Steve Jobs famously bashed the idea of a MacBook with a touchscreen in 2010, saying that “it doesn’t work, it’s ergonomically terrible.” A decade and a half later, Apple is still one of the very few, if not the only, mainstream laptop maker that doesn’t offer a laptop with a touchscreen.
Multiple recent reports claimed that Apple is about to relent and release redesigned MacBooks late next year or in early 2027. Of course, that won’t be the first time the company does something that goes against the gospel of Steve Jobs. I mean, he claimed nobody would ever want large-screen smartphones, but the 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max is Apple’s bestseller now.
However, Steve Jobs’s era is long gone. Apple of today has one reason to do things, and that’s money. If it makes financial sense to build a MacBook with a touchscreen, Apple will do it. Apparently, that move has finally come, because the idea is still as bad as ever.
Touchscreen laptops are bad, and that hasn’t changed
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x has a touchscreen in a design that makes it more than a simple laptop. | Image credit – Lenovo
In 2010, Steve Jobs said that “touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical,” explaining why a trackpad is a better way to interact with a laptop. Unlike some of his other claims, this one has held the test of time, and even 15 years later it remains true.Since the early days of the Lenovo Yoga line, I’ve been giving a chance to the touchscreens of various Windows laptops. Every time I’ve tested one, I’ve realized that touching the display of a laptop was an extremely awkward thing to do. Reaching out over the keyboard felt wrong and it almost never added much to my user experience. I still forced myself to do it, and I found only one way that feature was useful.Back in the early 2010s, Windows laptops came with horrible trackpads. Most of them were too small, with limited features and poor sensitivity. In that context, touchscreens were like a blessing. Whenever the trackpad failed, and that happened too often, I could rely on the touchscreen.
Today, such a scenario is quite rare, even on Windows. Apple still offers superior trackpads, but most of its competitors have caught up, and Windows laptops don’t feel limited in that way anymore. That’s why I’ve barely used the touchscreen of any laptop I’ve tested in recent years.
The sole exception is laptops such as Lenovo’s Yoga devices. They flex and transform into a different type of device that’s not a classic laptop. Whenever I put the keyboard away and transform the “laptop” into a “tablet,” I use the touchscreen like I would on any iPad or Galaxy Tab. However, that’s a different type of device, and that’s why the Surface Pro and iPad Pro make sense.
Apple just wants your money
The iPad Pro with is the closest to a laptop with touchscreen Apple offers. | Image credit – PhoneArena
For years Apple has been trying to push the iPad from the device you give your kid to have fun with to something capable of actual work. That didn’t work not because people didn’t want to use their iPads that way but because Apple was stubborn at limiting the software. The company was enjoying the good sales of the iPad, and it was afraid that a bigger feature overlap with the MacBook could hurt its sales.
Now, iPad sales are sluggish, and the Mac is gaining traction. So, if Apple releases a touchscreen MacBook, it could only boost the sales of the laptops, and it’s unlikely to further damage iPad sales. More importantly, Apple will be able to justify charging more for touchscreen laptops.
Gurman reports that the company has designed a new hinge and a different screen that would prevent the display from bouncing around when touched. Add the redesigned hinge to the different display technology, and you get the perfect excuse for a price boost of at least a few hundred dollars. After all, that will be another Apple innovation promising a brand-new user experience you’ve never seen on an Apple laptop before.
Let’s hope it flops
Apple just released a MacBook Pro with M5 chipset and non-touch display. | Image credit – Apple
See, I’m not against Apple trying new things. I wouldn’t be surprised if a touch-capable MacBook turns into a huge hit for the company. People like touchscreens, and macOS has been changing into a touch-friendly operating system for years now.
My issue is that Apple won’t do that to enhance the user experience on a MacBook. It’ll do it to earn more money and sell the idea of its interoperable ecosystem, which won’t make me do a better job on my laptop. That’s why I’d love to see that idea flop and force Apple into thinking of something really innovative. I’m not sure the company is capable of inventing things anymore, but that’s hope. It dies last.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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