If you were hoping that the next MacBook Neo would get a touchscreen upgrade, you might need to lower expectations. It seems that Apple hasn’t even decided whether touchscreen support will expand beyond the high-end MacBook Pro, which might be getting touch support later this year.
What’s Apple planning then?
While recent rumors were talking about a second-generation MacBook Neo with touchscreen support, Mark Gurman’s latest Power On report says otherwise. Gurman stated that he would be “shocked” if Apple brings touch support to the Neo within the next three years.
He further adds that even if Apple expands touchscreen to more Macs, the MacBook Neo likely won’t be the first candidate. The MacBook Air would make more sense as the next device to adopt the feature. Although, even this model is not expected to receive a major display upgrade for at least two years (with OLED), as per the report.
Going by that timeline alone, touchscreen Macs will likely arrive gradually, starting with the higher-end models before moving down the lineup.
Affordability or a touchscreen?
Another major reason comes down to cost. The MacBook Neo was designed specifically to be Apple’s most affordable laptop, starting at $599 or $499 for students. To reach that price point, the company reportedly had to rethink many internal components and carefully balance hardware.
So adding a touchscreen display would raise manufacturing costs. This could undermine the Neo’s entire value proposition. In other words, the feature that makes the Neo appealing is also preventing it from getting these pricey upgrades.
Gurman’s report suggests that if touchscreen Macs do become more common, they’ll likely arrive on premium models first, leaving budget models like the MacBook Neo waiting in line. So if you’re dreaming of a $599 touchscreen MacBook Neo, you may be waiting a while.