In the early days of the iPad, Steve Jobs famously offered prime seating at press conferences to journalists willing to take notes directly on the device. This came from the same man who once declared people were holding their iPhones incorrectly, and who warned that laptop touchscreens would inevitably lead to agonizing “gorilla arms.”
Jobs was known for his strong opinions, and often, his dismissive attitude. Yet, he wasn’t always right. Now, Windows users are poised to witness a familiar scene: Apple, according to reports, is preparing to release MacBooks with touchscreens – a move that implicitly acknowledges the validity of a design choice Windows laptops embraced long ago.
The irony is striking. Apple pioneered the modern touch interface with the iPhone and iPad. They even introduced the first true touchpad in their 1994 PowerBook, and later, haptic feedback in the Apple Watch and early iPhones. There seemed little logical reason to withhold this technology from their MacBook line.
Jobs, however, believed prolonged use of a vertical touchscreen would cause hand fatigue, ultimately leading to discomfort and strain. He envisioned arms aching and falling from exhaustion.
Those who attended Apple’s events remember Jobs’ demonstrations and even his direct critiques of how people used his products. But anyone familiar with laptops since the launch of the Microsoft Surface in 2007 understands that touchscreens aren’t meant for constant, uninterrupted use.
Microsoft recognized touch as one input modality among many – alongside typing, mouse, pen, and voice. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and users naturally gravitate towards the most appropriate method for a given task. No single input dominates, except perhaps typing itself.
Bill Buxton, a researcher at Microsoft, articulated this principle in 2007: “Everything is best for something and worst for something else.” The key, he argued, is understanding *when* and *why* to use each input method.
Buxton emphasized that replacing the mouse entirely was a futile endeavor. Instead, the goal should be to create input methods that complement each other, leveraging the strengths of each.
For many, touch serves a specific, often overlooked purpose. It’s invaluable for tasks like reorienting multiple monitors connected to a dock, or quickly scrolling through a webpage. Its absence can be surprisingly jarring, requiring a momentary adjustment in reaction time.
Jobs, in a way, demanded users run a marathon barefoot when perfectly good running shoes were available. He struggled to reconcile the idea of brief touchscreen interactions on a laptop with the hours people already spent tapping and swiping on horizontal glass surfaces – the iPhones and iPads he himself created.
If Apple does unveil a touchscreen MacBook, it’s unlikely to be a revolutionary moment. The concept has been explored extensively. More likely, Apple will attempt to “reinvent” the touchscreen experience, adding its own unique spin.
Whether or not a touchscreen MacBook will truly capture attention remains to be seen. It’s not about reveling in Apple’s delayed adoption of a proven technology, but rather contemplating what might have been if Jobs had embraced reality decades ago.
