MacBook Air touchscreen support delayed until 2028, report says

Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro is expected to be the first Mac to feature a touchscreen, but the MacBook Air won’t have touch-enabled capabilities anytime soon. According to Bloomberg, Apple hasn’t committed to adding touchscreens to models beyond the MacBook Pro, leaving the MacBook Air and MacBook Neo without touch support for now.

While macOS 27 will include touchscreen optimizations designed to complement the rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro set to launch by the end of this year, Apple appears cautious about expanding touch functionality more broadly. Mark Gurman notes that the MacBook Air might only receive touchscreen and OLED display upgrades around 2028 or later, indicating a significant delay compared to the Pro line.

Speculation about the MacBook Neo’s touchscreen future has also been tempered. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo initially predicted that a successor to the Neo would include touch support, but recent updates suggest Apple may not move forward with that plan anytime soon. Since the Air and Neo are Apple’s more affordable Mac laptops, Gurman expresses skepticism that touchscreens are being considered for these models yet.

Apple’s hesitancy likely stems from its desire to test user reaction to the touchscreen MacBook Pro before making touchscreens a staple across its lineup. After years of resistance to adding touchscreens on Macs, the company is proceeding carefully rather than rushing into a widespread rollout.

Recommended reading

Hassabis says STEM makes you 10x better at AI

If the touchscreen MacBook Pro proves popular, it’s reasonable to expect that touch technology might eventually make its way to the MacBook Air and other Macs, but that’s still several years away. For now, Apple appears content to keep the MacBook Air as a trackpad-only device, reserving more radical changes like OLED and touchscreen for the future.