Apple 'Pro and Tell' event live —will we see a touchscreen OLED MacBook?

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It's been a busy week for Apple, with the launch of the M6 iMac and MacBook Pro M6 following Monday's OLED iPad Mini reveal — but the biggest news is likely to come at a special event today with the launch of the company's first OLED MacBook with a touchscreen. Or that's what the rumors are saying, at least.

TechRadar's Editor at Large Lance Ulanoff is at Apple's event in LA, so we'll be bringing you all of the news live. We've just seen a new teaser from Apple CEO John Ternus, which doesn't give a huge amount away — but it does suggest that today's launch is going to be something special.

So join us as we build up to what could be Apple's most significant Mac launch of the year, and one of its most surprising too...

Apple 'Pro and Tell' event: the story so far

Welcome to our 'Pro and Tell' liveblog

Apple Pro and Tell

(Image credit: Apple)

Hello, Mark Wilson here (TechRadar's Managing editor of News, UK) and I'll be counting us down to Apple's big news today — which is expected to be an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro.

I've been a MacBook user for 20 years (yes, I'd paid extra for the matte black MacBook in 2007), so I have lots of thoughts on these surprising rumors. I'll also be bringing you the latest from our Editor at Large, Lance Ulanoff, who's in LA right now for Apple's event.

Bur first, let's it's time for a recap of what's happened so far and a closer look at those rumors, to help warm us up...

A 'Ternus teaser'

Apple CEO John Ternus posted this Batman-style teaser two hours ago — and it doesn't reveal a whole lot.

The biggest social media theory is that it points to the return of the glowing Apple logo, which we haven't seen on a MacBook Pro for over a decade.

That glowing logo was more of a translucent cut-out rather than a separate LED, but it appears that Apple's found a way to bring it back without compromising its flagship MacBook's structural integrity.

It'd certainly give this probably-very-expensive laptop an extra bit of stardust over the rest of the lineup...

What’s Apple announced so far?

The iMac M6 next to a MacBook Pro M6

(Image credit: Apple)

The touchscreen MacBook Pro won't be the first device Apple has set loose on the world this week. Yesterday we saw the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro get a new version with the M6 chip that Apple says “delivers up to 30 percent faster graphics and up to 25 percent faster AI workloads” versus the M5. There’s also a new N1 wireless chip that enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

The iMac also got a spec bump with the same M6 and N1 upgrades as the MacBook Pro, and it can also support two external 4K displays at 165Hz instead of 144Hz.

Finally, Apple added AI features to its Creator Studio subscription, including Generate Fill in Pixelmator Pro and the addition of OpenAI models alongside existing Apple Intelligence options. Notably, Final Cut Pro got MotionVFX templates, graphics, transitions and more.

An impressive list, but Apple's biggest news is still likely to come...

OLED MacBook Pro: what can we expect?

The Apple MacBook Pro M6 on a black background in front of an M6 graphic

The new MacBook Pro M6 (above) is likely to be overshadowed in just a day by Apple's new flagship, touchscreen OLED models (Image credit: Apple)

Perhaps thanks to the legacy of Steve Jobs’ famous hatred of them, Apple’s never done a touchscreen laptop before. With a new one set to launch today, what should we be looking out for?

Obviously, there’s touchscreen functionality, and Apple is rumored to have built an updated version of macOS to accommodate touch gestures. We’re also expecting an OLED panel — likely dubbed Super Retina XDR by Apple — with a built-in Dynamic Island and thinner bezels.

There will likely be both 14-inch and 16-inch models and options for M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Whichever size you buy, the chassis could also come in slightly thinner than existing MacBook Pro devices.

All very impressive, but this is also likely to come at a serious cost...

OLED MacBook Pro: a pricing headache?

An Apple MacBook Pro M6 on a green background showing the face of a woman wearing sunglasses

(Image credit: Apple)

The MacBook Pro M6 is already expensive, starting at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199. So how much can we expect to pay for a touchscreen OLED model with an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip?

The latest speculation from Bloomberg suggests the 14-inch version (with M5 Pro) could cost $2,899, which would be the highest-ever starting price for a new MacBook model. The 16-inch version, meanwhile, is tipped to cost at least $3,399.

Of course, those are just starting prices, with extra like RAM upgrades taking the prices further skywards — Apple currently charges an extra $600 / £600 to double RAM from 24GB to 48GB, for example. In other words, we should expect this to be the premium iPhone Duo of the MacBook world...

Apple has gone full Hollywood

A photo of Hollywood from an Apple event

(Image credit: Future)

TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff is in LA for Apple's event today and is feeding me his first photos and thoughts.

As you can see, Apple's event is very much in the heart of Hollywood. The event's building has a lot of history too —  CBS Columbia Square was built in 1938 and served as the home of CBS radio and television until 2007.

Passes are being handed out, we're just waiting to head inside...

An Apple event pass from its 'Pro and Tell' event

(Image credit: Future)
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