The touch feature on the MacBook Pro OLED is controversial because the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said that this was "very bad" on laptops.

Launched on October 29 with a series of upgrades such as tandem OLED panels, new cooling system, significantly lighter weight, top powerful configuration with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, but the focus of attention on the MacBook Pro is the touch feature. The technology world and users are "divided" with many controversies when talking about equipment that first appeared on the MacBook.

In 2010, the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs was famous for rejecting the idea of ​​bringing a touch screen to Mac computers, stating that it "looks great when performing but is very bad ergonomically". According to him, the touch surface is not suitable for vertical placement, quickly creating a feeling of fatigue after a short period of use. "Touch surfaces need to be placed horizontally, which is why we've perfected our multi-touch trackpads over the years."

"They said they wouldn't make it," famous YouTuber MKBHD asked in a quick experience video of the new product. According to him, although the touch is very responsive and works perfectly with scrolling, zooming and multi-touch gestures, the touch feature does not solve any core problem. The actual experience was also assessed by MKBHD to feel "messy" and less natural. In addition, the screen still shakes when touched due to the physical limitations of the hinge.

In the same opinion, many technology sites believe that the touch screen on laptops is not suitable for long-term working postures, causing hand fatigue when touching the screen, similar to Steve Jobs' previous view. Furthermore, this operation quickly leaves fingerprints, affecting the experience.

Meanwhile, Apple CEO John Ternus spoke up to defend the company's change of perspective after 16 years. He said this is an additional method of interaction with the machine, not the primary method. "Mac is an indirect input device, built on a trackpad and keyboard. But I think sometimes having a touch screen is very convenient and comfortable."

In fact, the new MacBook Pro OLED has the highest starting price in the current laptop market, from 80 million VND. Users are mainly professionals working as content creators and developers. Adding touch features can supplement certain operations. For example, programmers can test the application they are writing for the iPhone on Xcode thanks to similar touch operations, or music composers can interact with the keys for the chords they just wrote.

Since the iPhone launched in 2007, the technology world has changed significantly when the touch screen is the most popular input method today. Many children grow up with smartphones and iPads instead of traditional laptops, and when they grow up, they will need devices with familiar touch capabilities. Websites like 9to5Mac believe that Apple may be right because the touch screen on the MacBook Pro OLED is an additional feature, helping advanced users have enough input tools for work. However, many people think that this loses the "Apple quality" because the company always carefully calculates the equipment on its products and does not easily compromise with the race for features.

"Personally, I wouldn't buy it, but I understand why Apple added touch, and I think the company has the right attitude," 9to5Mac editor Ben Lovejoy concluded.

Tuan Hung