Apple launches first touchscreen MacBook Pro

$2,899 buys the cheapest version of Apple's first touchscreen Mac. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts there, and the 16-inch version starts at $3,399, with both models going on sale from 6 November.

What is new

Apple has put touch on the Mac for the first time. The new MacBook Pro uses what Apple calls a PROLED XDR display, a tandem OLED panel, in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. The touch sensor is built into the display panel rather than layered on top. Users can swipe to scroll, pinch to zoom, and drag content between apps.

The machine runs on M5 Pro or M5 Max chips, with up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of storage. The display reaches 2,000 nits peak brightness for HDR and SDR content, with a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Apple has redesigned the hinge to steady the screen during touch, swapped the notch for a Dynamic Island-style cutout, and fitted a six-speaker array. The 14-inch model weighs 3.0 pounds (1.38 kg) and the 16-inch 4.0 pounds (1.82 kg), both lighter than before. Touch ID stays; there is no Face ID or built-in cellular model.

The change is a reversal: Steve Jobs once called a touchscreen Mac "ergonomically terrible", Apple resisted touch for years, and the Touch Bar experiment of nearly a decade ago was eventually removed. Touch sits alongside the keyboard and trackpad, and Apple says existing apps work because macOS translates touches into clicks.

What it costs

The base prices are only the start: a fully loaded 14-inch model costs $14,249 and a fully loaded 16-inch $14,549, with the top M5 Max chip. Moving to 16TB of storage alone adds $7,000, and 128GB of memory adds $2,000, taking the 16-inch ceiling $4,400 above the previous model's $10,149 top price. Buyers who do not want touch can still buy the March M5 Pro and M5 Max models at their existing prices, giving up OLED and the lighter design.

For Indian buyers, one fact is missing: no India price has been confirmed in the reports so far, so no rupee figure is given here. Pre-orders are reported as opening on 30 October, although two reports described pre-orders as already open on 28 October, so the exact opening is not yet settled. Availability from 6 November is consistent across reports.

What happens next

Watch for Apple India's listing, which will settle the India price and pre-order date, and for early hands-on reports on whether the new hinge really steadies the screen during touch use.

📷 Illustration: AI-generated