Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro arrives Wednesday with touch-aware macOS

A long resistance ends

Apple spent years arguing that touch belongs on the iPad and that a Mac should be driven by a trackpad and keyboard. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the company will announce its first touchscreen MacBook Pro models on Wednesday, in 14- and 16-inch sizes with OLED displays, ending that stance.

An interface that reads your intent

According to the report, Apple reworked macOS so the interface adapts to how the machine was last used: controls and layouts change depending on whether the user touched the screen or reached for the trackpad. The aim appears to be avoiding the awkward moment when a desktop operating system is forced to behave like a tablet.

Why it matters beyond one laptop

Touch on a Mac raises questions for the software makers whose apps were designed for a mouse, and it brings the Mac closer to the iPad at a time when the line between the two has been blurring. Pricing and full specifications are expected at the announcement, so anyone planning an upgrade may want to wait for the details on battery life, weight and which apps actually take advantage of the new screen.