Apple has scheduled a product launch event for October 28, inviting media and analysts to an "Apple Experience in Los Angeles." The invitation email includes the phrase "Pro and tell," suggesting the announcement will center on high-end Pro devices powered by Apple's homegrown chips.
Ben Reitzes, an analyst at Melius Research, stated in a Monday note that he expects new Macs to be introduced this fall, specifically including a touchscreen notebook. For John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook as CEO last month, this launch represents a meaningful shift in cadence from the previous standard of two events per year. It will be the third launch of Ternus' tenure, following a recent event at company headquarters for new iPhones, which included the foldable Duo, and a New York gathering focused on smart home hubs and a screen-equipped speaker named HomeView.
Apple's recent hardware updates have been frequent, but not uniform across its desktop and laptop lines. The company updated the Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops with new chips in August. In the spring, it refreshed the MacBook Pro alongside the introduction of the low-cost MacBook Neo. However, the iMac desktop has not received an update since October 2024.
Financially, Apple's Mac segment accounted for approximately 10% of overall revenue in the most recent quarter, a figure that highlights the company's continued heavy reliance on iPhone sales. Despite this revenue distribution, Macs have become a significant component of Apple's artificial intelligence strategy. This is attributed to Apple's chips, which provide access to more memory at higher speeds than other consumer processors. Apple shares have risen 26% this year, outperforming the S&P 500.
Recent developments in AI collaboration further underscore the importance of Mac hardware. Last week, Apple and Meta announced a partnership to bring a large open-weight model developed by Meta to multiple high-end Mac Studios. This move contrasts with Apple's historical stance on touchscreen laptops. In 2018, software chief Craig Federighi explained that the ergonomics of such devices would fatigue users, leading to a long-standing dismissal of the form factor for Macs.