Apple has historically shirked the idea of a touch-sensitive MacBook, even though the company pushed the idea of a button-less smartphone into the mainstream. But it seems the winds have changed course, and the highly anticipated MacBook Pro overhaul with an OLED panel will land a touchscreen, after all.
What’s happening?
The prediction comes courtesy of TFI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reports that Apple will enable touch controls on a future MacBook Pro model to enhance productivity and experience. In the Windows ecosystem, touchscreen has been a staple for years on laptops and continues to grow.
“The OLED MacBook Pro, expected to enter mass production by late 2026, will incorporate a touch panel using on-cell touch technology,” Kuo mentioned in a post on X.
Apparently, Apple was inspired by the behaviour of how iPad users interact with the machine, which offers up to a 13-inch screen and pairs it with a fully decked out keyboard accessory.
Apple’s historical stance
“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. It doesn’t work,” Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs said back in 2010.
Jobs added that touchscreen on laptops is an “ergonomically terrible” idea, and after testing, Apple concluded that it was a terrible idea. Yet, if you look at the iPad Pro and its increasingly macOS-like software approach, you will realize that the idea is not so terrible, after all.
The OLED MacBook Pro is rumored to bring a massive design overhaul, as well. However, it will most likely arrive in 2027, while the M5 generation MacBook Pro models fill the gap next year.
