Apple Unveils First Touchscreen MacBook Pros with M5 Chips

Apple has officially introduced its first touchscreen laptops, unveiling new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros equipped with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. These models, priced at ₹3,49,900 and ₹4,09,900 respectively, represent a significant change in the company’s approach to laptop design, as Apple has historically avoided touchscreens on its MacBook line.

The announcement was made by Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, during a high-profile event held in Los Angeles on October 28, 2026. Ternus, who has a long history within Apple’s hardware division, has overseen a series of product launches leading into the holiday season. These include the folding iPhone Duo revealed at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters in September, as well as a smart home hub launched earlier this month in New York.

This latest event in Los Angeles not only introduced the touchscreen MacBook Pros but also reignited the long-standing debate about whether Apple should integrate touch capabilities—already standard on iPhones and iPads—into its traditional laptop lineup. Apple’s resistance to touchscreens on laptops dates back more than a decade, with former CEO Steve Jobs calling the idea "ergonomically terrible" in 2010. Tim Cook later dismissed the concept, comparing it to merging a toaster with a refrigerator.

Before stepping into the CEO role, Ternus acknowledged that Apple had touchscreen computers in the form of iPads but had yet to bring this feature to MacBooks. Meanwhile, touchscreen laptops have been widely available from other manufacturers for years. As the iPhone approaches its 20th anniversary, younger consumers increasingly expect devices to respond directly to touch.

Industry analyst Anshel Sag from Moor Insights & Strategy commented on the shift, stating, "I believe they were always wrong on pushing back on touch, and this is the long arm of reality setting in. Some things are purely inevitable."

Apple’s move to touch-enabled MacBooks comes amid steady growth in Mac sales, driven mainly by technology enthusiasts and business users who utilize these machines for demanding tasks such as on-device artificial intelligence processing. The new touchscreen models do not feature the latest M6 chips announced this week; instead, they will be powered by the existing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips already available in current MacBook Pros. This means the new laptops will not benefit from major performance improvements compared to existing models.

Technology commentator Jason Calacanis, host of the All-In Podcast, voiced his opinion on social media, emphasizing customer priorities: "The only thing people want is more memory and better processors for local models!"

Apple’s introduction of touchscreen MacBooks marks a notable evolution for the company, merging the tactile interaction familiar to iPhone and iPad users with the powerful performance and professional-grade features of its MacBook Pro line. This development could influence the broader laptop market, as competitors continue to explore the balance between touch and traditional input methods.

As the holiday season approaches, it remains to be seen how consumers will respond to Apple’s new touchscreen laptops, and whether this feature will become a standard offering in future Mac models. For now, Apple is making a clear statement that it is willing to revisit past decisions to align its products with changing user expectations and technological trends.