Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook May Be Delayed.
In recent years, Apple has taken significant steps to make the iPad more Mac-like . But while windowed multitasking and a desktop-like Files app help bridge the gap, it still exists. Using the iPad as well as a touchscreen MacBook remains a bit difficult, leaving fans eager for such a product waiting. Fortunately, a touchscreen MacBook is in the works —it just might take a little longer than expected.
The touchscreen MacBook Pro may not appear until 2027.
In the latest issue of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shares some bad news: Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook will likely arrive in 2027, not 2026. Gurman previously reported the possibility of releasing 14- and 16-inch touchscreen MacBook Pros as early as this year. Another Apple insider, Ming-Chi Kuo, made a similar assessment. However, Gurman did allow for a delay to 2027, depending on how quickly the company can deliver.
That appears to be the case here: the global RAM shortage has hit everyone hard. As AI companies race to procure as much memory as possible, manufacturers are struggling to produce enough RAM to meet demand. This is driving up the price of RAM and the devices that use it, and putting pressure on companies trying to build hardware that uses RAM, including Apple.
The release date may not have been finalized, but if Apple were ahead of schedule, it could announce the new product at WWDC 2026 —an event typically reserved for software releases. However, Apple is unlikely to announce a product this early in development unless it plans to ship it until next year, so we’ll likely have to wait.
Apple’s touchscreen MacBook Pro may have other benefits, too.
While the touchscreen is the core element of this upcoming product, rumors suggest this MacBook Pro will also feature a number of other advantages. Besides being able to touch a display for the first time, this MacBook could be the first MacBook with an OLED display, rather than the mini-LED found on current MacBook Pros. Furthermore, Apple could take this opportunity to release this MacBook Pro with M6 Pro and M6 Max processors, making it the most powerful MacBook to date.
If you have a newer iPhone, this MacBook may also resemble it a bit: Apple may ditch the camera notch in favor of an iPhone-like “Dynamic Island.” Apple already did this with the iPhone 14 Pro and may do the same with its first touchscreen Mac—though some developers have tried to transform the current notch into a “Dynamic Island.” Finally, Apple may downsize the MacBook Pro lineup with this model, introducing its first major design update since 2021.