What Apple announced this week
Apple spread its fall hardware news across three days, according to PCMag. The company began on Monday with an updated iPad mini. On Tuesday it followed with the M6 iMac and a new MacBook Pro. It finished on Wednesday, Oct. 28, with an event in Los Angeles called "Pro and Tell," where it introduced its first touch-screen MacBook.
PCMag reported that all of the new hardware can be preordered now. Everything is scheduled to launch on Nov. 6. The outlet also cautioned that the products will not be inexpensive.
The touch-screen MacBook Pro
The headline product is the MacBook Pro with a touch display, which marks a notable change for Apple's laptop line. Until now, Apple's Mac laptops have been controlled with a keyboard and trackpad, while touch input has been the defining feature of the iPad. PCMag says the base configuration starts at $2,899, and higher-end versions cost more.
Other outlets covered the launch in similar terms. Ars Technica described the machine as a touch-screen MacBook Pro with an OLED display. The New York Times called it Apple's first touch-screen MacBook Pro. The Verge highlighted a feature in the new laptop that it said appeals to color professionals.
PCMag's own hands-on coverage carries a headline referring to a "PROLED XDR" display and says touch displays have arrived on Mac laptops. The available material does not include detailed specifications, so questions about performance, battery life and how macOS handles touch are not yet answered here.
The rest of the lineup
The week's other announcements included the M6 iMac. PCMag published a first-look piece on the desktop, but the summary provided does not spell out its features or pricing.
The refreshed iPad mini also has an OLED screen and is priced at $699. A PCMag writer who tried it said they were still unsure who the tablet is meant for, which suggests the reviewer saw a narrow audience at that price. That is one reviewer's early impression, not a final verdict.
Taken together, the three days covered a small tablet, an all-in-one desktop and a professional laptop. Apple used its M6 chip family in the Macs.
How the launch is being received
Early commentary frames the touch-screen MacBook Pro as a shift in Apple's thinking about its computers. MacStories titled its piece "MacBook Pro with Touch: A Mac for the iPad Generation," suggesting the company is responding to users who grew up with touch-first devices.
Pricing is likely to shape the reaction. PCMag noted that the new products are costly, and the laptop's $2,899 starting price puts it firmly at the professional end of the market. The reporting so far comes from announcements and brief hands-on sessions rather than extended testing.
What happens next
Customers who want one of the new devices can preorder them now, and shipments are set to begin Nov. 6. Full reviews are expected to give a clearer sense of how well touch works on a Mac laptop and whether the iPad mini and M6 iMac are worth their prices.
PCMag has also pointed readers to a roundup of November desktop deals from Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo and others, which may be useful for shoppers weighing the new hardware against alternatives.
