NEWS | Apple has unveiled its first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen, ending years of keeping touch off the Mac. The laptop has an OLED screen and comes in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes. Apple calls it the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display and revealed it at its Pro and Tell event on October 28. Pre-orders are open now, and the laptops reach customers on November 6, just over a week away.
The 14-inch model with an M5 Pro chip starts at $2,899, and the 16-inch version with the same chip starts at $3,399. All prices here are US starting prices. Choosing the faster M5 Max chip raises those starting prices to $4,499 and $4,799. Earlier this week, Apple also released a 14-inch MacBook Pro with its newer M6 chip, starting at $1,999. It announced a new iMac with the M6 chip and an iPad mini with an OLED screen as well.
Two MacBook Pros, two price tags
Apple now sells two kinds of MacBook Pro side by side, so anyone buying one faces a real choice. The cheaper one has the newer M6 chip and a standard screen without touch. The touchscreen version costs $900 more at the starting price and uses the older M5 family of chips. Because both share the MacBook Pro name, the differences are easy to miss. Shoppers have to decide whether touch and an OLED screen are worth the extra money, or whether the newer chip matters more for what they do every day.
This part is BMN’s own view. Apple now has to prove that touch is worth the price on a computer built around a keyboard and trackpad. Rival laptops have offered touch for years, so the real test is whether the Mac feels natural to tap. Having two chip generations in one lineup could also confuse people who just want the newest model. For many buyers, the cheaper M6 model may already be plenty. Reviews in the coming weeks should show whether the extra money buys something useful.
Would you pay $900 more to touch your MacBook screen, or is the M6 model all you need?
