Apple's rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro will be a "touch-friendly device, rather than one that's touch-first," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in Power On, Gurman said users will be able to easily move between touch-based and point-and-click inputs, thanks to changes coming in macOS 27 – set up in part by last year's Liquid Glass redesign. However, Apple is said to be taking a conservative approach to touch-based input, offering it more as a "bonus" than a prominent feature.

"Before anyone gets too excited, the touch-based MacBook Pro will not feel like an iPad," said Gurman. "This is the MacBook Pro you've known for the past two decades – with touch offered as a bonus."

Users will be able to tap or click on-screen elements, and controls will change based on input method. If a user taps on a menu bar item, for example, it will display a larger set of controls optimized for touch. Touch-based options will be integrated throughout macOS, and it will support iPad features like pinch gestures for zooming in or out and fast scrolling.

Anyone looking for more of a hybrid iPad/Mac experience will have to wait until 2029, when Apple's foldable iPad could arrive – although even this is said to be "designed through and through as an iPad."

The touchscreen MacBook Pro is expected to be released as soon as later this year, equipped with the M6 chip and an OLED display. The redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also expected to have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display. Expect an iPhone-style Dynamic Island to house it, rather than the notch we've become accustomed to.


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Internally at Apple, the rumored low-end MacBook is being described as "incredible value," so much so that the company believes its imminent launch is going to drive a serious number of switchers from Windows machines and Chromebooks, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his Power On newsletter over the weekend, Gurman says that Apple believes the device "could even compel iPhone users without computers to buy their first Mac."

We don't yet have an official price for the machine, but the MacBook Air starts at $999, so the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be significantly cheaper. Apple is unlikely to price it so low that it overlaps too closely with the iPad lineup, though. The entry-level iPad with the A16 chip starts at $349, while the iPad Air with the M2 chip begins at $599.

A price in the $599 to $799 range would position the new MacBook above the iPad Air, but below the MacBook Air and iPad Pro, maintaining clear separation across product lines. At $599, the device would compete directly with many popular Chromebooks commonly purchased for education, while pricing at $699 or $799 would place it in a similar segment, but with a more premium positioning.

Apple is expected to make several hardware compromises to reach the lower price point. According to one leaker, the new MacBook's display may be dimmer than the MacBook Air's 500 nits and lack True Tone support. Storage options are also likely be limited to 256GB and 512GB, with a possible 128GB configuration for education customers, and there will be no 1TB or 2TB tiers. The base model may also use a slower SSD, potentially due to a single NAND chip. Additional cuts could include no fast charging, no backlit keyboard, and no support for high-impedance headphones. Meanwhile on the connectivity side, it reportedly will not include Apple's custom N1 wireless chip, instead relying on a MediaTek solution.

We shouldn't have to wait too long to learn how accurate those leaks are. Rumors suggest that the low-cost MacBook will be introduced at or just before Apple's March 4 Special Experience that's taking place in New York, London, and Shanghai. However, Apple could announce the MacBook in a press release ahead of the experience – and even as soon as today.

Apple is said to have tested a range of playful color options for the device, including light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray, although Gurman says it's unlikely all of them will ship.


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Apple is still developing a large foldable iPad, despite hitting several technical hurdles along the way, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman says the "gigantic" foldable iPad will challenge Apple's long-running tradition of keeping the Mac and iPad as separate devices. Some have referred to it as a foldable iPad, while others have called it an all-display MacBook, but concerns remain about its practicality when it comes to typing.

A report in July last year claimed Apple had decided to pause work on a larger-screened foldable iPad because of development issues, but it now sounds as if that overstated things. Apple wanted to launch the device in 2028, according to Gurman's previous reporting, but problems with weight and display technology are likely to cause it to be pushed back until 2029.

The device is believed to have a Samsung-made 18-inch display, with Apple focusing on minimizing the display crease. The company already has expertise in this area, having ordered suppliers to begin production of its foldable iPhone, due for launch later this year.

However, a large foldable OLED display will be a lot more expensive – the foldable device could be up to three times as expensive as the 13-inch iPad Pro. Apple charges $1,299 for the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, so if prices don't come down for components over the next few years, the foldable ‌iPad‌ could cost as much as $3,900.

When closed, the iPad resembles a MacBook, with an aluminum exterior and no outer display. When opened, it unfolds to roughly the size of a 13-inch MacBook Air, but without a physical keyboard. Due to its large display and aluminum chassis, current prototypes weigh about 3.5 pounds, making them considerably heavier than existing iPad Pro models.


This article, "Apple's Foldable iPad Still In the Works, Could Arrive by 2029" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple will update the MacBook Air with an OLED display for its 2028 model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman says that he expects the MacBook Air's transition from LCD to OLED to occur with the product's 2028 update, as part of a larger migration to OLED across the company's flagship iPad and MacBook models that includes the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and MacBook Air – and likely in that order.

Apple already uses OLED displays in the iPad Pro. There are apparently no plans to add OLED to the low-cost iPad. The ‌MacBook Pro‌ will be updated with an OLED display when it is next redesigned, perhaps as soon as later this year, and it will include touch screen functionality, according to Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple is expected to update the MacBook Air with M5 chips imminently, but that model will continue to feature an LCD display. If Apple follows an annual upgrade cycle, the first OLED MacBook Air will likely feature M7 chips. Gurman previously reported that Apple has already started early work on an OLED ‌MacBook Air‌.

When the MacBook Air moves from LCD to OLED display technology, it will gain several advantages – brighter screens, deeper blacks with higher contrast, improved power efficiency that can extend battery life, and other enhancements.


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Apple will add a vapor chamber cooling system to the iPad Pro as soon as next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says an iPhone 17 Pro-style vapor chamber is something Apple has been working to bring to the ultra-thin iPad Pro, and it could debut in the next model, which is expected to arrive in spring of 2027.

Apple overhauled the thermal design of the iPhone 17 Pro models to include a vapor chamber cooling system, where a small amount of deionized water moves heat away from the A19 Pro chip and distributes it throughout the iPhone's aluminum unibody frame. Apple says the design allows for 40 percent better sustained performance for demanding tasks.

The next generation iPad Pro model will likely feature Apple's M6 chip made with TSMC's 2-nanometer process. The liquid cooling system would help mitigate throttling, especially as the ‌iPad Pro‌ becomes more capable at handling intense workflows.


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Apple has advised its retail store employees to expect a "major rush" of customers this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Apple teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday.

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said some employees believe Apple's preparations for new products this week are "on par with what happens before the debut of new iPhones in the fall," suggesting that at least one of the devices set to be unveiled between Monday and Wednesday will have "major mainstream appeal."

The new product likely to receive the most interest is the rumored lower-cost MacBook, which is described as an "incredible value" within Apple, according to the newsletter. Apple believes that a more affordable MacBook will help to "drive a serious number of switchers from Windows machines and Chromebooks," wrote Gurman.

While there have been no concrete rumors about the lower-cost MacBook's starting price, estimates range from $599 to $799 in the United States. In any case, qualifying college students and educators should receive $100 off the regular price.

The lower-cost MacBook is expected to be powered by the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, rather than an M-series chip, and it will reportedly have a smaller 12.9-inch display. Based on A18 Pro specs, this MacBook will likely have 8GB of RAM, and the laptop will likely have regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.

Like the iBook from the early 2000s, it has been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink.

Beyond the lower-cost MacBook, most if not all of the other new products coming this week are expected to feature upgraded chips and little else. Possibilities include an iPhone 17e with an A19 chip, an iPad Air with an M4 chip, an iPad 12 with an A18 chip, a MacBook Air with the M5 chip, and MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.


This article, "Apple Reportedly Expects 'Major Rush' of Customers This Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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