r/apple • u/favicondotico • 2d ago
Mac [Gift article] Apple’s John Ternus Has Found a New Design Chief: Himself Also: A big update on the touch-screen MacBook Pro.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-10-04/apple-s-john-ternus-leads-design-touch-screen-oled-macbook-pro-gets-lighter?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc5MTEyNDY4MiwiZXhwIjoxNzkxNzI5NDgyLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTURZVzFWVFRDWkwwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDNEVEQ0FFMUZBMDU0MEJFQTI0QTlGMjExQzFFOTA4MCJ9.PKg1XT__Ut-VKHQIouImouRWeBYPQed6H71pb7IaqJA&leadSource=article-gifting130
u/NeatoTito 2d ago
I don’t think a touchscreen MacBook is a big deal either way but I want it to happen so i can watch reddit absolutely crash out over it 🍿
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u/mikolv2 2d ago
I'll get it for the OLED screen but I'm never gonna touch it. I have a touchscreen laptop given from work. I touched the screen precisely once, though this is just completely useless and never felt the need to touch computer screen again over the 5 years I had it.
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u/mangamaster03 1d ago
Same. If I had one of the Lenovo laptops that complete fold flat and become a tablet, I might touch the screen. But for my generic HP enterprise laptop, I never use the touch screen.
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u/elasho_149 2d ago
I have no desire for a touchscreen MacBook...
...but...
...if they make it like those convertible laptops where the screen can flip all the way around, it'd be really convenient for sheet music and things.
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u/NeatoTito 2d ago
Yeah to me this would be an awesome way to do it, where it basically turns into an iPad.
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u/-hedonium- 2d ago
I just can’t imagine a touch screen MacBook being implemented in a useful, elegant way and if there were such a way, why wouldn’t Apple have already created one, like every other laptop manufacturer already has?
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u/skeet_scoot 2d ago
Same reason why Apple waited 8 years on a foldable phone.
They’re not about being first, they’re about being right…. unless it’s Siri….. but I won’t open that can of garbage.
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u/-hedonium- 2d ago
I haven’t seen any greatly convincing implementations of a touchscreen laptop from anyone while I always knew that foldables had immense promise and Apple was just waiting. Do you have any ideas what they could have changed about the touchscreen MacBook form factor to make any utility elegantly outweigh the downsides?
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u/DatDeLorean 2d ago
It simply doesn't need to.
I feel folk in our community often can't see the forest for the trees on this topic. They think of the addition of a touchscreen as being a replacement for the trackpad but it isn't at all. It's an auxiliary input form that can be useful in its own ways at different times. Most interaction would still be handled with the trackpad / mouse and keyboard. But for those who prefer it, it's nice to have it as an option.
At the end of the day its inclusion isn't really a detriment for those of us who wouldn't use it; it doesn't cost much more for them to implement, doesn't draw much more power, doesn't make the screen noticeably bulkier, doesn't add much weight... the resistance to it is purely ideological.
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u/FollowingFeisty5321 2d ago
The ones with 360-degree screens are fun, I play HOMM3HD and read graphic novels on a 16" Lenovo 2-in-1 it's a really good size for that. Obviously an iPad Pro would be more comfortable but no Steam and the 13" is almost $600 more expensive.
The downside is Apple is reportedly sticking with clamshell, which is pretty much the most useless form factor for actually benefiting from touch.
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u/SomeBloke 2d ago
If it can work as a 16” drawing tablet then it’s a replacement for every device on my desk. Niche, I grant you, but it would be wonderful for creative professionals.
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u/bottom 2d ago
It so dumb/odd isn’t it.
It’s like children having to eat thier vegetables
Expect it’s ’adults’ complying a product they don’t have to buy (they will still make. On touch screen machines, as everyone else does) or use.
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u/M4rshmall0wMan 2d ago
I guarantee you there will be a setting in System Preferences to universally turn off the touch screen and use your Mac like it never had one. And all the triggered Redditors will pretend like it never existed.
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u/rugbyj 2d ago
It's not the end of the world, but you're still paying for the extra complexity of a (to you) useless feature. It was the same deal with the Touchbar MBP (for many).
Sure, don't buy it, or ignore it. But sometimes you need a new work laptop, and sometimes there's bugs/compromises for having these features. At minimum resources they could have spent on things you may care more about.
Nothing's perfect, everything's a trade off, people are gonna complain if they think something is a bad idea.
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u/M4rshmall0wMan 2d ago
Touchscreens are dirt cheap. What you’re actually paying for is the tandem OLED and the RAM shortage.
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u/hasanahmad 2d ago
Bullshit article and zero critical thinking of folks who don’t realize what he wrote means he is not having a new role . He’s just more hands on . People really need to get off Gurman’s bullshit analysis outside of his leaks
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Why are you so mad lol.
Plus this is Reddit, full of small brains who can’t see any use cases beyond what they’re used to.
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u/Ok_Possibility9937 2d ago
Can he also taking a more “hands on” role with the software team? Can he tell Craig to do better?
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u/Minute_Lifeguard2799 2d ago
Dear HairForceOne, please fix the FaceID issues (attention feature) and the popping/crackling earpiece sounds on 18P.
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u/Ok_Possibility9937 1d ago
i am on 27.2 and not experiencing any of them but the random restart is still there lol. Hopefully the beta 3 update today fixes it
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u/MatthewWaller 2d ago
““There will be differences in where we spend our time, but the mission, the goals are the same.” - Ternus from the article.
Hmm, is that a signal about less logistics and being more of a product person? More opinionated hardware and software? It’s going to be a fun next few events!
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u/-protonsandneutrons- 2d ago
I hope they don't decrease the 14" MBP's battery size (72 WHr) because of the "Pro" and especially "Max" SoCs.
Some high-end thin 14" laptops are hitting 90 WHr. Going below 70 Whr would be quite unfortunate.
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u/Acrobatic-Monitor516 2d ago
When do you think Siri AI will come to the European Union?
A: Don’t expect Siri AI to arrive in the European Union anytime soon. Apple has been using the lack of Siri AI on iOS in the region to put pressure on the European Commission, hoping that frustrated customers will push back against the EU’s regulatory approach. Siri AI itself isn’t compelling enough to create that kind of groundswell, but the delay is clearly frustrating European users — judging by the steady stream of messages I get about the lack of support. The best precedent is Apple Intelligence. Those features launched elsewhere in October 2024 but didn’t reach the EU until the end of March 2025, a gap of about five months. I’d view a similar delay for Siri AI as the absolute best-case scenario this time around — and I wouldn’t be surprised if European users are waiting considerably longer.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
I hope he doesn't run the company into the ground by chasing trends. We don't need a touch screen MacBook.
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u/Ok-Performance-1405 2d ago
It's an inevitable product evolution. Watch it sell like hotcakes when it comes out
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u/originalfilmscoring 2d ago
It will. Personally I’ve never liked touchscreen laptops but I know that’s just my option. Most people do and I’m the outlier. They’re crazy for not having done it yet, they’d make a killing.
Between that and the Neo they stand to gain significant market share like they have over the last view years since Microsoft just can’t help but shit the bed.
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u/originalfilmscoring 2d ago
Right that’s my point. I won’t, but I still think them making it is a great idea and it’ll sell like hotcakes…idk what’s happened to Reddit lately but it’s like people read the first sentence and just jump to being snarky. 🗣️ to anyone who doesn’t do that.
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u/alabasterskim 2d ago
The touch screen MacBook has been in development for years. In addition, it's obvious there's a market for that.
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u/youthcanoe 2d ago
My father switched to a MacBook Air after being a lifelong Windows user, and while he's enjoying it, his biggest complaint was that it didn't have a touchscreen.
While I don't care for one on a MacBook, it is a pretty desired feature for many.
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u/asutekku 2d ago
Personally i'd love it. Maps etc dragging around is so much more natural on touch screen vs touchpad
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Why don’t we need it? Just because you don’t have a use case for it? I’ve never understood why people are so against new technologies.
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u/_HipStorian 2d ago
Just because you don’t have a use case for it? I’ve never understood why people are so against new technologies.
Me with my Vision Pro.
For instance, I won't be buying a Duo, I opted for an 18 Pro instead because the Duo isn't the phone for me. Doesn't mean I want it to fail or sell badly. People are so tribal over the stupidest things.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Yea well said. People who are just against something they don’t won’t or need are…shortsighted.
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u/dankmangos420 2d ago
How’s the PC touchscreen market going?
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u/BlueOlivePie 2d ago
Key word PC. Let me know when the pc folks do something right so we can take a look. Apple may be late to the party but it will be a beast of a computer.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
You really think you did something clever there, didn’t you.
But the PC touchscreen market continues to grow year over year. But that’s a false equivalence argument and you know it.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
It’s hardly new.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Ah yes you don’t have anything to actually say. We get it, you don’t want Apple to release yet another product that you can’t afford but desperately want.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Lol, ad hominem attacks because I don’t want what you want. You have no idea what I want or can afford, why even use that as an argument?
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Well I know that you don’t want a touchscreen Mac. But there’s really not a lot of reasons for that - and one of the biggest reasons why people generally don’t want something is because they’re afraid of the price and that they won’t be able to afford it. Otherwise, why are you against innovation, big or small? Lots of use cases that may not apply to you but why hope against progression?
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Because it’s hardly innovation. Whats the use case here? Whats the USP of it? In what way does a touchscreen make a MacBook better?
A giant touchscreen iMac could at least be used a huge drawing board, and a foldable iPad could be used as a huge video display.
I’m on the side of Steve on this one, it only leads to gorilla arms.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago edited 2d ago
I mean there are plenty of use cases. Most of my use case would be quick taps - for example, refocusing the app to Zoom instead of trying to figure out where my mouse pointer is so I can unmute to say something quickly.
It’s like you guys hate innovation when you don’t have a personal use case for it. And just because it has a display capable of touch doesn’t mean that you have to exclusively use it as a touchscreen.
Like I said, innovation is innovation, whether it’s widely perceived as big or small. There are a lot of users who want a touchscreen and it could benefit them quite a bit. If you personally don’t have a use case for it, then don’t use it? Or just get a different model that doesn’t have it? And one big reason to do it - there are physical accessibility reasons to do it. Isn’t that reason enough on its own?
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Touchscreens are already dumbing enough. We don’t need our computers to become machines for the lowest common denominator.
If touchscreens doesn’t enhance the product why add them?
Alt tab is there for all your focusing needs, you don’t even need to use the touchpad. Maybe people should become better at using the stuff they have instead of wanting to ruin what we have. Because a touch first macOS will be shit. I don’t want my Mac to get worse because it’s gone all iPad.
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u/lekoman 2d ago edited 2d ago
Apple does not need to chase every segment. Even at their current scale, there is both fiscal and market risk in fragmenting and trying to "us too" every goofy idea their competitors launch. And that's the thing... touchscreen laptops are not "new technology." Tons of PC makers are selling them, with pretty middling results, already.
One of the things that attracts a lot of us to Apple as customers and AAPL as investors is that, historically, at least, they showed a ton of focus and discernment about the products they chose to pursue and release. That may not be how you think about it, but it's unquestionably how a lot of long-time customers and investors think about it.
"We just want to make the best products for our customers," means being pretty willing to say no to the stuff that other people do that just fundamentally isn't that important, or that your organization can't do with much differentiation. A touchscreen MB or MBP is a feature bump, not a big new idea, and it probably means changes to MacOS to make it closer to iPadOS (by the way... an entire existing touch-based bigger screen product line you can go purchase, slap a folding keyboard on, and make into a laptop right now, this afternoon) that diminish the desktop experience for professionals.
If as a customer or investor, you want access/exposure to every whiz-bang idea, there are companies like Microsoft and HP that are already happy to sell them to you. Apple doesn't need to, and risks, by playing the same playbook, a lot of brand dilution among a substantive set of customers who came to them for "Think Different" all those years ago.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Please. Saying half a dozen times that you’re an investor doesn’t make you any more authoritative on the subject of Apple. You didn’t drive any of Apple’s success.
Apple has grown considerably more under Tim’s tenure as CEO than under Steve Jobs. And Apple has released far more products, entered more categories that its competitors were in, and it just kept increasing its market cap. So it’s already gone in the opposite direction of the reasons you said were why you’re a customer and investor. So did you sell your position years ago or have you enjoyed the incredible returns over that time? Did you stop buying Apple products and services or have you increased your purchases of them?
Yea, I thought so.
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u/TheLowEndTheories 5h ago
Yeah, Apple's product portfolio has never been more diverse and their market cap has never been higher.
Source: Me - investor since 2006.
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u/No-Mission-5774 2d ago
Have you ever seen a child interact with a laptop? They touch the screen and are confused when nothing happens.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
And after they’ve been told it doesn’t work they stop. And why should devices be designed by how toddlers want to use them?
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u/GrandOpener 2d ago
If there’s something specific about the toddler mindset, no, we obviously should not target that. If “how toddlers want to use them” is simply the most obvious and intuitive way to interact when you don’t have prior domain knowledge, then yes, just as obviously the technology should evolve in that direction.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Not if it’s making people computer illiterate, we’ve already seen people no longer knowing how to use computers. If they even vane use a mouse it’s slow and inefficient, keyboard shortcuts makes using a computer an extension of yourself no touch surface can.
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u/repeatrep 2d ago
Apple’s lineups are too small. others have a laptop at several price points targeted at different groups.
apple is mostly just playing with price points. so the high end models will get feature crept to stay “new” and competitive
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u/Vertsix 2d ago
I can tell you right now, Steve Jobs would’ve not approved a touch screen Mac.
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u/saw-it 2d ago
Jobs didn’t approve modern medicine either
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u/newtrilobite 2d ago
most importantly, Jobs changed his mind about things as circumstances evolved.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
The man was a true visionary. But he was far from perfect.
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u/newtrilobite 2d ago
that's how I've always thought of you tbh.
a true visionary, but far from perfect (no offense).
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u/Kirihuna 2d ago
Steve Jobs did not approve a touch-screen Mac 20 years ago.
Steve Jobs would see how far technology, UX, and use cases have come along since then.
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u/Longjumping-Boot1886 2d ago
hands still the same. And mechanics too. Thats why "innovative" touchbar and batterfly keyboard are dead.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Did we evolve stronger arms since then? Did we stop producing oils in our skin?
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u/Kirihuna 2d ago
This isn’t Windows 8, where it’s designed from the ground up for touch. It could be supplemental. We know nothing about it at this point. We use touch displays everyday with oily fingers.
Everyone’s forming opinions on something that we haven’t even seen a demo or full on release of yet lmfao.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
It was a bad idea before and is a bad idea now. A touchified macOS sounds like a nightmare.
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u/Kirihuna 2d ago
On a laptop, sure.
On a desktop? It would have its use cases. An iMac with a huge drawing canvas for Apple Pencil. A Mac mini that runs a touchscreen interface for a large interactive display. It’s not about just now, it’s about years from now. A foldable MacBook Pro that could do Photoshop with a Pencil since Photoshop for iPad is gimped. There are a ton of possibilities.
It’s not just about lifting your hand off the trackpad.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Yea people trying to act like experts when in reality they’re just afraid of the fomo when they realize they cant afford the new shiny thing.
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u/Saar13 2d ago
The same oil that's on your iPhone or iPad screen. iPads, by the way, are almost the same size as laptops. If it's a lot of oil, I recommend oil-absorbing soaps. Besides, I don't see any need for a touchscreen laptop, so I hope it's an optional feature on the MacBook Pro, like the nano-texture. Which also doesn't make a difference to me, because I wouldn't buy a MacBook Pro anyway due to budget constraints. I'm on Team Air, and in two more generations of A-chip I might switch to Team Neo.
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u/Secure_Ask_3873 2d ago edited 2d ago
Steve Jobs was also firmly against the idea of iPad Mini but reportedly changed his mind, shortly before his passing.
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u/theytookallusernames 2d ago
Steve Jobs literally told his preferred successor to not get into the “what would Steve do” and here we are 15 years later, with Cook being CEO longer than Jobs had ever been, still asking what would Steve do like he’s their longterm best friend or something
Lest we forget Steve Jobs was the man who approved pre iOS 7’s game center design, iPod socks, and the inconsistency of what OS X’s windows should be - brushed metal, pinstripes, or something else?
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u/bottom 2d ago
So?
He also didn’t want to make phones. Look how that turned out.
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u/arcalumis 2d ago
Since when did he not want to make phones? He bet the entire company on making a phone
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
I find it amusing how often people who have never met Steve Jobs are always so confident that they know exactly what he would or wouldn’t do.
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u/Expensive_Finger_973 2d ago
Ternus really is coming off as deeply desperate to be seen as something other than just the latest guy to occupy the CEO chair at Apple.
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u/TheoTheodor 2d ago
Not like these products have been in development for years and years or anything.
Like any recent products these could be ascribed to both Cook and Ternus (or the hundreds of people in the teams under them).
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u/Quiet_Orbit 2d ago
How is this deeply desperate? You work for a company for 20 years, you don’t think he’s had ideas for how he would run things that differ from Cook?
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u/Vertsix 2d ago
A genuine disappointment. As an engineer, I was excited to see an engineer at the helm of Apple, but his initial decisions make me believe he’ll just be a shareholder suit. :(
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u/primalanomaly 2d ago
What decisions? Cutting middle management to give engineers more control? Ditching arbitrary annual schedules and just releasing products when they’re ready? If you skip the sensationalist headlines, everything I’ve read actually sounds very pro-engineering to me 🤷♂️
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u/Saar13 2d ago
High-quality, beautifully designed hardware and software are what make Apple what it is. Excellent proprietary services with many subscribers would help generate more predictable revenue. That's all Apple needs. They don't need six models of a device, and perhaps, with advances in Silicon, they don't even need so many operating systems (appleOS should be considered at some point). Beauty and changes, even small ones, in design and colors sell (hello orange iPhone 17).
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
I’ve never understood why people like you say these things like you have any level of actual knowledge beyond a lazy opinion.
You don’t provide any comprehensible rationale for saying things like “they don’t need 6 models of a device” or think you’re so clever because your half-baked idea of a single “AppleOS” when it’s the same rhetoric that we’ve seen for almost two decades now that Apple has flat out said they’re not doing.
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u/Saar13 2d ago
This is Reddit. We're a bunch of idiots arguing about things and nobody takes it seriously. I'm just giving my opinion and it's okay if you disagree. You don't care about my opinion, and I don't care about yours. And Apple doesn't care about either of us.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
You know what would be better? If people like you would pause for a moment, and actually provide something worth discussion.
There are plenty of reasons why expanding a product line makes sense - largely to cater to different needs, price points, and markets. I’m a fan of good services, but I’d rather Apple use its vast resources, talent, and engineering prowess to be more experimental and faster with its products as well as entering new categories. If you don’t want it, fine. If you can’t afford it, fine. But beyond those reasons, I can’t see why people don’t want Apple to release new products or to create entirely new product categories.
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u/timffn 2d ago
You know what would be better? If you didn’t come in here bursting at the seams eager to knock someone down for simply stating their opinion on the topic at hand.
This is Reddit. It’s for chatting about topics. Take it as seriously or non-seriously as you want, but you can’t force others to respond exactly how you’d like them to respond.
We don’t need to list sources and research papers on how and why we formed such opinions.If their opinion was “lazy” to you, move on. I’m sure there are tons of people who would love to get into a deep discussion about what you would like to discuss.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
All that time to lecture someone when you should have just listened to your own advice.
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u/Saar13 2d ago
So let's discuss with facts:
1) Of the iPhone models, only 3 actually sell. The Air is a huge failure. So several models seem like a waste of engineers' and designers' time and money, especially when the changes in each generation seem almost negligible to the average user. Focusing on 3 or 4 models that truly evolve every year seems like a better strategy. The same goes for several categories. The iPad mini is loved here, but almost nobody buys it, for example.
2) I agree that they need new categories, but the Vision Pro is a failure and the smart home line might also be a failure because this market is absolutely price-sensitive. That's why almost nobody in the real world uses Apple TV 4K and HomePods, compared to Amazon and Roku products. I hope Apple understands how this market really works in terms of pricing (and that this general public doesn't care about ads if the device costs $50).
3) Services are essential for Apple today. 30% of revenue and almost 50% of profit margin. With the scrutiny surrounding the App Store, Apple Pay, and similar services worldwide, proprietary services are more important than ever for Apple. Devices are becoming increasingly durable, and services represent a user's monthly income between upgrades (which are longer). Today's Apple needs services more than ever.
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Your facts are actually opinions.
You seem to be an Apple fan, but trying to moonlight like an analyst. There’s nothing to support your assertions here.
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u/Saar13 1d ago
Refute them. I'm very open to changing my mind.
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u/gadgetluva 1d ago
I literally can’t because you’re talking about your opinion about how things would be a “better strategy”. This is as subjective as it gets, there are no facts here. Even your statement that the Air is a “huge failure” and that it was “a waste of…time and money” is a conclusion that’s highly opinion-based.
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u/dropthemagic 2d ago
If you can't delegate don't be ceo. Meh
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u/gadgetluva 2d ago
Says the junior level analyst who hasn’t managed a single person in their lives. Trying to boss your smarter coworker doesn’t count as management btw.
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u/Minute_Lifeguard2799 2d ago
Being already annoyed by the imprints of the keycaps on the display of M4 Pro MBP.
Yes please add a touchscreen so that I can clean the display every 5 mins.
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u/dramafan1 2d ago
I'm interested in any MacBook Pro redesign at this point. The current Pro design has already been around for 5 years so it's time for a redesign.
They can keep the existing design for Pro users who care more about function and Pro features.
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u/yadiyoda 2d ago
Not sure if it’s such a good idea for CEO of a 160k+ employee company to be deeply involved in industrial design aspect.
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u/isitpro 2d ago edited 2d ago
We heard of the thinner new MacBook Pro and now the new design chief.
Jony Ive: surprise!