Apple unveiled its first touchscreen MacBook Pro with OLED display

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The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 and the 16-inch at $3,399, with pre-orders open and deliveries set to begin Nov. 6

Credit: Apple

Apple $AAPL introduced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro on Wednesday, a laptop with a tandem OLED display, M5 Pro or M5 Max chips and a Dynamic Island on the screen.

Pre-orders opened Wednesday in 30 countries and regions, including the U.S., and the laptop begins arriving to customers on Nov. 6, the company said. The 14-inch model with an M5 Pro chip starts at $2,899, and the 16-inch model starts at $3,399. Versions with an M5 Max chip start at $4,499 for the 14-inch and $4,799 for the 16-inch.

Apple said the display reaches 2,000 nits at its brightest, with a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a variable refresh rate of 120Hz. The company said the touch sensor is built into the display panel instead of layered on top of it. Many existing apps work with touch because macOS translates touches into clicks, Apple said.

The 14-inch model comes in at 3 pounds, half a pound lighter than its predecessor, while the 16-inch model is 4 pounds, which is 0.7 pounds lighter than before. Apple said battery life reaches up to 24 hours. The illuminated Apple logo has made a comeback on the laptop's cover, according to The Verge.

"The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is a monumental step forward for the Mac," Johny Srouji, Apple's chief hardware officer, said in a statement.

Apple CEO John Ternus introduced the machine on stage, according to Bloomberg. Ternus took over from Tim Cook last month, according to Bloomberg. "Yes, for the very first time, we are bringing touch to the Mac," Ternus said while addressing reporters and industry analysts at an event in Los Angeles, according to CNBC.

The launch reverses a long-held position at the company. Steve Jobs described touchscreen laptops as "ergonomically terrible" in 2010, and Cook said in 2012 that crossing a tablet with a laptop would be as awkward as crossing a toaster with a fridge, according to The Verge. Apple sold MacBook Pros with a Touch Bar starting in 2016 and dropped it entirely in 2023, according to The Verge.

Cook and Ternus began advocating for a touchscreen MacBook Pro roughly four years ago, according to Bloomberg. Bloomberg said the goal is to revive interest in the Mac and lift revenue by charging more for premium capabilities.

Both starting prices are increases from existing models, according to CNBC. Earlier this week, Apple also put out a more affordable MacBook Pro featuring an M5 processor and a 14-inch display, according to Bloomberg.

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