For more than a decade, Apple argued that touchscreens and laptops don’t mix. Now it appears ready to prove itself wrong.
Apple is holding a product event in Los Angeles on October 28, dubbed “Pro and tell,” where it is expected to debut its first touchscreen MacBook. The company hasn’t confirmed what’s coming, but the tagline points squarely at the Pro line.
Just a touchscreen or a bigger redesign?
The touchscreen is the headline, but it isn’t the only change. The new MacBook Pro, code-named K114 and K116, is expected to arrive with thinner, lighter frames. Other details expected alongside it include a reinforced hinge designed to keep the screen steady when touched, a new cooling system, and software changes built for finger input. The chips are likely to be M5 Pro and M5 Max.
Apple is also expected to launch a new iPad mini and M6 versions of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iMac at the same event.
The price of touch
Expect to pay for the upgrade. Apple has discussed charging $400 more for the touch model, starting the 14-inch at $2,899. That would put the 16-inch at $3,399 or higher. Today’s non-touch models start at $2,499 and $2,999 and are expected to stay on sale. That makes touch a premium tier rather than a change for every buyer, and the figures aren’t final.
Also read: Apple launches new iMac in India at ₹1.75 lakh with faster AI performance
Why now?
Apple hasn’t explained itself, but the reasons aren’t hard to find.
The first is money. Apple appears to be betting that Pro users will pay a real premium for a touch-enabled OLED laptop, which would lift what the average Mac sells for.
The second is competition. Windows laptops have offered touchscreens as a standard feature for years, even as Apple insisted they were ergonomically inferior. Apple’s pro customers have long had a touch-capable alternative at the other end of the aisle.
The third is timing. The Mac has been a growth engine since Apple moved to its own chips, bringing in $40.1 billion in fiscal 2022. A company in that position can afford to experiment at the top of the range.
The iPad problem
The risk is overlap. Apple has long held that the iPad is the best touchscreen computer, so it has to keep a clear line between the tablet and the laptop. That is likely why the focus is on software. A Mac that takes finger input needs bigger touch targets and interface changes that a mouse never required. Expect Apple to pitch touch as a complement to the keyboard and trackpad, not a replacement for them.
A reversal years in the making
It’s still a remarkable turnaround. Software chief Craig Federighi once called touchscreen PCs “experiments” and said he was “not into touchscreens.” The idea has circulated for years. Reports of a touchscreen Mac date back to at least 2023.
Whether buyers will pay for the change is the open question, and Apple is expected to start answering it today.
