Well-known Apple insider Mark Gurman reported on Thursday that Apple is preparing to launch its first Mac computer with a touchscreen, marking a formal break from the design stance the company has adhered to since the era of its founder, Steve Jobs. In response to the news, Apple’s stock price narrowed its losses during Thursday’s trading session.
Insiders revealed that Apple plans to release an all-new MacBook Pro as early as the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, featuring a touchscreen for the first time. The new models have internal codenames K114 and K116, will be thinner and lighter, and will be equipped with the next-generation M6 chip.
As early as January 2023, reports indicated that Apple had begun developing a touchscreen version of the MacBook Pro.
The new MacBook Pro is said to use an OLED display, the same panel technology used in the iPhone and iPad Pro. This will be the first time the Mac product line has adopted this high-end, thin display solution. The touchscreen MacBook Pro will still retain a full keyboard and trackpad, similar to the approach taken by PC makers like Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and Microsoft.
In terms of appearance, Apple will eliminate the “notch” design on the top of the current models, replacing it with a “punch-hole” solution that allows the screen to display content around the camera. Additionally, to address the common “screen wobble” issue with touchscreens, Apple has redesigned the hinge and screen structure to ensure the panel does not bounce or shift when pressed.
Due to the use of more expensive components, the prices for the new 14-inch and 16-inch models are expected to be several hundred dollars higher than the current versions. The top-tier non-touchscreen models currently sell for $1,999 and $2,499, respectively.
Insiders emphasized that Apple is not actively developing more touchscreen Mac models at this time. The company will first observe market feedback on the touchscreen MacBook Pro. This aligns with Apple’s consistent product strategy of testing new features on high-end models before extending them to lower-tier products.
For years, Apple has resisted adding touchscreens to the Mac, citing that the “experience is poor and not ergonomic,” and has instead directed demand toward the iPad.
