Apple is working on a touchscreen Macbook
Apple is working on releasing a Macbook with a touchscreen by 2025. The project is already in the works, and the first design will still have a keyboard, trackpad and touchscreen.
It was the tech giant’s move that could oppose its company beliefs. The company seems ready to face an approach that Steve Jobs viewed as “ergonomically terrible.” Despite competitors like Windows having touchscreen laptops, Apple hasn’t ventured into the idea until now.
Apple’s head of software, Craig Federighi, said in 2018 that he’s “not into touchscreens.” He also said, “We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do.”
Apple is working on touchscreen Macs! A new MacBook Pro with an OLED display in 2025 could be the first Mac with a touchscreen 🚨
Source: @markgurman pic.twitter.com/sO7SRMoZIJ
— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) January 12, 2023
Since Apple’s engineers are actively doing the project, it’s proof that the company is now open to the idea of producing touchscreen Macs. However, they haven’t launched it yet, so their plans could still change.
For over 10 years, Apple was firm on its orthodox that touch screens aren’t a great match with laptops. The iPad is always the best option if somebody wants a touchscreen, as the company believes. Apple also has worried that touchscreen Macbooks might affect iPad sales.
However, the rise of touchscreen laptops from rivals has placed significant pressure on the tech giant. In addition, a Mac revival in the past few years has gained the company more earnings than selling iPads. Thus, the company focuses more on its computer lineup.
Based on recent discussions, Apple could launch its first touchscreen MacBook in 2025. The company plans to include it as a major update to MacBook Pro. According to Bloomberg, these details came from sources who asked for privacy since the plans are private.
Bloomberg’s Gurman: Apple Working on Touchscreen MacBooks https://t.co/zN54BIZXnl #AppleNews pic.twitter.com/8RO03oZW2X
— MacTrast (@MacTrast) January 12, 2023
This update would still keep the traditional laptop design of the first touchscreen MacBook. Although the laptop’s screen would have touch gestures and inputs, features are similar to iPhone and iPad. Soon, Apple could also extend this touch support to other Mac models.
In addition to this Mac resurgence, the company is also looking into moving its displays to OLED technology. Currently, Apple uses LCDs on its MacBook screens, but Apple watches and iPhones already have OLED. These screens are much better, considering their enhanced brightness and color. iPad Pro will soon have this display in mid-2024.
It will be a major breakthrough if the Mac touchscreen project pushes through. Steven Jobs said that the idea of users reaching up computer screens to touch it “doesn’t work.” He said in 2010, “Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. After an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook has held on to that stance for the past years. When Microsoft released its first touchscreen laptop, he said it was the same as blending a toaster with a refrigerator. With the current tech evolution, Apple has already changed its course in some areas. As the late Job said, Apple wouldn’t sell a tablet or a phone. But these became the key products of the company.
Moreover, a touchscreen MacBook would need a major software revamp. For instance, finger taps which need larger buttons instead of mouse clicks. iPads and iPhones have an operating system built for touchscreens, while macOS has software that only a mouse and a keyboard can control.
