A report today by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is now working to add a touchscreen to the Mac, despite years of resistance. The report says the new MacBook Pro with an OLED display will be the first touchscreen Mac in 2025.
Gurman said Apple engineers are “actively involved in the project,” indicating that the company is “seriously considering” a touch-screen Mac. The first MacBook Pro with a touch screen will retain the traditional touchpad and keyboard design, but the display will support touch input like an iPhone or iPad. The first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen will retain the traditional laptop design with a trackpad and keyboard, but the display will support touch input just like an iPhone or iPad.
Apple has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a touchscreen Mac over the years, so if Apple moves forward with these plans, it would be a major reversal of the company’s philosophy. For example, in 2010, Steve Jobs said that “touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical” because putting your fingers on the screen would cause arm fatigue.
Last October, when asked if Apple’s Mac computers would have a touch screen, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, replied, “I don’t know.”
