2016 MacBook Pro May Include OLED Display Touch Bar and Touch ID

[stonegate]

My 2008 17 inch MacBook Pro finally died in January. So we are down to one 2010 12 inch MacBook Pro in the house....... We have been patiently waiting for this announcement of an updated model. Planning on the 15 inch model ASAP. Not so interested in the touch ID and the OLED but more into the Skylake chip to improve the basic machine. Hopefully they do not approach this new model as another thin thin notebook with lousy keys. Keep the MacBook Pro as a true separate entity with its own distinctive style and functionality.

 

[DevNull0]

Underpowered? What can't your Macbook Pro do? The 2015 models are more powerful than what probably 98% of people need - are you part of the 2%?

Oh look. More made up statistics.

So you believe that only 2% of ***MACBOOK PRO*** users will do any of: Edit video, Edit large batches high res photographs, run virtual machines, play games, develop software, run science/math modelling software, render animation, access large databases, etc.

We are talking about Apple's highest end macbook pro, not the MB/MBA. Not the iToys. And you really think only 2% will do anything where performance matters?

 

[mildmannered]

Touch ID on Mac is welcome & looooong overdue.

Instead of a "touch bar" I'd rather see each individual key as a small OLED screen, intelligently and beautifully displaying the exact function the key has at the moment (including small/caps letters, specific functions for apps like FinalCut etc).

How long did it take Apple to introduce soft keys to iOS? Used to be a real bug-bear of mine, not displaying characters in the correct case Grrrrr

I reckon you might be on to something with this though. Not with present technology. But imagine a worldwide harmonized keyboard that can actively display all the native characters, from ASCII (is that correct?) to Mandarin, via software. Now THAT would be innovative.

Would make the platform perfect for gaming, with softkeys...

 

[pat500000]

Apple what the ****. Slimmer, Faster is ok, don´t get me wrong. Especially on all the other products.

BUT not with the MacBook PRO. We Customers are asking for performance*, are you not listening?! Otherwise we would get the MacBook/Air.

You will just keep loosing us and then look stupid and don´t know why, I´m pretty sure I´m talking on behalf of most MBP users.

*Especially in terms of graphics... (the rest is fine anyway)

The problem is Apple don't need them as much as they need Apple. With that kind of mentality (at the moment) they will continue to abuse them by giving you guys soldered up products with weird features. Time to hit Apple where it hurts.

 

[Winter Charm]

I wonder what this Oled strip will accomplish, clearly it will do more than replace the function keys

I'm calling ******** on the OLED strip. Dell tried having a touch-bar for function keys with the XPS line back in 2007, and it failed horribly. It was not usable, and didn't add any functionality.

 

[DevNull0]

I reckon you might be on to something with this though. Not with present technology. But imagine a worldwide harmonized keyboard that can actively display all the native characters, from ASCII (is that correct?) to Mandarin, via software. Now THAT would be innovative.

The Optimus Maximus keyboard did that about 10 years ago. It was crazy expensive and never really took off. I remember something similar 20 years ago with monochrome LCDs in each keycap as well.

 

[PhilBlais]

Am I naive to think that by Q4 2016 they might have meant Apple's fiscal Q4 2016 which ends in September 24 2016 ...
Can you tell I am eagerly waiting to upgrade? lol

 

[Mactendo]

This may be new, but how is replacing buttons with a display interesting? PCs have had light up buttons above the keyboard for years.

There's more to happen than just replacing buttons with lights.

Even if someone had it for years, Macbooks didn't. And maybe it will have a force touch and it will be a programmable display so you could attach any function or app to any 'key'. It's a display, not just a light behind the plate. I'd certainly do it that way.

Apple is finally moving somewhere beyond the constant thinning.

 

[Max_Abt]

The problem is Apple don't need them as much as they need Apple. With that kind of mentality (at the moment) they will continue to abuse them by giving you guys soldered up products with weird features. Time to hit Apple where it hurts.

yes they have lot´s and lot´s of money. But they start to need us. Have you seen their numbers this year.

And then of course things like the The New Razer Blade...(slightly different niche but still laughable!)

I´m just saying, keep going and keep loosing

 

[hleewell]

If they put that Touch bar on Macbook, I think it is really over...for me anyway.
Touch ID is a great idea but need to implement it in a non-intrusive way.
Seriously that OLED bar thing is a hideous idea.....

 

[Yaboze]

Pretty soon Macbook Pro's will come on a roll, like aluminum foil. Super thin and you can fold it up and put it in your wallet!

 

[vault]

That sounds like my Dell from ten years ago
I didn't like touch bars back then and probably won't like them now, no matter the execution. The very idea of such gimmicks just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[mildmannered]

Dell tried having a touch-bar for function keys with the XPS line back in 2007, and it failed horribly. It was not usable, and didn't add any functionality.

It was a pain trying to find the correct drivers for, I know that much. Still it was only to operate non essential things like the disc eject button...

 

[Mactendo]

I reckon you might be on to something with this though. Not with present technology. But imagine a worldwide harmonized keyboard that can actively display all the native characters, from ASCII (is that correct?) to Mandarin, via software. Now THAT would be innovative.

Would make the platform perfect for gaming, with softkeys...

I believe that's the universal keyboard of the future. A thin display maybe with bulges to easily locate keys. One day no one will use real keys anymore. Hope someone makes it soon. We are entering the age of autonomous cars, sure such keyboard is not that hard to make.

 

[tofagerl]

I believe that's the universal keyboard of the future. A thin display maybe with bulges to easily locate keys. One day no one will use real keys anymore. Hope someone makes it soon. We are entering the age of autonomous cars, sure such keyboard is not that hard to make.

I can tell you don't use a keyboard for a living...

 

[BeefCake 15]

It was a pain trying to find the correct drivers for, I know that much. Still it was only to operate non essential things like the disc eject button...

I'm sitting infront of a Dell laptop with touch ID that even Dell support couldn't find the drivers for...lol

 

[aloshka]

That sounds like my Dell from ten years ago
I didn't like touch bars back then and probably won't like them now, no matter the execution. The very idea of such gimmicks just doesn't appeal to me.

Had the same laptop. Was the dumbest idea ever. I don't think is any correct way of executing that stupid bar. It's worthless no matter what you do. And if they get rid of the f-keys, that means if I ever need to change brightness, launchpad, or press and f-key I always need to look down.. hell no. Pretty sure it's a false rumor. Dell learned quickly how stupid this idea is and scrapped it. Dell and a few others. No way Apple can do that and say "world's first and innovative stupid bar that is worthless and will confuse users and actually hamper your ability to use the keyboard". Just don't see it

 

[Omega Mac]

Chillax folks... you never know Apple might use the new hinge but with the same shape or similar depth/shape/structure keys. The iPPro keyboard is closer to the pro keyboard but uses the new hinge and is nothing like the new Macbook in form. Go look here www.apple.com.

An OLED touch bar that is basically a second or extension to main screen as a touchscreen that works natively may be amazing, a pro feature, where pro apps can place there custom hotkeys or the dock as other have suggested and it will probably customisable oh like the dock already is so the dock with native support for app developers to improve user touch interactions on a surface that's not on the screen. Makes a lot of sense. I think we've all had similar ideas for years.

Also consider this, if you have ever used a wacom it's novel to see without the obtrusion of your hand covering what you are working on, the full screen working right before you eyes. Reaching up to touch a screen in a sitting position is not good ergonomics. Standing at a POS yes but not sitting at a desktop.

The OLED bar coudl house all the play controls and such so it never has to appear on screen, pretty cool when in full screen mode don't ya think? No need to fiddle to get rid of the mouse pointer.

Personally I like the new hinge and both keyboards too. I'm very eager to hear of this MBP update. Sounds like a buy in.

Yes some of these features have been on ten year old PC laptops but the experience has been mediocre. If Apple integrate and support it from OS to hardware it has a better chance of being very cool and totally normal.

The might roll out update USB keyboards.

 

[Mactendo]

I can tell you don't use a keyboard for a living...

I can tell you're a bad teller.

 

[aloshka]

An OLED touch bar that is basically a second or extension to main screen as a touchscreen that works natively may be amazing, a pro feature, where pro apps can place there custom hotkeys or the dock as other have suggested and it will probably customisable oh like the dock already is so the dock with native support for app developers to improve user touch interactions on a surface that's not on the screen. Makes a lot of sense. I think we've all had similar ideas for years.

It's not a hotkey when you have to look down at your keyboard and search for the right key, leave your hand off your trackpad, and move your other hand out of the way to press a non-tactile button. It's 10 times easier to just click a button or a key on the keyboard. Other manufacturers thought this was a "cool" idea as well, but in practice it was horrible, and it hurt sales so much that you don't see a single laptop on the market that has this dumbass idea anymore.

I was a sucker and bought one of those, thinking what a cool idea. It wasn't... I hated it and clearly so did everyone else who used it.

 

[thermodynamic]

Okay, so the article discusses vaporware. Customers want to know what it WILL have. Not being led like children with "may", which also happens to mean "may not".

Apple could make life simpler and just keep using umbrella words like "magical" to skirt around the vaporware, I suppose, and that still allows customers to be treated like children. "See this? It's magical and it will reinvent reading because you can look at moving pictures instead of reading long sequences of letters with spaces randomly placed in between those letters! It even dispenses baby unicorns out of the little square-shaped rectangle on this side." Wow...

I wonder how the thinness will affect battery life and heat dissipation. A professional grade device, $1500+, should not get over 70C under load.

Nice to read TouchID is being ported, but as long as a gummy bear, silly putty, or whatever else can't be used to forge credentials or hack into the system... still, the increasing overzealousness on thinness - it's like designers from 1984 are still embarrassed over the clunky "portables" of the day that something somehow has to be proved when the "something" is "nothing" if fair factors are lost in pursuit.

 

[dawindmg08]

So, I can kiss all my Thunderbolt adapters goodbye...and replace them with USB-C adapters

 

[tampageek]

Anyone else think that this 13" Macbook (if it actually happens) will be Apple's version of "adding one more port" to the 12" Macbook. Instead of changing the design of their ideal perfect computer they will release a not so ideal (from Apple's perspective) computer that has less compromises and thus appeals much more to the masses. (More ports, slightly better performance, more travel to the keyboard, better webcam etc.)

Hopefully either this hypothetical 13" Macbook or the new 13" rMBP fit my needs (a very thin light laptop than can output to two displays and has at least 10hr battery life).

OLED for the function keys sounds really weird. Gimmicky if I'm being honest. But I use an external keyboard when I'm doing real work so I guess it wouldn't be too terrible.

Exactly. And because the rMB was so under powered and lacking ports, anything more will 'seem like' a 'pro' version. The problem is the pricing - if it stays the same- will make the MBP a much better deal, thus killing off whatever sales the creepy little rMB had. There will be almost no reason to buy a rMB if you can get one just like it but with at least 2 ports and a better camera for $100 more.

Based on the direction Apple has been going in both software and hardware (with lots of glue) I'm just as prepared to be disappointed as not.

 

[sseaton1971]

We purchase the 11" MacBook Airs for student usage in our school district, and we were able to get them for $769 per device this year. That is the best price we have ever had on any Apple laptop. I highly doubt Apple will be discontinuing this model any time soon... at least not for the education market. Apple still sells the mid-2012 MacBook Pro non-Retina to education and the general public. Maybe if Jobs were still around things would be different, but I like how Apple seems to be listening (at least a little bit) to its customers.

 

[tampageek]

Touch bar? Is it a poor man's substitution for touch screen?

it's actually old tech that was removed from thinkpads years ago.