If there's one device the Apple faithful seems to want, it's a touchscreen MacBook that blends the things they love about macOS and iPadOS. With rumors of a MacBook with a touchscreen continually heating up, the excitement is building for a device that blends the best of both worlds.
However, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in his PowerOn newsletter, Apple is almost certainly working on a touchscreen laptop, but it's hardly meant to blend iPad and MacBook, which will leave a large segment of Apple fans disappointed.
What we heard about the touchscreen MacBook
In the newsletter, Gurman said, "Apple’s upcoming touch-screen MacBook Pro will show the company is still far from combining the Mac and iPad."
While he claims that "engineers have been exploring the idea" behind closed doors at Apple, the current rumored device isn't that, and it might never happen.
Reportedly, Apple executives are firm in their belief that keeping the iPad and Mac distinct is the best way forward.
And for sales, it probably is, as people who want access to both app ecosystems and interfaces need to purchase two Apple devices instead of one do-it-all piece of tech. Between iPad and MacBook, Apple generated $61.7 billion last year — around $30 billion each. Combining them could seriously hurt the bottom line.
But it's not just about selling more devices, as the report claims the company "argues that it produces better devices by separating the categories."
Either way, the touchscreen MacBook is rumored to be released by the end of 2026, so there will be some parallels drawn between it and the iPad.
It seems that Apple is thinking of this device as strictly a MacBook with a touchscreen, not a touch-first device like the iPad. "The Mac will be a touch-friendly device, rather than one that’s touch-first," Gurman said in his newsletter. "This is the MacBook Pro you’ve known for the past two decades — with touch offered as a bonus."
There seems to be a desire for a device that falls somewhere between the iPad and the MacBook (Windows has plenty of hybrid devices), but based on these reports, Apple isn't quite ready to make that move yet. But Apple also fought the idea of a touchscreen MacBook for years, and we're right around the corner from that happening.
Maybe a hybrid is just around a different corner, a little further down the road.
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