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Apple Reportedly Working on Touchscreen Macs, Including MacBook Pro
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They just need to do a 2-in-1 iPad/Mac. The X1 (or whatever variant) can power the device just fine. When docked it will run MacOS, and when separated will run iPad OS and be a full fledged iPad.
They could charge a super premium for a device like that.
Not all iPad keyboard cases have a trackpad. I've been using a non-trackpad SmartKeyboard on my iPad Pro since 2016.
Whenever deploying 2-in-1's and business class PCs that have touch screens, the one thing that both users and IT generally want is the ability to turn the touch screen off.
On the one hand, they're letting products languish because they don't have the resources to assign to everything.
On the other hand... this 😞
What has changed since Steve Jobs's observation about arm fatigue, and today?
I'm really hoping this is just a false rumour put out by Apple to try and identify the source of a leak.
On the other hand... this 😞
What has changed since Steve Jobs's observation about arm fatigue, and today?
I'm really hoping this is just a false rumour put out by Apple to try and identify the source of a leak.
I don't want this kind of separation because it means I couldn't do anything Mac-related unless it is docked, and if I want to do something iPad-related I can't have it docked or I need a second iPad keyboard case.
And this is why hybrid OSes are so hard to perfect.
I can see Apple doing this if they give an iPad the ability to run both Mac OS & iPad iOS where you could dock an iPad into a keyboard. I really don’t see just giving a macbook some touch screen features as the ultimate goal. I think thats why the touchbar never really took off. A laptop you tend to want to use as a laptop and type on while an ipad you want to hold and touch and use as a tablet. I think that is Apple’s ultimate goal. To have an iPad that can do both. Be able to use as a tablet, and then to use as a fully functioning laptop running Mac OS when docked into a keyboard. But what do i know
This statement makes the report sketchy since Apple is actively working on making macOS more like the iPhone and iPad OS. Anyone can see that just looking at recent changes in macOS.
Apple will create some new arm rest to compensate for the fatigue!
$399 add-on of course
And Cleaning Cloth 2.0 will be a hit!
$399 add-on of course
And Cleaning Cloth 2.0 will be a hit!
"This will ruin Mac OS!"
The M1 macs run ipad apps (built for touch input) and they didn't have to ruin Mac OS to do so. We don't really know the degree to which touch functions will operate across the future OS. Given other hypothesizing I could imagine a Macbook Air line morphing into a hybrid where you can remove the screen and have an iPad or attach it to the case and have a Macbook Air with no downside (compared to PC hybrids that either have poor battery life, are bulky, or have cumbersome OS's). They could price it higher than an iPad in order not to cut into existing sales of people that are just looking for that particular form factor.
"I don't understand this!!! I would never use this feature!!!"
These POVs operate exclusively under the framework of what we have experienced or what is currently a part of our experience, whereas the timeline on these features is at least three years from now (and more than likely more than that, given the time it takes Apple to make these sorts of changes). Who knows what kind of functionality a feature like this will relate to? Especially, given their expansion into AR and other devices, it's possible this approach is part of a multi-prong development rather than Apple merely flailing in the dark trying to do something.
The M1 macs run ipad apps (built for touch input) and they didn't have to ruin Mac OS to do so. We don't really know the degree to which touch functions will operate across the future OS. Given other hypothesizing I could imagine a Macbook Air line morphing into a hybrid where you can remove the screen and have an iPad or attach it to the case and have a Macbook Air with no downside (compared to PC hybrids that either have poor battery life, are bulky, or have cumbersome OS's). They could price it higher than an iPad in order not to cut into existing sales of people that are just looking for that particular form factor.
"I don't understand this!!! I would never use this feature!!!"
These POVs operate exclusively under the framework of what we have experienced or what is currently a part of our experience, whereas the timeline on these features is at least three years from now (and more than likely more than that, given the time it takes Apple to make these sorts of changes). Who knows what kind of functionality a feature like this will relate to? Especially, given their expansion into AR and other devices, it's possible this approach is part of a multi-prong development rather than Apple merely flailing in the dark trying to do something.
We don't want touchscreens, we want broader gaming support. Whether that's Apple bribing developers, allowing Apple Silicon to use external GPUs, figuring out how to get existing games to run (and run well), or all of the above, that's what Apple should be working on.
If not from a profits standpoint than from an environmental standpoint. My M1 uses way less juice than my gaming rig.
If not from a profits standpoint than from an environmental standpoint. My M1 uses way less juice than my gaming rig.
I use mine all the time and my MBP not having one was an issue keeping me from coming back. While I get that not everyone wants it, having it as an option doesn't hurt anything.
This is typical of any company. Remember how hard they were against pens and then how having a pencil was revolutionary? No company is going to say "yes our competition is better than us" in something. Its mainly that the fanboys for Apple take the ball and run with it regarding why something missing is a good thing rather than just a future easy feature upgrade.
I'm all for MacBooks with touchscreens. It has taken way too long, in my opinion. Holding on to Steve Jobs observations from ~10 years ago is something I doubt he would do, himself, but that hardly matters. Apple holding on to 10 year old observations about how people use computers should be a point of mockery, not pride. How people use computers constantly shifts.
Just like what happened with giant smartphone screens, the market discovered something before Apple. (It happens all the time, us Apple fans just tend to be distracted by when they make surprise us with things we didn't expect to want)
Everybody I've encountered that is not a Mac user first just expects a laptop computer to have a touchscreen. To an average person looking at MacBooks for the first time, it is an unexpected downside. If they ask "why?", there is just no satisfactory answer. (Certainly, none in this comment thread that would be convincing to them)
For me, the only two concerns are the UI and the cost, but these are not insurmountable problems and hopefully Apple is constantly reminded how sensitive Mac users still are about their interface.
Just like what happened with giant smartphone screens, the market discovered something before Apple. (It happens all the time, us Apple fans just tend to be distracted by when they make surprise us with things we didn't expect to want)
Everybody I've encountered that is not a Mac user first just expects a laptop computer to have a touchscreen. To an average person looking at MacBooks for the first time, it is an unexpected downside. If they ask "why?", there is just no satisfactory answer. (Certainly, none in this comment thread that would be convincing to them)
For me, the only two concerns are the UI and the cost, but these are not insurmountable problems and hopefully Apple is constantly reminded how sensitive Mac users still are about their interface.
What makes more sense would be to have iPadOS switch to macOS where it could run most Mac apps when certain peripherals are connected.
I have watched several family members try to pinch to zoom on macs a couple times in the past year. Personally, I think it's a gimmicky and ultimately dumb feature on a laptop, but I get why they have to look at it. So many people are using iphones and ipads as their sole computing platforms, that it's become second nature to interact with devices that way.
I’d be very surprised if this rumour turned out to be true… there are so many things that argue against doing it. The software support, the hardware issues like arm fatigue and smudging. Just no.
Exactly! This is what happens when you don't have product people running a company, product strategy all over the place.
Weird to have waited this long.