Apple readies late-October Mac and iPad launches alongside major iPhone Duo store push

Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter focuses mainly on Apple’s smart-home push, but also covers new details on a late-October Mac and iPad event and Apple’s retail demo plans for the iPhone Duo.⁠

Beyond the October 13th “Welcome home” smart-home event (HomeView hub, refreshed HomePod mini, and new Apple TV), Apple is preparing a second October hardware showcase on or around October 27th. It is expected to feature the company’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro models (internally code-named K114 and K116). These are described as lighter than current designs, with OLED displays, a Dynamic Island-style interface, and high-end chips (reports point to M5 Pro/Max variants). The event is also slated to include more conventional M6-chip updates to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac, plus a redesigned iPad mini with an OLED display, a landscape-oriented front camera, and an upgraded speaker system. The format is expected to combine an online presentation with in-person elements geared toward creators and press, similar in spirit to the New York smart-home gathering rather than a classic full keynote.⁠

Separately, the newsletter details Apple’s retail preparations for the iPhone Duo, which begins shipping October 23rd after pre-orders open October 16th. Supply is constrained, but stores will still receive unusually large numbers of demo units so customers can try the device. Flagship locations stand out: more than 150 units at New York’s Fifth Avenue store and nearly 100 at the Apple Park Visitor Center. Other major stores (such as Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, The Grove in Los Angeles, and Manhattan’s Upper West Side) are expected to get roughly 30–40 units each, with typical stores averaging around 20. New fixtures will demonstrate the folding mechanism, a MagSafe stand will hold an unfolded Duo next to standard iPhones for comparison, and untethered units will let shoppers try StandBy mode.

U.S. stores are also set to offer personalized first-boot greetings (e.g., “Hello, [name]”) in English and Spanish for Duo buyers.
‎
We can’t wait to see how Apple will try to entice us to smear our fingers all over our MacBook Pro displays!

‎

.

Source link: https://macdailynews.com/2026/10/12/apple-readies-late-october-mac-and-ipad-launches-alongside-major-iphone-duo-store-push/