Apple brings touch to the MacBook Pro after years of resistance

Apple has unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro in Cupertino, California, ending a 16-year position on how people should interact with a laptop. Announced on October 28th, 2026, the new 14- and 16-inch models allow users to work directly on the display, reaching past the keyboard and trackpad to manipulate content with their fingers. It is a familiar gesture on an iPhone, though one Apple has long resisted bringing to the Mac.

Back in 2010, Steve Jobs argued that vertical touch surfaces were uncomfortable to use for extended periods. Speaking at Apple’s Back to the Mac event, he joked that eventually ‘your arm wants to fall off,’ explaining why the company had concentrated its efforts on developing multi-touch trackpads instead. For Jobs, the horizontal surface offered a more comfortable way to interact with a computer.

Apple maintained this thinking for years.…