John Ternus says the Mac is “first and foremost” a device “built around the trackpad and keyboard”, but sometimes “it's comfortable and handy to have touch”
and found out why Apple changed its mind about touch on the Mac. https://www.wired.com/...
WiredSteven Levy
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already been moving the Mac and iPad closer in software behavior: Universal Control bridged macOS and iPadOS without requiring Apple peripherals, while 2023 coverage framed touch Macs as a way to unify Apple’s software and services for a touch-first audience. Earlier commentary also questioned Apple’s stated lack of interest in touch as macOS adopted larger controls and iOS apps reached the Mac.
Ternus’s distinction between the Mac’s primary indirect input and occasional touch use gives that convergence a boundary: Apple is adding a modality rather than recasting the Mac as an iPad. The debate reflected in public reaction is therefore about workflow design, not merely the presence of a touchscreen.
First-order effects
MacBook Pro buyers gain touch as an additional interaction option, while Apple positions the keyboard, trackpad, and pointer as the Mac’s primary controls.
Apple’s redesigned touchscreen MacBook Pro makes its highest-end Mac hardware the test bed for a touch interface rather than applying the change across the full Mac range.
Second-order effects
Apple’s software teams and Mac app developers face a clearer need to make controls work across pointer-led and direct-touch use, extending the cross-device interaction logic behind Universal Control.
The move strengthens the case for aligning Apple’s software and services across Macs and touch-first devices, an objective identified in earlier touchscreen-Mac coverage.
Third-order effects
If Apple preserves Ternus’s hierarchy of inputs, the Mac and iPad can converge on selected interface capabilities without becoming interchangeable product categories.
Touch becomes a modality-specific layer in premium PCs: hardware and software design shifts toward supporting different inputs for different tasks rather than choosing one universal interface.
The trend: Apple is pursuing conditional convergence between Mac and touch-first computing, adding direct manipulation while retaining the Mac’s indirect-input workflow.
Finally a touch screen MacBook and the glowing Apple logo is back! The only thing I'm unsure of is the Dynamic Island. Feels like there are 3 different areas to look at now: Modals, Notifications, and Live Activities. And why
@samifathi
Sami Fathi on x
No one can convince me this is a good experience. Mac shouldn't have touch, and definitely not for things Apple's marketing implies it should be used for, like playing the piano. Steve Jobs is proven right again.
@neilcybart
Neil Cybart on x
Apple's first Mac with a full multi-touch display.
@loudmouthjulia
Julia Alexander on x
Steve Jobs in 2010, talking up iPad: No one wants to use a touch screen on a MacBook because after a while “your arm wants to fall off.” Apple in 2026: let's see if the way people interact with their devices has changed enough so that's no longer true. Very curious!
@autismcapital
@autismcapital on x
NEW: Apple announces the touch screen Macbook Pros going on sale Nov 6th starting at $2,899 for 14 in and $3,339 for 16 in. It has a “PROLED XDR” display with an M5 Pro/Max chip. WHO ASKED FOR THIS? WHO IS THIS FOR? JOBS IS ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE
@anxiousholly
Holly on x
we finally got a touch screen mac😭
@snazzylabs
Quinn Nelson on x
Less than I think we maybe all thought, but still seems like a good “upgrade.” I bet this the only time we ever see Pro/Max SKUs in both form factors. They'll keep M7 in the old chassis and then move M7 Pro/Max (assuming they skip M6 as rumored) to this as the only option.
@stevenlevy
Steven Levy on x
Putting touch on the Mac is a classic 180. I go deep on this w John Ternus and other Apple execs. And get a first look at the MacBook Pro. https://www.wired.com/...
@aaronp613
Aaron on x
Apple added a cool “touch” to the Mac page on their website
@avstorm
Andreas Storm on x
Nice little touch on the Mac page.
@twostraws
Paul Hudson on x
This is a great statement to make for a new CEO - bringing back a classic!
@9to5mac
@9to5mac on x
Ternus unveiling the return of the glowing Apple logo got bigger audience cheers than OLED or touch 😛
@stevenlevy
Steven Levy on x
I got an early look at new MacBook Pro—and found out why Apple changed its mind about touch on the Mac. https://www.wired.com/...
r/apple
r on reddit
The Inside Story of Why Apple Finally Brought a Touch Display to the Mac