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Next version still feels reasonable but it's going to be pretty much only for the last of each Intel model. After that, 2 more years of security updates before the end.

I would be shocked if they even get 2 more years of security updates from today. Apple is making it very clear that they hate the Intel Macs now and want everyone to forget about them as quickly as possible. And of all companies, Apple drops history with extreme prejudice.
 
Fairly sure the C key is far more consistent across computer applications than function keys are. But I do understand your overall point.

And Typewriters existed for decades before computers and did fine without function keys, and were used by thousands of PROfessional journalists, lawyers, doctors, etc for as many decades.

As someone who edits videos, photos, and even dabbles into programming the TouchBar is FAR more efficient than static function keys that can't change into a slider, control surface or otherwise. In the rare occasion I actually need a Function key, I simply turn that on in settings. I understand they aren't tactile keys, however we have been using touch surfaces (track pads, iPhones, iPads) for decades now and people can adapt.

All arguments aside, I feel the situation would have been less of a pain of Apple made it an option to have function keys, as well as Touch Bar at the point of launch. The dropped HDMI, SD card readers and other ports at the same time, making the 2016 MacBook Pro feel like a slap in the face to some (not all) professionals.

When are we getting Dynamic OLED keyboards? I would love that option too

Good point about the timing. They released the Touchbar during peak Mac hubris. And then they seem to have lumped it in with the bad decisions when they fixed the Mac lineup.
 
My guess is Jony Ive didn’t have a thing to do with the TouchBar since it actually works, unlike many of his other creations.
 
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Well what I liked about PowerPC most was that it was a differentiator and helped give meaning to the “Think Different” tagline for a lot of us, and for a time it actually was legitimately better than Intel. In retrospect if you look back there were a lot of clues that Apple wanted to go to Intel and even reporting, I just think a lot of that got bogged down or under-reported due to the immense hype and marketing of Apple. And yeah, there were a lot of really good and legit reasons to switch to Intel at the time, chief amongst them was stuff like Bootcamp but for the most part all those reasons have died down. I personally just didn’t care for intel pretty early on, and right around when the A7 came out, all I kept thinking was “Ok so when are they gonna make their own computer chips too” which at the time, most people just didn’t think was feasible but for me I thought it was just a matter of time.

I actually like that they make all their chips for everything now, and in fact I think the M series is probably their best and most important innovation they have made since Tim Cook was CEO. It certainly is the one that seems to be driving the entire industry forward, and I don’t see X86 being a major thing to most people 10 years from now.

Mostly agree. We’ll have to see on x86. There sure is a ton of it out there and business clients of x86 based software and hardware move very slowly. It will be interesting. It will probably still just be Windows though. These commercial software vendors are incredibly lazy. I’m thinking of a few very big American companies that make very bad software that is essential. They’ll still be writing this junk in Java. So maybe it won’t matter. It’ll all come down to price.
 
The 2017 model is now cut off from future OS upgrades. So it they'll drop support for the 2018 next year and the 2019 the year after that. Then it's all Apple silicon.

I've got the 2017 and I'd like to upgrade because it's a bit sluggish for things like FCP/DVR rendering, and Photoshop tends to turn it into a toaster, especially when doing any Firefly work.

The cost of upgrading is just obscene though. The memory and storage is grossly overpriced. $11,000 Australian dollars for a max spec MBP is ridiculous.

Don’t worry, we offer remarkable trade-in values! (…)
 
A major point of a keyboard having tactile buttons is so it can be used by feel. Otherwise we would have moved to typing on a contextual touch surface years ago. The Touch Bar used a lot of power for very little benefit. It was a feature for feature's sake. Apple could have just put a touch surface on the display if they truly wanted to do something useful.

Like 3D Touch and other bloat features that Apple has added over the years to fill out a spec sheet, I don't doubt that there are folks who found the Touch Bar useful. But by and large it is not missed.
That logic ignores muscle memory.

Millions of people type or swipe on touchscreen phones without looking at the touch only keys, and without any significant issues. In my personal use case, I actually operate my touchbar by memory for the mapping of buttons I configured when operating my device.

Never understood people against Touchbar or 3D Touch. I assure you 3D touch was not bloat, it was instant access to another layer of controls we no longer have. You could press, long press, 3D press and get 3 functions out of the same touch zone. There is no nebulous faux functionality, it was an actual input method that (fault to Apple) many didn't know they had.
 
Maybe I'm an outlier - I'm a professional designer and photographer who travels frequently. I don't need or want a larger screen because I have an external monitor at 'home.' The 14" form factor is too big for travel, and the MBA 13 storage maxes out at 2TB whereas I need at least 4TB to maintain current images locally. So now I'm out of a professional tool.
Gosh, I have both and honestly the size difference is virtually insignificant. The 14” bezel is much thinner; in exchange for a few millimeters and the weight of a pocketbook you get orders of magnitude more power.
 
Yep, I have switched from Xs to 15 Pro and 3D touch I miss the most, especially when attempting to start the camera or the torch from the lock screen. Sooo slow without! Long touch is old and obsolete.

There is a way to reduce the delay time for this long press. Go to Accessibility, Touch, Haptic Touch, and reduce the delay. It's only a slight difference but it may help you. Not claiming it's better than 3D-touch, which was much better. I miss it especially on my newer Apple Watch. I used it a lot on my old Series0, where Apple called it "Force Touch".
 
farewell 'ouch bar, hope we see you soon in the form of a real touch/pencil screen for grown ups mac artist with real workable size (lPad-sidecar is so cute to play around until you need to work real stuff and full speed)
 
That logic ignores muscle memory.

Millions of people type or swipe on touchscreen phones without looking at the touch only keys, and without any significant issues. In my personal use case, I actually operate my touchbar by memory for the mapping of buttons I configured when operating my device.

Never understood people against Touchbar or 3D Touch. I assure you 3D touch was not bloat, it was instant access to another layer of controls we no longer have. You could press, long press, 3D press and get 3 functions out of the same touch zone. There is no nebulous faux functionality, it was an actual input method that (fault to Apple) many didn't know they had.

What is the fastest someone can type on an iPad vs. a standard QWERTY keyboard?
 
What is the fastest someone can type on an iPad vs. a standard QWERTY keyboard?


As you would likely expect, It would depend on the person and their basic typing speed. Since both are QWERTY, the difference would be in how they react to the lack of keyboard tactile feel. Also;

- Are they typing in Landscape or Portrait? (Thumbs v.s. full hand)
- Can they type QWERTY without looking at the keyboard? (many can on iphone with thumbs and on ipad with full hand without looking)
- Do they have muscle memory / experience with onscreen typing?

Regardless, I used web search to find some answers, which you also could have done.



Not record breaking, however it does provide some context that people can and do type with reasonable speed on a glass surface. Learning positions of the touchbar keys could easily be linked to the same skillset.

In my personal use case I feel it is about the same honestly. I have (as well as many) been screen typing on an iPad since they were introduced.
 
Felt like the Touch Bar was always some half-### attempt by Apple to respond to the popularity of the surface. Could have been so much more if Apple put a touch screen on the MacBook Pro.
It always struck me as a response to when Lenovo tried the exact same thing on their ThinkPad lines. But those only lasted for about a year or so on the market. I'll give Apple credit for keeping it around longer than Lenovo, but I knew sooner or later it would die off. It's just not something that has ever caught on. Usually it only sees first-party support. And that is always the issue. Gimmicks don't work unless everyone accepts them. Without true third-party support, it was doomed.
 
I've read the article and have gone thru (mostly) all of these comments, and I'm still confused: Are they saying the (late/November. Like, almost 2021) 2020 M1 MBP is discontinued meaning it's not supported? Or just not selling it? Personally, I love mine, and plan on getting many more good years out of it, still. I understand not selling them anymore. I mean, why bother when they've got all options covered? I just hope this doesn't also mean they'll obsolete them any time soon. Even the 2018 Intel Mac mini (purchased in 2021) is a formidable machine. But being Intel, of course it's done. My M1 MBP is probably one of the best computers I've ever owned. And the Touch Bar shows the F1 keys when I boot into Asahi Fedora!
 
I've read the article and have gone thru (mostly) all of these comments, and I'm still confused: Are they saying the (late/November. Like, almost 2021) 2020 M1 MBP is discontinued meaning it's not supported? Or just not selling it? Personally, I love mine, and plan on getting many more good years out of it, still. I understand not selling them anymore. I mean, why bother when they've got all options covered? I just hope this doesn't also mean they'll obsolete them any time soon. Even the 2018 Intel Mac mini (purchased in 2021) is a formidable machine. But being Intel, of course it's done. My M1 MBP is probably one of the best computers I've ever owned. And the Touch Bar shows the F1 keys when I boot into Asahi Fedora!
They still have software support, they aren't being obsoleted from that standpoint yet. Apple typically offers full software support for at least five years or so after the device was last sold new, so that would mean that the 2020 M1 MPB should have full software support until at least mid 2026.
 
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They still have software support, they aren't being obsoleted from that standpoint yet. Apple typically offers full software support for at least five years or so after the device was last sold new, so that would mean that the 2020 M1 MPB should have full software support until at least mid 2026.
Well, as things are going for me now, I'll for sure get at least 3 more years out of it, possibly 4-5 if I'm lucky. And if Apple won't support it at that point, at least I'd be able to run linux on it lol
 
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Well, as things are going for me now, I'll for sure get at least 3 more years out of it, possibly 4-5 if I'm lucky. And if Apple won't support it at that point, at least I'd be able to run linux on it lol
I'm so glad Asahi Linux has managed to get Linux working well on these things. I definitely foresee myself using it once Apple starts phasing out support, I have a thing for old electronics and don't like throwing away tech that still works.
 
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