Another report claims that Apple could be gearing up to release a touchscreen MacBook Pro, but also suggests it might be getting ready to kick the notch to the curb.
Apple has very publicly been against touchscreen computers. It all started in 2010 when Steve Jobs publicly declared that there would never be a touchscreen Mac.
He argued that the ergonomics were terrible. The sentiment was later echoed by Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering in 2018.
And yet, the rumors persist to this very day. In fact, Bloomberg says that Apple is finally gearing up to release a high-end, touchscreen MacBook Pro as soon as late 2026 — or early 2027.
Allegedly, the new MacBook Pro would feature an OLED display. It would be the first time Apple would use the technology in a Mac.
The use of OLED isn't surprising. That's always been more of a when, rather than an if.
This model would also be the first to abandon the much reviled notch in favor of a hole-punch design for the FaceTime camera. It would be reasonable enough to assume that Apple may migrate the Dynamic Island, first introduced on the iPhone 15, to Mac.
But Bloomberg says the company has also developed a reinforced hinge and screen hardware. This would be necessary to offset any display bounce when touched.
All of these improvements would likely come with a higher price tag. Bloomberg believes this would raise the price by a few hundred dollars more than current models.
Next verse, same as the first
This isn't the first time we've heard rumors of a touchscreen Mac. It's not even the first time we've heard them this year.
In September, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the touchscreen Mac would drop in late 2026. He claims the move "appears to reflect Apple's long-term observation of iPad user behavior," and may even increase productivity in certain scenarios.
Detail from the patent showing a touchscreen MacBook Pro
And there's reason for the speculation. In 2021 and 2023, Apple filed patents that included a touch screen Mac — and they were granted in September 2024.
Of course, there's just as much reason to assume it won't. After all, Apple executives have made it pretty clear that they'd prefer to keep Mac and iPad separate, and they want you to buy both.
