This is what a touchscreen Mac might look like

For years, it has been rumored that Apple would bring native touch functionality to the Mac. A new display gives us our first glimpse of what it could look like, for better and for worse.

Recently I got my first look at the Aspekt Touch, a new monitor from Alogic. It’s not the brand’s first touchscreen monitor, but the tilt functionality combined with macOS Tahoe gives the first impressions of how a proprietary solution could be implemented.

Feel free to check out Mike’s first hands-on with the Aspekt Touch, but here’s the high end. It’s a 32-inch 4K display that can also accommodate a Mac mini at the bottom of the stand, and it can tilt almost flat to be used more comfortably as a touchscreen.

A skeptic, early

I disagree with the idea of ​​a touchscreen Mac. I’ve been a detractor for ages, agreeing with Apple’s official position that the iPad is the best touchscreen computer.

Overall, I didn’t feel the need for a touch interface on my Mac. But recently that has started to change.

I switched from my iPad and Magic Keyboard to my Mac and kept inadvertently fumbling with the screen. If the iPad can benefit from trackpad functionality, why can’t we get additional touch functionality on the Mac?

After careful consideration, I think what matters is the approach. Based on current rumors, this approach could be what sets him apart.

On iPad it is designed as touchscreen First of allwith cursor support added for some users where it makes sense. On Mac, the cursor will always be first, with touch added as an additional interaction method.

During Windows’ push toward a touch-first design, the user interface was watered down to accommodate it. The result was a hodgepodge interface that looked broken, inconsistent, and didn’t seem to work well.

As long as macOS remains macOS, I think there could be some potential here, and it’s been fun to explore with Aspekt Touch.

Aspekt Touch monitor brings touch to macOS, with caveats

Alogic provides a simple driver package to add touch support to the Mac. You download the installer and grant it a few permissions, and you’re good to go.

Once that’s done, I could just start typing on the large 32-inch screen. I could scroll through Safari, zoom in and out, and even right-click.

Using the stylus was also a solid experience. Any capacitive stylus will work, but Alogic has its own with a few extra features.

The pen supports hover effects. So when I’m working in Affinity, I can see tooltips appear on the different tools. When you flip the pen over, you can use the other side as an eraser to erase what you’ve drawn.

The stylus handles varying degrees of pressure and I don’t seem to have any issues with palm rejection.

As you explore the Alogic app, you can refine your experience. You can customize touch effects for each app to get a very precise way of how you interact with macOS.

Overall, it’s a solid experience to add with a third-party plugin. However, an indigenous experience should go even further.

Liquid Glass comes to macOS Tahoe

The problem with the non-native experience is that it’s cobbled together from different existing macOS features. There is no native touch layer that works universally, and many UI elements are not designed for touch.

For example, when using the zoom feature, most of the time the magnifier is simply launched from the accessibility settings. It gets the job done, sure, but not in the way I expected.

I also had difficulty operating certain elements, such as when editing in Affinity or Pixelmator. The number and size of the objects made it difficult to find the exact one, especially if I tried to move with any degree of urgency.

What I remember most is how awesome Liquid Glass was. UI elements covered in Liquid Glass were easier to operate and looked more natural.

This offers a first look at how touch functionality could be implemented. Liquid Glass may be divisive, but it suggests a more cohesive cross-platform experience, and that includes touch support.

I would also like to see native support for Apple Pencil. I don’t draw, but I edit photos a lot, and the Apple Pencil is great for doing that on iPad.

The Alogic pen has noticeable lag, which is not ideal. I’d like to think that a proprietary Apple implementation wouldn’t have this problem, just like it doesn’t on iPad.

Other Apple Pencil features could also debut, like the tap gesture to open a tool palette or perhaps something specific for Mac. I would love to be able to squeeze the Apple Pencil Pro and see a collection of my favorite shortcuts to quickly execute.

Probably not an experiment in 2026

My biggest concern is that if touch is added, it must complement macOS. We should not try to replace what already exists.

At the moment, it looks like the first touchscreen Mac will be the redesigned MacBook Pro M6 OLED. Obviously, a keyboard and trackpad will be central to this experience.

This means we won’t be getting an iPad format running macOS, at least anytime soon. I think this is a good thing, but opinions vary within the AppleInsider team, given that the Magic Keyboard with trackpad exists.

We’ll probably have to wait a little longer to see, as recent rumors say that Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro, originally planned for late 2026, will likely ship in early 2027. This isn’t for development reasons, but rather component shortages plaguing the industry.

I’m still a little skeptical about whether or not macOS needs touch support. After using it for the past couple of weeks, I’m leaning towards at least now rather than against.

Maybe we’ll get a clearer picture at WWDC with the preview of macOS 27. We’ll find out soon.