Tech giant Apple is reportedly working on a new project to add touch screens to its Mac computers, a significant departure from its previous stance, reported Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, citing Apple engineers who are “actively engaged in the project.”

Apple May Launch Touch-Screen Macs in 2025

Gurman, citing people familiar with the efforts, says the company is “seriously considering” producing touch-screen Macs for the first time. He adds that Apple may consider releasing its first touch-screen Mac in 2025 as part of larger updates to the MacBook Pro. However, the company has yet to confirm an official launch date, and the plans may be subject to change.

If this happens, this move would defy the company’s long-held orthodoxy, as Apple has repeatedly rejected the idea of having Mac computers with touch capability. For a long time, the Cupertino giant has argued that touch screens do not perform well on laptops. Instead, they suggest using iPads as a better option if someone wants a touch interface, especially with the new M2 and M4 chips.

Not only this, but even the late co-founder and former CEO of Apple strongly disliked the approach of adding touch screens to Macs and once called it “ergonomically terrible.”

“We’ve done tons of user testing on this, and it turns out it doesn’t work. Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. It gives great demo but after a short period of time, you start to fatigue and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off. It doesn’t work, it’s ergonomically terrible,”,” Jobs was quoted as saying in 2010.

On the other hand, with Apple’s rivals, such as Dell, Lenovo, HP, Asus, and other top laptop manufacturers, already launching two-in-one laptops with touch displays, there has been increased competition and pressure on the company to bring touchscreen to Macs.

If Apple decides to bring touchscreens to Macs, the tech giant is likely to stick with a “traditional laptop design” that includes a standard keyboard and trackpad. As far as the screen is concerned, it would “support touch input and gestures—just like an iPhone and iPad,” added Gurman. Apple could eventually expand touch support to additional types of Mac models over a period of time.

With Macs making more money than iPads in recent years, if Apple successfully adopts touch functionality in its laptops, we could see a profound impact on the personal computing industry, potentially reshaping the competition among laptop manufacturers.