Commentary: Apple finally put touch on a MacBook Pro, but at a price and form that confuses me.

I’ve been on a mission for a decade and a half to see that Apple fuses its iPad and Mac lines into something that would be the best of both worlds. I’ve been told that iPads and Macs would never merge, and that touch would never come to Macs. Well, Macs have touchscreens now, or at least one of them; the awkwardly named “MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display” is the very first, arriving Nov. 6.

I’ve been reviewing iPads for years, and I also specialize in reviewing new forms of computing, such as VR/AR headsets and AI-enabled wearables. My hope is that these devices would evolve into true computers that could replace my laptop.

iPads have come awfully close, but the OS and app compatibility still creates a slight divide, meaning certain pro apps and browser tools don’t work the same way. But iPads have the form, the touchscreens, the transforming designs, the modular accessories and support for the wonderful Pencil. I argued earlier this year that the MacBook Neo, with a similar-to-iPad price and an iPhone/iPad-level chipset, showed how close Macs and iPads are getting. I can see a connecting thread, and it excites me.

I say all this because the new MacBook Pros, which I haven’t tried myself, add touchscreens but barely do anything at all to the laptop’s design itself. Instead of folding back or even flat, the screen hinge merely tilts to standard laptop angles and hangs in place while you touch the upright surface.

Source link