- A report says the M6 MacBook Pro will have an OLED touchscreen display
- It’ll also have a new chassis and a get rid of the notch
- These changes will push up the price, while Face ID is still years away
Rumors have been flying for years that Apple is going to launch an OLED MacBook Pro with a touchscreen display, but the idea that it’s just around the corner has been proven wrong countless times before. Well, those claims are picking up steam again – and they’re dividing opinion among Apple fans.
The latest development is a report from Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, who has a strong track record for predicting upcoming Apple products and features. In the article, Gurman explains that Apple is planning to launch a MacBook Pro with an M6 chip and an OLED display – outfitted with touchscreen capabilities – that could debut in “late 2026 or early 2027.”
To ensure the display does not bounce or move when you use the touchscreen, Apple is reportedly adding a “reinforced hinge and screen hardware” to the MacBook Pro. This might solve a common drawback of existing touchscreen computers, Gurman believes.
Aside from OLED and touchscreen tech, the new MacBook Pro is mooted to eliminate the divisive notch from the device’s display, replacing it with a “hole-punch” camera cutout that resembles the Dynamic Island in the iPhone 17 series. As well as that, the products will apparently have “thinner and lighter frames” and come equipped with the M6 series of chips.
An expensive upgrade
Over the many years that the idea of a touchscreen Mac has been bandied about, it’s caused a noticeable split among Apple fans. Steve Jobs famously hated the idea, while other people have said it’s an area where Apple is lagging behind its Windows rivals.
That disagreement has been reflected on social media. On Reddit, for example, user qwasdcv stated that they hoped the touchscreen will be an optional extra, adding “I really want an OLED MacBook Pro but I don’t wanna pay for a touchscreen that I’ll never use.” On X, meanwhile, Kaustubh Katdare sarcastically quipped that “I absolutely love fingerprints on my screen. Makes me more productive.”
Other commenters have been more positive. Reddit user _ireadthings said “I’ll buy this day 1 and I haven’t bought a new Mac in several years,” while user goldblumspowerbook said “If this is real it’s an insta-buy for me. I miss the hell out of my Surface hardware-wise, and would love a macOS capable touchscreen device.”
Analysis: The MacBook Pro has more pressing upgrades
Despite the praise, the majority of comments appear to be against the idea of a touchscreen MacBook, and I can understand the sentiment.
There are many things I’d love to see in the next MacBook Pro – Face ID, even better gaming performance, an OLED panel – but touchscreen functionality is not one of them. I tend to agree with Steve Jobs that using a touchscreen that requires your arm to be held out horizontally – as it does in a laptop – is a recipe for pain and discomfort. Throw in the inevitable smudgy fingerprint mess and it’s not exactly an enticing prospect for me.
Unfortunately, it looks like one of the items on my wishlist – Face ID – isn’t going to arrive any time soon. While Gurman’s report says that Apple is working on replacing the MacBook Pro’s Touch ID sensor with Face ID, this transition “remains years away”.
That’s not the only bad news. Gurman reckons that the increased cost of the touchscreen components will push up the price of the MacBook Pro, meaning the new models are “likely to cost a few hundred dollars more than current versions.”
With current MacBook Pro models with high-end chips starting at $1,999, don’t be surprised to see the price surge over $2,000 when touchscreen tech makes its Apple debut.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
