Touchscreen MacBook: When to Expect It and Why Apple Is Still Holding Back

Posted By Mariana Hlodan | 22 Jul 2025

As of 2025, touchscreen laptops have a market share of approximately 8.25 percent to 12.6 percent. However, you won't find a single MacBook among them — Apple still hasn't released a touchscreen model. Why does the company avoid this feature, and should we expect a change in the near future? In this article, we will understand if a MacBook with touch screen will ever be released, when to expect it and what characteristics the long-awaited novelty may have.

MacBook with touch screen: release date

Despite the fact that there isn't a touchscreen MacBook, Apple has long been exploring such a possibility. The first prototype of a Mac with touch screen was developed back in 2008, when the company's co-founder Steve Jobs was still alive. However, these attempts were unsuccessful. But in 2010 Jobs voiced his position on touchscreens in laptops, emphasizing that such an idea does not work well in practice: although vertical touch surfaces look impressive in demonstrations, in long-term use they cause fatigue because they are simply uncomfortable to touch.

Also, back in 2023, Mark Gurman predicted that the MacBook with a touchscreen would be released in 2025. According to his words, the device was to get not only a touchscreen, but also gestures support — as it is implemented in the iPad and iPhone. Since the company has been actively working on the introduction of OLED technology, improved over the current LCD displays, there is a high probability that the first MacBook with an OLED-screen that will appear next year will have a touchscreen. Based on available information, it is the MacBook Pro, which is expected to be released in 2026, that could be the first to get a touchscreen.

MacBook Touchscreen: Specs and features

Since the model apple touch screen laptop will most likely be equipped with an OLED display, it will probably get the same specs we wrote about earlier in the related article.

In brief, among the main features are:

Thin case — thanks to the transition to OLED-displays, the laptop will be lighter and sleeker.
Screen without “bangs” — the camera will be built into the hole (Punch-Hole), as in the iPhone.
Cellular support — second generation 5G modem (C2) including mmWave is likely to be available.
M6 chip — Apple's first 2nm processor with WMCM technology: will combine CPU, GPU, memory and AI module.
macOS will have the primary system, there are no plans to merge with iPadOS.

Also: MacBook Pro M5: Release Date Leaked and Top Features Unveiled

Why don't MacBooks have touchscreens so far

As we've mentioned before, the company has been trying to create a touchscreen Mac for a very long time. To return to the touchscreen implementation, the Cupertinos tried to introduce it through Touch Bar. This innovative solution was introduced in 2016. The Touch Bar was a touch-sensitive OLED panel above the MacBook Pro keyboard. The idea was to replace the traditional function keys with an adaptive bar that changes the interface depending on the application. It sounded innovative, but in practice the solution turned out to be far from perfect.

For many users, the Touch Bar turned out to be inconvenient: the changing buttons made it difficult to memorize the location, which slowed down work and required looking down, distracting attention from the screen. Despite the ability to perform simple actions quickly, most people preferred a mouse and keys. In addition, the Touch Bar wasn't a full touchscreen and didn't allow for direct interaction with the interface, so it was a limited and inefficient solution.

Changing buttons made it hard to memorize the location, which slowed down operations' performance.

You had to look down, distracting your attention from the screen.
Users preferred a mouse and keys over the Touch Bar.
The Touch Bar was not a full-fledged touch screen and did not allow for direct interaction with the interface.

The result was a limited and inefficient solution.

In the end, the Touch Bar remained only in the 13-inch base model of the MacBook Pro, and even there its future was doubtful. Apple effectively admitted failure by dropping the feature in new models with 14- and 16-inch screens.

So why are there any MacBooks with no touch screen yet? To avoid a similar failure, the company is probably delaying the release of a touchscreen model: better later than “as-is” and at the risk of getting negative feedback from customers, even if it means falling a few years behind the competition.

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How to make a MacBook touch screen: How you can get experience now

It's very simple — just connect an iPad to your MacBook as a second screen. This setup lets you partially replicate a touchscreen experience, allowing you to test opening and closing apps or launching programs with a tap.

Use the Sidecar feature to do this. Note that Sidecar is available only on macOS Catalina (or later) and iPadOS 13 (or later).

Before connecting, ensure the following:

Both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff are enabled on both devices.

Steps for Mac:

Click the AirPlay icon in the top-right corner of your screen (or go to System Settings → Displays).
Select your iPad from the list.
Your iPad will begin functioning as a second screen.

Note:

For a more stable connection, you can use a USB-C or Lightning cable.

Important:

This solution may not be ideal, especially if you’re using an older MacBook or iPad. However, it can serve as a temporary fix, such as accessing critical files or completing work tasks when your primary computer is experiencing issues like the Flexgate effect or screen flickering. That said, it’s not recommended for prolonged use.

If you have a newer iPad model and a stylus, the experience will likely be smoother and more efficient.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mariana Hlodan
Tech journalist

Mariana Hlodan is an experienced writer specializing in Apple products. With a background in tech journalism, Mariana offers a deep dive into the latest Apple news, product reviews and trends.