MacBook with touchscreen display could be released in a few years, report says

Apple’s dislike of laptops with touchscreen displays might soon change. The tech giant has reportedly started the development of a MacBook with the said feature.

Engineers of the iPhone maker are said to be “actively engaged” in the making of a touchscreen MacBook, suggesting Apple is at least exploring the possibility of offering the device. Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the project, that the company has had “internal deliberations” where it has considered a potential launch by 2025.

However, the same report pointed out that there are no final plans yet, so Apple could still end up maintaining its long-running stance on keeping touchscreens away from Mac devices. But if the project pushes through, Bloomberg says the touchscreen display would be included in a MacBook that has a conventional form factor and design. So it is unlikely to have a 2-in-1 mechanism, and it would still feature a keyboard and a trackpad.

This is quite an interesting development, considering that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs has earnestly rejected the idea of launching Macs with touchscreens. Bloomberg recalled that Jobs once called the concept “ergonomically terrible,” a stance which was preserved by his predecessor and current CEO Tim Cook, as well as other Apple execs.

When Apple confirmed some iOS apps would be brought into the Mac platform, the company reiterated that it is not a preparation for touchscreen laptops. Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi told Wired at the time, “We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do.”

Another Apple exec, SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus, reiterated that stance in 2021. He told the Wall Street Journal that the company already has the “best touch computer” with its range of iPad offerings and added, “The Mac is totally optimized for indirect input. We haven’t really felt a reason to change that.”

A year later, however, Apple seemed to have hinted at softening its stance on touchscreen laptops. During an October 2022 conference, Federighi was once again asked about the matter. But this time, he reportedly responded, “Who’s to say?”

Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash