Apple’s new MacBook Pro introduces touch controls through its PROLED XDR display.
Apple details scrolling, zooming and drawing controls for its new PROLED XDR laptop, with prices starting at $2,899.
Apple has announced a MacBook Pro touchscreen with a PROLED XDR display, bringing finger controls to macOS. The new laptop starts at $2,899 and supports gestures for scrolling, zooming and drawing.
The display incorporates a touch sensor, which Apple says reduces the delay between input and response. However, integrating touch sensors into screens is already common among modern OLED touchscreen displays.
How the MacBook Pro touchscreen works
Users can move a finger across the screen to scroll through content. They can also pinch with two fingers to zoom into photos, documents and web pages.
Drawing directly on the display with a finger adds another way to interact with the laptop. This allows users to make sketches and annotate notes without relying solely on other controls.
Meanwhile, macOS adjusts menus when users interact with them through touch. It increases the space between menu items to make individual options easier to select.
Users can also hide the dock with a finger, adopting a control familiar from the iPad. Together, these features extend touch input beyond navigating content to parts of the desktop interface.
Apple outlines uses for work and everyday apps
Apple suggests professionals could use the touchscreen to manipulate 3D objects directly. Developers could also use it to assess how their iOS apps respond to finger input.
For everyday tasks, the company points to apps such as Pages and Keynote. Scrolling, zooming and direct interaction offer additional ways to work with documents and presentations.
However, the basic gestures will already feel familiar to people who use touchscreen devices. Apple’s changes apply those interactions to macOS, alongside menu adjustments designed to accommodate fingers.
A shift from Apple’s earlier position
The launch marks a change from Apple’s longstanding resistance to touchscreen laptops. Steve Jobs argued that reaching towards a laptop screen would make for poor ergonomics.
Tim Cook also previously criticised combining laptop and tablet features, comparing the idea to merging a fridge and toaster. The new model therefore takes Apple in a direction its earlier leadership publicly questioned.
With an entry price of $2,899, the touchscreen arrives at a substantial cost. Whether buyers see enough value in direct screen controls remains an open question.
