Touchscreen MacBook: Apple’s Ironic Project That Revisits Steve Jobs’ Curse on Rejected Ideas
If you’re following tech news, you might already know that Apple is working on a touchscreen MacBook. As journalist Mark Gurman notes in his newsletter Power On, this project is rather ironic: it’s not the first time Apple is set to launch a product that it had… openly ridiculed.
From Archenemy to Star Product
Apple has a long-standing trend of mocking an idea before embracing it. The case of artificial intelligence is the most recent example—the company once deemed it “faddish” before launching Apple Intelligence, which is now struggling.
However, Gurman points out that this is not an isolated incident:
- Styluses, once dismissed by Steve Jobs (“Who wants a stylus?”), have become essential with the Apple Pencil.
- Music streaming services were mocked before Apple Music’s launch.
- Virtual reality headsets, which were initially rejected, led to the Vision Pro.
- Even RCS, which Tim Cook dismissed, has finally been integrated into iOS 18.
Once labeled a “bad idea” by Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, the touchscreen MacBook is now in active development.
Why Did Apple Change Its Mind?
According to Gurman, the primary reason for Apple’s shift is straightforward: iPad sales are declining. For a long time, the company feared that a touchscreen Mac would cannibalize its tablet. However, today the two platforms are already quite similar:
- Both run on Apple Silicon chips,
- And with iPadOS 26, the iPad experience is increasingly resembling macOS.
In other words, Apple has eventually merged the DNA of both products—a clear sign that a touchscreen Mac is inevitable.
Users Have Been Waiting for Years
Touchscreen laptops are not a new concept. For over a decade, Windows PCs have demonstrated that adding touch functionality makes usage smoother and more intuitive. Many users would never go back, and Apple is aware of this.
The upcoming touchscreen MacBook is likely to be welcomed enthusiastically by the Apple community.
However, in the short term, it may hinder sales of the new MacBook M5, as many might choose to wait for this next generation.
