According to the latest Bloomberg report, Apple is reportedly working on integrating touch displays into its Mac computers. This would contradict a long-standing business convention and embrace a design philosophy that co-founder Steve Jobs previously deemed “ergonomically terrible.”
The company has reasoned for more than ten years that touch displays do not function well on laptops and that, if someone wants a touch interface, the iPad is a superior choice. According to the reports, Apple has reportedly been concerned that sales of the iPad may be harmed by touch-screen Macs.
People familiar with the project state that the transition is taking place internally and that Apple engineers are actively working on the project, which suggests that the company is possibly developing touch-screen Macs for the very first time.
The first touch-screen Mac, the MacBook Pro with OLED, is expected
According to current plans, Apple’s first touch-screen MacBook Pro will still have a traditional laptop form with a trackpad and keyboard. However, exactly like an iPhone or iPad, the laptop’s screen would accept touch input and gestures. Apple might eventually add touch capabilities to additional Mac models.
Apple also intends to switch its displays over to organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, tech as part of the MacBook Pro overhaul. Apple presently employs liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for its Macs, although OLED is already used in iPhones and Apple Watches.
The iPad Pro will receive those screens, which have increased brightness and colour, in the first half of 2024. Furthermore, earlier reports mention that Apple would begin producing its own displays in 2024.
As Apple is not actively attempting to integrate iPadOS with macOS, the first touchscreen Macs are likely to use macOS. But until a developer opts out, iPhone and iPad apps are accessible on Macs with Apple semiconductor chips. If Apple goes ahead with these plans, it would represent a significant philosophical shift for business, since it has always rejected the idea of a touchscreen Mac.
For instance, in 2010, Steve Jobs claimed that “touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical” since doing so causes arm fatigue. John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, also stated in 2021 that the Mac was “totally optimized for indirect input” and that the corporation did not see a compelling reason to modify that at the time.
As part of a bigger update to the MacBook Pro, the company may introduce its first touch-screen Mac in 2025, according to the report, which is based on ongoing internal discussions.