Apple is getting in touch with its MacBooks

Apple is finally taking a hands-on approach with a feature it's spent decades keeping at arm's length.

The tech giant recently announced its first-ever touchscreen laptop will go on sale starting Friday, reversing its longstanding opposition to touch-enabled Macs.

Keeping their finger on the pulse screen

Apple has historically argued that touchscreens belong solely on iPads and iPhones, which are designed around touch, and not laptops optimized for indirect input. But the new MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR Display breaks that longstanding rule.

• Its touchscreen allows users to scroll through webpages, zoom in on photos, move windows around the screen, and perform more advanced tasks like manipulating 3D models or playing virtual musical instruments.
• The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch starts at $3,399, marking a $400 increase over similar MacBook Pro models without touchscreen features.

The market is currently touch and go: Apple’s launch comes amid a challenging period for the PC industry. Global shipments of laptops (-11%) and overall PCs (-20%) have fallen significantly year-over-year in Q3—including an 11% decline for Apple’s PC shipments—as rising memory costs fueled by the AI boom contribute to higher prices.

Zoom out: It marks the third major product launch under new Apple CEO John Ternus, who assumed the role two months ago.

Apple released the iPhone 18 line in September, and launched its first foldable phone last month (the iPhone Duo). The tech giant also revealed its first-ever home smart display, called HomeView, that features a redesigned version of Siri and officially launches next week.