Apple is now working on adding touchscreens to Macs, despite years of resistance to the idea

According to a report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is now working on adding touchscreens to Macs, despite years of resistance to the idea. The report claims that a new MacBook Pro with an OLED display could be the first touchscreen Mac to be released in 2025. Apple engineers are reported as “actively engaged in the project,” indicating that the company is “seriously considering” producing touchscreen Macs.

The first touchscreen Macs are expected to retain a traditional laptop design, including a trackpad and a keyboard, but the display would support touch input similar to that of an iPhone or iPad. The report also states that the first touchscreen Macs are likely to use macOS, as Apple is not actively working to combine iPadOS and macOS at this time.

It should be noted that this would be a significant shift in philosophy for Apple, as the company has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a touchscreen Mac in the past. In 2010, Steve Jobs stated that “touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical” due to the arm fatigue associated with holding up a finger to the screen. And in 2021, Apple’s hardware engineering chief John Ternus said the Mac was “totally optimized for indirect input” and that the company did not feel there was a good reason to change that at the time.

This report comes as Apple continues to expand its line of Apple Silicon-powered Macs and focus on the integration of iPhone and iPad apps on Macs unless a developer opts out. It remains to be seen if Apple will move forward with plans to release touchscreen Macs, but the company’s recent focus on touch input and integration with other Apple products suggests it is a possibility.