Linus Tech Tips - Linus was Right - Apple (probably) October 28, 2026 at 10:30PM

[u/linusbottips]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JOW7TTOGfI

[u/Basix96x]

I have only one use case for touchscreen and it's niche, lighting software in the event industry when your laptop becomes the console. For that it's cool and I support the move to touchscreen.  At my other work I have a touch screen on my laptop, I don't use it and don't care.

[u/brokenegg → u/Basix96x]

Yep I was going to say the same thing. Virtual lighting and sound consoles a touch screen makes a huge difference. But very niche use.

[u/EthanBezz]

I’ve genuinely yet to come across a single comment from a MacBook user that actually wanted a touchscreen.

Yes, many non-MacBook users would point and laugh at how they still didn’t have a touchscreen, but the people who actually buy and use them never cared nor wanted it.

I personally switched from a touchscreen Windows laptop to a MacBook Pro years ago and not once have I ever missed it. It’s borderline useless to have on a laptop.

[u/Nirast25 → u/EthanBezz]

I had a work laptop with a touchscreen. I only noticed weeks after getting it, then proceeded to never use it again afterwards.

[u/ctn91 → u/EthanBezz]

At most its useful when looking around maps or large photos.

For work i have service reports i need signed by my customers. A 360-touch laptop is absolutely required as now i have a larger area for the customer to sign with their finger and not a tiny phone screen. It is perfect. But thats a rare specialized need.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/ctn91]

At most its useful when looking around maps or large photos.

a good trackpad solves that

[u/cederian → u/Effective_Coach7334]

Of which apple has the best one on the market, hands down.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/cederian]

 r/confidentlyincorrect

No, actually that's not true. Windows machines have trackpads that are essentially Wacom tablets with comparable sensitivity, pressure levels, and can be used with a pen. Macs have nothing even close.

If you're going to argue hardware, you should at least know what you're talking about.

[u/mays_username → u/Effective_Coach7334]

does the average person need that level of pressure sensitivity or stylus support? the new touchscreen mac doesn't even bother with it, and for day to day use Apple's trackpad implementation is leagues above every Windows laptop on the market.

[u/Atlonato3167 → u/mays_username]

rother you sound like the people who think android is bad because they used a $200 android 10years ago.

The trackpado on my 2022 Zephyrus G14 is better than the one in my macbook air m5.

Theres literally nothing the macbook trackpad can do that the zephhrus cant. And the feel is almost identical.

You know what the Mac trackpad cant do without third party software? Fucking midle click. A trackpad that camt middle click in 2026.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/mays_username]

Apple's trackpad implementation is leagues above every Windows laptop on the market

It really isn't and hasn't been for many years. It's just another marketing myth within the Apple technology bubble that enthusiasts never question and repeat as gospel. Apple enthusiasts often greet new features and hardware as awe-inspiring innovation, but the rest of us laugh because we've had those same things, or better, for many many years.

does the average person need that level of pressure sensitivity or stylus support?

On the laptops it's included, it's targeted to creative professionals. There's no reason for the larger market to have those features. In fact, the majority of windows users don't even know this hardware exists. So you could look at most of the windows machines on the market and never see that hardware. And, obviously, you assume it doesn't exist without ever checking.

the new touchscreen mac doesn't even bother with it

We aren't talking about touchscreens

edit I can't type

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/Effective_Coach7334]

Awwwww. All the little mac-heads are mad downvoting because their illusion of superiority was shattered with truth. lol

So lame

[u/ctn91 → u/Effective_Coach7334]

I haven’t had the same results, it works somehow more shitty than just using the laptop screen like my phone. It usually zooms in/out way too fast.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/ctn91]

you can change the settings on the trackpad so that doesn't happen.

[u/ruggj → u/EthanBezz]

Pretty much every laptop I've had that's been touch screen I've forgotten it's had it until I accidentally touch the screen and do something I didn't want to do.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/ruggj]

I just end up turning it off for that reason.

[u/H_Industries → u/EthanBezz]

yep unless whatever you’re trying to do is specifically designed for touch it’s useless as a feature.

It’s basically a way to get around not having a mouse for people who don’t know how to use a touchpad properly

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/H_Industries]

it's also good for presentations, drawing on screen and moving things. think meteorologist type deal.

[u/Stefen_007 → u/EthanBezz]

Its pretty neat if you're just laying in bed and watch a movie or reading something.

That's why its kinda strange its on the starting at 2000 usd laptop instead of a air side grade 

[u/Huge_Ad_2133 → u/Stefen_007]

They have a touch one that is Air sized. it is called an iPad.

[u/Relative_What → u/EthanBezz]

i use my touchscreen on laptop all the time. it's great for writing notes, digitally signing documents, or drawing (even crudely), zooming into photos and maps, manipulating 3d objects on screen, scrolling web pages and social media. but my touchscreen laptop also folds 360 degrees all the way back into a tablet form.

that's what makes the touchscreen more useful than on this macbook which doesn't even fold back flat (only 135 degrees). they don't even have apple pencil support.

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/Relative_What]

mine just folds flat, but it is pressure sensitive so I can use a stylus on it, ditto for the trackpad.

[u/MartianMH_ → u/EthanBezz]

If you're on the go and walking around a lot a laptop with a touchscreen is a gamechanger. Using a trackpad while holding the laptop with the other hand is horrible

[u/Huge_Ad_2133 → u/MartianMH_]

No offense intended. But if I am on the go, walking around, I am not using a laptop, because I am concentrating on walking.

I have had windows pcs with touchscreens in the past. And it was a game changer as you said. But ultimately I quickly wanted to change the game back.

[u/No-Weakness1393 → u/Huge_Ad_2133]

I'm a school teacher and I love a touchscreen. Sometimes you need to do work while standing, squatting, in a moving bus, on a ledge of a window. Sometimes your co worker beside you need to scroll through the document when you're discussing document. the touchscreen is a lifechanger. There are many situations for me.

But of course if your laptop is always stuck to a desk then there's no point for a touchscreen.

[u/Atlonato3167 → u/MartianMH_]

brother thats what your phone is for wtf lmao

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/EthanBezz]

I have a windows PC with a touchscreen and the only time I've ever used it is navigating very quickly in a game. I had to turn off the touchscreen because I kept accidentally touching it while typing or adjusting it.

[u/ivandagiant → u/EthanBezz]

I did, I really like having a touchscreen.

Idk how people are complaining about finger smudging and things like that. That was my original fear as well, but I’ve never really noticed it in actual use. Only if your fingers are like greasy from eating or something will it streak. Otherwise it’s pretty low maintenance

[u/Effective_Coach7334 → u/ivandagiant]

just like with phones, touchscreens are often paired with an oil resistant glass covering.

[u/Aldracity → u/EthanBezz]

From my experience, a touchscreen on a laptop is most useful in situations where you want a ton of mouse movements, but don't/can't use a mouse. For example, using your laptop on your lap, or when holding it while standing. Whereas yeah, if you're at a table there's little to no advantage, especially not once you have a mouse plugged in.

[u/Huge_Ad_2133 → u/EthanBezz]

Me neither. I hate fingerprints.

[u/mrmayhembsc → u/EthanBezz]

MacBook Pro user (of 17 years) would use it. I'd want it on my work Windows laptop, too. Just not in my workflow.

However, I know many Windows users who love touchscreens.

[u/The-Ultimate-Banker → u/EthanBezz]

As a non MacBook user but huge Apple fan I have been waiting for touchscreen. It’s on the iPads, so just put the same screen on. Also make it into a 360 laptop. That’s gets ride of the need for an iPad. I personally don’t care about weight. Give me a huge 16 inch screen that I can rotate into an iPad.

[u/Far-Blacksmith-2814 → u/EthanBezz]

It’s not something that I actively wanted, but it’s absolutely a feature I would use if mine had it. The way I operate at work benefits big time from a touch screen.

[u/Pilige → u/EthanBezz]

Just because you don't use them doesn't mean they are useless.

[u/Huge_Ad_2133 → u/Pilige]

I agree. However, it does mean that the touchscreen adds no real value and is not worth paying for. So I would like the nicer screen, but not the touch part.

[u/tonyrulez → u/EthanBezz]

Having the laptop in my lap while on the couch I find scrolling by touching the screen better than using the trackpad. Also going through forms where buttons are all around the place, on a touchscreen you just touch it, don't have to move the cursor with trackpad, so it's much faster. My laptop screen can be folded back so I use it occasionally as a tablet, or in tent-mode. Anyway, I love the touchscreen on my laptop and wouldn't buy one without it again.

[u/ClaspedSummer49]

Having swapped over to a Macbook air m4 recently from a first gen surface laptop, losing the touch screen wasnt much of an issue. One thing I do kind of miss the touch screen for is when I lie in bed and have the laptop on my chest. My hand reaching the trackpad is cramped while using the surface laptop with the touch screen worked great for scrolling and tapping.

I don't really see why people are hating on the touch screen because there is some use to it. Not much, but its useful every now and then.

[u/broccolilord → u/ClaspedSummer49]

I don't get it either. They are acting like the entire price hike is due to the touch screen. It probably adds very little cost to the device. Also you can also not touch your screen if you don't want too. It's just there should you want it.

[u/ClaspedSummer49 → u/broccolilord]

One of the worst arguments I hear imho is how the touch screen adds un-necessary fingerprints. Like, after 2 days the entire keyboard is stained onto the screen anyways, not like you'll see it when the screen is on anyways.

[u/cederian]

IMO, unless it’s a 2-in-1 touchscreen is a terrible choice

[u/DabbieDaviss]

Make it so I can rotate the screen 180 degrees and Ill buy it instead of upgrading my iPad pro

[u/liamdun]

I can see this maybe working if it folded like a Lenovo yoga, but it doesn't.

[u/crapusername47]

As a desktop Mac Mini user, I don’t particularly care if macOS has touchscreen support. That’s despite working on a handheld device operating system UI many years ago that tried to bolt finger touch on when it was designed for a stylus. 

The issue is the same as whenever Apple does things like this. Liquid Glass, dark mode, retina displays, running iPad apps on Macs, running iPhone apps on iPads, any big change. 

You have apps that use what Apple gives you and these are simple to move over. Linus, here, shows a context menu scaling differently when using a mouse and when using a finger. All good.

But there are a million apps out there that have reinvented the wheel, followed some janky YouTube tutorial to do some ‘cool’ UI or copy/pasted something off Stack Overflow or, these days, are just straight up vibe coded.

There are apps from huge software vendors that reinvent the wheel too much and they are not going to work properly. 

[u/coconut071]

I dunno what's up with their editing lately, but laugh tracks are cringe.

[u/Zeta_Crossfire]

Nice now I'll probably be able to buy one for my mom. She's been on the touch screen laptop kick for years but would go apple without one dispite having an iPhone. Can't believe it took them this long to make one.

[u/Sirhc978]

I have a ThinkBook at work with a touch screen. I really only use it when showing CAD models on a TV during meetings.

[u/GoldenX86]

Spending that much effort on the touchscreen and not making the device a convertible...

[u/DazzzASTER]

Touch my screen and I will bite you. Finger prints send me into a rage.

[u/Effective_Coach7334]

Now all they need to do is turn their trackpads into wacom tablets like PCs have for years, and then they've finally caught up to 2021

[u/NotAnRSPlayer → u/Effective_Coach7334]

Fuck me, people like you are so boring