Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Pro Pushes Laptop Pricing to a New Extreme

Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 and a fully loaded 16 inch model reaches $14,549, a new ceiling for laptop pricing.

Apple has officially entered the touchscreen MacBook Pro era and it has also set a new benchmark for how much a laptop can cost. The new touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899, a hefty price tag on its own. But buyers who want the top of the line configuration with every possible upgrade will need to spend around $14,549.

The Fully Loaded Price Tag

According to MacRumors, Apple’s configurator prices the fully loaded 14 inch model at $14,249 and the 16 inch version at $14,549. Both configurations come equipped with Apple’s top tier M5 Max chip, featuring an 18 core CPU and a 40 core GPU.

For context, the previous 16 inch MacBook Pro topped out at $10,149. The new model raises that ceiling by $4,400, a substantial jump even by Apple’s standards.

Where the Money Goes

The upgrade pricing makes the final number climb quickly:

Storage: Moving to a 4TB SSD adds $1,000; 8TB adds $3,000; the new 16TB option costs another $7,000.
Memory: 128GB of memory adds $2,000.
Display: Nano texture glass adds $150.

Some of the pricing pressure can be attributed to the ongoing memory shortage and AI’s seemingly endless appetite for hardware, factors that have been driving up component costs across the industry.

A Significant Shift for Apple

Absurd prices aside, the launch marks a significant shift for Apple, nearly a decade after it first experimented with the Touch Bar. The company eventually abandoned that feature, but it is now ready to embrace a touchscreen MacBook Pro.

That strategic pivot matters. For years, Apple insisted that touching a laptop screen was ergonomically wrong. The new touchscreen MacBook Pro signals a change in direction, one that comes with a premium attached.

Availability

Preorders open October 30, with availability beginning November 6.

Conclusion

The touchscreen MacBook Pro is a milestone for Apple’s laptop lineup, but it also pushes laptop pricing to a new extreme. At $2,899, the entry point is already steep. At $14,549, the fully loaded 16 inch model sits in a category of its own. Whether buyers see that as innovation worth paying for or a bridge too far will define the next chapter of Apple’s pro laptop story.

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