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Apple unveils touch-enabled MacBook Pro models with OLED screens

Developing story first seen 1 hour ago

The Verge · 1 hour ago

Apple has announced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, a major shift for a company that has long resisted touch controls on laptops. The change follows earlier criticism from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, who questioned the comfort and usefulness of combining laptop and tablet features.

The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch at $3,399; pre-orders open now ahead of a 6 November release. Both use tandem OLED displays with up to 2,000 nits of brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate, and come with M5 Pro or M5 Max chips. Apple claims up to 24 hours of battery life; the M5 Max version can connect to four external displays.

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In short

Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro marks a shift in its laptop approach.
Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch model.
Pre-orders are open ahead of the 6 November release.

How this story developed

1 hour ago Apple also added an iPhone-style Dynamic Island, while confirming the models would go on sale on 6 November and that the M5 Max version supports up to four external displays.
1 hour ago Apple unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, with 14-inch and 16-inch models starting at $2,899 and $3,399, tandem OLED displays, M5 Pro or M5 Max chips and a claimed battery life of up to 24 hours, ahead of pre-orders and a 6 November release.

Full account

Apple has unveiled a redesigned MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen, marking a change for a company that has long kept touch input separate from its laptop range. The models were announced at its “Pro and tell” event on Wednesday. Pre-orders open today, with availability scheduled for 6 November.

The new display, which Apple calls PROLED XDR, uses tandem OLED technology. Apple says it can reach 2,000 nits of peak SDR brightness and has a 120Hz refresh rate and a contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1. Slimmer bezels make room for screens measuring 14.2 inches and 16.3 inches. A Dynamic Island around the webcam can show information such as Live Activities, while the illuminated Apple logo on the lid returns.

Apple positions touch as an additional way to work with the MacBook Pro. Its examples include scrolling, zooming into images, manipulating objects and using the screen to test iOS and iPadOS apps or play software instruments. The company says its own apps are being adapted for touch and that a revised developer API will enable other applications to add support. The reports also describe macOS as treating touch actions like clicks, allowing interaction with apps that have not been specifically adapted.

The laptops use M5 Pro or M5 Max processors. Apple lists weights of three pounds for the 14-inch model and four pounds for the 16-inch; both are thinner than their predecessors, and the reduced bezels increase their screen sizes. Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours. Connections include MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, a headphone socket and an SD card reader. Apple says the machines can drive three external displays, or four with an M5 Max, and highlights a revised hinge and six-speaker audio system.

Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch model and $3,399 for the 16-inch version. The touchscreen arrives after Apple’s earlier public scepticism about combining laptop and tablet designs, as well as its short-lived experiment with the Touch Bar. The announcement therefore puts touch input into the MacBook Pro while retaining macOS and the familiar laptop form.

Where outlets differ

From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:

The first report gives more detail on the touchscreen sensor, saying it is integrated into the display panel to reduce latency, and lists Apple’s battery, external-display, speaker and hinge claims. The second focuses more on the high starting prices, weight comparisons with current non-touch models, and third-party apps said to support touch natively, including Notion, Canva, PowerPoint and Blender.

The second report also offers a more interpretive account of Apple’s past separation of touch-first platforms from macOS and compares the approach with Windows touchscreen laptops. The first instead foregrounds Apple’s historical comments against touchscreen laptops and its earlier Touch Bar experiment.

Steelman: both sides, in good faith

The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.

The case for

Touchscreens could make the MacBook Pro more intuitive for tasks such as drawing, direct manipulation and quick navigation, while giving users the option to interact by touch or trackpad. The bright, high-refresh OLED screens and powerful chips may make the models attractive to professionals who value those capabilities and are willing to pay a premium.

The case against

Adding touch controls may offer limited benefit on a laptop, where users already have a precise trackpad and keyboard, and could make extended interaction less comfortable. The high starting prices may also put these models out of reach for many buyers, while the shift from Apple’s earlier position raises questions about whether touch meaningfully improves the Mac experience.

Explained simply

The MacBook Pro is Apple’s high-performance laptop, used for work such as video editing, software development and design. For years, Apple kept touch controls on its iPad tablets rather than adding them to Mac laptops, whose main controls are a keyboard, trackpad or mouse.

The new models pair a touch-sensitive screen with OLED display technology, which can show bright images and deep blacks. They also use Apple-designed M5 Pro or M5 Max chips; the Pro range is aimed at demanding tasks, while Max models offer more capacity for intensive work and external displays.

The change is notable because Apple leaders had previously questioned whether touchscreens were comfortable or useful on a laptop. It brings the MacBook Pro closer in one respect to laptops from other manufacturers that already offer touchscreens, while keeping Apple’s Mac and iPad product lines distinct.