Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro brings touch controls to the Mac for the first time, but Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes the new laptop is unlikely to affect iPad sales. Despite its OLED display and redesigned interface, Apple has retained the traditional laptop design, keeping the Mac and iPad focused on different uses.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman argues that Apple missed an opportunity to rethink how its computers and tablets could work together.
Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Pro Still Cannot Replace an iPad
The new MacBook Pro supports tapping, swiping, pinching and scrolling through macOS 27. However, it lacks several features that make the iPad useful for drawing, writing and tablet-based workflows.
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- No tablet mode: The display cannot fold backward or detach from the keyboard.
- No Apple Pencil support: Users cannot use Apple’s stylus for handwriting or precision drawing.
- Traditional laptop design: The keyboard, trackpad and fixed display remain central to the experience.
Gurman also points out that Apple strengthened the hinge to reduce screen wobbling rather than developing a more flexible design.
“There’s absolutely nothing in the touch-screen Mac that would stop someone who wants an iPad from buying one.”
Apple Could Do More With the Future of Mac and iPad
Apple’s new PROLED XDR display uses tandem OLED technology, while touch support makes several creative applications more convenient. However, the company has introduced relatively few features that take full advantage of the touchscreen.
Gurman believes Apple should consider more ambitious designs, potentially bringing the Mac and iPad closer together.
“The company should be working fast toward what could succeed today’s Mac and iPad designs, even if that means bringing them together.”
For now, the touchscreen MacBook Pro makes Apple’s devices more consistent while preserving the iPad’s advantages as a portable tablet. Whether Apple eventually combines their capabilities into a new form factor remains an open question.
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