Apple's Design Team Didn't Want Touchscreen Macs, But Tim Cook and John Ternus Had Other Ideas: Report
I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.Apple is set to launch touchscreen MacBook Pros with OLED displays on Oct. 28, following internal resistance from its design team. CEO Tim Cook and SVP John Ternus pushed for the feature, believing customers expect touch capabilities. The new 14-inch and 16-inch models will feature M5 chips, Dynamic Island, and lighter designs, potentially increasing prices by up to $500 due to OLED costs. This announcement precedes Apple's Q4 earnings report.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to introduce touchscreen MacBook Pro models on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The models reportedly faced internal resistance, but CEO John Ternus and former CEO and now executive chairman Tim Cook both "felt" that customers "expect touch screens on Macs."
Apple Plans Touchscreen MacBook Pro Launch
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said Cupertino plans to unveil new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with OLED displays this week.
The models are expected to be available for hands-on demonstrations at Apple’s "Pro and Tell" event in Los Angeles.
The laptops are reportedly going to retain a similar design to current models but will be lighter in weight and feature Dynamic Island. These models will run on the company’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
According to available reports, OLED manufacturing costs will likely affect the starting price of these models by up to $500. The current versions start at $2,499 for the 14-inch version and $2,999 for the 16-inch model.
Power On: Apple’s touch-screen MacBook Pro will arrive on Wednesday, marking the tech giant’s latest major reversal. https://t.co/P4M498jUTQ
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 25, 2026
Read Also: Apple’s iPhone Duo Launch Lines Surprise Gene Munster, Who Sees 20 Million Units and $8 Billion Revenue Boost; Tim Cook Says, ‘Welcome to the World’
Tim Cook, John Ternus Reportedly Overcame Design Resistance
In a follow-up post on X, Gurman said Cook and Ternus believed customers now expect touchscreen capabilities on Macs. However, Apple’s industrial design team "remained opposed to the idea."
"The compromise was to create a device where touch was an option but not the primary interface," Gurman wrote.
Within Apple, Cook and Ternus both felt that customers had begun to expect touch screens on Macs. But the company’s industrial design team remained opposed to the idea. The compromise was to create a device where touch was an option but not the primary interface. https://t.co/rId5cS8EyU
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 25, 2026
Apple Q4 Earnings Preview
The launch comes ahead of Apple’s fourth-quarter results on Nov. 2. Analysts project earnings of $1.98 per share on revenue of $113.23 billion.
Last quarter, Apple reported earnings of $2.02 per share, beating analyst expectations of $1.89.
Price Action: On Friday, Apple closed at $347.72, down 0.14%, according to Benzinga Pro.
According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Apple’s stock ranks in the 97th percentile for Quality and the 40th percentile for Growth.
Read Also: Apple’s iPhone Duo, Musk’s Merger Challenge, AI Spending Questions and More: This Week in Tech
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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