If you’ve ever screamed into the void for a touchscreen Mac, Apple might finally be listening — but not before it takes its sweet time. Apple fans have long fantasized about a perfect hybrid: the elegance of macOS, the flexibility of iPadOS, and the tactile delight of a touchscreen — all in one foldable package. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this dream could finally become reality… in 2028.
Yes, four years from now.
Gurman dropped the hybrid bombshell in a recent report forecasting Apple’s roadmap through 2027. The lineup includes everything from AI servers and camera-laden wearables to a tabletop robot that may or may not judge your desk clutter. But buried in the future-gazing spectacle was this gem: a mysterious device that “crosses a foldable iPad with a touchscreen Mac” might arrive in 2028.
Cue the collective scream of Mac and iPad users everywhere.
The Mac-troid We’ve Been Waiting For?
Apple has always treated touchscreens on Macs like a dietary restriction: acknowledged but strictly avoided. That may finally change. macOS 16, rumored to be unveiled at WWDC 2025, will reportedly feature an interface overhaul inspired by visionOS, suggesting Apple is preparing for a less cursor-centric future.
On the other hand, iPadOS 19 is also rumored to become more “Mac-like,” with deeper multitasking and refined window management. In other words, Apple might be working on a two-way convergence: the Mac will become more touch-friendly, while the iPad will become more productivity-focused.
The result? A true hybrid that doesn’t just compromise but combines — the holy grail of mobile computing.
A Long Time Coming
Let’s not pretend this idea just popped into Cupertino’s head. Back in 2023, Gurman himself said a touchscreen Mac could arrive by 2025. A patent from 2024 showed Apple toying with a macOS-like tablet and a foldable Magic Keyboard-style dock. Folding iPad rumors have also been swirling for years.
Why the delay until 2028? Most likely, it is Apple’s design perfectionism, UI overhaul timelines, and the need for macOS and iPadOS to spiritually reconcile their differences before cohabiting one chassis.
And with a major MacBook refresh slated for 2026—complete with a 2nm M6 chip, OLED screen, and thinner frame—Apple may be setting the stage for a future in which Macs become more modular, more tactile, and perhaps… less defined.
So What’s It Going to Be?
Is Apple building a Mac that folds into an iPad? An iPad that runs macOS? Or something entirely new that forces us to rethink both product lines?
The only thing that’s certain is this: Apple is finally dancing with the touchscreen Mac idea — not just in patents or WWDC rumors, but in product planning. And if Gurman is right, 2028 might be the year Apple dares to launch a device that could change everything.
Or nothing at all. It’s Apple. We won’t know until Tim Cook walks out on stage with a smirk and a single sentence:
“It’s not just a Mac. It’s not just an iPad. It’s the future.”
