Apple is reportedly working on a touchscreen MacBook, a product that has long been desired by some Apple fans, but resisted by others, including company insiders. The potential release of a touchscreen MacBook has sparked debate among experts, with some seeing it as a great idea and others seeing it as a flawed concept.
One expert in favor of the touchscreen MacBook is Jason Cipriani, who believes that Apple is combining the best of both the Mac and iPad. Cipriani notes that Microsoft's Surface Pro line has proven that touchscreen computers can be successful, and that the Surface Pro is the ideal combination of portability and usability. However, the Surface line has a major drawback for Cipriani's workflow, as it runs on Windows.
Cipriani acknowledges that the current rumors of a MacBook Pro with an additional touchscreen display may not be the ideal form factor for a touchscreen device, but he points out that no first-generation product from Apple has ever been without some form of major compromise. He also notes that MacOS and iPadOS are already very similar, and that adding touch capabilities and eventually Apple Pencil support would combine the best of both the Mac and iPad.
Cipriani also believes that the release of a touchscreen MacBook would strengthen the Mac and iPad product offering, as any enhancements made to the touchscreen experience would also benefit the company's iPad lineup. He notes that Apple is likely to use lessons learned from the iPad to improve the touchscreen Mac experience, and that all Apple users would benefit from this.
Another expert, Michael Gariffo, is not in favor of the touchscreen MacBook. He believes that adding touch support to a MacBook will require a full OS revamp to avoid the frustration of struggling with tiny elements designed for on-screen cursors. He points out that Apple itself understood this as recently as 2021, when John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, stated that MacOS was never meant for a touchscreen.
Gariffo also questions what adding touch to a MacBook would do to benefit the user. He notes that the MacBook's trackpad and keyboard are already excellent and that adding touch would not improve the user experience. He also points out that Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives have downplayed the idea of a touchscreen MacBook, and that the company may not have fully thought through the concept.
In conclusion, while some experts see the potential release of a touchscreen MacBook as a great idea, others see it as a flawed concept. The addition of a touchscreen display would require a full OS revamp, and it is not clear if the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks. Only time will tell if Apple will release a touchscreen MacBook, but for now, it remains a topic of debate among experts.