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MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Launching as Soon as 2026
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A few days ago they were saying early 2026, now it's late 2026 or early 2027. Will be interesting to see how the touch screen comes about. That is I would love a touch Mac, but by that, I want iPad form factor with full mac software. It would have to be drastically lighter and smaller than a 14" MBP otherwise of course would just bring my Mac. But touch on just a regular Mac hard to see the use case for that. But time will tell.
Can’t believe Apple is actually caving and using their Pro device as a testbed because this sounds like the Touch Bar all over again. Glad I opted to upgrade my MacBook Pro M1 Pro to a MacBook Pro M4 Pro late last year. I think I’ll wait for the rev B of this thing. At least. I hardly used the touch screen of my previous work laptop more than once and I truly hate smudges on my screen.
think differently.
since apple launched the first iPad, apple has told us (over and over again through on camera interviews by the highest level of executives) that an idea of a combined touch screen and keyboard device would not be a good idea. spork.
what has changed?
touch devices have proliferated (think globally, not just computing devices).
screen technologies have developed. thinner. brighter.
consumers feeling that a tablet just might be able to do the job instead of a laptop.
i would imagine that the younger the user is, the more likely this to be the way a person thinks.
older users may prefer a keyboard.
APPL still has an absolute need to ensure that the average customer spend per device is maximized.
but, iPhone/iPad prices have increased dramatically. revenue and profit that APPL can generate from a touch device has increased.
nothing standing in the way of APPL now preferring touch device sales. buy touch or keyboard, APPL makes the same profit.
user input:
some macOS users use the keyboard and menu bar options for mostly everything
some macOS users know and greatly put to use shortcuts. (while a lot of users continue to not know ANY shortcuts)
some macOS users use a built in trackpad, or even prefer a separate trackpad
apple can make a combined deviceOS that can handle all of the above user input modes, (AS IT HAS ALREADY DONE ON iPad), adding the touch input mode to a laptop form factor.
use whatever input method you want.
never used shortcuts ? thats ok. don't what to use touch input ? thats ok, too.
form factor:
what's the #1 complaint of the iPad + Magic Keyboard ?
weight. it needs to be heavy because the computer guts are all in the screen AND the keyboard needs to heavy to be stable. combined, its really heavy when used together.
but a laptop form factor obviates all of that: laptop form factor is inherently stable to type on with all the computer guts under the keyboard. with a thinner display on top. make the device somehow convertible with a hinge to accommodate people who want to draw on top of it, or use it for business presentations or whatever.
one device to rule the world.
don't worry, people. apple will still make non-touch macOS devices for as least as long as the more crusty old mac lovers are still around. habits die hard.
go APPL.
since apple launched the first iPad, apple has told us (over and over again through on camera interviews by the highest level of executives) that an idea of a combined touch screen and keyboard device would not be a good idea. spork.
what has changed?
touch devices have proliferated (think globally, not just computing devices).
screen technologies have developed. thinner. brighter.
consumers feeling that a tablet just might be able to do the job instead of a laptop.
i would imagine that the younger the user is, the more likely this to be the way a person thinks.
older users may prefer a keyboard.
APPL still has an absolute need to ensure that the average customer spend per device is maximized.
but, iPhone/iPad prices have increased dramatically. revenue and profit that APPL can generate from a touch device has increased.
nothing standing in the way of APPL now preferring touch device sales. buy touch or keyboard, APPL makes the same profit.
user input:
some macOS users use the keyboard and menu bar options for mostly everything
some macOS users know and greatly put to use shortcuts. (while a lot of users continue to not know ANY shortcuts)
some macOS users use a built in trackpad, or even prefer a separate trackpad
apple can make a combined deviceOS that can handle all of the above user input modes, (AS IT HAS ALREADY DONE ON iPad), adding the touch input mode to a laptop form factor.
use whatever input method you want.
never used shortcuts ? thats ok. don't what to use touch input ? thats ok, too.
form factor:
what's the #1 complaint of the iPad + Magic Keyboard ?
weight. it needs to be heavy because the computer guts are all in the screen AND the keyboard needs to heavy to be stable. combined, its really heavy when used together.
but a laptop form factor obviates all of that: laptop form factor is inherently stable to type on with all the computer guts under the keyboard. with a thinner display on top. make the device somehow convertible with a hinge to accommodate people who want to draw on top of it, or use it for business presentations or whatever.
one device to rule the world.
don't worry, people. apple will still make non-touch macOS devices for as least as long as the more crusty old mac lovers are still around. habits die hard.
go APPL.
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This is a best-case scenario, if indeed the rumour becomes reality. They could be foolish to add the functionality to all MacBook Pro models, given how popular the current formula is.
Apple plans to test touch screen Macs with the MacBook Pro line, and the technology won't come to other Macs until Apple learns how it fares with consumers.
Steve Jobs will be turning in his grave
He sounds like a cement mixer?!
If Steve were alive the Macbook Pro would be a massive razor-thin 5K foldable with the worlds largest Si-C battery and MacOS would be 3-dimensional. The keyboard would be virtual and it would have one port.
It would be nice to have a 14" or 16" iPad that runs MacOS, and has a KB built in even if it's heavy and thick.
But I won't be buying one.
But I won't be buying one.
I had a touch screen Surface Laptop. I only used the touch screen a couple of times to see if it worked. After that initial test, for the next four years I never used the touch screen. It is faster to use the keyboard and touch pad rather than reaching for a screen. If I want to use touch, I use my iPad.
Or maybe they could buy a Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 and tear it down and see how a 360-degree hinge is done properly.
There isn't any extra cost. If this is standard on $200 laptops, Apple can manage this at existing cost levels.
maybe they won't leave the dated ass wifi chip and ports in this one.... Apple always blows my mind putting the latest tech in their most useless device first (iPad)
will likely be more expensive = MacBook Air will be more expensive too and they will introduce a cheap regular MacBook.
But I hope more expensive means we can choose between touch and not touch display. I have no use for a touch display so I will not pay more for a feature that is useless on a laptop and that I am not going to use.
But I hope more expensive means we can choose between touch and not touch display. I have no use for a touch display so I will not pay more for a feature that is useless on a laptop and that I am not going to use.
Yea ok. None of this will happpen. Apple will just slap a chip upgrade on it and expect everyone will buy it.
Apple is working on a new version of the MacBook Pro with an OLED display, a hole punch camera, and touch screen functionality, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today. The updated MacBook Pro is set to launch sometime between late 2026 and early 2027.
Apple hasn't redesigned the MacBook Pro since the launch of the M1 Pro and M1 Max machines in 2021, but that is set to change with the launch of the OLED models. Along with new display capabilities, there will be a hole-punch camera and no notch, plus a thinner and lighter design. Apple is also adding a reinforced hinge and an updated screen design that will ensure the display does not move when it is touched.
While Apple plans to add a touch screen, the MacBook will continue to have a trackpad and a keyboard, with touch gestures augmenting existing functionality.
With an OLED display and touch integration, the upcoming 2026/2027 MacBook Pro models will likely be more expensive than the current higher-end MacBook Pro models that are priced starting at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and $2,499 for the 16-inch model.
The touch screen MacBook Pro models will be equipped with Apple's next-generation M6 chips. Apple just this week debuted the M5 Apple silicon chip, so the M6 is a ways off. Apple won't have M5 Pro and M5 Max chips ready until early 2026, which means it is increasingly likely the M6 variants will come in 2027.
It is possible that Apple will introduce two MacBook Pro refreshes in the same year, but it would be unusual.
Apple plans to test touch screen Macs with the MacBook Pro line, and the technology won't come to other Macs until Apple learns how it fares with consumers. Apple's last attempt at touch-based functionality in the Mac did not go well. The Touch Bar that was added to the MacBook Pro in 2016 did not prove popular with customers, and Apple ended up phasing it out starting with the 2021 MacBook Pro refresh.
Rumors about a touch screen Mac surfaced earlier this year when Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple would incorporate on-cell touch technology in the OLED MacBook Pro. Kuo said that Apple decided to give the Mac a touch screen after "long-term observation of iPad user behavior" that suggested touch controls can enhance productivity and user experience in certain scenarios.
Article Link: MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Launching as Soon as 2026
Having had and used a couple Windows laptops with touch screens, I can see the advantages they bring, but the hole punch camera and notches oled display will be the real benefits of this system. People who don't like the touchscreen don't have to use it.
Am I the only one extremely anti-touchscreen for the Mac? And by that I mean not even giving users the choice - the hardware should just not exist. It's not even just the Mac, I just absolutely do not believe multitouch displays belong on computers...
I don’t know why Apple will do it. The OS and hardware are not optimized for touch. It only makes sense if I can detach the display and use it without the keyboard but that is an iPad. Nothing feels intentional at Apple anymore. It feels like every other tech company. Others sell touch/gimmicks so we will sell touch laptops too. That will increase profits. Instead of asking. Does it make sense? Is it a gimmick? What are the use cases? Same with folding phones.
Kind of like the iPad Pro with its Magic Keyboard?Would rather want an Air class touchscreen device with a detachable keyboard (or at least "flip over") and pen support.
Mostly a Surface Pro but from Apple
MacOS on an iPad Pro when docked on the keyboard and iOS when used as a tablet makes more sense than putting touch on a laptop. Tim has no sense of what makes a great product see VP.
"When you have a monopoly market share, the company's not any more successful. So the people that can make the company more successful are the sales and marketing people, and they end up running the companies, and the product people get driven out of the decision making forums. And the companies forget what it means to make great products. Sort of the product sensibility, and the product genius that brought them to that monopolistic position gets rotted out by people running these companies who have no conception of a good product versus a bad product. They have no conception of the craftsmanship that's required to take a good idea and turn it into a good product, and they really have no feeling in their hearts, usually, about wanting to really help the customers."
I've had work Windows laptops with a touch screen. I found it useless, and did have a real downside. Discussing something with a colleague and they touch the screen when pointing, changing the view, or even changing content. It happened multiple times until I disabled the touch screen.
Apple use to update Intel MacBooks with 'Early 20xx' and 'Late 20xx' all the time. It's not unprecedented for them to release two MacBook Pro's in the same year.