Apple has officially launched touchscreen MacBook Pro models, priced at the premium end of the market. The entry price is $2,899, while fully configured top-tier versions can cost as much as $14,549.
Technical packages and pricing
According to MacRumors, Apple’s configurator lists the fully loaded 14-inch model at $14,249 and the 16-inch version at $14,549. Both are offered with Apple’s highest-end M5 Max chip, which includes an 18-core CPU and a 40-core GPU.
Upgrade options substantially increase the final price:
- Upgrading to a 4 TB SSD: +$1,000
- Upgrading to an 8 TB SSD: +$3,000
- Upgrading to a 16 TB SSD: +$7,000
- Upgrading to 128 GB of memory: +$2,000
- Nano-texture glass: +$150
These options — along with market factors such as ongoing memory shortages and the hardware demands of AI workloads — help explain why configurable systems reach unprecedented price points.
Previous pricing and strategic shift
For context, the previous 16-inch MacBook Pro capped out at $10,149. The new models raise that ceiling by about $4,400.
The launch also marks a strategic shift for Apple: nearly a decade after experimenting with the Touch Bar (a feature the company later removed from the MacBook line), it is reintroducing an integrated touchscreen capability to the MacBook Pro.
Availability
Preorders open on October 30, and general availability begins on November 6.
Why it matters
The touchscreen MacBook Pro underscores Apple’s willingness to revisit and redesign past ideas while responding to industry trends toward higher-performance, AI-capable hardware. The steep premiums for large SSD and memory configurations will especially affect professional users and workflows that require extensive local storage and RAM, such as video production and AI development.
