Touchscreens remain something of a niche in the computing world. They are for creatives and other professionals and are not something regular users crave. Even so, there are dozens of Windows laptops and PCs that support touchscreen. Over on macOS, Apple has resisted touch displays, but that may be changing with new touch-enabled Mac computers reportedly in the works.
Apple revolutionized mobile technology by popularizing touch displays with the original iPhone. So, the company is not against the idea of a touchscreen from a purist standpoint. However, the company has been much cooler on touch laptops/desktops.
In fact, company co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was a harsh critic of touch computing, saying it was “ergonomically terrible” for Mac devices. In 2012, current CEO Tim Cook doubled down on Jobs’ thoughts by saying touch laptops were like combining kitchen appliances.
“You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user,” Cook said.
Change of Course
Of course, a lot of time and technological advances have passed over the decade since those remarks. It now seems Apple’s stance on touchscreens on its Macs is more forgiving. A report from Bloomberg suggests the company is now developing its first Mac products with a touchscreen.
Citing engineers close to the project, the report points to a potential release of 2025. One of the challenges for Apple will be how it differentiates its iPad Pro from Macs if the latter have touch displays. One way will be to maintain the OS divide between the products, with iPad retaining iOS (iPadOS) and Macs staying with macOS.
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