Apple expected to unveil first touchscreen MacBook at upcoming event
According to The Verge, tech company Apple is expected to announce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro at its "Pro and Tell" event tomorrow. Rumors point to an OLED display, a thinner body and an adapted version of macOS.
US tech company Apple is expected to present its first touchscreen MacBook at its "Pro and Tell" event tomorrow. It would be a major shift, since the company resisted such laptops for years, even though touchscreen laptops have long been on the market. The Verge outlines what rumors say about the device and which questions remain open.
Earlier stance
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs called touchscreen laptops "ergonomically terrible" in 2010, saying touch surfaces don't want to be vertical. CEO Tim Cook compared the idea to combining kitchen appliances in 2012. The closest Apple came was the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, sold from 2016 to 2023: a narrow touch strip above the keyboard that replaced physical function keys and, in the author's view, mostly failed to realize its potential.
What the rumors say
The new MacBook Pro is rumored to have an OLED display, which offers deep blacks and vivid contrast but could raise the price. Reports mention the current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and 14- and 16-inch sizes. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro currently starts at $2,499. The screen may also have a Dynamic Island cutout for the webcam instead of a notch, and could offer touch-based multitasking such as timers and music apps. A thinner, lighter chassis is also rumored. The author voices concern that this could hurt performance, since past thinness-chasing led to worse thermals and the problematic butterfly keyboards.
Open questions
It is unclear whether the device will be a conventional clamshell or have a more flexible hinge, like Lenovo's Yoga convertible laptops, and whether it will support the Apple Pencil stylus. Apple is expected to introduce a revised macOS 27 "Golden Gate" with touch-friendly enhancements while keeping a full desktop operating system. Because the model is unlikely to replace current ones, as MacBook Pros with Pro and Max-level chips were updated earlier this year, it would likely be a separate offering. The author sees it as the biggest shakeup to the MacBook Pro line since 2021.
