Apple has recently launched its latest 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro, and discussions are already arising regarding the upcoming MacBooks that will feature the M6 chip. The anticipated M6 MacBook Pro series is expected to include a major enhancement — a touchscreen.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Apple expert Mark Gurman, Apple is in the process of creating a high-end touchscreen MacBook Pro, projected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027. This launch is likely to align with the introduction of Apple’s new Silicone chipset, presumably the M6.
Gurman reveals that the touchscreen display will employ OLED technology, akin to that of the iPhone and iPad Pro, representing the first instance of this technology in a MacBook Pro. Apple intends to improve the hinge and screen hardware to resolve challenges faced by existing touchscreen laptops, such as screen movement upon touch.
Moreover, the touchscreen MacBook Pro will remove the contentious notch at the top of the display, substituting it with a “hole-punch design” reminiscent of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. This model will be the sophisticated iteration compared to a standard non-touchscreen version. The existing 14-inch M5 MacBook Pro is listed at $1,999, and the touchscreen model is predicted to be priced “a few hundred dollars more.”
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, had expressed his disapproval of vertical touchscreen surfaces prior to his death in 2011, a viewpoint that the company upheld until a 2023 report from Gurman disclosed that Apple engineers were considering a touchscreen MacBook for the first time.
In 2024, Apple tried to diminish speculation regarding a touchscreen Mac when Tom Boger, Apple’s VP of iPad and Mac product marketing, informed the Wall Street Journal that there were no plans for a touchscreen MacBook. Previously, Apple had rolled out the touch bar in October 2016 as a solution, but it did not resonate with consumers and was phased out in 2023.
Touchscreen laptops have become standard across the tech industry, with the majority of manufacturers offering such models. Similar to Apple’s late move into the AI domain, the company would also lag behind its rivals in this aspect.