Apple Unveils First MacBook Pro With Touchscreen, Shifting 20-Year Design Philosophy

Apple, which had long prohibited the introduction of touchscreens to Mac computers, has unveiled a new MacBook Pro featuring touch capabilities.

On the 28th local time, Apple introduced the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a touchscreen, and M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

This marks the first time in Apple's Mac computer history that touch controls are supported on the display.

Apple explained that instead of placing a touch sensor on top of the display, it integrated the sensor directly into the panel, drastically reducing latency. The company also introduced a significantly upgraded screen that supports a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and a contrast ratio of 10 million to 1.

The Dynamic Island, previously used on the iPhone for real-time status updates, has also been applied.

Apple added that portability has been enhanced, with the 14-inch model weighing 1.38 kg, which is 220g lighter than its predecessor, and the 16인치 model weighing 1.82 kg, a reduction of 320g.

By slimming down the display borders, the actual screen sizes have been expanded to 14.2 inches and 16.3 inches, while battery life has been extended to up to 24 hours.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and graphics performance have also been boosted by incorporating the latest M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

Large language models (LLMs) with hundreds of billions of parameters can now be run locally on the device.

The new MacBook Pro will be available for pre-order in South Korea starting tomorrow (the 30th), with its official release scheduled for November 6.

Prices are set at 2,899 dollars (4.79 million won in South Korea) for the 14-inch M5 Pro model, and 3,399 dollars (5.59 million won in South Korea) for the 16-inch M5 Pro model.

Apple's launch of this touchscreen MacBook is being evaluated as a turning point that brings major changes to a design philosophy the company has maintained for 20 years since the release of the first MacBook in 2006.

John Ternus, who was overseeing hardware back in 2021, stated in a media interview at the time, "We make the world's best touch computer with the iPad, but the Mac is fully optimized for indirect input (via mice and touchpads), and we just don't feel a reason to change that."

U.S. business broadcaster CNBC analyzed that Apple's introduction of a touchscreen to the MacBook, previously considered a taboo, is aimed at boosting MacBook Pro selling prices amid adverse conditions such as declining global PC shipments and memory semiconductor shortages.

(Photo courtesy of Apple, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.