| Cult of Mac

6 reasons a touchscreen MacBook makes sense

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A MacBook Pro with the text
A touchscreen is a logical addition to a MacBook. Here's why.
Image: karsten madsen/Pexels/Modified by Cult of Mac

You may have felt a seismic shift recently. The origin was Apple Park in Cupertino, where Tim Cook and Co. decided to start work on a touchscreen MacBook Pro. This is something the company has been adamantly against for many years, going back to a scathing comment from the late Steve Jobs.

But the computing world has changed enormously since Jobs mocked touchscreen laptops. Today, there are plenty of reasons for Apple to make one.

macOS Big Sur does not pave the way for a touchscreen Mac

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macOS Big Sur offers a lot, but not a touchscreen Mac.
macOS Big Sur isn’t the first step toward a touchscreen Mac.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s head of software development threw cold water on speculation that macOS Big Sur was designed with a touchscreen Mac in mind.

Instead, Craig Federighi says the latest Mac operating system is more similar to iOS and iPadOS so it’s easier for users to switch between an Apple laptop, phone or tablet. Designers weren’t thinking about a touch-based Mac.

Sidecar is the closest we’ll get to a touchscreen Mac, and it’s good enough [Opinion]

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Ableton on Mac and iPad.
Ableton on Mac and iPad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

We will never see a touchscreen Mac. Apple has made this clear over and over. Whenever one of its executives is asked about a touchscreen Mac in an interview, the answer is always the same: macOS is for trackpads, and iPadOS for is for touch. Combining them would compromise both.

I agree. While I do catch myself tapping the Mac’s screen from time to time, there’s no way I’d want the Mac redesigned for touch. For one thing, you’d lose all the accuracy of the mouse, because clicking targets would have to be big enough for your fingers. But it doesn’t matter, because Apple has already made a touch option for the Mac. It’s Sidecar, and it’s amazing.

Phil Schiller: Nope, Apple still isn’t planning to make a touchscreen Mac

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Phil Schiller: Nope, Apple still isn’t planning to make a touchscreen Mac
Don't even think about swiping that screen!
Photo: Apple

Apple isn’t going to release a touchscreen Mac any time soon, says Phil Schiller, SVP of Marketing.

In a new interview, Schiller chimed in on the question on whether Apple might consider merging its mobile and desktop operating systems. The answer might disappoint fans of the Microsoft Surface.