Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook is coming. I don’t want it

Apple’s MacBook Pro line has remained decidedly familiar for several years now. We’ve gotten used to getting a new chip here, a little more storage there, and being happy with it. In reality, there hasn’t been a seismic shift since the last redesign in 2021.

This is all set to change significantly later this year. That’s when Apple is expected to unveil a new MacBook Pro featuring an OLED display with touchscreen functionality. If it comes to fruition, it could be the biggest shake-up to Apple’s flagship laptop in half a decade.

Given these expectations, there’s every reason to believe that this could be the best MacBook Pro in years, and it will undoubtedly be an attractive option for many Apple fans. Yet despite all this, I will stay away. I have no doubt that this MacBook Pro will be a great device, but it’s questionable whether it’s right for me – and potentially you.

The new MacBook Pro could be great

Apple has used mini-LED technology in its MacBook Pro displays for years, which has served the company well. Yet over time, it’s been hard to ignore the OLED elephant in the room.

Apple’s competitors have almost all equipped their laptops with OLED panels, and this is one way for Apple to significantly improve the visual experience of its laptops. This should finally become a reality with the revamped MacBook Pro.

The other notable change is the arrival of touchscreen technology, something that has been talked about for years now. Apple has long opposed the idea of ​​creating a touchscreen MacBook, but for one reason or another it seems to have finally acquiesced. According to recent reports, macOS adapts to your input, whether it’s a mouse or your finger. Hopefully this means the OS will act the way it always has if you don’t want to use touch controls.

Foundry

A report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims that Apple will add Dynamic Island to the new MacBook Pro. I know I’ve been pretty critical of Alan Dye’s stint as Apple’s chief design guru, but Dynamic Island is actually one of its features that I think works really well. It takes something that is, for now, unavoidable (a visible front camera and sensor array) and makes it useful. Running on the new MacBook Pro, it could certainly be a lot more functional than the stupid notch Apple’s laptop roster is currently stuck with.

We must not forget the new generation M6 chips which will be present in this device. The M6 ​​Pro and M6 Max chips will be manufactured with a new 2nm process, which should help improve their power and efficiency, allowing for a more generous performance boost than we’ve seen in some time.

So overall, there’s a lot to look forward to with the touchscreen MacBook Pro. So why don’t I want to buy one?

Why will I stay away

To begin with, I am concerned about the possibility of price increases. As I’ve written before, the global RAM crisis means component prices are currently skyrocketing, and even Apple has admitted it might not be able to protect against it forever.

Foundry

Add in the expensive new OLED touchscreen, and the MacBook’s rising costs seem inevitable. If you want to avoid this and need a MacBook ASAP, the current MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max should be on your list.

But it’s not just about financial expenses. I happen to agree with Steve Jobs’ long-standing opposition to touchscreen laptops. I find them uncomfortable to use, especially over long periods of time, and I also don’t think the MacBook Pro will be particularly improved by the addition of a touchscreen.

It’s comforting to hear that macOS won’t be compromised by the introduction of touchscreen functionality (you can do without it if you want, from the sound of it), but I don’t want to pay extra for a MacBook with features I don’t need. And despite the inclusion of Dynamic Island, Gurman’s report makes no mention of Face ID, a feature I’ve hoped would grace the MacBook Pro for years. While Dynamic Island could improve the experience, without Face ID I’m less excited about it.

While I have no doubt that the touchscreen MacBook Pro will be a revolutionary device, the combination of its likely price and notable gaps in its feature set means that it will be a classic device to quickly adopt – and I won’t be part of it.