Apple’s first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen adds fingertip controls to the main display while keeping keyboard and trackpad use central. Announced Wednesday, Oct. 28, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display comes in 14-inch and 16-inch configurations with tandem OLED panels and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.
Apple says users can scroll, pinch, and drag and drop on the display alongside keyboard shortcuts and trackpad gestures. A sensor integrated into the display detects touch, while a redesigned hinge is intended to steady the screen when users reach for it. Apple cites drawing, playing software instruments and testing iPhone and iPad apps as possible uses.
The feature revisits an ergonomic concern Apple co-founder Steve Jobs raised in 2010. He argued that reaching toward a vertical screen could tire a user’s arm, saying, “Touch surfaces don't want to be vertical.” EconoTimes previously covered reports about a touchscreen MacBook; Apple has now announced the product.
Apple executives discussed the reasoning in an interview with WIRED. CEO John Ternus told the magazine the company waited until it could add touch without increasing the laptop’s thickness or weight. Chief hardware officer Johny Srouji said progress in display technology, custom silicon and software architecture had “met our bar.” WIRED also reported that Apple adjusted the thermal system and some on-screen controls for touch use.
In the United States, the 14-inch M5 Pro model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch version at $3,399. M5 Max models start at $4,499 and $4,799, respectively. Apple opened preorders Wednesday, Oct. 28, in 30 countries and regions. The new MacBook Pro models are scheduled to become available Friday, Nov. 6.
