Apple’s “Pro and Tell” on October 28: Too Many Shows, Too Little Pro

Apple made it official. The company sent invites for a new “experience” in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, starting at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and marketing chief Greg Joswiak posted the artwork with one line: “Can’t wait to pro and tell next week.” It is a play on “show and tell.”

Like the “Welcome home” launch on October 13, this is not a classic keynote. Media and creators get hands-on time, and Apple will likely publish press releases. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the lineup is a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a touchscreen OLED display and a Dynamic Island, an iPad mini with an OLED screen and a revamped speaker system, and a new iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip that look like the current models. Sales could start on November 6, as I wrote in my article on the touchscreen MacBook Pro.

MacRumors also wrote “RIP, MacBook Ultra”: the “Pro and tell” tagline likely means the new touchscreen models stay MacBook Pro, and the rumored “Ultra” name is gone.

In this article: “Pro” used to mean something · A show every two weeks · Ternus says “you can’t do everything.” Really? · Pro, Ultra, Ultra Max: madness · The iPad mini will be the hit · Same design, new chip? Normal · Influencers first, the rest of us later · My tip for October 28 · FAQ

“Pro” used to mean something

“Pro and tell.” The magic of the word “Pro” is long gone. I remember when “Pro” meant the best products from Apple. It was a thing you bought, and you knew exactly why it was called Pro. Now, unfortunately, it does not even make sense to use that word. We all know that Pro is not Pro anymore.

And especially when you put the M5 under the name Pro, a chip Apple already sells since March, in my opinion that is disrespect to the best products of the Pro generation.

One MacRumors reader said it with a joke: Apple marketing has ruined the English language, now there is a “Pro” for everything, from kitty litter to toothbrushes. Funny, but true.

A show every two weeks

The second “experience” in two weeks, and again no keynote. In my opinion, Apple is almost like everybody else now. What should we expect next, a presentation every week? I think Apple got lost this year among all the other brands. A little more, and it will really be just a normal brand.

In my opinion, Ternus will kill the company with presentations like this. Please, go back to two presentations a year, so people long for them, and for real products that were always excellent, and people knew they had something to look forward to.

And especially after that absurd smart home show, HomeView and the rest, which was embarrassing to me. Now the question is: is something embarrassing waiting for us again? I don’t understand it.

Ternus says “you can’t do everything.” Really?

As I understood the message from the new CEO, which I wrote about a few days ago, Apple is changing course and will release new gadgets faster so it is not behind. In my opinion, it is better if Apple stays behind and does things honestly.

And here is the funny part. In his TIME interview, Ternus said: “You can’t do everything.” He said Apple tries to constrain itself “to the stuff that matters most.” So which one is it? Because with his way and his marketing, we are oversaturated with presentations and with everything that happens around Apple. Apple is losing the charm of the best company that we have known for years.

A top MacRumors comment says the same: the teaser posts don’t work anymore, the hype playbook is tired, and it all needs a rethink under Ternus. I agree. Another reader: “Hype is always better than the reveal.”

Pro, Ultra, Ultra Max: madness

The end of the name “Ultra”? I don’t even take it as an ending. For me, it is already too much: almost the same products that differ by one feature or one detail, and right away Pro, Ultra, Ultra Max. That is madness. In my opinion, they don’t even know what else to invent.

It was really enough for us: the classic and the Pro, and everybody knew Pro is Pro and the classic is not. The Air line has its own segment too. But now they have given us far too much.

The iPad mini will be the hit

I have the feeling the iPad mini was always one of the most loved iPads. On social networks, people waited for it the most. Me, on the contrary, I always said it is too small for an iPad. I always preferred the Air or the Pro, and right now I have a Pro.

But the iPad mini always had the best reviews and comments from users. People like it. And I think this time too, if everything is as we expect, it will be one of the most successful products of the presentation. The most-liked comment under the MacRumors news is literally “iPad mini Pro, yeah!” But again, the question is the price, if it won’t be too exaggerated.

Same design, new chip? Normal

The iMac and the entry MacBook Pro with M6 will “look like their current versions.” I always said that Apple computers are a completely normal thing. Believe it or not, people can criticize that the design changes once in seven years. But in my opinion, that is normal. A computer is not a thing you buy because of the design. You buy it because you know what it can do. Honestly, it does not bother me at all. Everybody wants something new all the time, but I don’t see a problem.

It is the same as with iPhones. For four or five years we get minor upgrades, and then something radical changes. People hate on it, and then we learn that the whole smartphone market fell 20% and Apple hit a record 22% share, as I wrote in my article on the iPhone’s record market share. In my opinion, it will be the same with these Macs: just a new chip, the same design, people will complain, and Apple will still earn the most on them. All in the spirit of Apple.

Influencers first, the rest of us later

Only invited journalists and influencers will touch the new products in Los Angeles. We have to take it as part of marketing, and unfortunately we can’t do anything about it.

But I also see that Apple takes exactly the people who will then tell us how cool the presentation was. From small changes a user won’t even notice, they make a revolution, or tell us how much it changed for the better, when in fact nothing changed. In my opinion, those journalists and influencers support Apple like this because they don’t care that nothing changed. They are fascinated only that they were invited, and they have to work it off.

My tip for October 28

After all these events, in my opinion, the biggest surprise will be the iPad mini. The rest will be just new chips, so boring. I don’t know at all why so many presentations. A video on YouTube for each product would be enough, and that’s it. For me, too, it is already too many presentations.

Also on Evolt News: Touchscreen MacBook Pro on October 28? · Ternus calls rival foldables “cheap and crappy”

Images: Apple.

This article is opinion.

Apple “Pro and tell” event: FAQ

When is Apple’s “Pro and tell” event?

Apple’s “Pro and tell” experience takes place on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 10 a.m. Pacific Time in Los Angeles.

Is “Pro and tell” a keynote?

No. Like the October 13 “Welcome home” launch, it is an in-person experience for media and creators. Apple is expected to announce products with press releases.

What will Apple announce on October 28?

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro with a Dynamic Island and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, an OLED iPad mini, and a new iMac and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip.

Will the touchscreen Mac be called MacBook Ultra?

MacRumors says the “Pro and tell” tagline likely means the new models will keep the MacBook Pro name, not “MacBook Ultra.”

When will the new MacBook Pro be available?

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the new products could launch on Friday, November 6, 2026.

Sources: Apple (Greg Joswiak), 9to5Mac, MacRumors and its readers, Bloomberg (Mark Gurman), TIME, Counterpoint Research.

Our Take

In my opinion, “Pro” means nothing anymore, and a show every two weeks is killing Apple’s magic. Go back to two big presentations a year.

My tip for October 28: the iPad mini will be the hit. The rest is new chips.