Hands-on with Apple's first touchscreen laptop: Touch is totally optional
Any button that can be clicked can also be touched.
Key points
- Apple announced its first touchscreen laptops, the MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR Display, on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
- Touch is optional; users can still rely on the trackpad and keyboard, and MacOS looks largely the same.
- The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch model at $3,399.
Apple unveiled its first touchscreen laptop models on Wednesday at an event in Los Angeles. The new MacBooks, called MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR Display, run MacOS rather than iPadOS or iOS.
CNBC tested both the 14-inch and 16-inch versions at the event. The article states that touch is entirely optional and that users can still primarily or entirely use the trackpad and keyboard.
How touch works
Apple has made few visual changes to MacOS. One update is that the red button on the top left of a window expands when touched to make it easier to click. Apple says third-party developers like Microsoft and Adobe can and will enlarge buttons and other touch targets.
Even software not explicitly updated for the new computer will support touch. Apple says its software converts every touch tap into a traditional click, so any clickable button can also be touched. The laptop also has an accessibility feature that lets users pinch to zoom on any part of the interface.
Display and design changes
Apple is marketing the laptops as having a superior display through new tandem OLED technology that offers deeper blacks and higher contrast. The screen is not described as a night-and-day difference from past Apple laptops, and many improvements target creators who need accurate colors.
The new MacBooks replace the notch with a hole-punch cutout, like recent iPhones, and add Dynamic Island to the MacBook. Apple highlighted a new hinge meant to reduce screen shake when touched. The Apple logo on the lid now lights up when the computer is on, the first time since the 2017 MacBook Air. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the bigger one costs at least $3,399.
