I used a Yoga for my last job. I liked the laptop overall, but found Windows touch implementation to be less than perfect. Is Ubuntu's touch experience better?
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Kuo: OLED MacBook Pro to Feature Touch Screen Display
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I would like macOS when detached. Just to have the display at eye level and the keyboard at elbow level, where they belong. I don't care about touching my screen, but I do care about Mac ergonomics on the go.
My experience has been great, but obviously that is one person's account and everybody's use differs. One thing I like about Ubuntu is that imho it is a lot like older versions of MacOS. Simpler, not trying to do too much which may be why it works re: touch. Some tradeoffs though. An example is how MacOS better integrates Terminal into the OS, but that is pretty esoteric. Since you likely can easily setup a PC to boot with Ubuntu from an external disk, and it is free, give it a try.
I've actually used Ubuntu a few times in the past, and liked it. If Scrivener ever builds a Linux version that plays nice with various distros, I would give full-time Ubuntu or Mint a shot.
I never understood why a MacBook needs a touchscreen when it has a ****ing best touchpad on the market
I’d be surprised if he isn’t moving on, with all the spinning.
Not seeing it happening from a UX perspective. macOS would be terrible on touch input mode.
Either they merge iPadOS and macOS into something new that can work with both mouse/keyboard and touch or they would limit the usage based on how you use it.
It's about MacBook Pro's and this is the "Ultra" chip version, but I am positive that they will fulfill my wishes.
Kickstands like the Surface Pros have are strictly better for that than any hinge, but Apple is unlikely to put those on MacBooks.
A MacBook doesn’t replace an iPad, unless they turn it into a convertible, which doesn’t seem particularly likely.
It's the same thing. If you would run Mac OS on an iPad, you would use it with a keyboard and Mouse.
Did you miss that they are slowly doing exactly that and it’s already becoming terrible?
Steve in 2004: we aren’t putting video on an iPod, the screen would be too small for an enjoyable experience.
Steve in 2005: so anyway, the video iPod.
A good reason to hold on to my m1 max mbp a year or two longer. No rush.
Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro, set to enter mass production next year, will feature a touch screen display, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his latest post on X (Twitter), Kuo writes that Apple's much-rumored OLED MacBook Pro will incorporate a touch panel using on-cell touch technology. On-cell touch technology integrates the touch sensors directly into the display panel's top layer (the "cell") rather than requiring a separate, dedicated touch layer.
Kuo says that the shift "appears to reflect Apple's long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience."
Unsurprisingly, the analyst believes that the recently rumored low-cost MacBook, slated for mass production in the fourth quarter of this year, will not feature a touch panel, though specifications for a second-generation model could include touch support. Kuo anticipates the second-gen affordable MacBook model to arrive in 2027.
According to a recent report by Korea's The Elec, Samsung will supply the displays for Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro. What's less certain right now is the chip architecture that Apple will adopt for its OLED models.
It was previously rumored that MacBook Pro models with M5 chips would launch in late 2025. In July, however, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was "considering" pushing back the release of the next MacBook Pro models with the M5 series of chips until early 2026.
Gurman has since said he expects the MacBook Pro to gain an OLED display "between the end of 2026 and early 2027."
That would mean Apple updating the MacBook Pro line twice in the same year. However, there is precedent for such a scenario. Apple released models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips in January 2023, followed by models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips in October 2023. So we could get the M5 generation in January 2026, followed by the OLED panel-equipped M6 generation in October 2026.
Either way, the OLED MacBook Pro models are expected to feature more significant changes, including a thinner design and a smaller notch. Apparently we can now add touch screen support to that list, too.
Article Link: Kuo: OLED MacBook Pro to Feature Touch Screen Display
Going against popular opinion, I’d actually be glad to have a touch-sensitive screen on a MacBook.
It’s just about doing it the right way.
- One less friction point for Windows users switching to Mac (and fewer excuses for tech reviewers to complain about).
- By 2025/26, coatings and materials should be good enough to avoid obvious fingerprint marks.
- By then, laptop screens could also be larger, foldable, or built with better hinges — the overall hardware could look different.
- Closing a window, ending a Zoom call, switching window context… I could easily see 10–15% of my inputs coming from a touchscreen, without it changing or compromising the way I use my MacBook.
It’s just about doing it the right way.
- One less friction point for Windows users switching to Mac (and fewer excuses for tech reviewers to complain about).
- By 2025/26, coatings and materials should be good enough to avoid obvious fingerprint marks.
- By then, laptop screens could also be larger, foldable, or built with better hinges — the overall hardware could look different.
- Closing a window, ending a Zoom call, switching window context… I could easily see 10–15% of my inputs coming from a touchscreen, without it changing or compromising the way I use my MacBook.
Though not a 1:1 I do have a Newline 27" external monitor with touch and pen support (side note: Love it and for 370Eur a great deal)... never use the touch/pen functionality... We'll see if things change over time with macOS 26, but it's just not that useful for my use-cases (and with my OCD issues lose it when anyone touches my screen...heck I keep my iPad in the MKC and use the trackpad in order to keep the display pristine).
For those who ask “who really wants this?”
I say it’s not necessarily about people wanting this, more about people expecting this.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve handed my MacBook over to a family member or friend, and what is the first thing that they do? Instinctually reach for the screen to start touching it, and then are confused when absolutely nothing happens.
Almost every mainstream mobile product has a touchscreen, in a way that wasn’t the case back when Steve Jobs made that quote in 2010.
My thought process is this, the iPad has the option for a keyboard and trackpad. Is it supposed to be used with a keyboard and trackpad 100% of the time? Absolutely not. Is the operating system specifically designed for a keyboard and trackpad? Absolutely not.
But the ability to have the keyboard and trackpad is absolutely a game changer, especially for those who are iPad only.
I feel the exact same way about touchscreen on a Mac. Will it replace the keyboard and trackpad? No! Will it be the most practical input method at all times? Absolutely not.
But will it come in handy every once in a while? Absolutely. Will it make the Mac feel more inviting to those who have only ever used touchscreens or expect touchscreens on everything? Absolutely.
Will it make certain tasks more quick and deficient? Absolutely.
Therefore, it is a positive.
I say it’s not necessarily about people wanting this, more about people expecting this.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve handed my MacBook over to a family member or friend, and what is the first thing that they do? Instinctually reach for the screen to start touching it, and then are confused when absolutely nothing happens.
Almost every mainstream mobile product has a touchscreen, in a way that wasn’t the case back when Steve Jobs made that quote in 2010.
My thought process is this, the iPad has the option for a keyboard and trackpad. Is it supposed to be used with a keyboard and trackpad 100% of the time? Absolutely not. Is the operating system specifically designed for a keyboard and trackpad? Absolutely not.
But the ability to have the keyboard and trackpad is absolutely a game changer, especially for those who are iPad only.
I feel the exact same way about touchscreen on a Mac. Will it replace the keyboard and trackpad? No! Will it be the most practical input method at all times? Absolutely not.
But will it come in handy every once in a while? Absolutely. Will it make the Mac feel more inviting to those who have only ever used touchscreens or expect touchscreens on everything? Absolutely.
Will it make certain tasks more quick and deficient? Absolutely.
Therefore, it is a positive.
Some say that spinning is how Apple powers the ring…
As always, a company with a hojillion employees worth bajillions of dollars can do two or possibly three things (or even more!) at once. 😀