Apple is targeting small businesses that rely on high-end creative, development, engineering, and artificial-intelligence work with a significantly more expensive MacBook Pro. The company announced Wednesday a new MacBook Pro with its PROLED XDR display, Touch functionality, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and up to 24 hours of battery life.

The new laptop is available to pre-order October 28, with customer deliveries and retail availability beginning November 6, according to Apple’s original announcement.

The 14-inch model starts at $2,899 with an M5 Pro chip, while the 16-inch version starts at $3,399. Models equipped with the more powerful M5 Max begin at $4,499 for the 14-inch model and $4,799 for the 16-inch model. Those prices exclude accessories, software subscriptions, taxes, and other business costs.

For a small design studio, video production company, software firm, or marketing agency, the biggest potential benefit is performance in a mobile workstation. Apple says the M5 Pro can accelerate tasks such as code compilation, AI workloads, and editing multiple streams of 8K ProRes video. The M5 Max targets even heavier workloads, including 3D visual effects, animation, film scoring, 8K post-production, and running large language models locally.

The ability to run some AI models on the device could matter to businesses handling confidential customer information, proprietary code, or unreleased creative work. Local processing can reduce the need to send certain data to a cloud service, although businesses would still need to evaluate the security and privacy settings of each application.

Apple’s chief hardware officer, Johny Srouji, said, “The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is a monumental step forward for the Mac.” He added, “PROLED XDR is the world’s best laptop display. It pairs state-of-the-art tandem OLED technology with advanced algorithms in our display engine to deliver the kind of visual fidelity pros have been dreaming of.”

The display could appeal to businesses where color accuracy directly affects deliverables. Apple reports up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR and SDR brightness, a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and support for both P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces. Apple also says the screen covers more than 80% of the Rec. 2020 color range for HDR video work.

In practical terms, a photographer could review images in brighter locations, a designer could work across print and digital color spaces, and a video editor could use reference modes for color grading without carrying a separate professional monitor. The company also offers a nano-texture option designed to reduce glare.

Apple is adding Touch to the Mac for the first time. Users can swipe, pinch, drag, and rearrange content directly on the screen. Creative applications could benefit most: Apple says users can draw across the display in Pixelmator Pro, play software instruments in Logic Pro, and mark ranges or position clips in Final Cut Pro. Third-party applications named by Apple include Canva, Microsoft Office, Zoom, Adobe Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve, Blender, Cinema 4D, ZBrush, Shapr3D, and djay Pro.

That support may help teams shorten training time because existing keyboard and trackpad controls remain available. However, the value will depend on how quickly developers optimize their software. Apple says many applications will work immediately because macOS translates touches into clicks, but more specialized Touch features require updated applications and system gesture APIs.

The new machines also include a Dynamic Island for Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI. Apple says Siri AI can search across messages, email, photos, and other personal information, answer questions, and perform tasks across apps. The feature remains in beta in macOS 27.2 and has language, regional, age, and usage restrictions. Some server-based Apple Intelligence features may also face daily limits, with expanded access potentially requiring payment in the future.

Portability is another selling point for owners and employees who work between client sites, studios, job sites, and home offices. The 14-inch model weighs 3 pounds, while the 16-inch model weighs 4 pounds. Apple says the larger model is 0.7 pounds lighter than its predecessor. Both versions include three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI, an SDXC card slot, MagSafe, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and support for multiple external displays.

Still, the purchase requires careful budgeting. The entry price is several times higher than many business laptops, and upgrades to as much as 128GB of unified memory and 16TB of storage could raise the cost substantially. Apple’s Creator Studio subscription will cost new subscribers $12.99 per month or $129 per year after its trial and promotional periods. Businesses should also confirm that the software they already use supports Apple silicon, macOS 27, and the new Touch interface before replacing existing systems.

Apple highlights recycled materials, including 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure and recycled cobalt in the battery. It says the device contains 55% recycled content overall and is designed to be durable and repairable. Those claims may support procurement goals, although buyers should still investigate warranty coverage, repair turnaround, and the expected replacement cycle.

Apple offers trade-in credits, AppleCare coverage, and U.S. financing and leasing options. Its advertised Apple Upgrade lease starts at $55.99 per month for 36 months, but the lease does not automatically transfer ownership to the business and may involve credit approval, damage fees, and charges for early termination. Small companies should compare the total lease cost with an outright purchase and account for bookkeeping, tax, and equipment-refresh policies.

For businesses whose revenue depends on color-critical production, local AI, or demanding video and 3D workloads, the new MacBook Pro could consolidate several tools into one mobile workstation. For firms handling email, accounting, web applications, and standard office tasks, the premium specifications may be difficult to justify. The most practical next step is to match the configuration to billable workloads rather than buying the highest-end model by default.

This article, “Apple Brings Touch and Tandem OLED to the MacBook Pro” was first published on Small Business Trends