Apple has unveiled its first touchscreen laptop, introducing redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with tandem OLED panels dubbed PROLED XDR displays. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch version starts at $3,399, with pre-orders beginning on October 28 according to outlets such as Tom's Guide and 9to5Mac, though TechCrunch reported pre-orders open October 30. General availability is scheduled to begin November 6. The systems are powered by M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, supporting up to 128GB of unified memory and 16TB of storage. [1][3][4][7]
The updated design drops the webcam notch in favor of an iPhone-style Dynamic Island, brings back the illuminated Apple lid logo, and features a newly engineered hinge to reduce screen wobble during tapping. Apple claims the 120Hz display reaches 2,000 nits of peak brightness with a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Both models are slightly thinner and shed weight, with the 14-inch version dropping to 3 pounds and the 16-inch model weighing 4 pounds. Standard connectivity remains extensive, offering three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, MagSafe, and a headphone jack. [1][2][3][4][5]
The release breaks decades of internal resistance to laptop touchscreens, a concept former CEO Steve Jobs once dismissed as ergonomically flawed. Apple says macOS treats touch inputs as clicks out of the box while third-party apps like Notion, Canva, and Blender already support direct gestures. The launch marks another major milestone under new CEO John Ternus, arriving alongside a slate of recent hardware debuts that included the foldable iPhone Duo. [1][3][5][7]