Apple Reportedly Prepares Its First Touchscreen MacBook Pro for Wednesday Debut

Apple invites media to a Los Angeles experience this Wednesday for what reports describe as the long-awaited high-end MacBook Pro refresh. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other sources point to 14-inch and 16-inch models that finally bring touch support and OLED screens to the Mac lineup. The gathering carries the tagline “Pro and tell,” with a press release expected around 10 a.m. Pacific Time followed by hands-on time for attendees. Shipping could begin as early as November 6.

These new laptops resemble the current MacBook Pros, but feel significantly lighter thanks to a redesigned chassis. Apple also installed a stronger hinge, which is designed to keep the lid firm even when you tap it with your finger. The notch is gone, and in its place is a Dynamic Island-style camera cutout that can display a variety of interactive notifications and controls, freeing up some screen area.

You can now expect to have OLED panels on your Mac, for the first time ever. This implies true blacks, significantly improved contrast, and less of the unpleasant screen glow that persists in today’s mini-LED screens. The OLED technology is also built to last, with the Tandem structure improving both brightness and endurance.It will also cover the entire DCI-P3 color spectrum. Oh, and don’t expect the Touch input to replace the keyboard and trackpad. The new macOS Golden Gate software will take care of adjusting the interface on the fly, so if you’ve just tapped on the screen, the controls will change to be larger or simply different.

Power comes from Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max CPUs, which were introduced a few months ago, so users don’t have to wait until the next processor generation to use the new display technology. You may also see a new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the latest M6 CPU and a standard display. Oh, and a 24-inch iMac and an OLED iPad mini will both be upgraded.

The bad news is that you will need to pay more. Current M5 Pro models start at $2,499 for the 14-inch and $2,999 for the 16-inch, and they’re already slightly more expensive than they used to be. The OLED touch variants are likely to add a few hundred dollars to that price, with some anticipating a spike of around $500. As an extra benefit, previous mini-LED models will remain available, although at a lesser cost, for the time being.

For years, Apple insisted that touch belonged on tablets rather than laptops, but the situation has changed dramatically. This new approach regards touch screen input as an optional additional that applications may operate with without requiring a complete desktop redesign. We don’t expect all of the details on battery life and size reductions just yet, but it appears that this new premium tier is geared firmly at professionals who simply want the greatest display possible on a laptop.