Apple is expected to unveil its first touchscreen MacBooks on Wednesday at an event in Los Angeles, a step that would reverse years of company resistance to putting touch displays on its laptop line as the holiday shopping season approaches.
The Los Angeles date follows a busy stretch of launches. Apple introduced a folding iPhone, Duo, at its Silicon Valley headquarters in September and a smart home hub in New York earlier this month. Those products open new categories; the laptop event instead revisits an old debate: whether the touchscreens Apple popularised on iPhones and iPads should also sit on its oldest computer line.
Why Apple long said no to laptop touch
Company leaders once dismissed the idea. Steve Jobs said in 2010 that touchscreens on laptops were “ergonomically terrible.” Tim Cook, then chief executive, said in 2012 that such machines would please users about as much as joining a toaster and a refrigerator. Before he became Apple’s current chief executive, John Ternus argued that Apple already sold a touchscreen computer through the iPad.
Touchscreens have been common on Windows PCs for more than a decade. With the iPhone nearing its twentieth year, many younger buyers treat a responsive screen as normal. Anshel Sag, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said Apple’s earlier stance was mistaken and that accepting touch was “the long arm of reality setting in.”
Chips, sales and what buyers may want
How customers react remains an open question. Mac sales have risen, much of that among technology enthusiasts and businesses buying machines for on-device artificial intelligence work. Apple this week announced an upgraded base MacBook Pro with a new M6 chip. Reports say it plans to ship touchscreen models with the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips already used in MacBook Pro machines, so those new units would not bring a major performance jump over current high-end models.
Tech commentator Jason Calacanis wrote on X that what people mainly want is more memory and better processors for local AI models. Separately, the folding iPhone Duo carries a $2,000 price tag and scarce supply as it reaches stores—another signal that Apple’s newest hardware sits at the premium end of the market.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- September: Apple launched the folding iPhone Duo at its Silicon Valley headquarters.
- Earlier this month: Apple introduced a smart home hub in New York.
- This week: Apple announced an upgraded base MacBook Pro with a new M6 chip.
- Wednesday: Apple is expected to show its first touchscreen MacBooks at an event in Los Angeles.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Apple jald hi pehli baar touchscreen wale MacBook dikha sakti hai, Los Angeles ke event mein. Pehle company ke leaders kehte the ke laptop par touch theek nahi. Ab Windows users pehle se touch use karte hain, is liye pressure barh gaya hai. Pakistan mein MacBook pehle se mehnga import hai; touchscreen se choice badlegi, lekin price aur chip power abhi clear nahi.
