Steve Jobs Thought They Were ‘Ergonomically Terrible,’ but Apple Is Reportedly Betting You’ll Pay a Premium for the Touchscreen MacBook Pro

Key takeaways

• Apple’s new touchscreen MacBook Pro will start at $2,899, a $400 premium over the current model, marking a bold shift toward touch-enabled laptops.
• $400 price increase
• $2,899 base price for 14‑inch
• $3,399 base price for 16‑inch

What happened

Apple is set to launch a new 14‑inch touchscreen MacBook Pro on Wednesday, with a reported $400 price hike that would bring the base model to $2,899 and the 16‑inch version to $3,399. Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said Apple expects customers to pay a premium for the OLED touch display and that the new laptops will feature M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a redesigned hinge for stability, a new cooling system, and a slightly lighter design. The company has not yet confirmed the details, but the…

Why it matters

The move signals Apple’s willingness to break from its long‑standing stance that touchscreens are ergonomically poor, a view famously voiced by Steve Jobs in 2010. By charging a premium for touch capability, Apple is testing whether consumers value the added functionality enough to pay more, which could influence…

Short-term and longer-term

Short-term. Over the next few days, Apple shares could see short‑term swings as traders digest the $400 price hike and the implications for the MacBook Pro lineup.

Longer-term. For the coming months, the pricing strategy could reshape Apple’s MacBook Pro revenue trajectory.