Apple's Work on Touchscreen Macs: What We Know So Far

[teh_hunterer]

I see the iPhone calculator as no different to using Siri. It’s functional but doesn’t have a bunch of features. iPad is a different

One good reason, and it’s all I have: Sure, they could scale it up, but can you imagine the developers crying out if Apple stole all their revenue with a free calculator app? I think that horse has bolted Unfortunately. They should have done it earlier, but now it’s too late.

As an iPad user I couldn't give a toss what developers cry out if Apple puts a default calculator on the iPad. And nor would Apple.

 

[teh_hunterer]

As someone who treats patients with RSI injuries the trackpad is what is ergonomically terrible, worsening with how close the laptop is to your body and how much you have to constrain your arm, wrist, hand, and fingers for hours every day. I'm not saying a touchscreen is a panacea, but that mixed use where you give your trackpad hand a break and do *some* things on the touchscreen is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. For me I like to scroll, pinch, and zoom with my touchscreen, but will probably use the trackpad as more of a mouse to select smaller things. This whole vision of your arm hung in the air with the laptop 3 feet in front of you is not how any body uses their laptop. But really the name of the game with RSI is the "repetitive" part, any repetitive action is bad, even touchscreen use, that's why a mixed use model is a lot better than just a single input model. That's why you should also incorporate a mouse (especially ergonomic mice like vertically positioned ones) or possibly even a trackball into that routine just to change around which areas are getting repetitively abused.

Absolutely, and the times that I'm getting some trackpad RSI is when I wish I could touch the screen to scroll on my MacBook.

 

[rjjacobson]

I like that large piece of slate with an imprint of what looks like a prehistoric apple 🙂

Well they are all trilobites small and large no apple fossils there LOL

 

[darngooddesign]

How often would you use the screen??

Ideally I would want a MacTablet, but on my work Thinkpad, just like with my iPadPro, I use both the touchscreen and the trackpad. Thinking you can only use one or the other is kind of weird.

 

[darngooddesign]

Well they are all trilobites small and large no apple fossils there LOL

How many trilobites in a megabyte?

 

[DeepIn2U]

Ideally I would want a MacTablet, but on my work Thinkpad, just like with my iPadPro, I use both the touchscreen and the trackpad. Thinking you can only use one or the other is kind of weird.

Personally I think using a touch screen laptop is a novelty at best. The time it takes to lift your hand from the keyboard and trackpad to make selections far outweighs the efficiency of using what’s been a standard for decades. Hence why that standard has never been replaced.

It’s also less accurate on a laptop to do selections moves etc over a trackpad and keyboard.

Unless you use a 2-in-1 where the screen is used solely, a touchscreen laptop just doesn’t make efficient sense. That’s doesn’t preclude the cool factor for some. Use it as you will.

I just don’t see Apple doing or implementing that in the traditional sense vs adding pencil support for their trackpads or a combo device overall.

 

[darngooddesign]

Personally I think using a touch screen laptop is a novelty at best. The time it takes to lift your hand from the keyboard and trackpad to make selections far outweighs the efficiency of using what’s been a standard for decades. Hence why that standard has never been replaced.

It’s also less accurate on a laptop to do selections moves etc over a trackpad and keyboard.

Unless you use a 2-in-1 where the screen is used solely, a touchscreen laptop just doesn’t make efficient sense. That’s doesn’t preclude the cool factor for some. Use it as you will.

I just don’t see Apple doing or implementing that in the traditional sense vs adding pencil support for their trackpads or a combo device overall.

I have a touchscreen laptop and I use both kinds of input. In my real world use I don't see them as mutually exclusive.

 

[jamezr]

I guess I am not understanding the touchscreen hate? For some it is a great feature for others a useless feature.

But in real life....if you don't want a touchscreen laptop...don't buy it. Problem solved.
But others would like to have this feature. It would be nice if touchscreen was offered on some models and not others.
Having a choice is a good thing though.

 

[darngooddesign]

I guess I am not understanding the touchscreen hate? For some it is a great feature for others a useless feature.

But in real life....if you don't want a touchscreen laptop...don't buy it. Problem solved.
But others would like to have this feature. It would be nice if touchscreen was offered on some models and not others.
Having a choice is a good thing though.

People are concerned that they might have to pay for a touchscreen they don't want... which is laughable since we all know Apple would make it a paid upgrade.

 

[jamezr]

People are concerned that they might have to pay for a touchscreen they don't want... which is laughable since we all know Apple would make it a paid upgrade.

Oh you can bet on that! It will be quite a premium.....

 

[Serqetry]

People are concerned that they might have to pay for a touchscreen they don't want... which is laughable since we all know Apple would make it a paid upgrade.

MacOS would most likely suffer from being changed to accommodate fingers. Ventura's "System Settings" is already evidence of MacOS becoming dumber to be more like iOS.

Fortunately it's not going to happen, and people who believe the rumors are just gullible.

 

[_Spinn_]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

 

[Warped9]

Ventura's "System Settings" is already evidence of MacOS becoming dumber to be more like iOS.

Seen it. I prefer the previous System Preferences better.

 

[Tagbert]

People are concerned that they might have to pay for a touchscreen they don't want... which is laughable since we all know Apple would make it a paid upgrade.

While Apple does jack up prices, the added price of a touch screen on a PC laptop is very small. It’s just like it’s part of the standard display anymore.

 

[Playfoot]

As a follow up to my earlier comment about "just say no to touch screens" on a computer, I think the OS would require extensive tweaking. And the entire tweaking process, typical of companies such as Apple, MS, et al, would be done at our expense.

Tweaks would be rolled out over successive OS upgrades. All the while the computing experience would be degraded for years. Or decades? From my perspective, the Touch Bar is just one example.

Rather, improve the iPad. Sometimes, extreme versatility is just not the benefit it was thought to be.

 

[GumaRodak]

It would be great if this is an option to the purchase…why to pay for something that you do not need/want

 

[Piggie]

I'm waiting to see all those who say NO refuse to buy an Apple Laptop in perhaps 10+ years time when every model supports a touchscreen?

Perhaps it will be the same group who got all angry when there were suggestions that Apple may one day build a LARGE iPhone that was too big to operate fully with one hand. 😉

Remember the ad....

 

[PBMB]

What's the issue with offering it for people who want it?
I don't get it.
You don't like it, don't touch.

don't like it? don't use/buy it. i don't understand why some people get so upset over this. it's not like apple is forcing you to use the touchscreen

If there is choice, like two lines of MacBooks, one as we know it today and one with touchscreen, or one line with optional touchscreen, then I am fine. Otherwise this will add considerable cost for something that I am not going to use. As simple as that.

 

[PBMB]

It would be great if this is an option to the purchase…why to pay for something that you do not need/want

Exactly. A touchscreen will add considerable cost, so it should remain an option.

 

[subjonas]

I don’t get everyone complaining about touch screens as everyone is using a touch screen to reply.

Sometimes it’s nice to be able to quickly tap X or Ok on dialogs instead of scratching away at a track pad

But “sometimes it’s nice” isn’t a good enough reason to make such a big change (and it is a big change). There are infinite things that are sometimes nice that could be added to a Mac, but there has to be a compelling reason to make it worth it. Adding touch isn’t a magic wand wave, there are sacrifices and changes in hardware and software that would have to be made, which affects the end user. Some users don’t want those trade offs more than others. So for this to happen, the good would have to clearly outweigh the bad. There are a lot of examples of touch screen laptops out there, but most seem to be used purely as laptops, so it doesn’t seem compelling for most. Unless Apple is doing this in some new better way. If Apple does this exactly like other touch screen laptops out there, that would be an indication that they are just hoping for a few extra bucks. I don’t see that happening—unless MAYBE it’s more about adding stylus support, which I think has higher return on investment (albeit to a niche market), but that would require a major form factor change and would definitely need to be a separate product line.

Also don’t forget, keyboard shortcuts are often even faster and easier than tapping a touch target because you don’t have to reach as far and you can use muscle memory.

 

[PBMB]

I'm waiting to see all those who say NO refuse to buy an Apple Laptop in perhaps 10+ years time when every model supports a touchscreen?

I cannot speak for others but I consider highly unlikely for me to use a touchscreen laptop. As long as it stays an option, I consider it a welcome addition to the line.

 

[subjonas]

I'm waiting to see all those who say NO refuse to buy an Apple Laptop in perhaps 10+ years time when every model supports a touchscreen?

Perhaps it will be the same group who got all angry when there were suggestions that Apple may one day build a LARGE iPhone that was too big to operate fully with one hand. 😉

Remember the ad....

I still agree 100% with that ad.

 

[shenfrey]

Why would I press the screen when I can just use my trackpad and avoid the fingerprints?

 

[shenfrey]

I still agree 100% with that ad.

Slightly flawed argument isn't it? If EVERY Mac has a touchscreen then obviously those who don't want a touch screen will have a touch screen.

 

[MuppetGate]

Oh, agreed. I'm just saying it would be good FOR ME; i.e., I'd be happy with this device, since now I travel with 1) an iPad running iPadOS and 2) a laptop running macOS. A single, separable device running touch-enabled macOS would make me very happy.

Mmm. No, that’s not going to happen.