Maxed-out Apple touchscreen MacBook Pro costs $14,549

Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro can reach $14,549 with 16TB storage and 128GB memory, driven partly by a memory shortage. Creators face a sharper premium for top-tier editing hardware.

What happened

Apple announced a new MacBook Pro with an OLED display and touchscreen capabilities. The base models start at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch. Upgrading those models with every premium hardware option Apple offers pushes prices to $14,249 and $14,549, respectively.

The maximum configuration is $4,400 more expensive than a fully specced version of the last MacBook Pro. Both premium builds include the M5 Max chip with an 18-core CPU and 40-core GPU, $150 worth of nano-texture glass, 128GB of memory that adds an extra $2,000, and 16TB of storage. The 16TB storage option is the real budget breaker, adding an extra $7,000 because of the ongoing memory shortage.

Key facts

• Base MacBook Pro starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch.
• Maximum configurations cost $14,249 and $14,549, respectively, which is $4,400 more than a fully specced previous MacBook Pro.
• The top config includes the M5 Max chip with an 18-core CPU, 40-core GPU, $150 nano-texture glass, 128GB of memory, and 16TB of storage.
• According to MacRumors, the previous 16-inch MacBook Pro maxed out at $10,149.
• Choosing 8TB of storage instead of 16TB, a $3,000 option, brings the fully specced 16-inch price to $10,549, which is $400 more than its predecessor.

Our analysis

The headline price is driven largely by the 16TB internal storage option, not just the OLED display or touchscreen. Apple charges $7,000 for that storage tier, and the source links that premium to the ongoing memory shortage. This suggests supply constraints are pushing the highest-capacity builds well beyond the previous generation's ceiling.

For creators and social media managers, the practical impact is mixed. The touchscreen and OLED panel may alter how teams review or annotate work on location, but the cost difference between the previous 16-inch maximum of $10,149 and the new 8TB configuration at $10,549 is only $400. That suggests the real premium is concentrated among buyers who insist on 16TB of internal storage, likely a small segment of video editors or field producers with very large active libraries.

Apple appears to be using the storage ceiling to segment buyers. Most operators likely do not need 16TB inside the laptop itself when external storage or cloud workflows can handle archive and project backups. The memory shortage may be making that top storage tier unusually expensive, which makes configuration discipline more important than usual.

What it means for operators

• Audit actual storage needs before ordering: the 16TB option adds $7,000, while 8TB adds $3,000 and keeps a fully specced 16-inch MacBook Pro at $10,549. Most content teams can move long-term assets to external drives or cloud storage.
• Budget for the new base tier if your team needs the touchscreen or OLED display: entry now starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch and $3,399 for the 16-inch before memory and storage upgrades.
• Use the previous generation as a pricing anchor: a fully specced previous 16-inch MacBook Pro was $10,149, so the new 8TB config at $10,549 represents a modest $400 increase for teams that do not need 16TB internal storage.
• For fleet purchases, configure memory for active projects only and shift archive workflows to external or network storage to avoid paying the memory-shortage premium on internal 16TB drives.