The anticipated Mac laptop with a touch screen will be dubbed the “MacBook Ultra,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says in his latest power on newsletter.
This is apparently the rumored MacBook with a M6 processor, OLED screen, and (if we’re lucky) a cellular option. Previously, it’s been expected that the device would be a revamped, thinner version of a MacBook Pro. Gurman hints that it will be a new category.
He says that the MacBook Ultra will be offered alongside the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and not replace them. Gurman did offer the caveat that Apple “could keep the traditional MacBook Pro name,” but a MacBook Ultra moniker would “more clearly signal their position at the top of the lineup.”
Whatever its name the laptop is expected to debut before year’s end. Previously, Gurman has said that the first Mac with a touchscreen won’t be a “touch-first” device a la the iPhone and iPad, though it will allow folks to use touch and mouse gestures interchangeably for all functions.
For example, when using touch, the revamped macOS interface will swap to a touch-friendly mode. You’ll be able to tap or click on-screen elements. For instance, if you tap on a menu bar item, the display will show a larger set of controls optimized for touch. Touch-based options will be integrated throughout macOS, and it will support iPad features like pinch gestures for zooming in or out and fast scrolling.
In other words, Apple will provide iPadOS-like features in a revamped macOS. This, of course, is quite different from the years-long trend of adding macOS features to iPadOS.
From Gurman’s report: The goal is to give users the controls that make the most sense based on whether they’re touching or clicking.
The software will also display the most appropriate set of controls based on users’ prior interaction. And if a person taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls will enlarge to be more easily selectable with a finger.
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