We’re no strangers to a U-turn in the UK, be it in an awkward cul-de-sac or in the House of Commons, but we don’t usually see them from Apple! Delayed product releases, sure. Unexpected upgrades, absolutely. But the intensifying rumours that a touchscreen MacBook is “100% confirmed” suggest Apple is about to go back on something it has historically rejected…
What do we actually ‘know’?
On 11th June 2026, the prolific and highly reputable Chinese leaker known as ‘Instant Digital’ made a short and sharp statement via a Weibo post, claiming that “it’s 100% confirmed that the MacBook screen will be touch-enabled”. This has been enough to send the Apple-focused corner of the internet into a frenzy about the prospect.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard about this, though. Highly respected Apple news journalist Mark Gurman has been entertaining the rumour for a couple of years. Just this February, he spoke more strongly about Apple’s preparations to launch a touchscreen MacBook Pro. More recently, he did some digging into the developer beta for macOS 27 Golden Gate, which includes a ‘pull-to-refresh’ support feature – like how you swipe down to refresh your browser or social feed on your phone.
Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed at the time of writing this. These are still just rumours and must be treated as such – albeit very, very strong ones!
Why is a touchscreen MacBook controversial?
Apple has a detailed history of strongly dismissing the concept of a touchscreen MacBook. In 2010, Steve Jobs labelled the idea as “ergonomically terrible”. Tim Cook also threw shade at Microsoft’s touchscreen Surface laptops in 2012, saying you couldn’t “converge a toaster and a refrigerator”.
Notably, Apple did introduce a Touch Bar to MacBook Pro in 2016, which it has since ditched – with ex-Chief Design Officer Jony Ive saying a touchscreen wasn’t “particularly useful”.
Functionality aside, do we really want to be getting our mucky paws all over the Pro’s brand-new OLED display? Won’t this affect the visual experience? And more importantly, is there really a demand for it? On the other hand, we can see how touchscreen features could be useful for hands-on creative and design work, like photo editing, and for everyday intuitive navigation like zooming, swiping and tapping.
If the rumours are true, then the new MacBook Pro will be touch-friendly rather than touch-first, which we roughly translate as “if you don’t like it, then don’t use it”!
Don’t wait for hypothetical releases
In 2025, we heard rumours that the new MacBook Pro would enter mass production in 2026. Mark Gurman has since said they are slated to launch in late 2026/early 2027, but with so many recent releases pushed back due to the global memory chip shortage, 2027 feels much more likely.
The truth is, we don’t know. Neither do they, and neither do you – which is why we always advise to lease what you need now, not what you think might be released in the near future. And you can do so with flexible solutions from Lease Loop…
Powerful Macs without the downpayment
We cater our solutions towards those who want to retain their Macs at the end of the lease period (charging as little as £1 + VAT when you enter into a new agreement within 30 days of your lease expiring) and to those who like to swap out their Macs every few years, with extensive fully transparent and costed end-of-lease options if you change your mind. It all comes with ‘Exceptional Service’ as rated by Feefo.
Want to know more about how Lease Loop can help your business? Give us a call on 01952 876928 or email sales@leaseloop.co.