Testing touchscreen: iPad allows full finger control of macOS 27
Anyone who wants to test what finger-controlled Mac feels like can try it out with the new macOS via a workaround: using the Sidecar feature on the iPad.
Touch control of a Mac via iPad: It works surprisingly well.
(Image: @BLCNYY / X)
According to serious rumors, Apple has long been working on a notebook that, if desired, can also be operated via touchscreen for the first time. With the OLED-based “MacBook Ultra,” it could hit the market as early as autumn. Observers have already predicted that the first hints of finger control could be found in macOS 27, which Apple unveiled this week. And indeed, this is the case – albeit well hidden.
macOS 27: Sidecar gets an upgrade
Anyone who wants a touchscreen Mac today needs a crutch: an external, touch-capable screen with appropriate drivers or control software. Most recently, there was also an add-on solution for MacBooks, but it is still only in “Early Access.” Apple itself offers touch control for Macs: using the iPad function Sidecar. This turns an existing Apple tablet into a second display.
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The function has been available since 2019. However, it had a major drawback: true touchscreen operation was not possible. While multitouch gestures like “Pinch to Zoom” and two-finger scrolling were possible, clicking links, buttons, or other UI elements was not. This was only possible when using an Apple Pencil – or a mouse or trackpad connected to the Mac. With macOS 27, this is now changing, as testers of the first Developer Betas are showing in the form of videos.
Finger operation is quite functional
Although the new iPadOS 27 is running on the iPad, the Mac can be fully controlled from the tablet without any accessories. The finger becomes the mouse pointer: you scroll, select, can select screenshot areas with two fingers, and much more. Interestingly, this already works well with macOS 27. Although the finger naturally covers buttons, misclicks are rare. The menu bar is also controllable, including the menu bar icons, where Apple has recently added a bit more space between elements, which helps with touch operation.
In addition to the new Sidecar features, macOS 27 contains further indications towards a touchscreen Mac. These include APIs that check whether a touch display is present (initially, this is only a Sidecar iPad; it is unclear whether this will also work with third-party screens), as well as new gestures that the Mac inherits from iPad and iPhone. For example, various Apple applications now have a “Pull to Refresh” gesture, including Safari, Calendar, Mail, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts. This updates content via a drag gesture that can currently be performed with the trackpad. macOS 27 and iPadOS 27 will be released in the fall, with a public beta expected in July.
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