WORLDTECHApple's first touchscreen Mac keeps the trackpad at its centre, CEO Ternus says
According to a 9to5Mac opinion piece by Ben Lovejoy, Apple has taken a cautious route into touchscreen Macs, after Steve Jobs had dismissed the idea in 2010. Current CEO John Ternus has framed touch as a supplementary input rather than the primary one.
Reversal of a long-held position
Lovejoy writes that it was inevitable people would notice when Apple launched its first touchscreen Mac, given how firmly Steve Jobs had rejected the concept in 2010. Jobs had called a touchscreen Mac something that gives a great demo but is ergonomically terrible in real-life use.
The author notes that touch surfaces do not sit comfortably in a vertical position, and that users tire quickly when reaching up to a screen for extended periods.
Ternus defines touch as secondary input
Ternus addressed the change of direction directly. According to the report, he said touch was meant to be a supplementary way of interacting with the machine rather than the primary one, and he suggested it is not the headline feature of the new model.
Lovejoy argues that the Mac remains first and foremost an indirect input device, built around the trackpad and keyboard, and that the new model reflects that priority.
Trackpad remains the main interface
The new setup, as described in the piece, offers a choice between the trackpad built into the keyboard and the touchscreen. Lovejoy says this matches Ternus's view of a trackpad-first approach with the touchscreen used sometimes.
The author writes that the nightmare scenario for Mac users would have been Apple compromising the interface to support touch, and that the approach it has taken avoids this.
Open questions
- Will Apple keep touch as a secondary input in future Macs?