The Mac is set to get touchscreen for the first time ever, breaking away from Steve Jobs’ philosophy that laptops with this technology are “ergonomically terrible” and ”do not work”.
In January 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first reported that the MacBook Pro will receive a touch screen along with OLED, which would make this device Apple’s first Mac with both technologies.
The Latest
On Friday, Mark Gurman provided an update on the touchscreen MacBook. Gurman reports that the upcoming MacBook touchscreen model will use the current M5 generation of chips, including M5 Pro and M5 Max, instead of an all new generation.
The decision to use M5 in this new model is reportedly due to the company’s shift in focus toward a future line of AI-focused M7 chips.
It is still unclear if this MacBook will be a new addition to the lineup or whether this product will fall under the MacBook Pro branding. Throughout his reporting, Gurman refers to the device as "Apple's Touch-screen MacBook Pro", although some outlets - including 9to5Mac - are referring to it as the "MacBook Ultra".
Why Apple Has Not Made a Touchscreen Mac Before
Steve Jobs famously declared touchscreen laptops were ”ergonomically terrible” on stage at an October 2010 keynote. His stance on touch input laptops has helped define the separation between Mac and iPad with one designed for touch-based interaction and the other built for keyboard and mouse.
However, this philosophy has been challenged during the Tim Cook era, with the introduction of the iPad Pro line, Magic Keyboard for iPad and recent advances in the category including macOS style multitasking on iPadOS and the use of Apple Silicon chips that were designed for Mac.
In addition to this long-standing philosophy, Apple has traditionally maintained a more limited product lineup compared to its competitors, focusing on the needs of mainstream consumers rather than releasing experimental devices.
As a result, the company has often been later to emerging product categories including foldable phones, smart rings and touch screen laptops. This approach has started to shift in recent years with the introduction of Apple Vision Pro in 2024 and new reports Apple may soon release a foldable iPhone.
Apple Is Preparing macOS For Touchscreen
On 8 June at WWDC26, Apple unveiled macOS 27 Golden Gate with various hints that macOS will soon support touch based input.
First spotted by MacRumors, macOS 27 now supports the pull-to-refresh gesture found on iPhone and iPad. This gesture is supported in many Apple apps including Safari, News and Calendar and is an alternative to the Command+R keyboard shortcut.
Additionally, Sidecar, a feature where iPad can be used as a secondary Mac display, now supports touchscreen. In previous versions of macOS, the secondary display on iPad could only be controlled by on-screen buttons that appear under the mirrored display or through the connected Mac peripherals, despite iPad having a touch screen.
This could hint future support of third-party touchscreen monitors working with macOS or user interface (UI) preparations for the touchscreen MacBook Pro.
Hardware Refresh
The touchscreen MacBook is expected to come with a new design, improved display technology and Dynamic Island.
Mark Gurman reports that the device will have an ”updated industrial design”, the first chassis change in 5 years, though no details on the new look have been provided.
The laptop is expected to launch with an OLED display, providing deeper blacks and improved contrast over the current mini-LED panel. This is a first for the Mac, nearly a decade after Apple launched iPhone X, the first iPhone with OLED, in 2017.
This change will also bring MacBook Pro inline with many premium Windows laptops on the market which have had OLED displays from as early as 2016.
Some reports also suggest the MacBooks notch could be replaced with Dynamic Island, an interactive way to display notifications, alerts and live activities including Now Playing, Timers and status updates such as turning on silent mode. This will make use of what is currently dead space at the centre top of the MacBook display that houses the camera.
When Will The Touchscreen MacBook Launch?
Initial reports suggested that the touchscreen MacBook could make its debut in 2025. That date has since passed and credible sources including Bloomberg, now suggests that the new MacBook Pro could launch between late 2026 and early 2027 under incoming CEO John Ternus.
Final Thoughts
If the rumours are accurate, the touchscreen MacBook would be one of the biggest changes to the Mac since Apple Silicon in 2020. It would mark a significant shift in Apple’s long-standing philosophy of keeping the Mac and iPad as distinct product categories.
Despite these reports, Apple has - as expected - remained silent on the matter and many questions including the devices name, visual design and price remain unanswered.
Sources: Apple Newsroom, Bloomberg, Mark Gurman, MacRumours, oled-info.com
Photo Credit: unsplash.com
