👋 Hey there! Anxiously waiting for the results of my EU visa application so I can attend MWC 2023 next month. It’ll be the first time I see some of my Android Authority colleagues since CES in January 2020! Anyway, our highlights today include Animal Crossing-themed chocolates, Apple’s touchscreen MacBook, and more.

Apple could finally embrace touchscreen laptops

Touchscreen laptops have been around for over a decade now, with even Windows XP supporting touchscreen tech back in the day. We’ve seen loads of PC makers embrace the option, but one major holdout is Apple. That could change soon, though.

Touchscreen MacBook Pro incoming?

• Bloomberg reports that Apple could launch a touchscreen MacBook Pro in 2025.
• Unsurprisingly, it’s believed the first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen would maintain a traditional laptop design. Much like touchscreen Windows PCs and Chromebooks. In fact, we’ve got a rundown of the best touchscreen Chromebooks too.
• The outlet suggests that Apple would bring touchscreen support to more models over time.
• This is no surprise as there are plenty of mid-range laptops with touchscreens too. So it stands to reason that the MacBook Air would get this tech too.
• Another interesting tidbit in the report is that Apple will purportedly switch from LCD screens to OLED panels as part of this MacBook Pro overhaul.
• OLED screens are brighter than LCD panels and also offer deeper blacks. So you should expect notable quality improvements.

Late to the party

• Apple has resisted touchscreens on its laptops for years now, dating all the way back to late co-founder Steve Jobs.
• Jobs famously noted that touchscreen laptops would be “ergonomically terrible.”
• “Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical,” he explained, claiming that arm fatigue was an issue.
• Of course, few people are using a touchscreen as their primary method of interaction on a laptop these days outside of convertible PCs. So fatigue shouldn’t be a problem.
• But touchscreens are still handy to have for things like zooming, drawing, and stylus input. And they’re essential if you’ve got a convertible with tablet mode.
• This wouldn’t be the first time Apple added touch input to Macs though, as the company previously offered the Touch Bar on Macbooks.
• This was a thin touchscreen on the Macbook keyboard, replacing the function row of keys. Of course, a full touchscreen is a different matter altogether.

Apple laying down the groundwork

• A touchscreen MacBook would be in line with Apple’s software moves over the last few years.
• The company lets you run iPhone and iPad apps on your Mac, but you need to use the trackpad as a virtual touchscreen.
• A touchscreen would make iPhone and iPad apps on Mac a much better experience.
• Touchscreen functionality also seems like a natural fit for Apple’s Sidecar feature, which lets you use an iPad as a second screen.
• Does all this mean we could see a convertible Macbook in the future with touchscreen support? One can hope, as an iPad UI when in tablet mode would be pretty neat.

Roundup

📞 Android 13 could soon allow you to transfer eSIM profiles on Pixel phones: This could take the pain out of upgrading or switching devices (Android Authority).

🍎 Apple may ditch physical power and volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro (Android Authority).

📱 Bill Gates has upgraded from his Galaxy Z Fold 3, the Microsoft co-founder noted in his Reddit AMA (Android Authority).

⌚ Apple to begin making in-house screens in 2024 in shift away from Samsung: Starting with the Apple Watch (Bloomberg).

🖼️ Wallpaper Wednesday is here again: I quite like reader Dominik Garner’s macro shot (Android Authority).

🚀 Russia will abandon Soyuz on orbit, fly up a new one to bring crew home: The replacement capsule comes after the current Soyuz capsule attached to the ISS sprung a major coolant leak, likely due to a micro-meteorite strike (Ars Technica).

🤔 How do you place your phone inside your pocket?: Right-side-up or upside-down? Screen facing your leg or outwards? Answer our poll! (Android Authority)

⌨️ CNET has been quietly publishing AI-written articles for months (Gizmodo).

🏖️ Microsoft employees are getting unlimited time off: The company joins the likes of Netflix, Salesforce, and others in offering the policy (The Verge).

❓ What’s a slang word/term that drives you insane? (r/AskReddit).

Thursday Thing

Valentine’s Day is just over a month away, and it turns out companies are already gearing up for the event. In fact, chocolate maker Godiva Japan has teamed up with Nintendo to release Animal Crossing-themed chocolates in Japan (h/t: SoraNews24).

The company is offering three options to choose from, namely a pack with six chocolates for ~$13, a pack of six chocolates and an included pouch for ~$24, and a pack of nine chocolates for $23. And the chocolate pieces look rather cute too, being modeled after in-game designs and items. I’d totally go for a box of leaf-shaped chocolates alone.

Have a Nook-free day!
Hadlee Simons, Editor