Apple’s ‘Pro and Tell’ event may unveil touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro, iPad mini 8

LOS ANGELES: Steve Jobs must be turning in his grave, but Cupertino is finally touching the untouchable.

In a dramatic retreat from its decades-long dogma that fingers belong strictly on trackpads, Apple Inc has summoned media to a special launch event in Los Angeles on October 28. Dubbed “Pro and Tell” a tongue-in-cheek nod to the classroom ritual, the gathering is poised to shatter one of the tech giant’s most enduring design taboos by introducing the first-ever touchscreen MacBook Pro.

The flagship 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are set to lead the hardware charge. Alongside multi-touch display integration, complete with a reinforced hinge to prevent screen wobble under eager tapping, the workstations will swap out mini-LED panels for vibrant OLED displays.The sleek redesign drops the iconic display notch in favour of a dynamic island, all while trimming down chassis weight.Under the bonnet, Apple Inc is expected to stick with its formidable M5 Pro and M5 Max silicon, saving next-generation Pro chips for a future hardware cycle.

The screen revolution does not stop at laptops. The eighth-generation iPad mini is slated to become the second tablet in the company’s stable to embrace an OLED panel.Powered by a heavy-hitting A20 Pro chip, the compact slab will reportedly gain a landscape-oriented FaceTime camera, re-engineered speakers, and boosted water resistance.

For entry-level buyers, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac are in line for internal upgrades, stepping up to the newly minted M6 chip while keeping their familiar exteriors intact.

With pre-orders expected to open as the curtains close in Los Angeles, and store deliveries pegged for early November, buyers should prepare their wallets for a sting. Between cutting-edge digitisers and expensive OLED glass, Apple Inc’s latest display marvels will almost certainly command a premium.