Apple’s Overhauled MacBook Pro Set for Oct. 28 Debut as Cellular Support Remains Unclear

The MacBook Pro redesign would be the first since 2021. OLED displays, touch support and a significantly lighter design are expected. The event is likely not to be streamed; 9to5Mac reports it is expected to be a hands-on experience for influencers and media. Apple should also show an OLED iPad mini, an OLED MacBook Pro, and a refreshed iMac and 14-inch base model MacBook Pro, both with the M6 chip.

Cellular support has been another rumor for the new MacBook Pros, though it has been unclear whether it will ship. 9to5Mac says that if Apple were to ship a cellular MacBook, it would likely use the C2 modem seen in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo.

The report points to earlier signals. In 2024, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman initially reported that Apple was investigating cellular MacBooks for as early as 2026. At the time, he said Apple was testing its second-generation modem with these MacBooks, which can be assumed to be the C2. Last year, Filipe Esposito reported at Macworld that Apple was testing configurations of an M5 Pro-based MacBook Pro with Apple’s C1 modem.

That work was testing, but the M5 Pro detail is relevant because the new MacBooks this week will debut with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, rather than M6-based chips, according to 9to5Mac. Since then, there have been no substantive leaks about cellular support in the MacBook Pro lineup, the report says, and no leaks explicitly ruling it out.

The report says the answer should become clear within days.

Editor's Summary

Apple is expected to unveil overhauled, touchscreen MacBook Pros at an Oct. 28 event in Los Angeles, alongside other M6-based products. Reports of modem testing point to possible cellular MacBook support, but 9to5Mac says no substantive leak has confirmed it will ship. The event should clarify the lineup within days.