Apple's first touchscreen MacBook comes at a price
Apple's first touchscreen MacBook comes at a price
Apple has finally given the MacBook Pro something many people have wanted for years: a touchscreen. The company unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro on Oct. 28, introducing a new way to interact with its laptop. It also brings a stunning OLED display, a thinner design and some serious processing power. However, there's one detail that might make you think twice before reaching for your wallet. The new touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899.
That's a lot of money for a laptop, even by Apple's standards. So, what exactly are you getting for that price? More importantly, will touching your MacBook's screen make enough of a difference to justify an upgrade? Let's look at what Apple has introduced and who might benefit most.
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For years, Apple maintained that the Mac worked best with a keyboard and trackpad. Meanwhile, Windows laptop owners have enjoyed touchscreen options for a long time. Apple even experimented with touch controls through its Touch Bar, but that feature never replaced the traditional laptop experience.
Now Apple has changed course. Its new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display lets you interact directly with the screen. You can scroll through websites with your finger or pinch to zoom into photos. Apple also lets you drag content between windows and interact with supported creative apps.
Think about how often you instinctively touch your laptop screen, especially after spending years using an iPhone or iPad. Now that gesture will actually do something on the new MacBook Pro. Apple also redesigned the hinge to keep the display steadier when you touch it. That's a thoughtful addition because nobody wants a screen wobbling every time they tap a button.
However, this remains a traditional laptop. It doesn't fold into a tablet, and it doesn't support Apple Pencil. You'll still use the keyboard and trackpad for much of your work. That may disappoint anyone hoping to replace both a MacBook and an iPad with one device.
While everyone is talking about the touchscreen, Apple's new display technology might have an even greater impact on your everyday experience. The company calls it the PROLED XDR display, and it uses tandem OLED technology. Unlike traditional laptop screens that rely on a backlight, OLED pixels produce their own light. That allows the display to show deep blacks alongside bright highlights without the same backlight glow.
Apple says the new screen reaches up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness for both HDR and SDR content. It also delivers a claimed 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio and supports refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother motion. Those numbers sound impressive, but what will you actually notice?
Photos should look more vibrant, especially when you're viewing pictures taken on your iPhone. Movies can show more detail in dark scenes. If you edit videos or work with photography, the improved color accuracy could be especially useful.
Apple has also added an antireflective coating to help reduce glare. An optional nano-texture finish provides addit
