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In very unsurprising news, we'll likely close out 2026 without a touch-screen MacBook.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman previously predicted a late-2026 or early 2027 release for a touch-screen Mac. However, with Apple now facing RAM and SSD shortages, he expects it to arrive toward the end of that time frame, meaning we won't get our hands on the laptop until next year.
The touch-enabled MacBook Pros are expected to arrive with OLED panels in 14-inch and 16-inch variants. They may have an M6 series chip, a Dynamic Island-like cutout for the webcam, and a modified version of macOS.
When you tap on an item, the software “will bring up a new type of menu surrounding their finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands,” Gurman reported in February. The idea isn’t to provide an iPad replacement, but to let customers “use the touch input as much or as little as they’d like, and blend it with the familiar point-and-click approach,” he added.
Another product that’s facing delays is the Mac Studio. Gurman previously reported that an upgrade could arrive in the middle of the year, around WWDC, but sources now tell him that the timeline has been pushed to October. The current Mac Studios are powered by an M3 Ultra or M4 Max chip, and the upgrade is expected to bring the M5 Max and M5 Ultra. Several high-end configurations for the Mac Studio went out of stock on Apple’s online store earlier this month.
The global memory shortage is largely caused by AI companies, which are absorbing a significant share of chip supply to build AI infrastructure. Apple has so far insulated its products from price hikes, reportedly due to its long-standing relationship with suppliers. Microsoft, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, on the other hand, have been forced to pass on rising component costs to customers.