Arm-based chip, so the laptop runs Windows on Arm with x86 apps using Microsoft's Prism emulation.
According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Ultra is its most powerful notebook to date. It has the "brightest, sharpest, and most vivid display" Microsoft has used in a Surface device, with peak HDR brightness that's 25% higher than the M5 MacBook Pro's. The mini-LED display is a touchscreen, and it supports gestures and navigation, but not pen input.
The laptop is lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro, with a large haptic trackpad and upgradeable storage. Microsoft even adopted a MagSafe equivalent, adding support for Magnetic Connect. Microsoft says Magnetic Connect is the "world's first built-in magnetic USB-C charging on a laptop." The device has three USB-C ports, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Along with the Surface Laptop Ultra, Microsoft announced the $5,999 Surface RTX Spark Dev Box to compete with devices like the Mac Studio and Mac mini. It is equipped with an Nvidia RTX Spark chip and offers up to 1 petaflop of AI performance with support for AI models up to 120B parameters.
Microsoft is offering a bonus to customers who "break up" with their MacBooks. MacBook owners can get up to $1,000 cash back when purchasing a Surface Laptop Ultra by trading in an eligible MacBook. The Surface Laptop Ultra launches on October 16.
"We're confident that once today's creators and developers experience everything Surface Laptop Ultra has to offer, they won't look back," reads Microsoft's website.
The Surface Laptop Ultra will directly compete with Apple's rumored OLED MacBook, which could also have an Ultra name. The MacBook Ultra is expected to feature a touchscreen, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and a thinner and lighter design.
Google today said it is making its SynthID Detector available to everyone for identifying content created using AI.
SynthID Detector first rolled out to members of the media last year, and it is now available worldwide in English. SynthID Detector is a website that lets users upload a photo, video, or audio file to determine whether it has a SynthID watermark that identifies it as AI-generated. Google's tool cannot distinguish between AI-created and AI-edited media, and it requires signing in to use.
SynthID embeds digital watermarks into content created by AI. The watermarks are not visible to humans but can be detected with Google's website. SynthID Detector can identify media generated using AI from Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Kakao. Apple also plans to support SynthID later this year.
Google says its website is not a general AI detector and can only detect media that uses the SynthID technology. SynthID checks are already integrated into Search, Gemini, and Chrome for users who want an alternative to SynthID Detector.
OpenAI today introduced Intelligent UI, a new feature that will let ChatGPT answer questions with "fully interactive user interfaces." OpenAI says everyday answers will be more visual, and the feature will make it easier for users to understand complicated topics.
ChatGPT responses will include graphics, tappable buttons, forms, charts, diagrams, and other interactive experiences. Sample comparisons between GPT–5.6 and GPT–6 on OpenAI's website show more visuals in responses, an interactive recipe widget that can automatically tweak quantities based on guest count, checklists, integrated maps, and multiple-choice follow-up questions to narrow down results.
ChatGPT can quickly create tools to complete tasks, like a bill splitter, small games, and a calculator. GPT–6 is also able to start answering while it's still thinking for quicker responses.
According to OpenAI, Intelligent UI uses a library of native, streamable components with a compiler that processes the interface as the model generates it.
In addition to introducing Intelligent UI, OpenAI is expanding GPT–6 models to more users. GPT–6 with Intelligent UI is rolling out to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users today, and tomorrow, the rollout will expand to Free and Go tiers.
Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users get GPT–6 Sol, while Free and Go tier users get access to GPT–6 Luna. GPT–6 is limited to the Chat tab, and the models for Work and Codex aren't changing.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.