Apple held a product launch event in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, officially unveiling its first-ever MacBook Pro laptop with a touchscreen, reversing its stance against the technology after more than a decade.
The new models feature OLED displays, with the 14-inch M5 Pro chip version starting at US$2,899 (about HK$22,743) and the 16-inch M5 Max chip version starting at US$4,799 (about HK$37,648). Pre-orders open today, with official sales beginning on Nov. 6.
Apple CEO John Ternus highlighted the contrast, clarity, and brightness of the OLED screen at the event, and announced the return of the classic glowing Apple logo on the back of the laptop. He said that Mac has never been this good, and never been this powerful.
It is worth noting that Apple executives had long resisted adding touchscreens to Macs. The late co-founder Steve Jobs said in 2010 that touchscreens on laptops were "terrible ergonomically"; then-CEO Tim Cook compared such devices in 2012 to "combining a toaster and a refrigerator." Ternus himself, before becoming CEO, had said that the iPad was already a touch computer, but his stance has now reversed — analysts describe it as "the inevitable result of reality gradually setting in."
However, the new MacBook is priced far higher than comparable products on the market. According to IDC data, the average global selling price of touchscreen laptops in 2025 was about US$1,009 (about HK$7,916). Apple's entry-level model alone costs more than the combined price of an entry-level iPhone, MacBook, iPad (with accessories), Apple Watch, and AirPods. Some analysts question whether Apple's high-priced touchscreen laptop can truly break through in the enterprise market dominated by competitors such as Lenovo, HP, and Dell.
(Video source: Apple)
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