Apple Finally Gives the MacBook Pro a Touchscreen
Apple Finally Gives the MacBook Pro a Touchscreen
In the days before Apple’s Los Angeles “Pro and tell” event, the expected MacBook Pro overhaul was notable less for its specifications than for what it represented. Apple had spent years criticizing touchscreen laptops, but growing demand for tapping and swiping on a notebook appeared to have forced a rethink.
On Wednesday, Apple made that reversal official, unveiling its first MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch version at $3,399; both are available for preorder ahead of a November 6 release.
The company is calling the tandem OLED panel “PROLED XDR,” promising up to 2,000 nits of peak SDR brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate and a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The machines use M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, add an iPhone-style Dynamic Island, and restore the glowing Apple logo. Apple says the touch sensor is integrated directly into the display panel to reduce latency, while updated apps and developer tools are meant to make macOS more touch-friendly.
That is Apple’s answer to the objection once voiced by Steve Jobs, who called touchscreen laptops “ergonomically terrible.” Early hands-on reporting says the company has not eliminated the need to lift an arm to the display, but has at least softened the hardware trade-off: the 14-inch model weighs 3 pounds and the 16-inch version 4 pounds, both lighter than comparable non-touch models.
The sharper question is whether touch becomes a daily Mac habit or an occasional shortcut for scrolling, photo zooming, app testing and software instruments. Apple has finally crossed its old red line; it now has to prove the compromise is worth reaching for.
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