- Touch and inking support on Mac is limited or non-existent.
- Microsoft Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote) support inking on Windows via touchscreen or stylus—not on Mac.
- Mac users without access to an iPad or a Wacom tablet are at a clear disadvantage.
- In contexts like teaching, tutoring, or live presentations, the ability to quickly write or draw on screen (diagrams, equations, annotations) is extremely useful for audience engagement and clarity.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Launching as Soon as 2026
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
They just need to make a separate category with one Mac that can do a touch screen, and then leave all the other macs alone for the majority of users whom don’t want to be forced into something they’re unsure about. Let that one Mac do well on its own before trying others. Apple will have its user experience data, and they can make it available to more macs over time.
Touch? Eh I'm good. If it has pressure sensitive pen input though, I'll be ecstatic. Drawing on a portable Mac has been such a long time want/need of mine.
Also if it has a secondary hinge screen similar to the Surface Laptop Studio, that'll just be perfection. It's my ideal form factor because I can "float" the screen higher so that it's easier to draw on, while I can simultaneously use the keyboard for tool shortcuts. I've been using the SLS for the past few years this way when I'm on the go (I also use a Mac desktop setup), and while the SLS form factor has been a Godsend for portability, there are a lot of things about it that every day make me wish it was a Mac.
Also if it has a secondary hinge screen similar to the Surface Laptop Studio, that'll just be perfection. It's my ideal form factor because I can "float" the screen higher so that it's easier to draw on, while I can simultaneously use the keyboard for tool shortcuts. I've been using the SLS for the past few years this way when I'm on the go (I also use a Mac desktop setup), and while the SLS form factor has been a Godsend for portability, there are a lot of things about it that every day make me wish it was a Mac.
WHY? Just why? If you want to touch a screen, buy an ipad. Fingerprints all over my laptop screen? Yuck. The way Apple is going I may as well go back to Windows.
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
I might trade in my recent M4 Pro for this one.
Had to reset my Surface Book 1 from a USB after a 'disk error' appeared and I didn't realize Bitlocker was on. Needed to get on the machine to do the Windows 10 enrollment for updates, and there were SOOOOOO many times I was able to use the touchscreen instead of having to use the touchpad!!
I've said several times I'd be happy for an All-in-One MacBook Air with the touchscreen, and this projection would be 'Put Up or Shut Up Time'.
Had to reset my Surface Book 1 from a USB after a 'disk error' appeared and I didn't realize Bitlocker was on. Needed to get on the machine to do the Windows 10 enrollment for updates, and there were SOOOOOO many times I was able to use the touchscreen instead of having to use the touchpad!!
I've said several times I'd be happy for an All-in-One MacBook Air with the touchscreen, and this projection would be 'Put Up or Shut Up Time'.
You mean like the ENTIRE MAC LINE IS in terms of total market share?
I love my Mac, but I also don't slag off devices for just being niche, because I still love my Surface Book, too.
you think the redesign and oled will be exclusive to m6 pro models, and the base mbp m6 won't get it ?
Sure, if you want a $10k laptop. The 512GB memory mac studio is 9k
I mean my last Mac laptop was over $7k..
Yeah but I also don't want to pay the markup for a feature I'm gonna disable.
Praying for some improvement in Linux battery management. I'm jumping ship to a Thinkpad next upgrade if this pans out.
I have constantly heard from the Apple execs in interviews and other discussions over the years that touch screen won't happen on the Mac. Maybe they are trying to entice Microsoft users over to Apple since Windows 10 is over this month.
I have an old Windows Laptop that people use in the office. We discovered that it was actually a touch screen after 8 or so years. Users said, "Oh, it's a touch screen? I won't touch the screen. it feels awkward with the angle and the muscle movements on the arm. My arm get tired. I won't touch a laptop, a tablet (or an iPad) is better. You hold the tablet or iPad and then touch. Better and does not tired my arms or fingers."
Maybe Apple is playing around with a MacBook Pro, but I don't see Pros using a touch screen. Windows users and Mac users are different. Smudges, finger prints, oil, dirt on the screen does not fly with the user. If you are a Windows user and cross over, then I can see, but personally, I wipe my screen constantly and like my Mac "clean" when using.
"If" Apple decides to have a touch screen Mac, "just" have it as a separate model and not make it across all of the line. I won't buy and will never buy a touch screen Mac. As I have heard from Apple Execs: "That is what an iPad is for..."
Rumors are just rumors, this keeps enthusiast going...
nobody wants a touch screen, even Craig in interview said the Mac would not be touch screen. — oh how things change LOL
Touchscreens are useful when you can detach the keyboard and use it as a tablet. In PC world Tablet/PC have been popular for a reason.
I feel the integrity of the product will go down. Hinge will need to be so robust so it can sustain that rotation many times more than a regular hinge.
Maybe they'll use the same hinge design as the rumored foldable iPhone.
I think the build quality of the current Mx MBPs is quite solid overall, but those darn screens are so delicate that I avoid touching them at all costs.
They’re going to have to make the glass much sturdier and more scratch resistant if they expect people to use the touch screen functionality.
Also, the fingerprints 😩
They’re going to have to make the glass much sturdier and more scratch resistant if they expect people to use the touch screen functionality.
Also, the fingerprints 😩
All of my Windows laptops are touchscreen and I happily use fingers and pens. Surface Pro is better with a pen as the keyboard isn’t in the way but fingers work well on all devices.
Apple looks very outdated on this front, it’s weird that so many pretend they prefer not to have a feature over just not using one thats there. Even if you don’t want a touch interface, it’s hard to argue pen support wouldn’t be useful for a lot of users in a “pro” laptop aimed at creatives.
I don’t buy the cost argument, Surface laptop is cheaper than Mac for a given spec.