Concept Imagines What a Dynamic OLED Touch Panel Could Look Like on a MacBook Pro

[elmaco]

I rarely use the funktion keys, so I might as well be without this feature.

That being said, I like the direction Apple is taking with "innovation" around the keyboard. How about an OLED display on every key, so you could change language or use a DVORAK layout. Perhaps an Emoji-shift so you can write smileys more easily. Or if you play a game or use Photoshop, you get symbols that corresponds to the actions. You could mix or select colors by adjusting the image as you press

The possibilities are endless, if we get away from the predefined layout.

 

[CFreymarc]

I like the concepts of a dynamic touch panel for the "control" buttons on most of the top row. However, The ESC and power buttons should still be hardware buttons.

If this actually happens, just a matter of time for the Chinese laptop mill rips this off with a Windows 10 extension.

 

[Sedulous]

Well, when I've used those little nubs before I just feel like I am cramping my hand together and using my index finger in sort of a semi flexed rigid position, which after a short while just gets uncomfortable. Add to that just how fine and minute the nub makes your mouse movements and you have to really concentrate just to put the cursor where you want it. Multiply that cramped position and very fine movement thousands of times over the course of a day, or even hours and you can see how it becomes severely uncomfortable and the farthest thing from ergonomically correct you could find. This is without getting into the anatomy and physiology of it all in regards to repetitive stress injuries. That little nub just seems like a primitive throwback to a time where touchscreens didn't exist on laptops. Although it still looks painful for Kareem to use and I'll bet a touchscreen would be both much more comfortable, and also more healthy for him. God knows I couldn't contort my wrist and hand and keep my index finger flexed and minutely moving for hours on a plane like that.

In relation to how you use your laptop, yeah I see where you are coming from and totally agree. Everyone has different needs and it sounds like your setup works for you and like the rumored OLED strip would be nice for your type of work. But would you really say no to a touchscreen? Especially if it didn't affect price, if it was just an addon of a new model. I'll bet you would grow to find it useful in some capacity.

The most obvious problem with touchscreen navigation on a desktop OS is that it compromises the experience. Dedicated input devices are considerably more precise than fingers. The UI would need to become more bulky for what amounts to little benefit (unless you are a company that sells screen cleaners). On a mobile device where physical real estate is a premium, it absolutely makes sense for a UI to built around a touch screen. However this does not extend to notebooks and desktops because they are best used to take advantage of the benefits offered by a pointing device and physical keyboard.

 

[jamesrick80]

The most obvious problem with touchscreen navigation on a desktop OS is that it compromises the experience. Dedicated input devices are considerably more precise than fingers. The UI would need to become more bulky for what amounts to little benefit (unless you are a company that sells screen cleaners). On a mobile device where physical real estate is a premium, it absolutely makes sense for a UI to built around a touch screen. However this does not extend to notebooks and desktops because they are best used to take advantage of the benefits offered by a pointing device and physical keyboard.

There are really no compromises with touchscreen on Windows 10, you basically choose if you want to use it or you don't .......

 

[spinedoc77]

The most obvious problem with touchscreen navigation on a desktop OS is that it compromises the experience. Dedicated input devices are considerably more precise than fingers. The UI would need to become more bulky for what amounts to little benefit (unless you are a company that sells screen cleaners). On a mobile device where physical real estate is a premium, it absolutely makes sense for a UI to built around a touch screen. However this does not extend to notebooks and desktops because they are best used to take advantage of the benefits offered by a pointing device and physical keyboard.

That's antiquated thinking to some extent. I say to some extent because certainly many programs need to remain desktop first and have that desktop paradigm, and will most likely be drive with a mouse and keyboard. But many programs have made substantial leaps and bounds in terms of being navigable by touch. The entire Microsoft office suite, PhotoShop, acrobat, web browsers, etc. are examples which have made the jump, and there are many more.

But putting that aside, you missed the point of a touchscreen on a laptop. It's not something you would use exclusively, I mean wasn't that really obvious? You can use a touchscreen to supplement your work, it doesn't have to replace another method. It's just one more tool in your toolbox, why eschew it? More tools are better, but if you don't need them just leave them in the toolbox.

 

[furi0usbee]

Minority report: i find the creation of a touch bar pointless.

Nope. I could see some very good uses for it, like mapping hotkeys in Pixelmator to single button taps, or new emails, where you can see the first few lines, etc. For Pixelmator, they could include just about all of their hotkey functions into an icon palette where you can drag/drop them as you want them, so you have quick access. Tapping an icon is easier than remembering a dozen hotkeys.

Also, for Siri, you could ask Siri stuff, and she could present you with a few options in the OLED bar. Touch one, and Safari opens with the info, etc. But if it's just a menubar mirror or just function keys, it would be weak.

 

[Sedulous]

That's antiquated thinking to some extent. I say to some extent because certainly many programs need to remain desktop first and have that desktop paradigm, and will most likely be drive with a mouse and keyboard. But many programs have made substantial leaps and bounds in terms of being navigable by touch. The entire Microsoft office suite, PhotoShop, acrobat, web browsers, etc. are examples which have made the jump, and there are many more.

But putting that aside, you missed the point of a touchscreen on a laptop. It's not something you would use exclusively, I mean wasn't that really obvious? You can use a touchscreen to supplement your work, it doesn't have to replace another method. It's just one more tool in your toolbox, why eschew it? More tools are better, but if you don't need them just leave them in the toolbox.

There are dozens of reasons why one would not want to compromise a desktop UI to accommodate a touch based interface. The duplo block feel is inefficient and completely unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, touch UI has improved greatly and is the best fit for mobile devices. Yet on a desktop, the ergonomics of a touchscreen makes no sense whatsoever. It is akin to a touch based UI on a television.

 

[villicodelirant]

Well, when I've used those little nubs before I just feel like I am cramping my hand together and using my index finger in sort of a semi flexed rigid position, which after a short while just gets uncomfortable.

Well, you are supposed to keep your wrists on the palm rest with your muscles relaxed, letting the weight of your hand do the work for you - and of course, you are supposed to use the thing for a "short while".

As I mentioned before, if your use case is primarily mouse-focused rather that keyboard-focused (like web browsing or, uh, Quake), you are probably better served by another device.

However, in 2016, at that point I would just get a tablet.

In relation to how you use your laptop, yeah I see where you are coming from and totally agree. Everyone has different needs and it sounds like your setup works for you and like the rumored OLED strip would be nice for your type of work. But would you really say no to a touchscreen? Especially if it didn't affect price, if it was just an addon of a new model. I'll bet you would grow to find it useful in some capacity.

Why, are you kidding, of course I would love a free touchscreen (as long as it comes with a pen) for sketching diagrams and stuff.
Heck, I'm willing to pay for it, doesn't even have to be free.

In fact, my laptop of choice is a convertible Thinkpad: it has a touchscreen and a pointing stick and a large touchpad.

I use all three.

If I was stuck with just one, though, it would be the pointing stick, because I work mainly with the keyboard on cramped seats a lot - and in fact, on a business laptop (keyword is "business", meaning "boring Excel work"), I expect the pointing stick to be there, that's the point (pun intended )

 

[spinedoc77]

There are dozens of reasons why one would not want to compromise a desktop UI to accommodate a touch based interface. The duplo block feel is inefficient and completely unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, touch UI has improved greatly and is the best fit for mobile devices. Yet on a desktop, the ergonomics of a touchscreen makes no sense whatsoever. It is akin to a touch based UI on a television.

That's my point, why would you have to compromise the desktop UI? Just keep the desktop program as is, and use your keyboard, trackpad, mouse, or whatever you previously would have used and just ignore the touchscreen. I'm also not advocating for a touchscreen on a desktop.

 

[not_bill_gates]

Why oh why do people seem to want LARGE phones and SMALL computers? I want a small convenient phone that easily fits in my pocket and does not require me to carry a "man purse", thus I have an iPhone SE. My laptop I am holding onto is a 17" MacBook Pro with an i7 processor. Apple for some inexplicable reason stopped making 17" laptops while other manufacturer (of inferior PCs, obviously) still do. I want a larger screen for everyday use, including watching movies. If I wanted to squint at screens to view a movie, I could watch it on an iPad, but I would much prefer a nice big screen even when on the move.

You listening, Apple? Let your users have a choice of larger laptops again!!!

 

[mattison71]

No USB, No SD card slot, No HDMI, no headphone jack...all of these will be charged extra with adaptors, and It appears to only have a very limited ports. (figure one is taken up with the power cord.) I would like to upgrade, but little by little the things I used to use my macbook pro for is disappearing. (No more DVD player for example in my 2015 model 13 Retin, No more 17" pro...Now we pay the same $2,000 for a 15" Pro! What nest, drop the 15" and only have 11 in and 13inch models and keep that price at $2,000 for the largest size, no matter how small it gets!) At least I can send the signal to my flat panel TV via HDMI...would be nice to send the video/audio signal wirelessly (without having to buy more adaptors, since Apple is saving money by NOT installing a DVD, HDMI port, Headphone Port, USB3 Ports, and no SD Card Port)
Apple keeps giving less and less since Steve Jobs and the price never drops! Do we Really NEED a thiner PRO model? If you NEED THIN, goto Macbook or M.B.Air...Keep "PRO" in the Macbook Pro!

 

[mountain]

Definitely a nice touch but I still want the function keys.

 

[villicodelirant]

Why oh why do people seem to want LARGE phones and SMALL computers?

Or, even better: why oh why do people seem to want large phones and ginormous laptops that can't be carried anywhere?

Seriously, I've lugged around a 17" machine for a couple of weeks and I didn't literally know where to put it.

If you feel like watching a movie with your 12" notebook just plug your TV into the HDMI port - or shell out 200 bucks for an Apple TV

 

[jamesrick80]

No USB, No SD card slot, No HDMI, no headphone jack...all of these will be charged extra with adaptors, and It appears to only have a very limited ports. (figure one is taken up with the power cord.) I would like to upgrade, but little by little the things I used to use my macbook pro for is disappearing. (No more DVD player for example in my 2015 model 13 Retin, No more 17" pro...Now we pay the same $2,000 for a 15" Pro! What nest, drop the 15" and only have 11 in and 13inch models and keep that price at $2,000 for the largest size, no matter how small it gets!) At least I can send the signal to my flat panel TV via HDMI...would be nice to send the video/audio signal wirelessly (without having to buy more adaptors, since Apple is saving money by NOT installing a DVD, HDMI port, Headphone Port, USB3 Ports, and no SD Card Port)
Apple keeps giving less and less since Steve Jobs and the price never drops! Do we Really NEED a thiner PRO model? If you NEED THIN, goto Macbook or M.B.Air...Keep "PRO" in the Macbook Pro!

Get you a windows 10 laptop, most of their laptops include all of this...may as well not even create a fuss...also cheap chromebooks include many of these features as well

 

[vampyr]

So... for those apple fanatics on here who think this OLED touch panel is "awesome"... explain to me why?
All I see is a gimmick that does nothing to improve the laptop design.
Will make you more productive? no.
Will it improve performance? no.
Will it add a completely new function? no.
Will it drain the battery even more? yes
Will it distract you from your screen? yes
Will you be leaning over constantly to make sure you are pressing it correctly? probably

I just don't get it... and I don't get why there are fanatics on here saying how awesome it is. I'm guessing a lot of the comments in the beginning of this post are done by Apple employees.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Here is a vid.

 

[andrerio]

it is a major change to the MacBook pro looks. they should also put a numeric pad imo.
[doublepost=1466242922][/doublepost]

Here is a vid.

too much color! only blk/wht are enough imo. THAT would really EAT battery life.

 

[villicodelirant]

it is a major change to the MacBook pro looks. they should also put a numeric pad imo.

*raises hand*

Question: where would you fit it?

 

[kyykesko]

Sweet, now Apple just needs to create a MacBook Pro with full OLED touchscreen display

Or maybe just replace the whole keyboard with an OLED panel if they're going to go with the useless piece of junk they call a keyboard they used in the 12" Macbook. Give me a real keyboard and I will buy it, OLED or no OLED. Stick that poor excuse for a touchscreen -keyboard in and you can keep it. I'll just go with the current one until it gets too old and then find something else. I'm not touching that keyboard.
[doublepost=1466279883][/doublepost]

So... for those apple fanatics on here who think this OLED touch panel is "awesome"... explain to me why?
All I see is a gimmick that does nothing to improve the laptop design.
Will make you more productive? no.
Will it improve performance? no.
Will it add a completely new function? no.
Will it drain the battery even more? yes
Will it distract you from your screen? yes
Will you be leaning over constantly to make sure you are pressing it correctly? probably

I just don't get it... and I don't get why there are fanatics on here saying how awesome it is. I'm guessing a lot of the comments in the beginning of this post are done by Apple employees.

Thank you! I had Carbon X1 with it's touchscreen strip instead of function keys. It was the feature I hated the most in that computer and that's quite a lot considering the machine was the worst thing I ever put over $2k in. Currently it seems the new macbook pro will have:
- worse battery life
- worse connectivity
- more gimmicks
- ooh, but it's 0,01mm thinner than the previous version!

They're going exactly the opposite way I wish they would. Throw in some USB-C, they sound awesome when they get more common. Keep at least one Thunderbolt 2 and one USB-A (IN ADDITION TO) at least 4 USB-C's and you may have something I'd put my money in. I could still use all of my dozens of USB devices, I could connect it to my Thunderbolt dock, I could plug it in to any mini-displayport screen without adapters and I'd actually be productive. Increase the thickness by adding more battery life. A LOT MORE. Keep the Macbook 12"'s useless touchscreen-keyboard the hell away from the machine. After that you can throw in as many OLED displays as you want. I won't be using them anyway. Yes, I know Skylake may save battery a bi compared to earlier versions. I'm writing this on a Surface Pro 4 with Skylake. I can tell you the battery life is nothing to write home about.

Sadly I fear the new machine will have none of the things I need but instead a lot more of 'yay it's marginally thinner' which will make lots of people happy when they scramble from one power outlet to another hoping the machine won't shut down between facebook updates.

 

[villicodelirant]

Sadly I fear the new machine will have none of the things I need but instead a lot more of 'yay it's marginally thinner' which will make lots of people happy when they scramble from one power outlet to another hoping the machine won't shut down between facebook updates.

I think I'm in love.

 

[splitpea]

Agreed. At least in this concept, all the information is easily accessible via the menu bar. To me, it's simply not worth losing the physical power and esc key.

Oh, man, I didn't even notice the missing escape key.... Goodbye to Mac as the default platform for web developers when you can't use vim on its keyboard any more!

 

[kiwipeso1]

What I'd prefer is retaining the physical power button as part of the touch ID, retain the esc key within the touchbar depending on context.
The main keyboard should have backlit e-ink on the keys, with a control key above left arrow & siri key above right arrow.
This would allow for universal keyboards for sale across all markets, and let users switch layouts by simply asking siri to change the language layout, or switch to Dvorak, etc.

What would be nice is a 3.5" headphone port, a single USB A, a single Thunderbolt 2, a SD card port & a lightning port, in addition to the 4 x USB C v2/ Thunderbolt 3 ports. This would be best for complete compatibility with current and future headphones of both iPhone 7 & some Android models coming soon.
The 17" should return in a 5k retina display model with mobile Skylake Xeon processor and user replaceable ecc Ram going to 64GB, with no need for excessive thinness over power.
This would also allow for a numeric keyboard on the 15" and 17" models which would significantly improve the experience of power users, who would be truely suited to the Macbook Pro name. Retain i7 quad core for 15" and mobile Xeon for all 17".

The 13" pro and 13" air should merge the portability of the air and processor of the pro to simply be Macbook Air, perhaps in a 14" retina screen through reduction of the MBA 13" screen bezel, while retaining the same size.

Macbook should really just focus on being the form over function model, and remain the overpriced model.

 

[ckeck]

Not sure if this was mentioned, but Lenovo already tried this on the 2nd gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon and it was a disaster. Everyone hated it and they quickly reverted on the 2015 and 2016 models.

Above a true function row...MAYBE that would be neat, but absolutely not in place of Fn keys and an Esc key.

 

[spanerworks]

Following rumors suggesting the next-generation MacBook Pro will feature an OLED touch panel that replaces the function keys, designer Martin Hajek has created some renderings imagining what such a MacBook Pro might look like.

Hajek's design incorporates some recent information indicating the touch panel on the MacBook Pro could be contextual, with icons and imagery that changes based on the app that's in use. Hajek imagines music controls when Spotify is open, which morph into a download monitor when using Transmission.

Also included in the images is an example of Siri on the Mac, with the colorful Siri waveform depicted on the touch panel. Siri for Mac is rumored to be one of the main features coming in OS X 10.12, set to debut on Monday. Not pictured is a Touch ID button, a feature also expected to be included on or alongside the panel.

In addition to an OLED touch panel, Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro, which will come in 13 and 15-inch sizes, is expected to be thinner, incorporating metal injection mold-made hinges, thin speakers at the sides of the machine, and USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support.

As has been seen in a leaked chassis image, the OLED panel will be located at the top of the keyboard, where the function keys would normally be positioned. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the upcoming MacBook Pro will feature "the most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple."

We don't yet know when the new MacBook Pro will launch, but Kuo has said he expects it to debut in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Make sure to check out Hajek's website for the full selection of concept images.

Article Link: Concept Imagines What a Dynamic OLED Touch Panel Could Look Like on a MacBook Pro

[doublepost=1466972065][/doublepost]apple are getting lazy and greedy with jobs gone. asus zenbook 3 is now a better machine. where is their superior product? a silly touch pad on the keyboard isn't going to cut the mustard. they need some new blood. idea's people. where's the machine thats two or three times better, thats what apple was always about, get homer out of there before its too late guys!

Following rumors suggesting the next-generation MacBook Pro will feature an OLED touch panel that replaces the function keys, designer Martin Hajek has created some renderings imagining what such a MacBook Pro might look like.

Hajek's design incorporates some recent information indicating the touch panel on the MacBook Pro could be contextual, with icons and imagery that changes based on the app that's in use. Hajek imagines music controls when Spotify is open, which morph into a download monitor when using Transmission.

Also included in the images is an example of Siri on the Mac, with the colorful Siri waveform depicted on the touch panel. Siri for Mac is rumored to be one of the main features coming in OS X 10.12, set to debut on Monday. Not pictured is a Touch ID button, a feature also expected to be included on or alongside the panel.

In addition to an OLED touch panel, Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro, which will come in 13 and 15-inch sizes, is expected to be thinner, incorporating metal injection mold-made hinges, thin speakers at the sides of the machine, and USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support.

As has been seen in a leaked chassis image, the OLED panel will be located at the top of the keyboard, where the function keys would normally be positioned. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the upcoming MacBook Pro will feature "the most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple."

We don't yet know when the new MacBook Pro will launch, but Kuo has said he expects it to debut in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Make sure to check out Hajek's website for the full selection of concept images.

Article Link: Concept Imagines What a Dynamic OLED Touch Panel Could Look Like on a MacBook Pro

 

[gregnv]

An OLED bar gimmick doesn't seem very helpful when the MBP is ages behind in CPU and GPU performance. I understand in the post PC world that machines like the MBP take on a different role, but they are still excellent development platform machines. Apple, please provide: (1) current CPU choices, skylake if today and kaby lake if in Q3, (2) SDXC slot for added storage - local storage is still important for development, (3) more competitive pricing - it gets more difficult over time to justify MBP hardware pricing as the rest of the market gets better, cheaper, faster, and (4) don't even think about going to a single USB-C port - many of us use wired networks in the office and external monitors, limiting ports sux. Of course lighter and better battery life are nice, but current battery life is livable as is the current heft and I would gladly trade improvements in these areas with improvements listed above.