macOS: More speculation about touchscreen capability
In connection with current rumors about an Apple foldable, there is also renewed speculation about a touchscreen macOS. But is there any truth to the idea?
iPad with macOS logo: An old user dream.
(Image: Shutterstock / Mac & i)
iPad and Mac combined – Some users have been dreaming this dream for years, either because they hope to be able to operate Macs via touchscreen or, what sounds more sensible, to finally make the always limited iPadOS more powerful on the ever faster hardware. In connection with current foldable rumors, there are now fresh indications that Apple wants to make macOS touchscreen-capable. This is because one of two foldable devices allegedly planned for 2026 or 2027 will not run iOS or iPadOS. This is according to analyst Jeff Pu from Hong Kong investment firm GF Securities, who has contacts in Apple's supply chain.
18.8-inch display when folded out
Allegedly, – is set to release a foldable iPhone – as well as a kind of iPad/Mac hybrid with an 18.8-inch display when unfolded. It is “likely” that it will run macOS instead of iPadOS. If these assumptions are correct, Apple would already have to make the corresponding adjustments with macOS 16 (or earlier versions) – if the company has not already done so.
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In fact, these plans have come up again and again recently. Apple is said to have developed corresponding prototypes years ago, but did not see any added value in them. Steve Jobs himself had always rejected touchscreen MacBooks because he considered them to be the wrong form factor, as the user's arm would eventually fall off when using them.
iOS 19 and macOS 16 as the base system
Apple is now planning a major redesign for iOS 19 and macOS 16, which will partly adopt the look of visionOS. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote on the weekend that the redesign could also help to enable new types of hardware, such as the aforementioned foldables and “touchscreen Macs”.
How much analyst Pu has heard himself and how much information he is repeating from other media reports remains unclear. The Wall Street Journal, for example, recently reported on form factor changes at Apple and also mentioned macOS. The 18.8-inch device should basically be understood as a laptop. Last year, Apple was the first device ever to feature the new M4 SoC in the iPad Pro. However, its power can only be partially utilized by iPadOS, as the operating system has various limitations compared to macOS.
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