Apple finally brings touch to Macs, in a low-key way

Apple has added touch input to Macs, according to a column in Fast Company. The piece says the company did it in the least disruptive way it could. For anyone who owns a Mac or plans to buy one, that could change how the computer feels to use. The exact details are not clear from the material available.

What changed

Fast Company's Plugged In column says Apple has finally brought touch to Macs. Touch input means you can tap or swipe the screen with a finger, the way you do on an iPhone or iPad. The column describes the approach as low-key, meaning Apple avoided a big shake-up of how Macs work.

A bit of history

Many people assume Steve Jobs, Apple's late co-founder, rejected the idea of touch on Macs. The column's writer says that is not quite right. He recalls asking Jobs about it in the last question of a Q&A after a keynote at Apple's headquarters, and says Jobs told him directly that he had not ruled it out.

Who it affects

Anyone who uses a Mac, from home users to small business owners, may be touched by this. Touch could offer another way to interact with the screen alongside the keyboard and trackpad. Whether it changes daily habits depends on how Apple built it.

What is not known yet

• Which Mac models support touch
• How touch works alongside the keyboard and trackpad
• Whether it costs extra or needs new hardware
• When people can try it

The full column was not available for this report, so those points remain open. Readers weighing a Mac purchase may want to wait for clearer details from Apple or from the original column.