SK Hynix Considers U.S. ADR Listing to Boost Shareholder Value Amid Rising AI Chip Demand 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish National AI Regulation Standard 
SoftBank Eyes Switch Inc as It Pushes Deeper Into AI Data Center Expansion 
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Denies Reports of $800 Billion Valuation Fundraise 
SK Hynix Shares Surge on Hopes for Upcoming ADR Issuance 
JD.com Pledges 22 Billion Yuan Housing Support for Couriers as China’s Instant Retail Competition Heats Up 
Australia Enforces World-First Social Media Age Limit as Global Regulation Looms 
Trello Outage Disrupts Users as Access Issues Hit Atlassian’s Work Management Platform 
Gulf Sovereign Funds Unite in Paramount–Skydance Bid for Warner Bros Discovery 
China Adds Domestic AI Chips to Government Procurement List as U.S. Considers Easing Nvidia Export Curbs 
SoftBank Shares Slide as Oracle’s AI Spending Plans Fuel Market Jitters 
U.S. Greenlights Nvidia H200 Chip Exports to China With 25% Fee 
U.S.-EU Tensions Rise After $140 Million Fine on Elon Musk’s X Platform 
Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools Raises U.S. National Security Concerns 
Westpac Director Peter Nash Avoids Major Investor Backlash Amid ASX Scrutiny 
Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Sparks Global Debate and Early Challenges 
Apple’s dislike of laptops with touchscreen displays might soon change. The tech giant has reportedly started the development of a MacBook with the said feature.
Engineers of the iPhone maker are said to be “actively engaged” in the making of a touchscreen MacBook, suggesting Apple is at least exploring the possibility of offering the device. Bloomberg reported, citing sources with knowledge of the project, that the company has had “internal deliberations” where it has considered a potential launch by 2025.
However, the same report pointed out that there are no final plans yet, so Apple could still end up maintaining its long-running stance on keeping touchscreens away from Mac devices. But if the project pushes through, Bloomberg says the touchscreen display would be included in a MacBook that has a conventional form factor and design. So it is unlikely to have a 2-in-1 mechanism, and it would still feature a keyboard and a trackpad.
This is quite an interesting development, considering that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs has earnestly rejected the idea of launching Macs with touchscreens. Bloomberg recalled that Jobs once called the concept “ergonomically terrible,” a stance which was preserved by his predecessor and current CEO Tim Cook, as well as other Apple execs.
When Apple confirmed some iOS apps would be brought into the Mac platform, the company reiterated that it is not a preparation for touchscreen laptops. Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi told Wired at the time, “We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do.”
Another Apple exec, SVP of Hardware Engineering John Ternus, reiterated that stance in 2021. He told the Wall Street Journal that the company already has the “best touch computer” with its range of iPad offerings and added, “The Mac is totally optimized for indirect input. We haven’t really felt a reason to change that.”
A year later, however, Apple seemed to have hinted at softening its stance on touchscreen laptops. During an October 2022 conference, Federighi was once again asked about the matter. But this time, he reportedly responded, “Who’s to say?”
Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash
