Is the Cursor One of the Greatest Inventions?

Apple has long been reluctant to create a touchscreen Mac, but one company has done it in the form of a third-party accessory.

Recently, a product called Magic Screen, which provides a "touchscreen experience" for MacBook, officially launched on a crowdfunding platform. Although Magic Screen accomplishes what Apple has been unwilling to do, the technical principle is not complex: it adds a layer of finger and stylus input capability to Macs that originally don't support touch by using a touch panel that can be magnetically attached to the front of a MacBook's screen.

Image Source: intricuit

The product connects via USB-C, with both power and data provided by the computer. After being detached, the panel can also be used as a standalone drawing board.

From a product positioning perspective, Magic Screen doesn't try to hide its "unofficial" status. In terms of implementation, Magic Screen isn't exactly "elegant" either, as we still need an external USB-C cable to connect the panel to the Mac.

Nevertheless, the emergence of Magic Screen brings back to the forefront a question that has troubled many users: Why won't Apple release a touchscreen Mac?

The Demand for Touchscreen Macs Has Always Been There

If we only consider user demand, touchscreen Macs are not a new request.

From the early multi-touch trackpads to later features like Sidecar, which allows iPads to function as secondary displays for Macs, and the continuous enhancement of Apple Pencil support on iPads, Apple has actually responded to the demand for "direct touch" in multiple ways. However, it has consistently avoided the simplest and most radical approach: adding touch capabilities directly to Mac screens.

Image Source: Apple

From Leitech's perspective, the reason behind this is not hard to understand. Both macOS and any desktop operating system are designed for "precise input" from the beginning. Menus, windows, icons, and various small controls in software are all designed to be interacted with using a mouse, trackpad, or keyboard shortcuts.

The existence of the cursor itself is a symbol of precise operation.

Touch operations, on the other hand, are inherently more suited to "ambiguous input." Fingers lack cursors, have larger click areas, and can obstruct the view. While touch is very natural for browsing, scrolling, and zooming, it quickly reveals its shortcomings when it comes to precise operations. This is why system interfaces on phones and tablets are deliberately enlarged and simplified, while desktop-level systems do the opposite.

This theory has been sufficiently validated on other platforms.

Back when Microsoft tried to make touch an important interaction method in Windows 8 and Windows 10, the result was quite unsuccessful. To accommodate touch, the system interface had to oscillate between "desktop logic" and "tablet logic," ultimately failing to truly replace the mouse and keyboard and making many traditional users uncomfortable.

Image Source: Microsoft

Apple has clearly seen this. Instead of forcibly introducing a touch logic that doesn't fully adapt to macOS, it prefers to concentrate touch capabilities on iPadOS, allowing the two systems to serve different usage patterns. The Mac handles precise, long-duration, high-density work input, while the iPad provides a more intuitive and free touch experience.

For this reason, even though user demand has persisted, Apple has never truly taken the step of creating a "touch Mac."

Would a Touchscreen Mac Threaten iPadOS?

Another classic question surrounding touch Macs is: If Macs could be touched, what would be left for the iPad?

From Leitech's perspective, the iPad's core value lies not just in "whether it can be touched" but in the fact that its entire app ecosystem and interaction logic are designed around touch. The button sizes, operation paths, and usage scenarios of apps are all designed with the assumption that users will interact with their fingers rather than a cursor.

Even if Mac screens were to support touch, most applications on macOS would still be designed for the mouse and keyboard. You could tap windows and drag pages with your fingers, but once you enter professional software or complex editing interfaces, the advantages of touch would quickly diminish. This is not a hardware capability issue but a fundamental difference at the system and application levels.

Image Source: Apple

For this reason, Leitech believes that a touch Mac would not directly "cannibalize" the iPad's market but would instead accelerate the disappearance of data boundaries between the two.

For users already accustomed to drawing and note-taking with Apple Pencil on iPads, a Mac that supports simple touch and stylus input might just be the icing on the cake. For heavy Mac users, touch would be more of a supplementary method than the primary interaction mode.

From this perspective, products like Magic Screen are not truly testing whether "the iPad will be replaced" but whether users are willing to pay an extra cost for touch in macOS scenarios. As long as the answer is no, iPadOS's position will not be truly shaken.

Domestic Dual-Screen Notebooks Have Gone Further

If we broaden our perspective, we'll find that domestic manufacturers have already made numerous attempts on the path of "touch + productivity."

Dual-screen notebooks, foldable screens, and touch secondary displays are not uncommon. These products don't try to completely replace the keyboard and trackpad with touch but instead use touch as an "auxiliary entry point" for quick operations, information display, or simple input.

From actual usage feedback, such designs are not without value.

Image Source: Huawei

When touch is confined to a clear scope rather than bearing the full interaction load, it becomes easier to be effective. Quick buttons, handwritten annotations, and simple dragging on secondary displays can indeed improve efficiency in certain scenarios without disrupting the primary operation logic.

Magic Screen's approach is somewhat similar in this regard. It doesn't require users to completely change their usage habits but provides a touch entry point that is "there if you want it." Whether to use it and how much to use it is entirely up to the user.

But the problem lies precisely here:

When touch is merely an "option," its necessity diminishes. For the vast majority of Mac users, the trackpad is already efficient enough. Those who truly need extensive touch and stylus input have often already found more suitable solutions on iPads.

From Leitech's perspective, Magic Screen is not a failed product or a meaningless attempt. Its emergence provides users with a "workaround" solution for touchscreen needs and forces more users to confront the conflict between touch and precise operations.

Image Source: intricuit

Whether running macOS or Windows, the ability for precise control has always been what sets computers apart from phones, tablets, and other devices in terms of interaction. Forcibly adding a "touchscreen" to a Mac would not automatically solve macOS's interaction logic issues or change Apple's long-standing system division strategy.

On the positive side, however, Magic Screen's emergence at least proves one thing: No matter how powerful an internet giant is, it cannot block genuine user needs. The same applies to touchscreen MacBooks and AI phones like Doubao AI.

As for whether touch Macs will truly become mainstream, Leitech believes the answer is no in the short term. Ultimately, whether touch Macs become mainstream depends not on the hardware itself but on whether users truly need to use their fingers to complete tasks on macOS that were originally done with cursors.

Given the current situation, Apple clearly has more important and urgent issues to address than prioritizing touch adaptations for macOS.

Below are some excellent reports from the Leitech CES 2026 reporting team during CES 2026:

Industry Observations:

1. CES 2026 Ultra-Forward Look: AI is the Core Topic, Chinese Companies May Dominate the Exhibition Again

2. World's First! CES Officially Releases AI Trends: Hardware Will Be the Core Carrier for AI Implementation

3. "Japanese Tech Projects" Group Up at CES to Attract Customers! Can Japanese Tech Companies Still Compete?

4. CES 2026 Ultimate Preview: Robots, Chips, and Display Technologies to Explode, Chinese Delegation to Field Strongest Lineup

5. CES 2026 Automotive Ultra-Forward Look! Great Wall Motors to Showcase Full Lineup, New Brand Aims to Outdo Bugatti?

6. World's First! CES 2026 Opening Exhibition Observations: AI + Hardware Battle Erupts, "Shenzhen Delegation" Takes Center Stage

7. What's It Like to Lead the CES 2026 Reporting Team?

8. Jensen Huang Steals the Show! NVIDIA and Qualcomm Go Head-to-Head, This CES is Crazy!

9. Signing with the Argentine National Team Kicks Off Championship Journey, Lexar to Make Big Moves at CES for 30th Anniversary!

10. Overseas Sales Account for 43%! Great Wall Motors to Compete at CES 2026, Chinese Automakers Play by Their Own Rules

11. The Intelligent Driving Battle Comes to CES 2026: NVIDIA Takes on Tesla, Chinese Automakers Launch Collective Breakthrough, AI is the Only Answer!

12. CES 2026 Day 1 Observations: Innovators "Emerging," Chinese Brands Stand at the World's Center Stage

13. Stairs Are No Longer Off-Limits! CES 2026 Unveils the "Ultimate Form" of Robot Vacuums

14. Rejecting Gimmicks! Exclusive CES Dialogue with Great Wall Motors' Wu Huixiao: Embracing AI in Cars Should Be "People-Centric"

15. Lenovo Qira Steals the Show, Qualcomm and Intel Flex Muscles: CES Sees AI PC Explosion

16. AI Starts Having Fun: Folding Clothes, Cutting Hair, Acting as Pets, CES 2026's Black Tech Hardware is Wild!

17. CES 2026 Observations: Automotive Intelligent Computing Multi-Line Products Face "Breakout Year," What Did Snapdragon Do Right?

18. Engineering Nerds vs. Systematic Players: Great Wall Motors and Geely Go Head-to-Head at CES 2026, Chinese Automakers Enter the "Dual-Track Era" for Overseas Expansion

19. ChatGPT Imitates Ah Fu but Still Has a Lot to Learn

20. Intelligent Kitchen Appliances Enter the Large Model Era, Chinese Kitchen Appliances Aim to Go from "Students" to "Teachers" | CES 2026 Observations

21. Intelligent Cleaning Moves Toward "Embodied Intelligence": Chinese Delegation Attacks CES 2026, Sweeps Across All Scenarios!

22. Smart Door Locks Bid Farewell to Battery Anxiety? Wireless Charging and Cross-Brand Key Standards Arrive, CES 2026 is Full of Highlights

23. The Automotive Industry Launches the "AI War": Chinese Automakers Pull Out All the Stops, Sony Honda Recycles Old Ideas, CES 2026 Shows the True Test

24. Creativity First, Practicality Second! This CES Features a Bunch of Trendy Smart Home Gadgets

25. AI Hidden in Mirrors, Earphones, and Pendants: This Year's CES AI Hardware Attempts to Provide "Practical" New Answers

26. Autonomous Driving Goes Head-to-Head at CES: Jensen Huang Takes on Elon Musk, Chinese Delegation Quietly Achieves Mass Production Breakthrough

27. TV Manufacturers Go Wild at CES! Hisense, TCL, Changhong, and Dreame Steal the Spotlight, Outshine Japanese and Korean Manufacturers?

28. Rokid and Others Take Center Stage! Domestic AI Glasses Dominate CES 2026: Independence is the Key?

29. AI Urine-Testing Toilets, Emotion-Monitoring Pendants: The Most Bizarre AI Health Hardware at CES

30. Intelligent Kitchen Appliances Become the Most Competitive Category at CES: AI Takes Over Everything, Everyone Can Be a "Boss"

31. Audio Hardware Starts to "Think"? Direct Hit on the Top Six Audio New Products at CES 2026

32. Two-Wheelers "Automobilize," Flying Cars Break Free from "PPT," CES 2026's New Mobility Species Show Wild Imagination

33. The Most Comprehensive Online Guide! A Single Article Reviews the Robot Battle at CES 2026

34. Not Focusing on Imaging but Form, CES 2026's "Bizarre" Phone Review: A "Non-Mainstream" Answer in the Era of Homogenization

35. Split, Panoramic, Robotic Arms! Six Major Players Submit Their Answers at CES: The Imaging Track's Gameplay Changes

36. CES Averages 80,000 Steps Per Reporter, We Summarize 10 Answers About the Future of AI Tech

37. CES 2026 Concludes, Leitech Reporting Team Returns Victoriously! Over 80 Pieces of Content, 160,000+ Words, the Ultimate Collection of AI Hard Tech is Here!

New Product Releases:

1. TCL CES 2026 Preview: SQD-Mini LED and Printed OLED Debut, "Screen Universe" Strategy Lands

2. World's First! Dual-Form + Transformable, Granule Evolution "Floor-Washing Robot" Takes the Stage at CES 2026

3. Next-Generation RGB-Mini LED Debuts at CES 2026, Hisense Continues to Lead the High-End Display Track

4. A Complete Look at ECOVACS' CES 2026 New Products: Lawn, Pool, and Pet Robots Covered

5. Launching Robotaxi This Year! Geely Provides the Ultimate Answer to "Omnidirectional AI" at CES 2026

6. Dreame Floor Washer "Wins" the Next Decade in Las Vegas

7. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon's CES 2026 Speech: Personal AI Must Be Fast, Smart Wearables Hold Great Promise

8. Can Open-Ear Headphones Also Offer Noise Reduction? Shokz Releases OpenFit Pro at CES 2026, Breaking Physical Boundaries with Technology

9. ROG's 20th Anniversary "Blockbuster": Dual-Screen Laptop, AR Glasses Lead CES 2026, Over 10 New Products Ignite the Esports Track

10. Debuting with Over 50 Pioneering Technologies! Dreame Brings "Whole-House Smart Ecosystem" to Dominate CES 2026

11. TCL Group Showcases Technological Prowess, Display, Smart Terminals, and Photovoltaics Make Collective Appearance at CES 2026

12. How Can Existing Home Appliances Integrate with Matter? Someone Found a Way at CES 2026

13. Leading the Smart E-bike Generation, Ninebot Bravely Enters CES 2026: Lawn Mowing Robot Matrix Unveiled

14. RGB Mini LED, AI, and "Rocket Launchers": Toshiba TV Offers a New Solution at CES 2026

15. NAVEE Debuts at CES 2026: Transforming "Commuting Tools" into "Outdoor Toys"

16. More Comfortable Than the Herman Miller Provided by the Company? Qingxian Smart Attracts Attention at CES, Chinese Chairs Go Wild

17. From Humanoid Robots to Companion Robots, What Did Magic Atom Reveal in Its CES 2026 Debut?

18. The "Screen Universe" Rolls into CES 2026: TCL X11L Makes North American Debut, AI Connects Multiple Hardware

19. The New Generation of RGB-Mini LED TVs Dominate CES, Hisense Remains the "Absolute Center"

20. Chinese Autonomous Vehicles Enter CES 2026! Neolix Unveils AI "Dual Engines," Targeting 50,000 Units Overseas

21. Not Just Robot "Delivery Guys," RoboSense Makes Big Moves at CES 2026, Accelerating Full-Scenario Ecosystem Implementation

22. Insta360 Becomes the Biggest Standout at CES 2026? It Turns Video Creation into a Tool "Available to Everyone"

23. How Can Headphones and Watches Join the AI Workflow? Mobvoi Provides Standard Answers at CES 2026

24. Chinese Smart Manufacturing Is Unstoppable! BOE's Smart Cockpit Debuts at CES 2026, Winning Over Foreign Fans

25. Phone Cases Evolve into "Productivity Tools," Torras Releases New Products at CES 2026, Eyeing Crossover into Mobile Imaging

26. Small Humanoid Robots Delivered in Bulk! "Accelerated Evolution" Makes Its Debut at CES 2026, Turning the Showcase into a Business Opportunity

27. Lawn Mowing Robots Go "Four-Wheel Drive"? Weilan Continental Releases Multiple New Products: Telling Chinese Innovation Stories at CES

28. Sweeping, Mowing, and Companionship: Ecovacs Showcases "Robot Family" at CES 2026, Revealing Full-Scenario Ambitions

29. Seeking Differentiated Experiences Amidst Technological Convergence, Torras Becomes a CES 2026 Focal Point with "Scenario Thinking"

30. AI Live Streaming Cameras Steal the Spotlight, Foreigners Line Up to Experience, HOLLYLAND Moma's CES Booth Goes Viral!

31. Solving Foreign Trade Payment Challenges! XTransfer Debuts at CES 2026, Securing Licenses in 25 U.S. States

32. Dreame AI TV Makes Debut at CES 2026, Advancing Full-Scenario Ecosystem Layout

33. Pursuing the Light, Huabao New Energy's "Light Storage Robot" Delivers a New Answer to Energy Independence at CES

34. Not Just Supercars! KOSMERA Stellar Future Makes CES Debut, AI + Eco-Connectivity Revolutionize Travel Imagination

35. BleeqUp Super Shadow Engine Impresses at CES: "AI + Sports" as a New Path for Smart Wearables?

36. Panda Theme Wins Over Foreigners, Changhong AI Home Appliances "Family" Debuts at CES, Eastern Elements Become Top Trend

37. Horizon Eyepic Debuts at CES 2026: Detachable Vlog Camera Aims to Shift from "Category Selection" to "Scenario Selection"

38. Dolby Vision on the Road! Domestic Luxury Cars Become New CES Stars

Video Exhibition Tours:

1. NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Impresses at CES 2026! 6x Frame Generation Makes 4K High-Refresh Ray Tracing a Reality | Video

2. Display Giants Clash at CES 2026! Hisense's New Generation RGB-Mini LED Dominates | Video

3. Floor Washers Take Flight! MOVA's CES 2026 Booth Overwhelmed | Video

4. CES 2026 On-Site Test! Foreigners Still Carry "Bricks," While Chinese Hide AI in Work Badges | Video

5. CES 2026 Dark Horse! BroadLink Makes a Comeback, RM MAX Steals the Show Globally | Video

6. CES's Biggest Dark Horse! Dreame AI Embodied Laundry Robot Dominates | Video

7. From Concept to Reality! How Huabao New Energy's Light Storage Robot Became a CES Tech Benchmark | Video

8. Hands-On with CES 2026's Shadow Cloud Computer: Equipping AI with a Super Brain, Curing Compute Anxiety | Video

MacPC Laptops iPad

Source: Leikeji

Images in this article from: 123RF Licensed Image Library Source: Leikeji