Key Takeaways
- Apple is reportedly introducing touchscreen MacBook Pros that will have thinner, lighter frames and run the fastest line of chips.
- The touchscreen laptops will cost several hundred dollars more than the current lineup of MacBook Pros.
- Apple also updated its 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip this week.
After over a decade of refusing to make a touchscreen laptop, a decision supported by co-founder Steve Jobs, Apple is finally preparing to launch a version of its MacBook laptop with a touch display.
According to Bloomberg Managing Editor Mark Gurman, who has an 86.5% accuracy rate when reporting on Apple rumors, the tech giant is set to debut touchscreen MacBook Pros in late 2026 or early 2027. The upcoming line will feature a slimmer, lighter design powered by the next-generation M6 processor.
Gurman writes that the new touchscreen models will come in 14‑ and 16‑inch sizes and are expected to cost several hundred dollars more than current versions. At present, the non‑touch 14‑inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,599, while the 16‑inch model’s base price is $2,499.
Apple has long avoided adding touchscreens to its MacBooks. In 2010, Jobs, who was Apple’s CEO at the time, said at a launch event that touchscreen laptops would be “ergonomically terrible.”
“We’ve done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn’t work,” Jobs said at the time. “Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. It gives great demo, but after a short period of time, you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off.”
Jobs’ successor and current CEO, Tim Cook, agreed, saying in a 2012 earnings call that merging a tablet and a laptop was like putting a “toaster” together with a “refrigerator.”
Related: Apple’s Foldable iPhone Release Date Has Been Revealed, According to a JPMorgan Investor Letter
“You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren’t going to be pleasing to the user,” Cook said at the time.
Still, the touchscreen laptop market has become a sizable one, with global revenue for touchscreen laptops reaching around $50 billion so far this year and projected to hit $120 billion by 2033, according to Data Insights Market. By comparison, the overall global laptop market was valued at $194.25 billion in 2022 and is forecast to grow to $334.51 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research.
The new touchscreen laptop displays will reportedly use OLED technology, the same advanced screens found in iPhones and iPad Pros. Rather than use the traditional “notch” design with a top cutout for the camera, Apple plans to adopt a “hole‑punch” approach, integrating a small circular or pill‑shaped cutout directly into the screen to house the front camera.
Related: Apple Revealed the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and AirPods With Live Translation. Here’s What to Know.
The touchscreen MacBook Pros will still feature a full-sized keyboard and trackpad, allowing users to operate the device conventionally without relying on the touch display. Apple has also strengthened the laptop’s build with an upgraded hinge and redesigned display, so the screen stays stable and doesn’t move or bounce when touched, per Bloomberg.
Apple also updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip on Wednesday. The new chip boasts faster computing speeds, enhanced graphics and improved capabilities for AI-driven tasks.
The tech giant is also working on updating its MacBook Air lineup with the M5 chip, with plans to release the devices in the spring of 2026, according to Gurman. The $999 MacBook Air remains Apple’s top‑selling laptop, per the report.
Related: Apple Is Making a Major Change to Its Operating Systems Across All Products. Here’s What We Know.
Key Takeaways
- Apple is reportedly introducing touchscreen MacBook Pros that will have thinner, lighter frames and run the fastest line of chips.
- The touchscreen laptops will cost several hundred dollars more than the current lineup of MacBook Pros.
- Apple also updated its 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip this week.
After over a decade of refusing to make a touchscreen laptop, a decision supported by co-founder Steve Jobs, Apple is finally preparing to launch a version of its MacBook laptop with a touch display.
According to Bloomberg Managing Editor Mark Gurman, who has an 86.5% accuracy rate when reporting on Apple rumors, the tech giant is set to debut touchscreen MacBook Pros in late 2026 or early 2027. The upcoming line will feature a slimmer, lighter design powered by the next-generation M6 processor.
Gurman writes that the new touchscreen models will come in 14‑ and 16‑inch sizes and are expected to cost several hundred dollars more than current versions. At present, the non‑touch 14‑inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,599, while the 16‑inch model’s base price is $2,499.
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