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Am I excited about a touchscreen MacBook Pro, a product that’s arguably the biggest change to the platform ever?
No, oddly, I’m not.
I’m finding it hard to imagine why I’d want such a product. I have a Mac. I have an iPad. I’m not sure I want a hybrid of the two.
Plus, I’m still convinced by Steve Jobs’ argument from back in 2010 that vertical touchscreens like on a MacBook are a nonstarter.
Jobs said that while such a screen “gives great demo,” it doesn’t work because your arm gets tired.
I still find his argument pretty convincing. Of course it isn’t a good idea.
But in the meantime, the world has changed a lot since 2010. These days, we expect most screens to be touchscreens. A screen you can’t interact with seems outdated.
Microsoft tried adding touch to computers with Windows 8, and it was a resounding dud. But ofc, Microsoft didn’t do it very well.
The one thing you can count on is that Apple won’t simply make some buttons bigger so they are easier to hit with your finger.
If Apple is adding touch to the Mac, I’d bet a body part that the company thoroughly rethought how things should work.
And indeed, the rumors suggest exactly that. Touchscreen Macs will run a new hybrid operating system that treats touch as a secondary interface and adapts itself accordingly.
A touchscreen MacBook will still be mostly controlled by a trackpad/mouse and keyboard, with touch as another way to get things done.
So, actually, wait a second. What am I thinking? Apple’s about to introduce a brand-new interaction model!
Is Apple gonna demo a new UI that’ll join the pantheon of the company’s great breakthroughs, like the Mac’s graphical user interface, the iPod’s click wheel and the iPhone’s Multi-Touch?
I don’t know! Maybe!
In the time it’s taken me to write this intro, I’ve worked myself into a state of total excitement about the touchscreen MacBook. Even if I have a hard time imagining it for myself, it’s going to be a fascinating look at a hybrid keyboard-mouse/touch machine that can’t fail to give great demo.
The date is set for October 28, and we have some details/rumors about the new UI. There’ll also be more than a touchscreen Mac.
Also in today’s newsletter:
Here’s something I’m unabashedly excited about: The next HomeView, which will add a movable screen. Hello, Luxo Jr.!
And here is why I think the HomeView doesn’t have an App Store: It’s a move akin to removing the headphone jack from the iPhone. (I make the same argument in the latest episode of the Cult of Mac podcast, where we discuss the HomeView and other new Apple products.)
The rumors about Apple’s AI-powered security camera are totally fascinating, if a bit light on revealing details. How exactly will it work? Still, it sounds like Apple is working on more hard-to-imagine-how-it-will-function tech.
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Early estimates peg iPhone Duo sales at 6 million units or more — enough to immediately capture one-third of the global foldables market.
If, like me, you preordered a Duo, here are some of the nicest cases to protect the device. There’s probably no hurry to order one, though 🥹.
Last Friday’s poll asked who preordered the iPhone Duo. We got a higher response than normal, and the results are below. There was one overriding factor in most of the comments.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: For the eight readers who did order a Duo, here’s a really cool MagSafe charger built specifically to fit the device. It's semi-solid state, packs 5,000MaH, has a cool screen and a pop-stand. Plus, it fits most other iPhones, too. #affiliate
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team
HomeView is genius: Cult of Mac podcast #37
Cult of Mac’s buyback program
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One more thing ...
When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can oftentimes arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don't put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.
Today’s poll
Are you excited about the first touchscreen MacBook?
Results from yesterday’s poll
Best reader comments
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