[Digital Today intern reporter Seung-ah Yoo] Steve Jobs (Steve Jobs), Apple's co-founder, clearly opposed introducing a touchscreen to the MacBook.

On Oct. 24, TechRadar reported that even as touchscreen computing spread, Jobs argued it was not appropriate to add touch directly to a MacBook display.

Jobs expressed that view while introducing Mac OS X 10.7 Lion at Apple's "Back to the Mac" event at its headquarters in 2010. Microsoft was actively pushing touchscreen-based computing and devices such as HP's TouchSmart lineup appeared, but Jobs did not apply the same approach to the MacBook.

Instead, Apple focused on multi-touch gestures using the trackpad and mouse. Jobs considered touching the screen directly unsuitable for long use. He said, "After using it for a long time, it feels like your arm is going to fall off," and pointed out that extended touchscreen use could build fatigue and reduce precision.

What Jobs took issue with was an ergonomic limitation. He judged that using a trackpad with hands kept horizontal was better suited to long work than continually operating a vertical touch surface like a laptop screen. He argued that a touchscreen might be impressive in a demonstration but inconvenient in real use.

Windows-based companies continued to roll out touchscreen laptops and 2-in-1 devices, but Apple maintained its policy of not adding direct touch to the MacBook. It introduced the Touch Bar as a compromise combining keyboard and touch input, but the feature eventually disappeared from the lineup.

More recently, speculation has emerged that Apple could change its long-standing policy. Foreign media reports say Apple is preparing a touchscreen MacBook Pro with an OLED display. It is still speculation ahead of any official announcement.

Jobs opposed a touchscreen MacBook not simply out of preference, but because he was concerned about fatigue during long use and a decline in operating precision. If Apple does release a touchscreen MacBook, it would be an example of change in the Mac's input method that it has maintained for a long time.