MacBook Pro with OLED touch screen arriving in the fall, claims leaker — new laptops to feature Dynamic Island and revamped UI optimized for both fingers and cursors

Apple is reportedly finally releasing touchscreen MacBooks, decades after the first touchscreen Windows laptops appeared on the market. According to prominent Apple leaker Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the long-awaited feature will finally arrive this year, but during the company’s fall event and not in March, where it’s expected to announce new iPad models and an entry-level MacBook priced between $599 and $699.

Aside from getting a touch-sensitive screen, sources say that the upcoming MacBook Pros will also get an OLED display, while the controversial notch will be replaced by the Dynamic Island, first introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max in 2022. The rest of the laptop will still look the same, though, ensuring that veteran MacBook Pro users will still feel comfortable even if they upgrade to the latest version. Under the hood, it is expected that Apple will debut M6 chips with the OLED models, according to previous reports.

MacOS will also reportedly introduce some changes to accommodate the additional functionality delivered by the touch screen. Because fingers inherently cover a larger space than a cursor, it’s reported that the new MacBook Pro will automatically shift the interface depending on the input method. For example, if you touch the menu at the top of the screen, it will automatically enlarge to make it easier to select what you want and prevent any mispresses. A new context menu is also reportedly being developed that will appear around your finger, making access to commands and other shortcuts much more ergonomic. These changes go in line with Apple’s “it just works” philosophy, ensuring that everything would work as intended, whether you prefer using a mouse or the touch screen.

Steve Jobs famously said in 2010 that touchscreen laptops do not work, which is probably the reason why it took so long for Apple to introduce one. In fairness, Jobs was probably right, especially with the available technology back then. But the arrival of Apple Silicon chips that grow more powerful with every generation, while still staying efficient, probably meant that implementing a UI that would smartly and seamlessly switch between cursor and touch controls.

Despite finally adding touch control to the MacBook Pro, Gurman says that it still won’t replace the iPad. In fact, it’s the iPad that’s becoming more like a MacBook, especially with the release of iPadOS 26. Whatever the case, the Apple tablet will supposedly always be touch-first, while the upcoming MacBook Pros will have a blend of touch gestures and cursor movements, allowing its users to choose whichever they like without taking away from the experience of using either input method.

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