Lenovo Inspiration
It looks like the long-rumored touchscreen MacBook might actually get announced next week, and after using the Lenovo Yoga 9n for our testing of Nvidia’s RTX Spark platform, it got me thinking: this is a lot of what I want from a touchscreen MacBook.
I hope Apple’s touchscreen MacBook takes some lessons from this Lenovo laptop
Not that I believe for a second that Apple will actually make a 2-in-1 convertible.
The Lenovo Yoga 9n is a pricey workstation laptop, but being a 2-in-1 also makes it fun.
I hope Apple’s touchscreen MacBook takes some lessons from this Lenovo laptop
Not that I believe for a second that Apple will actually make a 2-in-1 convertible.
Like the Apple silicon in modern MacBook Pros, RTX Spark is an Arm-based processor with a beefy integrated GPU and lots of unified memory. And the Yoga is the most fun RTX Spark laptop so far because it’s a 16-inch 2-in-1 convertible with a stylus. Its Nvidia-powered compatriots also have touchscreens, like most Windows laptops, but they’re conventional clamshell designs.
The Lenovo Yoga does all your typical 2-in-1 stuff: it can be used as a clamshell laptop, and it can fold its hinge all the way back for tent mode and tablet modes. As a tablet, you can use it in either landscape or portrait orientation, and getting the keyboard out of the way is great for watching movies, playing games with a controller, or integrating your laptop into a multi-monitor desk setup with keyboard and mouse.
2-in-1s can be seen as a weird compromise between laptops and tablets. I just think they’re neat.
Stylus and Trackpad Integration
The Yoga 9n’s included stylus works for note-taking and drawing on its excellent OLED display, but you can also use it on the haptic trackpad for a Wacom-like experience, without blocking the screen with your hand. And the stylus is magnetic, allowing it to attach to the Yoga’s lid. I particularly enjoy using the Yoga’s stylus for photo retouching in Lightroom Classic or Photoshop.
I expect a touchscreen MacBook Pro would have Apple Pencil support. And like on the Lenovo, it would go a long way to get me back to using a stylus for retouching. But I hope that also like the Lenovo, it works on the trackpad too — the more options, the better. And if a touch-enabled MacBook supports the Apple Pencil, I’m also hoping it attaches to the laptop, both for convenience and for wireless charging.
1/2
The Yoga 9n’s stylus works on both the trackpad and the screen.
Looking Ahead to macOS
I don’t expect Apple to make a standard convertible laptop after all this time. Simply joining Windows manufacturers in making a 2-in-1 or swapping the MacBook Pro’s Mini LED for a touchscreen OLED and calling it a day doesn’t seem very Apple. I’m hoping for something special, like Apple’s own take on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio or something totally fresh.
My hopes are high for Apple to wow us, because this MacBook Pro with touch is sure to be expensive. Current MacBooks are so great, it’s easy to forget past missteps. After all this time of holding out on adding a touchscreen to the MacBook, Apple has to make it worth it.
Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
