It’s finally happened – Apple’s touchscreen MacBook is coming soon. Apple insisted for years that Macs didn’t need touch, while Windows laptop makers shipped one touch-enabled model after another. Now, Apple is more than a decade late to the party.
I’ve used touchscreen laptops and 2-in-1 convertibles and, frankly, I don’t think most people need them. But if the rumors are true, Apple’s planned touch integration is worth a look.
Apple’s touchscreen MacBook is coming late
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, as reported by Engadget, Apple’s first touchscreen laptop could debut “on or around” October 27. It may be called the MacBook Ultra, and it is expected to run the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips as the current high-end MacBook Pro.
Nothing unpredictable there. What is still unknown, however, is Apple’s take on touchscreen tech. Can Apple make Touch feel like a natural addition to MacOS? I am not so sure.
I don’t need to stare at my laptop screen all day; I have an iPad for that
I had a touchscreen laptop back in my 20s and I wasn’t impressed at the time. The screen wasn’t nearly as responsive as a smartphone or tablet – it froze all the time. Clicking also felt like an effort. At the end of a year, I barely used the touch features.
And now I know why. My iPad is already great at all of those things, and it’s in a form that I actually want to hold and carry with me. A touchscreen laptop has never done that well.
Still, I can see where touch on a Mac could help: zooming in on photos or hitting a quick control on the screen without searching for it with the cursor.
The rumors adaptive interface
And that’s where the rumored adaptive interface comes into play. Bloomberg reported that pressing a button could open a touch-friendly context menu, and items like the menu bar could be enlarged for fingers. If it’s shipped like this, Apple might have something valuable in there.
Something like a MacBook that could double as an iPad, perhaps? That is the hope. And if the touch display is as accurate as an iPad, we have a really exciting new MacBook option.
Apple needs to give us a reason to reach for the screen
So what would win me over? Touch that complements the trackpad and keyboard. I don’t want to switch between them every few minutes just because my computer is a touchscreen.
I am also waiting for answers about screen ergonomics – how comfortable it will be to use and, crucially, its size and weight. If it’s easy to carry and not outrageously priced, we can be golden.
What would I like to see? A touchscreen MacBook that lives up to Apple’s standards for quality and design – and adapts well to everyday work and life situations, areas where the company has always excelled.
I’m curious, but Apple will have to convince me
An Apple touchscreen laptop is interesting because Apple waited so long to make one. And that leaves consumers and tech journalists wondering: do good things come to those who wait when it comes to touchscreen tech?
I already love my Mac and iPad. Can Apple combine both into an equally compelling product? I will look.
Lauren has been writing and editing since 2008. She loves working with text and helping writers find their voice. When she’s not typing on her computer, she cooks and travels with her husband and two children.