- 0-20%: Unlikely – Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable – Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible – Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable – Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely – Multiple reliable sources
Apple will finally add a touchscreen to its portable Macs later this year, but don’t expect any MacBook Neo successors to be treated in the same fashion because the company reportedly had to do a ton of rethinking to come down to that $599 starting price for its most affordable Mac. In short, future models that will fit the profile of Apple’s low-cost hardware aren’t expected to get any more feature additions, at least not right now.
A report says that the MacBook Neo isn’t expected to feature touchscreens for at least three years; the MacBook Air is a more likely recipient of this technology
Previously, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that a MacBook Neo 2 was already planned for a 2027 launch, with one of the biggest differences being that the current version is a touchscreen. However, shortly after the MacBook Neo launch, Kuo backtracked on this earlier statement due to increased production cost, making Chromebooks superior to its new rival in one area.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman shares the same opinion, and in the latest ‘Power On’ newsletter, he mentions that Apple had to resort to lots of rethinking for the MacBook Neo components so it can be priced as low as possible. For the next three years, Gurman doesn’t believe that a touchscreen will be added to this series, and he’d be ‘shocked’ if that ever happens.
He also says the MacBook Air is more likely to ship with a touchscreen, but since its transition to OLED technology isn’t expected within 2 years, we shouldn’t anticipate it earlier either. In short, this upgrade is only expected to arrive for the M6 MacBook Pro family, and that too, it will be exclusive to the pricier M6 Pro and M6 Max.
“At this point, Apple hasn’t decided whether to bring touch to any Macs beyond the MacBook Pro (a model that’s slated to arrive as early as at the end of this year). So I highly doubt touch is being considered for Apple’s lowest-tier Mac. The popular MacBook Air would make more sense to come first, but even that isn’t due to get an iPhone-style OLED screen for at least two years. So I’d be shocked if a touch screen comes to the Neo in the next three years. Moreover, Apple had to rethink a lot of the Neo’s components to get the price down to $599 — or $499 for education buyers. Touch displays are an added cost. I just don’t see how this is plausible anytime soon.”
The MacBook Neo is currently available to purchase on Amazon, with the 256GB SSD model going for $599 and the 512GB version listed for $699. There’s also a 1TB model, but that was only possible through a modification.
News Source: Bloomberg
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