Apple unveils first touchscreen MacBook Pro

Apple has unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, marking a major shift in the company's laptop strategy after years of resisting touch-enabled displays.

Announced Wednesday, 28 October, the redesigned MacBook Pro features a tandem OLED screen, Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max processors and an iPhone-style Dynamic Island.

Available in 14-inch and 16-inch models, the new laptops allow users to scroll, pinch to zoom, draw and interact directly with applications using their fingers while retaining the traditional keyboard and trackpad.

Apple calls the new display PROLED XDR, offering up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, a 120Hz variable refresh rate and a contrast ratio of 10 million to one.

The Dynamic Island, previously exclusive to Apple's iPhones, will provide access to notifications, Spotlight searches, Live Activities and Siri AI.

The company said the touchscreen interface will support productivity and creative applications, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve and Blender.

“The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is a monumental step forward for the Mac,” said Johny Srouji, Apple's chief hardware officer.

The redesigned laptops also feature up to 128GB of unified memory, 16TB of storage and 24 hours of battery life, depending on configuration.

The launch reverses Apple's longstanding reluctance to adopt touchscreen technology for its Mac computers, a feature that has been available on many Windows laptops for years.

Unlike convertible laptops, however, the new MacBook Pro retains its conventional laptop design rather than transforming into a tablet.

The 14-inch touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899, while the 16-inch model starts at $3,399.

Preorders opened on 28 October, with availability beginning 6 November in select markets. Philippine pricing and availability were not specified in the US launch announcement.

The new models join Apple's existing MacBook lineup, with non-touchscreen versions remaining available.

The introduction of touchscreen capabilities represents one of the MacBook Pro's most significant design changes in years as Apple seeks to attract creative professionals and users accustomed to touch-based devices.