Apple has long been known for the best trackpad on its laptops, with great OS-level support, so it didn’t need to add touch support to its screens. The trackpad is a solved problem, and it has been for a long time; what’s left? Add touch support to the screen with a great OS-level touch implementation, because they knew how; they’ve been doing it on the iPad since 2010.
First, let me set the context: I own an aging 15-inch M2 MacBook Air and a M4 Mac mini. The former is my daily driver while the latter is occasionally used. I have a few more projects that I want to tackle early next year: building native iOS-iPadOS-macOS apps using Claude Code.
Second, here’s the plan: buy the 14-inch MacBook Pro with touch screen support while returning the MacBook Air for a credit and selling the Mac mini. Both will help me finance this upgrade. Here’s why it will be worth it.
This is a massive upgrade: the best screen, a much more powerful Mac in an attractive and portable machine. The screen will offer more room for content, in a much higher image quality while getting rid of the notch, to be replaced with a much more useful Dynamic Island. This new MacBook Pro will be able to drive both of my displays, an Apple Studio Display and a 4K UltraFine.
From what I’m seeing, Apple did a great job at making macOS touch friendly. I can’t wait to try this out.
I’m winning on all counts. Still to be decided, though: adding the nano texture option. I’ll pay a visit to an Apple Store in the next few weeks to decide.
One more thing: the Apple logo now is glowing! 🤩
What’s Left for ‘Pro and Tell’ Week: Touch-Enabled OLED MacBooks:
So I’m just wondering if tomorrow’s new touchscreen OLED MacBooks aren’t replacements for the current MacBook Pros, but instead are the start of a new MacBook family with another name. I don’t think they’d call them MacBook “Duos”, because they’re not two-in-one devices. MacBook “Ultras”, maybe — with the same specs as the MacBook Pros but more expensive displays? But “Ultra” seems like a wrong name for a MacBook because Apple’s M-series Ultra chips are (to date at least) desktop only. It’d be weird if the M5 Ultra is exclusive to the Mac Studio while the MacBook “Ultra” maxes out with the M5 Max. So maybe they just are the new MacBook Pros and this first OLED/touch generation uses the same chips as the ones from March?
If we project ourselves into the future where all MacBooks get upgraded to include a touch screen, then the ‘Ultra’ naming wouldn’t make any sense for today’s MacBook Pro being named ‘Ultra’. They will simply keep the MacBook Pro name with a short tagline, ‘MacBook Pro with touch support,’ or something similar.
I’ll slowly, quietly1 start thinking about this Micro.blog super app. It doesn’t have a name yet. I have no idea what the app icon could be. I’m not an icon designer, and I don’t have the money to commission one. I’m not even sure it will see the light on the App Store. But one thing is clear: I’m afraid Apple will refuse or reject the app when I submit it to the App Store.
Well, not so quietly, because I’ll blog about this journey right here. ↩︎
One vibe-coding project I’d like to tackle in 2027 is building a native app for Mac and iPhone. I already know what I’d try to build: a Micro.blog super app—something @manton isn’t willing to create. And I’m okay with his decision; it’s an opportunity for others like me to take the challenge.
I’m afraid of what Apple will ask us to pay for the OLED MacBook Pro… 🫣
There is nothing mini about the iPad mini except its size. Price-wise, we left the mini territory a while ago. 😒
Now that almost anyone can build a native iPhone app using vibe coding or more sophisticated AI-agent methods, companies that keep releasing shitty apps for their products should pay attention. Synology is one example. They make great NAS devices1, but their iPhone apps aren’t great. Unlike Ubiquiti, they don’t offer an iPhone app for managing their devices. I came across this app on Reddit this morning, and it looks well done. That guy essentially replicated Synology DSM capabilities in his app. That’s cool and useful. If Synology cannot hire good iPhone developers, fine, but with AI-based coding, they have no excuses to try a different approach.
I’ve been using a DS720+ since 2020, and I’m quite happy with it. ↩︎
I’m really looking forward to Apple’s announcements this week: an updated MacBook Pro. While the rumored CPU is believed to be an M5 series, not an M6, that’s not what I find most interesting. It’s all about the screen.
First, I would prefer to have a Dynamic Island instead of a notch. I prefer pill-shaped holes. Small detail, I know.
Second, I prefer the OLED screen because I love photography with deeper blacks.
Third, I want touchscreen support because I think it makes sense. Sorry, Steve, but we’re in 2026. When Apple introduced mouse support in iPadOS, it was exciting to see the iPad grow into a new territory of user interaction. It’s macOS’s turn, now.
Fourth, the 14-inch MacBook Pro screen resolution will fit more content into a more compact design than my current 15-inch MacBook Air, thanks to a higher-resolution display (3024 ✗ × 1964 pixels vs 2880 ✗ × 1864 pixels).
I’m just realizing where I’ll actually end up next weekend: Singapore Changi Airport1. This might surprise you, but 90% of my travel planning is done by my wife. I barely know or remember the travel milestones. This evening, I was wondering whether there were any Apple Stores in Singapore. Oh boy. There are three, and I can visit two of them. I can’t wait.
It will be a long ride with two long flights, with the first starting from Montreal, Canada, to Istanbul. ↩︎
