Apple announces first-ever touchscreen MacBook that revives iconic feature users have missed for years

2026 has been a huge one for Apple firsts, and hot on the heels of the iPhone Duo being the first folding phone in the tech giant's repertoire, our first touchscreen MacBook is here.

While the Macintosh Portable had the honor of being Apple's first portable computer back in 1989, the MacBook we've come to know and love replaced the old iBook lineup in 2006.

20 years after the MacBook arrived on the scene, we're finally getting our first touchscreen variant. Ironic that it's something Steve Jobs once said would never work and also described as 'ergonomically terrible'.

Even though the late Apple co-founder might not have had much love for the idea of a touchscreen MacBook, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is officially on the way.

What is Apple's first touchscreen laptop?

Announced at October 28's 'Pro and Tell' event, the new touchscreen MacBook Pro comes in 14-inch and 16-inch variants and boasts intuitive Touch capabilities. Apple says this is going to open up "a whole new dimension for pros to interact with their content, from manipulating 3D models to playing musical instruments onscreen."

That obviously comes at a cost, with the 14-inch version costing $2,899 and the 16-inch model coming in at a whopping $3,399. You're paying an extra $400 compared to the 16-inch M5 Pro that released in March 2026, but don't worry, you aren't just getting a touchscreen for that price bump.

After 10 years away from our lives, the glowing Apple logo is returning to the back of our MacBooks. Apple started transitioning away from the glowing logo with the ultra-thin 12-inch MacBook in 2015 and finalized it when the redesigned MacBook Pro landed with its polished metal logo in 2016.

How does Apple's glowing logo work?

Instead of being an independent light inside the screen, Apple's glowing logo came from a translucent plastic cutout that allowed the display's backlight to shine through the lid. As laptop lids got thinner, there were fears that the glowing logo was compromising structural integrity and display quality.

Because OLED displays illuminate without the need for a separate backlight, Apple has presumably found a way around this. Still, many are cheering the return of the iconic feature as we add a bit of flair back to the MacBook family.

The return of the glowing Apple might seem minor, but it's something that even CEO John Ternus has acknowledged. In the aftermath of the touchscreen MacBook's reveal, he took to X to write: "We’re glowing with excitement over the new MacBook Pro. You’ve gotta touch it to believe it."

The comments on Ternus' post were decidedly mixed, with critics claiming a touchscreen MacBook is something 'no one' ever asked for, some sharing shots of fingerprint-smudged screens, and jokes that the company will soon be selling touchscreen gloves at extortionate prices.

As for the return of the logo, one fan cheered: "My theory is Apple knows most of the hardcore pro users would never use a touchscreen Mac but we'd instantly open our wallets for a glowing Apple logo on the lid.'

Another added: "The glowing MacBook logo returning would heal something in me."

A third said: "The new MacBook Pros look awesome with glowing Apple logos. We’re so back."

The glowing Apple logo first appeared all the way back in 1999 as part of the PowerBook G3 Lombard, and even if Steve Jobs might not be a fan of touchscreen MacBooks, we imagine he'd be happy to see this retro nod back in action.