Apple is rumored to be testing out touchscreen Macs every year, but no such model ever makes it to the production line. However, more than two decades ago, touchscreen iMacs actually existed, but it was not as simple as walking into an Apple outlet and requesting one because the company did not sell them directly to consumers.

A third-party company could purchase regular iMacs and turn them into touchscreen versions

As MacRumors states, Apple does not sell touchscreen iMacs, nor does it intend to. Instead, these regular iMacs were purchased from a company called Elo, and they turned machines like the iMac G3 into touchscreen-capable products. YouTuber Michael MJD got his hands on one of these prototypes, and if you wanted to make one, it was only possible through Apple’s Value Added Reseller Program.

Elo’s primary customers were companies who wanted to set up these touchscreen iMacs as interactive kiosks. The iMac G3 shown in the video used Elo’s own iTouch touch-on-tube interface, which utilizes surface acoustic waves to detect where users touched the screen. As you can tell from the video, it is not as responsive as modern-day smartphone displays, but you also have to consider that this technology existed 24 years ago.

On Elo’s website, the company claims that a touchscreen is installed every 21 seconds but makes no mention of any current-generation iMacs still supporting this technology. It is possible that Apple no longer wishes for third-party companies to pursue this business model, especially when it can cause the company’s iPad lineup to suffer as a result.

Apple’s hardware engineering chief, John Ternus, has also said that the company’s Mac lineup is optimized for mouse inputs, suggesting that adding touchscreen capabilities might force the team to redesign the entire UI. It would also put the iPad business at risk, so that is sufficient motivation for Apple not to bring touchscreen support to its Mac series, but what about in the future? That is still a possibility, but for now, check out Michael MJD’s video and let us know what you think.

News Source: Michael MJD