If you’ve been following the developments of Apple’s M6 MacBook Pro with its OLED touchscreen, it’s easy to think that the worlds of iPads and MacBooks are on a collision course. Some of you have gone so far as to propose that this new laptop could run iPadOS, or future iPads could run macOS. But according to a recent report, those ideas are very far from the truth.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is quite conscious about preserving its iPad and MacBook markets, so much so that it will affect how the rumored touch interface will be implemented on the upcoming M6 MacBook Pro. Gurman refers to the MacBook’s UI as “touch-friendly” in that the touchscreen will simply be a third input device, along with the trackpad and keyboard. In other words, it sounds like Apple isn’t going out of its way to implement touch-based macOS features. Gurman explicitly says the device “will not feel like an iPad,” and “Touch will be completely optional.”
Gurman previously reported that the touch UI will be more than a simple switch to allow for touch input. A new menu with touch-centric controls will appear in the area a user touches, and some items, such as menu bar icons, will appear larger when touching the screen to make selection easier. You’ll also be able to scroll and shrink/expand windows with finger gestures, he reports.
The new laptops may also have support for Dynamic Island that works much as it does on the iPhone, showing alerts, task status, timers, app notifications, sports scores, and more. However, the Dynamic Island and the pill-shaped box that will replace the notch won’t have Face ID.
So while the MacBook may seem like its looking more and more iPad-/iPhone-like, Apple has no plans to create a hybrid device, or to have one replace the other. If anything, Apple wants to continue thenarrative that the iPad and Mac work best as companions that complement each other.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.