Apple finally launches its first touchscreen MacBook Pro after years of resisting the idea
Apple has officially introduced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, ending more than a decade of resistance to bringing touch controls to its traditional laptop lineup.
Unveiled on October 28, the new MacBook Pro features an OLED touchscreen, allowing users to interact directly with content using their fingers, something that has been available on Windows laptops for years but has remained absent from Apple's Mac computers.
The launch is particularly significant given Apple's history of rejecting the idea. In 2010, company co-founder Steve Jobs described touchscreen laptops as ergonomically impractical, arguing that users would quickly become uncomfortable reaching vertically to operate a screen. Former CEO Tim Cook also questioned the concept, once comparing the combination of a laptop and tablet to merging a toaster with a refrigerator.
However, with touchscreen devices becoming increasingly common, Apple appears ready to reconsider its position.
What's new?
The new MacBook Pro introduces Apple's PROLED XDR display, built using tandem OLED technology. Unlike traditional LCD screens, OLED displays can individually illuminate pixels, producing deeper blacks, better contrast and more accurate colours.
Apple claims the display delivers peak brightness of 2,000 nits, a contrast ratio of 10 million to one and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
The touchscreen supports familiar gestures, including swiping to scroll, pinching to zoom, dragging and dropping files, and directly manipulating creative projects. Apple has also redesigned the laptop's hinge to provide additional stability when users interact with the screen.
The device is available in 14-inch and 16-inch configurations, powered by Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max processors. Customers can configure their machines with up to 128GB of unified memory and 16TB of storage.
Another notable addition is the Dynamic Island, previously introduced on iPhones, which replaces the traditional MacBook display notch. It provides access to notifications, Live Activities, Spotlight, and Apple's Siri AI assistant.
How much does it cost?
The new touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch model, while the 16-inch version starts at $3,399. Higher-end configurations equipped with the M5 Max chip can reach $4,799.
Pre-orders opened on October 28, with retail availability scheduled for November 6.
