- Apple may be developing a MacBook made with a giant folding screen.
- This could be Apple's answer to those who yearn for a touchscreen Mac.
- But this is not the answer we want.
The touch-screen Mac inherits the advantages of the iPad, but has Apple thought too much?
Apple has a habit of mocking features and even entire product categories until it launches its own product. For example, back in 2010, Steve Jobs said that no one would buy a larger iPhone. A year later, the iPad was released. Apple also has a habit of waiting until it can actually make something worthwhile, like mouse/trackpad support on the iPad. The same may be true for touchscreen Macs. Maybe Apple has finally found a better way than just putting a touchscreen on a laptop like every PC manufacturer does?
"Apple seems in no hurry to simply install a touch screen on a standard Mac, preferring to optimize the user experience across the board. In my work developing green technology solutions, considering all factors (such as how people naturally interact with the device) is critical to success Very important. Screen MacBooks can support touch, thereby enhancing workflows while retaining laptop functionality that many people rely on," Rinkesh Kukreja, senior software engineer and artist at Landis+Gy, told Lifewire via email.
According to multiple reliable rumor sources, the design is fantastic. It's a full-display MacBook, essentially a large foldable screen that displays an iPad-style software keyboard on the lower half, while the upper half is responsible for displaying apps.
Alternatively, you can unfold the screen to create a giant monitor, then pair it with a keyboard and trackpad to make a pretty impressive portable workstation.
The benefits are obvious. Finally, there's the touchscreen Mac, which is especially notable because Macs can already run iPad apps. It's also convenient to have such a large display, it can turn into a giant iPad, movie screen, and more. You can also choose a different input method instead of using a keyboard on the lower screen, or combine part of the display with a software keyboard in addition to the top screen.
Because it will likely be sold as a Mac, it will also avoid one of the major drawbacks of a foldable iPhone or iPad: You have to open it to use it. But you already have to open the MacBook, so no big deal.
If this turns out to be true, it's a great example of Apple's approach to design. Rather than just following the latest industry trends, it works on its own schedule. When everyone says Apple should make netbooks, it doesn't. Instead, it's made the MacBook Air thinner and lighter, and now "ultrabook" has become its own PC category.
This dual-screen Mac is pretty neat, but to me it looks more like it's coming from the Apple Vision Pro side because it's too gimmicky for its own good and what people really want is one with a touchscreen Regular Mac.
The iPad is an amazing device, and with the right accessories, it can be an artist's tablet, music studio, or laptop. But it lags far behind Mac in terms of software capabilities.
The Mac, meanwhile, can do almost anything the iPad can do, with two key differences — you can't remove the keyboard, and you can't touch its screen. Well, you can, but it will just leave greasy fingerprints.
Apple's nifty (rumored) dual-screen Mac looks interesting, but PC makers have already moved on with 2-in-1 laptops, laptops with touch screens, and 360-degree hinges that let you flip the keyboard from back to back solved the problem. Use the whole thing in tablet mode.
"The foldable MacBook lets you touch, which enhances your workflow while retaining the laptop functionality that many people rely on for daily tasks," said Kukreja.
For Apple, this seems like a missed opportunity. Imagine a MacBook Air with a fancier hinge and the touchscreen of an iPad Pro. In laptop mode, it's a Mac. Flip the keyboard over and it's an iPad. mission completed. I would buy that machine. Apple could even make it like Microsoft's Surface Pro, with a detachable keyboard - like when you attach the Magic Keyboard, the iPad turns into a Mac.
Everything is so close, and clearly, Apple can do something with touch and the Mac. But maybe a crazy full-screen, foldable dual-display Mac isn't the most practical solution.
"A foldable screen on a laptop?" Apple user and computer support analyst Kingtj1971 wrote in a MacRumors forum post. "Some methods may be surprising, but not like this!"
