5 features I want in the new MacBook Pro (other than a touchscreen)
Macworld ·
Macworld The MacBook Pro, as we know it, isn’t long for Apple’s Mac lineup. It’s expected to undergo a drastic change during next week’s “Pro and Tell” event. At long last, Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored MacBook Pro that finally brings touchscreen support to the Mac. A touchscreen alone, however, isn’t enough to sell me on an upgrade. I already have an iPhone and an iPad. For one, Apple needs to convince me that I even want a touchscreen on my MacBook Pro, but more than that, the touchscreen makeover is a perfect opportunity for Apple to upgrade its laptop in other ways. Here’s what I’ll be looking for when Apple unveils the first touchscreen MacBook Pro next week. A new macOS To be completely honest, I’m not really excited about a touchscreen on a MacBook Pro. I’m unable to imagine how the way I use my Mac can be enhanced by my fingers on the display. So this is the number one thing I’ll be looking for, way above anything else: I want to see how Apple plans to implement touch input in macOS. It has to be more than, say, being able to tap and drag Safari tabs with accompanying visual effects , as was leaked recently. I need to see more than larger elements to accompany touch. I need to see features that will make me want to reach out and poke my display and think the inevitable fingerprints are worth it. For example, in a conversation here in the Macworld office, Jason Cross mused that iPhone Mirroring could have some advantages if you’re able to physically interact with the projection as you would the device itself. That’s the kind of interesting and novel new feature I’d like to see. Touchscreen laptops aren’t a new idea, which means Apple has had plenty of time to experiment and develop a touch UI. But lots of people, including many who should be the target audience for a MacBook Pro, have used macOS for years and will need to see something truly innovative to consider buying one. I hope I see that next week, though I won’t be surprised if we have to wait until WWDC next June to see some real change. Lighter design The other day at the Macworld office, I had my 16-inch MacBook Pro in my backpack. I put my backpack on my desk, and it made a noticeable “thud.” Our office manager (an unabashed PC user) jokingly asked me why I carry a boat anchor around. I laughed, but he’s right: the MacBook Pro is very heavy. Now that the MacBook Pro will have a vastly different feature set than the MacBook Air, there’s no need to make sure the MacBook Pro weighs more than the Air. Foundry The 14-inch MacBook Pro weighs about 3.6 pounds (1.62 kg), while the 16-inch model is nearly 5 pounds (2.15 kg). By comparison, the 16-inch HP OmniBook 7 is about a half-pound lighter. Rumors suggest that the new model will be significantly lighter than the current crop of MacBook Pros, so I’ll be looking closely at the tech specs to see just how much they weigh. But a lighter MacBook Pro also needs to keep the same battery life, which is one of the best features of the MacBook Pro. A thinner and lighter battery is fine as long as Apple doesn’t sacrifice the existing battery life that has become the hallmark of Apple’s flagship laptops. Face ID Touch ID is great, but Face ID is better because it’s less disruptive and more immediate. A year ago, a report claimed that Face ID on a MacBook is “years away,” but plans tend to change very quickly in the tech world. Back when Apple introduced the notch with the first M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro , it seemed to be an obvious placeholder for an inevitable upgrade to Face ID. Five years later, that still hasn’t happened. This new MacBook Pro—which is expected to ditch the notch for an iPhone-like Dynamic Island—is a perfect opportunity to bring the convenience of facial recognition to the only camera you’re always staring at. Is this the time that Apple can upgrade the FaceTime camera to a Face ID camera? Foundry 5G connectivity Apple once thought Macs and touchscreens should not go together, and it’s apparently changed its mind. Maybe it’s also changed its longstanding opinion that cellular connectivity doesn’t belong on a laptop. If hell is freezing over with the addition of a touchscreen to the MacBook Pro, why not add 5G connectivity too? Now that Apple has its own C-series modems that are super efficient and work with its own silicon without worry of battery life or connectivity issues, there’s no reason why Apple can’t offer the option to add 5G to the next MacBook Pro, just as it does with the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. A convertible 2-in-1 I’m not really sure what Apple has in store for the new design rumored for the touchscreen MacBook Pro, but my editor, Michael Simon, is wondering if Apple will do something truly different: Add a 36-degree hinge to turn it into a true macOS tablet. Apple has had a lot of time to work on its hinge tech with the iPhone Duo, so the touchscreen MacBook Pro could introduce something entirely new. We’ve written for years about how the iPad hardware would be a perfect vehicle for a redesigned macOS for touch, and it would be interesting to see what a true tablet-ized version of macOS would look like. Could it support Apple Pencil? Will there be a virtual keyboard? As I said before, reaching out to touch my MacBook’s screen isn’t something I’m all that interested in, but a convertible design sure sounds tempting.