Touch and 5G on the Macbook Ultra

[MitkoTurnovski]

Hello everyone,

There are two things about the upcoming MacBook Ultra that I'm really curious to see play out: the display position when in touch mode, and whether cellular data will work in clamshell mode. To be more specific:

1. The display / hinge.

A touchscreen can be hugely beneficial in certain workflows, especially ones where precision matters. That's exactly why I don't see how Apple could just bolt touch onto a screen with the same basic mechanical design as the current Air or Pro. Try poking a few things near the top of the screen on today's machines and watch it wobble itself into a blur.

So my expectation is a much sturdier hinge — probably stiffer and harder to adjust — anchored lower on the display. That feels like the most likely option.

But then I saw in the WWDC keynote that you can now draw directly on the Mac in Notes and Freeform, using the same tool/color picker the Apple Pencil has on iPad. That got me thinking about a second, less likely possibility: redesigning the hinge entirely so the display can come forward in drawing mode — closer to the user and able to tilt much further back, similar to some of Microsoft's Surface designs. That would be terrific. A large screen with proper drawing ergonomics and Apple Pencil support would probably be the best possible way to work in Procreate, Shapr3D, and so on.

2. Cellular in clamshell mode.

Beyond the obvious benefit of having 5G on your Mac, I wonder whether there would be any MacBook Ultra-specific macOS functionality built around that always-on connection. For one, I'd love to set up an always-on AI agent in something like Claude Code or Hermes that I could reach from my iPhone whenever I'm away from the machine.

What do you think about either one?

 

[subjonas]

Hello everyone,

There are two things about the upcoming MacBook Ultra that I'm really curious to see play out: the display position when in touch mode, and whether cellular data will work in clamshell mode. To be more specific:

1. The display / hinge.

A touchscreen can be hugely beneficial in certain workflows, especially ones where precision matters. That's exactly why I don't see how Apple could just bolt touch onto a screen with the same basic mechanical design as the current Air or Pro. Try poking a few things near the top of the screen on today's machines and watch it wobble itself into a blur.

So my expectation is a much sturdier hinge — probably stiffer and harder to adjust — anchored lower on the display. That feels like the most likely option.

But then I saw in the WWDC keynote that you can now draw directly on the Mac in Notes and Freeform, using the same tool/color picker the Apple Pencil has on iPad. That got me thinking about a second, less likely possibility: redesigning the hinge entirely so the display can come forward in drawing mode — closer to the user and able to tilt much further back, similar to some of Microsoft's Surface designs. That would be terrific. A large screen with proper drawing ergonomics and Apple Pencil support would probably be the best possible way to work in Procreate, Shapr3D, and so on.

2. Cellular in clamshell mode.

Beyond the obvious benefit of having 5G on your Mac, I wonder whether there would be any MacBook Ultra-specific macOS functionality built around that always-on connection. For one, I'd love to set up an always-on AI agent in something like Claude Code or Hermes that I could reach from my iPhone whenever I'm away from the machine.

What do you think about either one?

The touch MacBook rumor is very puzzling. Apple has always been explicitly against adding touch to the Mac (or at least as I recall), but it's been a consistent rumor recently so it seems like it's happening. I have to assume they must have come up with an interesting implementation of touch to decide to reverse course on their longstanding position.

But the other puzzling thing is there's been no rumor (that I know of) about a form factor change to accommodate touch ergonomics in any way. But Apple is all about UX, so I'll be very surprised if they add touch with just the same clamshell design unoptimized. I know some people will say touch on a clamshell is "not bad", but it's certainly not ideal, and I hope and would think Apple would have higher standards. I know personally I have no desire to use touch on a clamshell, but I might on a more touch-optimized form factor, as I do use touch on my iPad + Magic Keyboard which "floats" the display closer to me.

As to what form factor Apple would change it to if they did, I have no prediction, only a preference--something like the Surface Laptop Studio (SLS) (which is similar to the Magic Keyboard but also different), which it sounds like is what you were suggesting. I have a SLS, and the double hinge form factor is almost ideal for my use case, which is pen input while using keyboard shortcuts (I almost never use touch on the SLS). I'm able to float the screen above the keyboard at a good position and angle for drawing, while still being able to use the keyboard for shortcuts. I say "almost ideal" because the second hinge has no friction and doesn't lock, so I have to rest the display on my keyboard hand to keep it at the right drawing position. I've gotten used to it, but it would be much more ideal if it locked in place somehow.

It's also puzzling that there haven't been any rumors that the touch MacBook will also get pen (or Pencil) input. It seems like a waste to add touch input but not pen input, but of course only if Apple changes the form factor. If it remains a regular clamshell, then pen input would be almost useless (so maybe they are keeping it clamshell and touch-only?). I think it would be a waste because pen is such a great creative and productivity tool, which macOS is all about, and it works perfectly on a desktop OS because of its precision, not requiring a modified UI with larger targets. Like you, the new drawing tools in those macOS 27 apps also makes me wonder if Apple actually does plan on a MacBook with pen support. I haven't looked at macOS 27 yet, but just from the description of the drawing tools, it doesn't seem likely that Apple expects people to only use them with their finger. So I'm cautiously hopeful that Apple is adding pen support (and modifying the form factor).

Have there been rumors about it getting cellular? I haven't seen any. I'm content with hotspot myself. I'm also very wary about the use of AI agents. I expect I might use them at some point, but only in isolated situations--at least for the time being.

 

[MitkoTurnovski]

There is this rumor from end of last year saying that it will be a more sturdy hinge design, not an updated closing mechanism - "Apple is also adding a reinforced hinge and an updated screen design that will ensure the display does not move when it is touched." (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/16/macbook-pro-oled-touch-screen/). If that is the case then the pencil support won't make much sense as using the pen on a vertical surface is very weird UX-wise.

Regarding the 5G I think based on rumors its very probable that its happening and would be a great quality of life improvement.

 

[subjonas]

There is this rumor from end of last year saying that it will be a more sturdy hinge design, not an updated closing mechanism - "Apple is also adding a reinforced hinge and an updated screen design that will ensure the display does not move when it is touched." (https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/16/macbook-pro-oled-touch-screen/). If that is the case then the pencil support won't make much sense as using the pen on a vertical surface is very weird UX-wise.

Regarding the 5G I think based on rumors its very probable that its happening and would be a great quality of life improvement.

The "updated screen design" part of the rumor is curious. It's very vague so it may leave open the possibility of some kind of convertible design.

 

[Juraj22]

It would be pretty big surprise if Apple brings touch to the macOS. Might happen, but I would not hold my breath.
There are no signs of UI adjustment at all, no bigger touch areas, UI is still for mouse cursor. Best to see this is settings app. Macbook Pro 16' is just too heavy to be used as a tablet, maybe kiosk mode, but that has too narrow appeal.

But maybe and it is a pretty big maybe, Apple figured out something new, completely new form factor...🙂
Nope, imagine iPad + keyboard. UI is already adjusted, OS exists, I still don't get it what use case would be better served on touch mac than iPad.

On the other side 5G modem on Macbooks looks like much more realistic option.