Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to introduce touchscreen MacBook Pro models on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The models reportedly faced internal resistance, but CEO John Ternus and former CEO and now executive chairman Tim Cook both “felt” that customers “expect touch screens on Macs.”
Apple Plans Touchscreen MacBook Pro Launch
In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said Cupertino plans to unveil new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with OLED displays this week.
The models are expected to be available for hands-on demonstrations at Apple’s “Pro and Tell” event in Los Angeles.
The laptops are reportedly going to retain a similar design to current models but will be lighter in weight and feature Dynamic Island. These models will run on the company’s M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
According to available reports, OLED manufacturing costs will likely affect the starting price of these models by up to $500. The current versions start at $2,499 for the 14-inch version and $2,999 for the 16-inch model.
Tim Cook, John Ternus Reportedly Overcame Design Resistance
In a follow-up post on X, Gurman said Cook and Ternus believed customers now expect touchscreen capabilities on Macs. However, Apple’s industrial design team “remained opposed to the idea.”
“The compromise was to create a device where touch was an option but not the primary interface,” Gurman wrote.
Apple Q4 Earnings Preview
The launch comes ahead of Apple’s fourth-quarter results on Nov. 2. Analysts project earnings of $1.98 per share on revenue of $113.23 billion.
Last quarter, Apple reported earnings of $2.02 per share, beating analyst expectations of $1.89.
Price Action: On Friday, Apple closed at $347.72, down 0.14%, according to Benzinga Pro.
According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Apple’s stock ranks in the 97th percentile for Quality and the 40th percentile for Growth.
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