Apple Unveils New MacBook Pro with Touchscreen, Shattering Past Doctrine

Apple has introduced its latest MacBook Pro models, featuring a full touchscreen and an advanced OLED panel for the first time. This move marks a significant departure from the company's long-held stance, established by founder Steve Jobs, against touchscreens on laptops. The new models, unveiled in Los Angeles, also set a new, exceptionally high price benchmark.

For over 15 years, Apple executives, including Jobs himself in 2010, argued that touchscreens on laptops were ergonomically poor and led to rapid arm fatigue, a phenomenon dubbed "gorilla arm." Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi reiterated this in 2018, and even current CEO John Ternus stated in 2021 that the iPad was the best touch computer and Macs were optimized for indirect input. While Windows manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell, and HP adopted touchscreens and OLED panels over a decade ago, Apple maintained its position.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Marketing, explained that a generation of young creators and users accustomed to iPhones and iPads expect touch functionality. The new display technology, marketed as PROLED XDR, utilizes Tandem OLED, combining two layers of OLED diodes. This technology, previously seen in iPad Pros as Ultra Retina XDR, offers significant improvements, including a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for HDR content and a sustained 1,000 nits across the screen. The contrast ratio is ten million to one, five times that of the iPad Pro, with minimal internal reflections and a black level of 0.0002 nits.

The new screens support variable refresh rates from 10 to 120 Hz and cover over 80% of the BT.2020 color space, making them suitable for video editors and filmmakers. The dual-layer OLED design also reduces pixel strain, preventing the burn-in issue that previously hindered Apple's adoption of the technology in laptops with static toolbars.

While Apple typically claims to reinvent interfaces when entering existing categories, this MacBook Pro's integration of a touchscreen aligns closely with the PC market. The operating system remains largely unchanged, and the clamshell design persists without attempting to become a convertible tablet. To facilitate finger input, on-screen controls expand slightly when touched, and the screen hinge has been stiffened. The controversial notch introduced in 2021 has been replaced by the "Dynamic Island," familiar from iPhones, which offers interactive features around the 12-megapixel camera, though it lacks Face ID, with the computer relying on the keyboard's fingerprint sensor.

In a nostalgic touch, the illuminated Apple logo has returned to the back of the screen after a decade-long absence. The new panel allows for reduced weight, with the 14.2-inch model weighing approximately 1.36 kg and the 16.3-inch model around 1.81 kg. The laptops are powered by existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, supporting up to 128GB of RAM and storage up to 16TB. Notably, the most expensive configuration uses a year-old chip, while the 14-inch model features the newer M6 chip. Apple also introduced an iMac with the M6 chip and a new iPad Mini with an OLED screen and A20 chip.

Prices have increased due to global memory chip shortages. Pre-orders are open, with official launch on November 6. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899, the 16-inch at $3,399, and the maximum configuration reaches $14,549. The silicon and hardware for the new MacBook Pro, including the M5 Pro, M5 Max, and Storage Controller, were designed by Apple's teams, including engineers from its development center in Israel.