Tech News October 29, 2026: Apple’s Touchscreen Mac Is Real, and AI Agents Take Over GitHub

Yesterday we previewed it; today it’s real. The Apple touchscreen MacBook Pro is official — the first Mac you can poke with your finger — capping a week that also delivered an M6 MacBook Pro, a refreshed iMac, and an OLED iPad mini. GitHub’s Universe keynote showed how far AI agents have come, and Microsoft and Alphabet reported earnings the same night to very different receptions.

Key Takeaways

• Apple unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro with a PROLED XDR OLED display, Dynamic Island, and a glowing logo — from $2,899, in stores November 6.
• GitHub’s Copilot Fusion is generally available, and agents now start over 40% of pull requests.
• Microsoft beat expectations and rose; Alphabet missed and fell about 10% despite Google Cloud doubling.
• Regulators are questioning Nvidia’s $12.93 billion Hugging Face deal, and memory prices are squeezing PC hardware.

Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Pro Is Finally Real

At its in-person “Pro and tell” gathering in Los Angeles on October 28, Apple announced a redesigned 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a PROLED XDR tandem OLED touch display — the first touchscreen Mac ever. The notch gives way to the iPhone-style Dynamic Island, the glowing logo returns, and the 14-inch model weighs 3 pounds.

The twist: these run M5 Pro/Max chips, not the newer M6 — you’re paying for the screen and touch, not speed. Prices start at $2,899 (14-inch) and $3,399 (16-inch), topping out at $4,799 for M5 Max, about $400 over the non-touch models, which stay on sale.

Don’t confuse it with the other new MacBook Pro: Tuesday’s separate 14-inch M6 model in the current design starts at $1,999, plus an M6 iMac from $1,499; Monday’s OLED iPad mini starts at $699. Pre-orders opened October 28, with store availability November 6 — see yesterday’s Pro and Tell preview and Tuesday’s M6 Mac coverage, plus MacRumors’ event coverage.

GitHub’s Agents Are Doing the Committing Now

GitHub Universe’s message was blunt: developers now orchestrate fleets of AI agents instead of writing code line by line. The headline launch is Copilot Fusion, now generally available: it sizes up each task — reasoning, code generation, debugging, tool use — then picks one or more models to do the work. GitHub says Fusion Max landed within two points of Claude Code with Opus 5.5 Max on an independent benchmark, at about half the API cost and 40% less time per task — GitHub’s claims, not your future invoice.

Also new: a Copilot app spanning issue to merge, cross-repository Projects, and a deeper code review tier. Then the Octoverse numbers: 34.3 billion commits in the year to September, 7.38 billion in September alone, merged pull requests tripling to 220 million a month — and over 40% of September’s pull requests started by an agent, up from 17% in March. Details: Unite.AI on Copilot Fusion.

One Earnings Night, Two Very Different Verdicts

Microsoft and Alphabet reported after Wednesday’s close, and the market graded them on cash, not growth. Microsoft beat on both lines: revenue of $92.3 billion, up 19%, versus $90.7 billion expected, and earnings of $4.89 a share against $4.73 expected. Azure grew 48% to $33.2 billion, a first-time dollar disclosure, and free cash flow was $18.6 billion. Shares rose about 4% after hours.

Alphabet’s numbers were bigger and messier: revenue rose 25% to $127.6 billion but missed the $128.2 billion consensus, earnings of $2.67 missed the $3.02 target, and free cash flow was negative $9.1 billion for a second straight quarter even as Google Cloud doubled to $30.7 billion. Capital spending hit $51.4 billion and will rise further in 2027. Shares fell about 10%. One wrinkle: Google’s TPU sales to outsiders tie up cash in inventory before customers pay. Analysis: Reuters Breakingviews.

Regulators Circle Nvidia’s Hugging Face Deal

Nvidia’s $12.93 billion deal to buy open-source AI platform Hugging Face is drawing scrutiny pre-close. Reuters reported the US Department of Justice has asked how the deal would affect competition, including whether Nvidia would capture a fundamental distribution point for AI, per one source. The questions sit alongside a years-long DOJ probe of Nvidia’s conduct. Nvidia says the deal should close in early 2027, with Hugging Face still supporting rival chips and clouds. An inquiry isn’t proof of wrongdoing — but it adds timeline risk.

The Takeaway

Three threads tie today together: touch comes to the Mac, agents write more of the code, and AI spending is graded on cash flow, not just ambition. Tomorrow brings GitHub’s closing keynote and Amazon’s earnings; we’ll cover both Friday.

FAQ

When can I buy the touchscreen MacBook Pro?

Pre-orders opened October 28; in stores November 6, from $2,899 (14-inch) and $3,399 (16-inch).

What’s the difference between the two new MacBook Pros?

The touchscreen model is a redesign with an OLED touch display, Dynamic Island, and M5 Pro/Max chips; the M6 model keeps the current design with the newer chip, from $1,999.

What is GitHub Copilot Fusion?

A multi-model routing system that picks the best model(s) for each coding task. Generally available since GitHub Universe, October 28, 2026.

Why did Alphabet’s stock fall if Google Cloud doubled?

Revenue, earnings, and search ads all missed, free cash flow was negative $9.1 billion, and capital spending rises further in 2027.