Apple Unveils OLED, Touchscreen MacBook Pro From $2,899
Apple announced a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen and OLED display, the first Mac with touch. The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch at $3,399…
Apple announces new MacBook Pro models with OLED and touchscreen support, the first time a Mac has offered touch. The company calls the display ProLED XDR. Pre-orders opened Wednesday, and the laptops go on sale November 6.
The 14-inch model with an M5 Pro chip starts at $2,899. The 16-inch with M5 Pro costs $3,399. With M5 Max, prices are $4,499 and $4,799, respectively. CNBC reported that both the 14-inch and 16-inch starting prices are notable increases from existing models.
Touch comes to the Mac
"Yes, for the very first time, we are bringing touch to the Mac," Apple CEO John Ternus said in live remarks to media and analysts in Los Angeles. Apple has resisted touchscreens on its laptops for decades, even as some Windows machines gained the feature.
The machine still runs macOS, not an iPhone or iPad operating system. In a video, Apple showed users swiping on the screen to manipulate videos or images. GSMArena noted that macOS has not been meaningfully redesigned for touch, so Apple presents it as another way to interact with content in apps. Apple made no mention of Apple Pencil compatibility.
Display and design
The screen uses the same Tandem OLED technology as the iPad Pro, layering two OLED panels to raise light output. It reaches up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness and 1,000 nits sustained. Refresh rates vary between 10Hz and 120Hz, and the panel covers the P3 and Adobe RGB color gamuts.
The notch is gone, replaced by the Dynamic Island. There is still no Face ID. Touch ID remains the only secure way to authenticate.
The new models are a few millimeters smaller in every dimension and about 200-300g lighter, depending on the model. Apple reworked the thermal design to send warm air away from the display. The Apple logo on the lid glows again, as it did on older MacBooks.
The speaker system keeps its six speakers but gains new woofers with 50% deeper bass and new tweeters. Apple also reworked the design so the speakers still sound good with the lid closed.
Otherwise the laptops match the existing range: the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, memory and storage options, connectivity and battery life. As GSMArena put it, the real difference comes down to LCD or OLED with touch.
A weak market, rising costs
The launch comes during one of the worst laptop slumps on record. CNBC reported that overall shipments are expected to fall 11% this year. Analysts say an AI-driven global memory shortage has pushed up laptop prices and hurt demand.
In the third quarter, total PC shipments dropped 20% year over year, according to market researcher IDC. Apple's own shipments fell 11%, per the estimate. Then-CEO Tim Cook warned this summer that memory prices were "unsustainable." Nearly all Macs got price hikes this year, and Mac Minis introduced in August rose by $300.
Touchscreens have not typically driven laptop purchases. That makes Apple's software changes and developer strategy central to whether the feature catches on, CNBC said.
This is Apple's third major product launch under Ternus. It follows an OLED iPad mini on Monday, starting at $699, and an M6-powered iMac and 14-inch MacBook Pro on Tuesday. In its most recent quarter, Apple reported $10.35 billion in Mac sales, just under 10% of total revenue.
Source: gsmarena.com
