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Apple Reportedly Working on Touchscreen Macs, Including MacBook Pro

Guys, guys, guys, I think you're missing out on the big picture here.

In 2025, Apple will introduce three revolutionary products. The first one, is a widescreen iPad Pro with an OLED screen. The second one, is a MacBook Pro with touchscreen abilities (wait for cheers and applause). And the third is a breakthrough computing device (wait for golf claps).

So, three things. A widescreen iPad Pro with OLED screen, a MacBook Pro with touchscreen capabilities and a breakthrough computing device.

An iPad Pro, a MacBook Pro, and a computing device.

An iPad Pro, a MacBook Pro..... are you getting it??

These are not three separate devices. This is ONE device. (wait for cheers and applause)

And we are calling it MacPad.


And yes, I created an account just to post this, my decades old one is lost in the bits.

Edit: On a serious note, what's the possibility of a MacBook that runs macOS that flips over (coverts) to an iPad that runs iPadOS using the same storage space?
 
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koelsh said:
I’ve never understood saying vertical touchscreens are uncomfortable when Apple themselves sell multiple keyboard attachments that all make the iPad vertical. There was even on at the introduction of the iPad in 2010.

It’s been said that people don’t want to use touchscreen Macs because then we’d have our hands in the air all the time... that’s the point though, use which input makes sense in the moment.

Besides that, look at restaurants, they’ve been using vertical touch screens for their point of sale systems all the way back to the garbage resistive touch panels.
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You’re using it wrong. The keyboard case is designed to be used with the trackpad and keyboard, you know like a laptop?
 
JimmerJabber said:
Yes, yes and yes.

The single Bluetooth controller is backwards compatible with the previous versions of Bluetooth, by default. Your question is therefore irrelevant. But yes, I use Bluetooth devices.

Yes.

Regardless - you are talking about existing functionality. The comments on this thread are focused on the possible introduction of a new feature. And unlike the existing functions you referred to, this particular new feature will be a very significant cost and change to the hardware and software of Apple laptops.

It is completely acceptable for people to have differing views, and I understand where both sides are coming from.
The earlier poster whose comment I quoted, was implying that because they had purchased 80 iPads that their opinion therefore outweighed everyone else's opinion. My comment was simply to ask whether they had personally paid for those 80 iPads, or if it was their or someone else's business.

Cheers
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[raises glass of whiskey] Cheers to differing opinions and future technologies! Ok, so the specifics I gave didn't work out. The point I was attempting to make is every little thing added to a system adds some cost. Everyone who bought an iPad Pro paid for the additional digitizer, charging hardware, and software infrastructure to support the Pencil 2 however not everyone uses it.

Reading it again, yes, FlyingTexan was flying his opinion high and mighty however what does it matter if he personally bought 80 iPads or if he was involved in an organization that did? If companies want one thing it's consistency and having hardware included but turned off is favorable over having to track which devices do and don't have it. If everyday consumers want one thing it's straightforward choices instead of 20 character model numbers.

As a rising tide raises all ships when developers can reasonably expect a piece of hardware to be available everywhere they don't have to worry about mitigating edge cases and can instead get down to writing the software.
 
Perfect!

If you don’t need it don’t use it. Best would be that it comes as an option for all MacBooks.

From experience I’ve found the feature very useful when we are two using and watching on the same surface laptop.
Then think of how you could use iPad apps on MacBook fully natively.
However the mistake from apple would be to tune macOS to be more oriented for a touch interface.

Now I know my next MacBook will have no notch and a touch screen ;)
 
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Jamie0003 said:
You’re using it wrong. The keyboard case is designed to be used with the trackpad and keyboard, you know like a laptop?
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"You're using it wrong" Ah that takes me back to the iPhone 4 antenna gate...

Specifically I'm using the Smart Keyboard Folio which does not have a trackpad. So nope, I'm using it exactly right. Touch when it makes sense, mouse when it makes sense.

The first keyboard dock introduced in 2010 held the iPad in a portrait orientation too. So they were supposed to type on it only and not touch the screen at all?

And yet so many people say the iPad is not a laptop... but I'm supposed to use it as a laptop... so which is it?
 
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wouldn’t it be easier (and more useful) to put macOS on an iPad (Pro) since they already have M-chips. or at least some kind of „toggle mode“ between the two OS.
 
Matt Leaf said:
Surprised we don't just get Apple Pencil for the Trackpad, first.
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I would love to be able to use a stylus on my mac for FreeForm, signing documents, scribble, etc. Not so sure I'd be interested in a touch screen mac, but will take a wait and see approach. Same with foldable screens.
 
I'm not sure if this already said, I haven't read all the post😁

Fingerprints aside, it can't be good ergonomically to sit with Mac on a desk and put your arms out to reach the screen?
 
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Le0M said:
This is what I think it'll happen.
Apple will never have us touch the front screen of our Macs. But, it might find a way to integrate a second display in the bottom half of its laptops, somewhat like a big version of the TouchBar, if you will.
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I specifically remember, watching an interview with Craig Federighi when the first MacBook with that touchbar came out - He was asked why didn't they also add touchscreen to the macbook, and his response was that they don't think its a good idea because people would have to hover with their hands to press anything on the screen, and that becomes quite uncomfortable after a while due to all the strain that average person would endure in their arms after a long periods of time using touchscreen.

Looks like things have changed..

​

 
*sigh* They had to wait until there was zero chance that Steve Jobs would come back as an angry Zombie Steve.

Living Steve would have never allowed this (touch screen Macs). And Angry Zombie Steve would rise from the grave and choke to death whomever was responsible for this current "Project".
 
To everyone saying "you don't have to use it": It's true. But we do have to pay for it if we want a Mac - if it's a standard feature and not an optional upgrade.

I don't see this working just by slapping a touchscreen on a MacBook and calling it a day. Or maybe I'm just old.
 
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Eminemdrdre00 said:
Why is everyone complaining? It's not like they're going to take away the trackpad. Just don't use the touch screen if you don't want to.
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Because it makes the parts more expensive and possibly less reliable during their lifetime. As others have stated: It makes little to no sense from an ergonomic point of view. That's what the iPad is there for - with attached keyboard if necessary.
 
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The Cappy said:
Desperation? It won't smell of "listening to user request"? Just because you don't use the touch screen doesn't mean a lot of people haven't been asking for this. As an iPad user, how many times have I forgotten and tried to touch a button on my MBP screen? I've seen other people do that too.
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I’ve been around here for many years and I haven’t heard a big clamor for this feature. And I haven’t seen it be an issue from anyone I know who uses an iPad or other touch surface. I’m sure it will be useful to some but if it was a really significant feature you would hardly see any laptop sold without it. Just got a new 16 core Lenovo laptop for work. No touch screen. With a laptop that expensive you’d think it would be in there if it was really a useful feature.
 
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Smartass said:
I specifically remember, watching an interview with Craig Federighi when the first MacBook with that touchbar came out - He was asked why didn't they also add touchscreen to the macbook, and his response was that they don't think its a good idea because people would have to hover with their hands to press anything on the screen, and that becomes quite uncomfortable after a while due to all the strain that average person would endure in their arms after a long periods of time using touchscreen.

Looks like things have changed..

​

Click to expand...
The thing they changed was getting rid of TouchBar that most people didnt use and didnt want to pay for ;)
 
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I'd be happy if they just added a basic multitouch driver for some popular touchscreen models so that we don't have to go through that one company that sells Mac touch drivers for a premium. ($120) Or acquire that company and include the drivers in macOS by default.

Lots of creative pros need touchscreens and not iPads because not everything is an iOS app or a webapp.
 
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Typical MR responses. People hate an idea until Apple makes it reality. Then it’s okay. Can’t wait to revisit this thread after the touchscreen Macs are out (if this actually happens) and see who‘s still complaining. My guess is nobody.

Bookmarked. Let’s see if the pattern holds up. LOL

For fun, have a look through this fine thread…

forums.macrumors.com

Mouse Support - The Missing Elephant

So I've always thought the iPad Pro is an odd duck and with iOS 11 finally adding a proper filesystem, you'd think they'd add support for Bluetooth mice too. Until Apple starts taking the iPad Pro seriously as a desktop replacement and not a UI/OS experiment, it will always fall short of its...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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