Welcome to 2012, Apple —it looks like the tech giant could have plans to release a MacBook with a touchscreen.

Just after releasing its controversial, low-cost MacBook Neo, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch three high-end products under its "Ultra" lineup, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, an often reliable source of Apple leaks.

There's the foldable iPhone, which we've heard about for years, and that's expected to cost roughly $2,000; a pair of next-gen AirPods that reportedly feature built-in cameras that send contextual feedback to Siri; and lastly, the MacBook Ultra, a new premium macOS-powered laptop with a touchscreen.

Along with being Apple's first touchscreen laptop, the MacBook Ultra will also reportedly feature an OLED panel, another first for the tech giant. The high-end laptop will reportedly drop alongside its upcoming M6 series chips. Earlier reports suggest Apple might release a touchscreen MacBook that features an iPhone-like Dynamic Island instead of the now-familiar notch on the latest MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Ultra is expected to be very expensive

It's unclear when the laptop will release

Unlike the $600 MacBook Neo, the MacBook Ultra is expected to be expensive, coming in at 20 percent more than the current $1,700 MacBook Pro. Gurman says that even after the MacBook Ultra launches, Apple will continue selling its MacBook Pro line, giving the tech giant a wider range of MacBook models at various costs.

If Apple does release the touch-equipped MacBook Ultra, it would be playing catch-up at an unprecedented level, given that Microsoft first brought touch controls to its operating system with Windows 8 —though Windows' touch controls arguably didn't really become usable until 2015 with Windows 10.

For years, Apple has reportedly been reluctant to release a touchscreen MacBook. Most recently, in 2024, Apple Marketing Executive Tom Boger said that the tech giant views the iPad and Mac as "complementary devices." Dating back way earlier, in 2010, Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs said that the company did "tons of user testing" regarding adding a touchscreen to the MacBook, but decided against it because "It doesn't work. It's ergonomically terrible. After a short period of time, you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off."

If the reports surrounding the MacBook Ultra are accurate, this would be a substantial shift from Apple's previous stance on bringing touchscreen controls to the MacBook. That said, over the last few years, macOS has become increasingly touch-oriented, with large, well-defined buttons and rounded corners. This design direction arguably peaked with macOS Tahoe this year, so the rumor of a touchscreen MacBook becoming more definitive isn't exactly surprising.