Some Apple fans have long wanted Apple to combine the functionality of iPad on the Mac, and it appears that it will finally happen. Apple is rumored to be working on touchscreen Mac technologyand we’ll see the first touchscreen Mac in just a few years.
This guide highlights everything we know so far about Apple’s work on a touchscreen Mac.
Possible Models
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark GurmanApple engineers are “actively engaged” in developing a Mac with a touchscreen, and one of the first Macs with a touchscreen could be an OLED version of the MacBook Pro.
How Touchscreen Macs Work
The first touchscreen Mac is expected to continue to feature a traditional laptop design, complete with a trackpad and a keyboard.
While a standard notebook design will continue to be used, the machine will feature a display that supports touch input such as a iPhone or an iPad.
Operating System
Gurman said the first touchscreen Macs likely used macOS, the operating system that runs on Macs. Apple isn’t looking to merge iPadOS and macOS at the moment, though the lines have blurred between the operating systems with the launch of Apple’s silicon Macs.
‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps already run on Macs with Apple silicon chips, unless a developer opts out of cross platform functionality.
Touchscreen Mac History
Apple executives have said many times over the years that Apple has no plans to release a touchscreen Mac. In 2021, for example, Apple hardware engineering chief John Ternus said the best touch computer would be an ‌iPad‌, with the Mac being “fully optimized for indirect input” rather than touch. “We haven’t really felt any reason to change that,” he said.
Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi in 2020 said that Apple believes that Mac ergonomics require hands to rest on a surface, saying that “lifting your arm to poke a screen” is “tiring .” Touchscreen laptops from other companies don’t appeal to Apple either. “I don’t think we’ve ever looked at any of the other guys to date and said, how fast can we get there?”
Later in 2020, Federighi said that a touch-based interface is not being considered for the Mac and that Apple has no secret plans to change the way the Mac works. Apple has been denying claims of a touchscreen Mac for nearly a decade at this point.
The Competition
Almost all PC manufacturers produce some type of touch-based tablet/laptop hybrid device, many of which are positioned as all-in-one or convertible machines.
HP, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, Microsoft, Google, and Samsung have notebook options with touch displays. Apple’s main competitor Samsung, for example, offers Galaxy Bookwith a traditional keyboard and trackpad paired with a touchscreen.
Release Date
The first touchscreen Mac may appear in 2025, but there is time for Apple to change its plans.