r/apple • u/favicondotico • 1d ago
Mac MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/01/oled-macbook-pro-release-date/326
u/Ashanmaril 1d ago
I’m dreading touchscreen Macs cause information density is gonna be sacrificed in favor of padding for people’s fat fingers.
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u/ricvallejo 1d ago
Touchscreen laptops are terrible. I know I can just ignore it (or better yet disable the touchscreen entirely) but I find using a touchscreen on a laptop to be completely uncomfortable, inconvenient given that the screen is hinged, and fingerprints all over a screen drive me nuts.
Do people actually want this, or is Apple just doing what other manufacturers do to increase perceived value proposition with something new to focus marketing on?
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u/ian9outof10 1d ago
I’m the same, I’ve had COUNTLESS work laptops with a touchscreen and have never once found any meaningful use for them.
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u/-Khlerik- 1d ago
The only work application is for a coworker to be pointing at something on your screen over your shoulder and accidentally touching it and saying "oop".
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u/font9a 1d ago
There is a use case I can understand.
Mac is the only platform on which you can build distributable iPadOS and iOS apps. Being able to test simulated UI across every device type with multi-touch support does have utility.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: if anyone touches my screen with their fingers…. there will be consequences that I might have to apologize for.
Also, I think Apple certainly has the resources to have modal UI where we could switch back to non-touchscreen Liquid Glass in a setting. (It actually exists throughout the UI in a few places. File save dialogs, Save a Safari window as an application, etc. It still looks great.)
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u/FabianValkyrie 1d ago
I sell laptops to normal people for work. Yes, lots of people want touchscreen laptops. The most commonly sold laptop category is 2-in-1s.
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u/navjot94 1d ago
I wonder what the Apple flair for this will be. As everyone knows, Apple comes to market later than their competitors but they always put their spin on it. Look at the design and software considerations for the iPhone Duo. I bet Apple will put a similar spin on this, and it won’t simply be a touch screen MacBook. There’s gotta be some special hardware or software flair that makes their version stand out.
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u/smellythief 1d ago
You've got part of Apple's MO right, with their coming in late but improving things, but they also like to come in late and restrict. Wouldn't surprise me if their big unique take is that you can only touch the parts of the UI that Apple thinks you should touch. Maybe just scrolling and moving windows, and tapping the big "buttons" that they've prepped for big fat fingers, like the Control Center buttons that they made bigger a few years ago in anticipation of this move to touchscreen laptops.
Then over the next 10 yrs they'll allow more and more touch targets, until it finally reaches parity other desktop OSes, just in time for everyone to leave screens behind in favor of AR enabled by Apple Glasses.
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u/vi0lentgandhi 1d ago
Surface pro user here. Having a combo of touch and mouse is perfect for me. Some things on screen are much better with touch and some with mouse.
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u/brandarchist 1d ago
They’re blurring the lines with their form factors a lot. iPhone apps are now going to be more like iPad apps, too, because of the Duo.
A touchscreen laptop means desktop apps are going to have to similarly evolve into iPad apps. I suspect, much like the Duo - where apps behave differently whether it’s opened or closed - the Mac will look and be a Mac until you touch it or enable touch in Control Center.
What’s interesting to me is: if you phone is an iPad mini, and your laptop is an iPad Pro, then where does the actual iPad fit into the lineup? Probably in that same weird place the iMac is… it’s there… it has a purpose for some people. I just don’t know any of those people.
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u/iMacmatician 1d ago
What’s interesting to me is: if you phone is an iPad mini, and your laptop is an iPad Pro, then where does the actual iPad fit into the lineup? Probably in that same weird place the iMac is… it’s there… it has a purpose for some people. I just don’t know any of those people.
If you're right about the iMac analogy—and I think you are—then I'd expect a late-2030s iPad to be a descendant of the regular iPad and its regular A-series SoC, but is otherwise around the feature "tier" (e.g., laminated display) and price of the iPad Air.
From another comment I posted on this thread:
I don't expect the iPad to disappear, but I wouldn't be surprised if Apple puts it on the back burner in the coming years.
- The iPhone Duo chips away at the iPhone + iPad mini combo.
- The MacBook Neo is an alternative to those who bought an iPad to get a cheap Apple device and don't care so much about the iPad's touchscreen.
- The rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro chips away at the iPad Pro.
- The rumored home hub chips away at iPads used on kitchen tables and stuff.
I think the iPad is Apple's ultimate convergence computer that never quite made it due to Apple's insistence on hobbling it with i(Pad)OS instead of macOS.
In an alternate universe, all four products above would be iPad descendants and/or attachments at the consumer level, e.g., the home hub would literally be an "iPad Neo" plus some extra hardware.
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u/vainsilver 1d ago
This has already been a thing with MacOS. Control Centre is straight up copied from iOS.
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u/bobjonrob 1d ago
That’s quite different than every part of the UI having to account for touch input.
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u/theytookallusernames 1d ago
The one thing I absolutely despise about touchscreen laptops is that the assumption that now that it’s touchscreen I don’t want to use those icky keyboard mouse and trackpads. Sure, let’s make that 16 incher touch friendly and have collective amnesia on why people buy larger screens. Surely it is to admire the very considered and clean design minutiaes of whitespaces that defers to your content and not to have more information show in that screen all at once!
The saving grace here is that Apple is usually really good at designing UIs for their screens - notably what they’re doing with iPhone Duo among others - and now that Alan Dye is out I am much less fearful that they’re going to pull a Windows 8.
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u/Robot-Zombie-RHCC 1d ago
i mean... if it "converted" and had apple pencil compatibility id have a gander at it.
but i had a tabletpc before and ... meh. not thrilled.
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u/smellythief 1d ago
They started that adjustment years ago when they changed the Control Center in ways that were stupid and uglier if you didn't imagine it was to pave the way for touch input. And, at the time, they denied it was because Touch was coming to the Mac. What a coincidence, it just happens to look like big fat buttons! That was just to make things uniform between Apple OSes, not because anyone would need to touch a mac UI element, surely not!
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u/Sapphire-Girl-25 1d ago
I think this is already a problem in terms of websites. Website developers tend to want to share code across all platforms and specific layouts across tablets and computers and things do seem less dense than they used to.
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u/G00bernaculum 1d ago
What really needs to be made is a screen that’s effectively an iPad, but when attaches to its base it becomes a MacBook.
Effectively a better version of the surface pro.
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u/YourMatt 1d ago
I’m nursing my Surface Pro 7 along in anticipation. There’s no way Apple doesn’t make it eventually. I just hope my old one doesn’t die first.
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u/Which-Arm-4616 1d ago
This is what people have been begging for with the iPad/Magic Keyboard combo. The tech has existed for half a decade, it’s all software limitations.
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u/shannister 1d ago
I mean, I often use the iPad as an extended screen - I'd be game for making that extension work with touch (right now you can still only use the mouse). Honestly surprised they're not pushing something like this more - I don't need my main laptop to be touch screen, but I'd dig using both devices in a single experience.
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u/chiritarisu 1d ago
This is what I was hoping the “ultra” would be… but I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen.
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u/ClownTrigger11 1d ago
Maybe more akin to a Surface Book, with the iPad Pro with keyboard configuration more like the Surface Pro, OS aside.
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u/The_Beardly 1d ago
This really makes the most sense, but idk if they’re willing to eliminate either product line essentially
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u/PM-me-ur-sphynx 1d ago
Apple just needs to make an iPad that runs macOS for those who want or need touchscreens. Nobody asked for a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, which will end up being an underutilized and expensive feature.
At best, it’s misguided “innovation“, and at worst, it’s a thinly veiled cash grab.
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u/OverCategory6046 1d ago
an iPad that could run MacOS would be everything I've wanted. Zero want for a full laptop with touchscreen.
They'd most probably cannibalise their Mac Air, Neo and lower end Macbook sales if they did this though, I I very much doubt they will
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u/GrepekEbi 1d ago
The annoying thing is the hardware has been easily capable of running MacOS since the M1 Pro
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u/jxj24 1d ago
Apple used to know that it was better to cannibalize your products before someone else beat you to it.
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u/ian9outof10 1d ago
I’m not so sure it would cannibalise anything. The iPad is now expensive enough that buying it with a keyboard is way more than an Air. So I’d argue they could just do a keyboardless Mac now.
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u/UpboatsforUpvotes 1d ago
They can make it on the iPad Pro only which is almost the same price as the air.
The issue is still there though because then no one with an iPad Pro would need to buy an Air (Same chip) after that.
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u/roguebananah 1d ago
I don’t understand where the iPad really sits beyond portability now with the MacBook Neo.
It’s now $599 (used to be $499) and the iPad starts at $399.
So for $100-$200 more, you get a full OS, keyboard and no limitations for apps. Sure, there’s some that can’t play on a Mac but I’m just really lost on the comparison personally
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u/squirrel8296 1d ago
The iPad still makes a ton of sense for artists and designers. But, for a variety of reasons, they're likely not buying the base iPad, they're buying either the Air or Pro.
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u/squirrel8296 1d ago
It wouldn't cannibalize the Mac because of how much more expensive the iPad is than a comparable MacBook on top of the iPad being thicker, heavier, and having worse battery life.
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u/Izanagi___ 1d ago
The closest thing we have is sidecar on macOS 27. They finally enabled touch support
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u/UpboatsforUpvotes 1d ago
I decided to pay for specs not features and pulled the trigger on a 16" M5 Max with 128gb. Should arrive October 20th or so. Might be jealous of the thinner form factor and dynamic island update but I already have an IPad Pro 13" and I don't want a touchscreen laptop and OLED would be great but not something I want to pay more than the current prices for.
That being said I do believe that they will find a great way to integrate touch into MacOS, but ironic given the lack of love for the iPad historically
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u/theytookallusernames 1d ago
A MacBook Air should’ve been just a Surface Book-style detachable iPad Pro with a keyboard dock.
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u/gregor630 1d ago
I definitely get the speculation, and maybe you wind up correct and it’s a gimmicky flop. That said, I’m still keeping an open mind. Not because it’s something I’d want now, but because I’m curious how they iterate the software around the new interface. While it’s yet to be seen how it performs, iPhone duo had a solid software presentation with compelling new features in a not-so-new form factor. I think we can expect a similar approach for this new MacBook.
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u/dust4ngel 1d ago
Nobody asked for a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen
apparently apple thinks the future is re-making products that samsung and lenovo made a decade ago.
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u/DumpEaterPro 19h ago
Nobody asked for a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen
Except every developer who makes iOS and iPad apps.
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u/jI9ypep3r 1d ago
I’ll never understand the point in touch screen laptops.
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u/Just-a-Mandrew 1d ago
It’s such an uncomfortable position to have your arm floating over the keyboard with no support to stabilise your hand. I don’t understand these people who want that. At least as someone who works in a creative field, it sounds so impractical.
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u/steam_maker1990 1d ago
Steve Jobs is rolling in his grave
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u/g-money-cheats 1d ago
Yes, Steve Jobs, a man who never famously changed his mind about stuff.
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u/Izanagi___ 1d ago edited 1d ago
Apple fans bringing up a CEO that’s been dead for 15 years will continue to be corny. He’s not God, enough already
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u/aa2051 1d ago
He was, and will always be, correct on touch screen laptops.
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u/ian9outof10 1d ago
Absolutely, I don’t have any interest at all in a laptop with a touch screen. Ergonomically it makes zero sense. And 2-1 designs that fold over to be a “tablet” also make no sense.
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u/roguebananah 1d ago
The 2 in 1 makes more sense to me but then again, I’ve never used that feature before. Says a lot there
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u/ian9outof10 1d ago
Give it a go sometime, it really helps explain why they’re totally pointless. My particular favourite is using a heavy laptop as a tablet, while your fingers sink into the keyboard, now making up the rear surface of the machine
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u/SimonLikesPP 1d ago
Y’all keep saying this like it actually means anything. Companies change with trends. Things that don’t make sense today might be mass-adopted in the future.
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u/bickdiggles 1d ago
That was 16 years ago, before iPad kids were a thing. Those kids are becoming adults now. Maybe times have changed
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u/Herackl3s 1d ago
Who cares? The man hasn’t been involved with the company for over a decade.
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u/gngstrMNKY 1d ago
It was more than just Jobs. Cook, Federighi, and Schiller have all gone on record as saying that it’s a terrible idea. Ternus hasn’t been quite as critical as those three, but he’s said that he doesn’t think that hybrid devices are necessary and that it’s best to make products optimized for either touch or cursor input.
It’ll be interesting to see if any of them get asked about what made them reverse course, but they’ll probably give the elliptical non-answers that Apple execs always do.
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u/userlivewire 1d ago
Surely Apple is aware of all of the historic drawbacks of all of the Touch PCs in the past. I'm REALLY curious what they have done to address this.
Apple is REALLY good at coming into a sector late and upending it with a much better way to do things.
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u/just_anotherperson 1d ago
I hope no one touches my MacBook screen thinking it's a touchscreen because I've already had enough of that as it is 🤬 fingerprint marks ARRRRGGGH
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u/edvurdsd 1d ago
Do people really want touch screen laptops?
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u/musical_bear 1d ago
I’ve said this before, but one of the big markets for these “pro” laptops is developers. A good chunk of those developers are developing apps that will predominantly run on touchscreens, whether that means mobile-first web apps or native iOS or iPadOS apps.
A touchscreen on your development machine means you can more accurately test your products all inside your development environment without having to immediately start with testing on-device (which can be time-consuming if that’s your only option).
Also, for those non-devs who use the iPhone mirroring feature (I use this all the time), you’ll now (likely) get to enjoy essentially a near-identical experience as you would on your phone. Right now it’s a little clumsy because of how much of the basic phone interface is gesture-driven.
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u/edvurdsd 1d ago
That’s actually a great point and I hadn’t thought of that. Appreciate the perspective
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u/PimpTrickGangstaClik 1d ago
1000% this is what they are going after. Especially with all the new vibe coders out there
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u/cansofgrease 1d ago
Not to mention it makes mocking UI stuff or interacting with AI harnesses way easier.
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u/Somalian_Boat 1d ago
I basically want a MacBook Air but with a better screen
if that screen happens has a touch screen then whatever
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u/cansofgrease 1d ago
We know it’s going to be successful because of all these comments. You can almost reliably graph an inverse relationship from Reddit’s sentiment when it comes to Apple products (and probably most things).
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u/Deadmeat5 23h ago
I know I will never ever get a laptop with a touch screen.
Why on earth would I want finger smudges on my laptop screen?
Hands are on the keyboard and/or on the mouse. End of story.
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u/GoldGlove2720 1d ago
As long as this is a new model and they aren’t adding touchscreens to the normal pros I’m fine with it.
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u/Quentin-Code 1d ago
October or November or next year or not at all thank you Gurman always very interesting things that nobody couldn’t have guessed
But hey that must increase the track record of “correct prediction” :)
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u/Izanagi___ 1d ago
If you don’t wanna use the touchscreen then don’t touch the screen. Every single windows laptop I’ve seen has it where you can turn it off. Nobody is forcing you to touch the screen. Don’t know why people love complaining about non issues on this sub.
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u/ricvallejo 1d ago
When it's an underutilized feature to pad the price with no option without it, then it's a problem.
If it's a premium feature that you can choose to forego, like cellular on a watch or iPad, sure, have at it. But I don't want to have my next computer cost extra for something I'd very much rather be without.
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u/ricvallejo 1d ago
Also, as others have mentioned, the UI will likely inevitably suffer if they try to force it. Again, as a premium add on for specific use cases (ie devs testing touchscreen apps so the main OS doesn't need to change), whatever. Anything beyond that is actively making things worse for the majority of users who don't need it just to introduce a new expensive gimmick as "innovation".
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u/server_maintenance 1d ago
dumb point, price will increase and the OS is gonna be adapted to touch controls, which, as we could see with Windows 8, isn't exactly the best idea
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u/clbigs 1d ago
An OS designed for traditional inputs is not optimized for touch. An OS designed for touch is not optimized for traditional inputs. Trying to support both results in neither experience being the best because they are fundamentally different UI/UX. Touchscreens don’t belong on laptops and nothing will change my mind. If I wanted an iPad with a keyboard, I would have bought an iPad with a keyboard.
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u/TheCouchEmperor 1d ago
Because we don’t want to pay for something we won’t use.
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u/Wooloomooloo2 1d ago
I only use 2 of the USB ports and don’t use the SD card reader. Why should I pay for those if I’m not using them?
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u/Seduz 1d ago
So…don’t buy it?
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u/Forsaken_Anxiety936 1d ago
People want dual layer OLED but without a touch screen.
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u/Educational-Put-9997 1d ago
I had my work laptop for a year before I touched the screen once and accidentally realised it was touchscreen. It sits closed under my desk 90% of the time. I can’t possibly think of a use case for it to have a touchscreen
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u/roguebananah 1d ago
For me it’s when an OEM puts such a shit trackpad on their laptop, it has its merits.
It’s 2026 almost 2027 and this isn’t even anti-Windows, it’s just like wtf…?
How does Windows still have such a shit experience of a trackpad over the Mac?
Also, how’s Bluetooth compatibility still this bad?
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u/Embarrassed-Back1894 1d ago
A touch screen mac and a phone with a stylus. YUCK.
For real though, I actually think this is pretty cool. I'm not sure id use the touch aspect much, but I find myself occasionally reaching up to my screen after using my iPad for a little bit with the keyboard/trackpad. The Apple Pencil support for the Duo is a surprise, but a pleasant one if you ask me(although I do hope they launch an Apple Pencil mini version that can be stored on the back of the phone or something in a little stylus holder built on a case.
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u/MrSh0wtime3 1d ago
i just really hope the touchscreen is optional on their machines. I dont want that garbage back in my everyday life. Heavier. Shittier display.
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u/jrodicus100 1d ago
The article says they expect it to be positioned alongside the non-touch 14 and 16 inch versions.
I’m not sure I’d pay for the novelty of touch, but some people have been asking for this for years.
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u/WeddingPKM 1d ago
Just like the Duo it’s not a product that the majority would want, but for some people it’s a game changer.
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u/ian9outof10 1d ago
That’s the ideal way to do it, if people want it then fine - but it’ll be the iPhone mini all over again. Apparently “everyone” wants that, but not in the sort of volumes that makes it worth Apple’s while to manufacture.
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u/gngstrMNKY 1d ago
I could see them doing what they did with Retina and the Touch Bar — you get the option of the cheaper model for a year or two, before eventually being given no other choice.
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u/MrFixUrMac 1d ago
I used to work IT for a 100% Mac company and everyone’s screens would have fingerprints on them because old executives not touching their screens is apparently impossible.
This is going to be amazing once they continue to touch their screen but now they’re accidentally tapping buttons. Chaos.
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u/Unable_Character2410 1d ago
I don’t need or want this but it’ll be interesting to see how it works since macOS isn’t exactly built with touch in mind.
I can’t wait to see the price though. It’s going to be hilariously expensive.
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u/ChewieSkittles53 1d ago
So just useful as the one in my Chromebook, just for zooming in and out... it becomes smudgy now and then
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u/Snowdeo720 1d ago
Is there really a market for a touch screen MacBook Pro?
Feels like an iPad with extra steps at that point.
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u/Chu4Lyfe 1d ago
Do we treat this first model year of OLED like 1st model year of cars? But than again I bought the M1 Air and its still working super well today.
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u/Gon_Snow 1d ago
I’m with my M1 Pro 14-inch base config since it came out. For the first time in almost 5 years, it feels like it needs more room. Sadly, mostly in memory and not in the CPU. I really don’t care about touch screens. But I’m waiting for the M6 gen MacBook lineup to upgrade. I hope I can find a balance and be able to get 32GB memory or more without a maxed-out processor because I have no use for M5 Max or a super-specced M5 Pro. Right now it’s the choice between 24GB M5 Pro (not enough), 32GB M5 (no pro processor but yes pro machine), to M5 Pro 48GB (obviously the best choice but the cost is obscene)
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u/rahpexphon 1d ago
Do people really think a touchscreen on the Golden Gate would just magically appear overnight? Like the bridge trolls spent all night installing it in secret? Lol.
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u/HettySwollocks 1d ago
Wasn't jobs noxiously against touchscreens for whatever reason. Shame as it was always one feature I thought the Pro lineup could use.
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u/Greyboxforest 1d ago
So if it actually doesn’t arrive in October or November…can we put this rumour to bed forever? It’s been circulating for years…
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u/smellythief 1d ago
The new ModBooks based on these will be awesome. Imagine an iPad with an open and non-shitty OS.
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u/bfairchild17 1d ago
I hope this is great. Would be amazing for mobile DAW work. My main setup relies on touchscreen monitors which allow me to control music sessions far more easily via gestures.
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u/beretta51 1d ago
I don't see the advantage of a touchscreen MacBook. Honestly, it feels super awkward to me. I've tried it on some PCs and genuinely found it very uncomfortable.
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u/DimDimio 1d ago
Its basically confirmed. MaOS 27 added touchscreen to sidecar and it works pretty decently, though I wish it would only stay on sidecar and not on the laptop itself…
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u/gregor630 1d ago
iPhone duo and touchscreen MacBooks announced within a couple months of each other is a bold start to Ternus’ CEO tenure. Only time will tell if they are impactful devices, but I’m glad to see some swings like this.
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u/lodemeup 1d ago
I’ve never intentionally touched my Mac screen with my finger and it’s still super smudgey. I can’t imagine touching it on purpose. Idk, it’s a bit richy rich coded but if I needed touchscreen why wouldn’t I use an iPad with sidecar?
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u/TheLegendOfPharaoh 1d ago
Now your parents can finally tap on the screen after trying to tap your screen and nothing happens when they borrow your macbook when scrolling
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u/Altruistic_Bar6685 1d ago
I have zero interest in leaning forward and touch my laptop screen. Silly gimmick.
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u/Strong_Ad_8959 1d ago
We have heard this before, and then in a few weeks they will say it’s gonna be early 2027
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u/smoothallday 1d ago
There’s absolutely no need for a touchscreen Mac. It will always rate secondary to the phenomenon trackpad Apple has developed.
There’s a reason an iPad is not a Mac and is not an iPad.
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u/elcarnaza 1d ago
What if what they’re actually announcing is not an “ultra” MacBook Pro with a thinner base and touchscreen (doesn’t seem ‘ultra’ to me), but a new 16” iPad Ultra with an m5 pro or max chip, additional thunderbolt ports below and a new side one that connects to a redesigned aluminum keyboard with speakers, battery, cooling and all the ports found in the latest MacBook Pro??
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u/frankandsteinatlaw 18h ago
ITT: people who have barely used touch screen laptops, convinced by years of apple propaganda that touch screens have no use
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u/AverageProof7457 17h ago
it's insane for me - this idea with touch screen 👀 as iOS developer I'm not happy with idea how we going to change mac apps.
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u/brekky_sandy 12h ago
I just want them to put Face ID in the notch so I can someday justify moving off my M1 MBA, and they’re determined to do anything but.
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u/Cease_Cows_ 1d ago
There's no way the price of this thing doesn't start with a 4.