Craig Federighi Says Touch Bar on New MacBook Pro Has 'So Much Potential' For Developers

[bighype]

For all intents and purposes, Mac is dead. This ****** keyboard OLED screen doesn't change a thing.

Mac mini = dead
Mac Pro = dead
Mac Air = dead
non-retina MBP = dead

What they did here is give us an overpriced laptop with ****** connectivity (not even an Ethernet port without a dongle!), ****** GPU, last-year's CPU, total-**** keyboard that will hurt your fingers after an hour, soldered RAM, soldered SSD... and the list goes on. But you can buy crap with your finger so all is ok!

Apple has put Mac and macOS into retirement home. Now it's gonna be a slow death (similar to the death of iPod... still for sale but all old models and no future).

You know that they've f-ed up when Microsoft, a day before, outshines them completely. Apple's 1.5hr keynote was the most boring thing ever.

Tim Cook is the guy to blame for this disaster. PLEASE write to Apple's board to fire him. He's destroying Apple. Everything's falling apart... as last quarter's report shows.

 

[dantroline]

A mess. Devices that don't interconnect. Dissed function keys but new Macs with function keys.

I was in the market for two 15" MBPs.

Right now, I can't see a Mac that is of interest to me. The prices outstrip the technology and value.

Not disappointed. Sanguine enough to accept that I probably need to look elsewhere for my computing needs.

A lot of friends and family followed me in buying Apple devices. I expect most will follow whatever advice I give next.

Strange times. But exciting to be heading into a new challenge. Probably.

Yeah, me too. I think OSX in a VM will be enough for me to keep going with old software and files until I can retire them over the years to replacement products. Even Filemaker runs beautifully in Windows - I can hold my nose and use it I guess. For the privacy conscious they should be aware that Apple is as quick to give away your info as Microsoft is, so even that is no longer a reason to pay a premium.

 

[actinide]

It would have been "revolutionary" (aka step forward) if the whole keyboard was design as being touch and customizable.

 

[plexdk]

im pretty sure if steve jobs was the one introducing it, everyone here would have gone crazy about how great it is..

 

[Jsameds]

The comments regarding Touch Bar are an echo of the comments about 3D Touch when the 6S launched.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...breakthrough-was-really-hard-to-make.1913775/

 

[Max Portakabin]

Really? All the tech sites love it. The public will slate anything, no matter what it is.

And if they told you to put your head in a gas oven - because it means they keep getting their lunch, a trip to SF and shiny things from Apple - would you do it?

 

[Impatientmac]

For all intents and purposes, Mac is dead. This ****** keyboard OLED screen doesn't change a thing.

Mac mini = dead
Mac Pro = dead
Mac Air = dead
non-retina MBP = dead

What they did here is give us an overpriced laptop with ****** connectivity (not even an Ethernet port without a dongle!), ****** GPU, last-year's CPU, total-**** keyboard that will hurt your fingers after an hour, soldered RAM, soldered SSD... and the list goes on. But you can buy crap with your finger so all is ok!

Apple has put Mac and macOS into retirement home. Now it's gonna be a slow death (similar to the death of iPod... still for sale but all old models and no future).

You know that they've f-ed up when Microsoft, a day before, outshines them completely. Apple's 1.5hr keynote was the most boring thing ever.

Tim Cook is the guy to blame for this disaster. PLEASE write to Apple's board to fire him. He's destroying Apple. Everything's falling apart... as last quarter's report shows.

Bro you're like 4 years late on that Ethernet port complaint. You know they took out the CD drive back then too right? Oh also Obama won his 2nd term.

 

[smacrumon]

Cool feature, but hardly worth the 'Hello again' tagline IMO.

What has happened to Apple's continuity?

iPhone 7 with no headphone jack - plug in via Lightning, okay sure. But to then KEEP a headphone jack on their updated MacBooks instead of replacing it with a Lightning port? This doesn't keep in line with their 'courage' statement. It simply DOES NOT MAKE SENSE.

And in all seriousness, this NEVER would have happened.....

Completely agree. Where is a consistency across the product line!

 

[ZCT]

it's a lame duck. It isn't needed. It doesn't solve a problem and it actually introduces problems. For anyone who works intensively with their machine it adds nothing. Even as a gimmick to sell to the wealthy casual user, I think it is underwhelming.

In all fairness, how many times have you tried using it?

It is ridiculous to hear people like you talking with such absolutes about how useless this feature is, how it is not needed and so on, when you have never even used it.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, a plethora of people online were mocking the product, the name, the need for a laptop with no keyboard, and so on. Even Steve Jobs, if you read his biography, was wondering if they had made a huge mistake.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a massive breakthrough, but I think it will be a pleasant addition. And I certainly won't pass judgement until I've been using it for several months. My thought is that even if I never use it, it looks kind of cool. But I have a feeling it will be useful.

As for those people demanding a touch screen, thank GOD none of you work at Apple. I can't even imagine how annoying it would be trying to alternate between trackpad, keyboard and touch screen, touching a movable hinged screen that then gets finger prints all over it. Ew. Terrible idea. If I want to use a tablet and touch that, I have an iPad Pro, which I use to interact with my patients. But the last thing I want to do is wipe my fingers all over my laptop screen.

 

[Piggie]

If I'm being really honest idea.
I think the idea is great in theory.

However, personally I feel it's too narrow. they should have made it the same height as the rows of keys below it, not just a narrow strip.

Easier to use/see, blend in more with the keyboard.

 

[smacrumon]

I think that 99 % of pros could easily get away with using a PC to achieve great things. It's not the device that creates, or a pithy tiny touch bar, it is the mind behind it. It's incredible that Apple has decided to increase pricing to such insane levels. This will no doubt drive customers away. That scares me most, a shrinking smaller user base.

 

[Jsameds]

Anytime anyone says 'I want touchscreen laptop' all I can think about is this

 

[username:]

MKBHD did nothing to help with the information already presented. Every Apple youtuber i am sub'd to is acting the same way. "hey everyone im so glad to talk about this revolutionary Apple laptop". I'm honestly afraid for the information im getting from them. I really want someone honest and forthright. I want the Larry King of youtube to talk to Craig.

Incorrect. His very first question was the most important. He pointed out this kind of thing has been done for many years and asked why now? It was a sharp question which in my opinion Craig failed to answer adequately and props to MKBHD for asking it.

 

[smacrumon]

Thumbs up for touch ID on the MacBook. Reservations that developers will put time into actually taking advantage of the Touch Bar.

 

[Chicane-UK]

Craig was the best part of the KeyNote. Although, I feel like the Touch Bar would be limited for developers, but I guess time will tell.

He and the presenter from Adobe were the only two with any ounce of personality, and the feeling they were happy to deviate off the script line. You could almost see Tim's discomfort whenever the camera panned back to him, when they were on stage. The rest of it was almost a satire of the usual, predictable, presentation that these Apple product announcements have become - scripted, yawn inducing garbage. They're too scared to take ANY risks any more, in both their products or how they present them. I guess the Mac Pro was their last gamble and it bit them badly.

 

[smacrumon]

I truly believe direct input on the screen would be much better, much more ergonomic than using a tiny touch bar to achieve some functionality.

PS Siri sucks today not gain my dictation correct had to try ergonomic three times and still failed.
[doublepost=1477646525][/doublepost]

In all fairness, how many times have you tried using it?

It is ridiculous to hear people like you talking with such absolutes about how useless this feature is, how it is not needed and so on, when you have never even used it.

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, a plethora of people online were mocking the product, the name, the need for a laptop with no keyboard, and so on. Even Steve Jobs, if you read his biography, was wondering if they had made a huge mistake.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a massive breakthrough, but I think it will be a pleasant addition. And I certainly won't pass judgement until I've been using it for several months. My thought is that even if I never use it, it looks kind of cool. But I have a feeling it will be useful.

As for those people demanding a touch screen, thank GOD none of you work at Apple. I can't even imagine how annoying it would be trying to alternate between trackpad, keyboard and touch screen, touching a movable hinged screen that then gets finger prints all over it. Ew. Terrible idea. If I want to use a tablet and touch that, I have an iPad Pro, which I use to interact with my patients. But the last thing I want to do is wipe my fingers all over my laptop screen.

I think that thinking is getting old though. Direct manipulation is really rather efficient. Not for everything but for a lot more things than the small tiny touch bar could achieve.

 

[576316]

Why did he completely skirt around the question when asked to explain one feature of the new MacBook Pro they didn't say on stage? I'm sure there's something! Craig doesn't seem to interview well.

Although, you know what it's like...it's like those interviews with North Korea government officials who have a script on what they can and cannot say to the media to keep up certain appearances.

 

[Impatientmac]

I truly believe direct input on the screen would be much better, much more ergonomic than using a tiny touch bar to achieve some functionality.

PS Siri sucks today not gain my dictation correct had to try ergonomic three times and still failed.

Touch input on the screen would probably create more problems than it would solve. We already see some of these issues on other laptops.

 

[SMIDG3T]

Well if Apple buys me a really awesome lunch and gives me a free sample I will say whatever they want me to say too.

Additionally (edited) the reason why I rarely use the function keys is because they are just out of finger reach. The touch bar is still just out of finger reach. If all the keys were re-mappable such as transparent keys with OLED at the base, then I'd be raving and praising as Apple coming up with something useful.

It wasn't free. It was in the hands-on area. Everyone there is saying how great they are.

 

[ZCT]

I'm one 2011 13" MBA owner who was going to upgrade this year to what I'd hoped would be a redesigned (likely thinner) MBP; something and more powerful and premium than the MBA. I also like the move to USB-C.

However I won't be upgrading after all because of the price hike (over the expected price point of last year's MBPs)

So even when there ARE customers this product line up appeals to, I think the price hike is a deal breaker for many.

I honestly don't think Apple cares. They are trying to be a premium brand, and not make $600 PCs.

I'll say this, I ordered one very soon after they went on sale. When I went back a few hours later to check on something for my wife, they had already pushed back delivery times a week or two.

So clearly they are being ordered pretty quickly by someone, unless some tedious individual wants to hit me with a conspiracy theory of Apple only making a tiny handful to make it seem like there was a shortage.

Fact is, my MBP has been great, I happen to want to move up to a 15" this time. Glad they made it lighter and smaller, which is why I didn't do that last time.

My only gripe is that I shouldn't have had to pay $200 extra to have a half terrabyte HD. That should have been standard on the 15" IMBO. 256Gb is stupid in this day and age.

 

[TheShadowKnows!]

I carry three rules of good interface design:

1. object-first: the object connotes the actions ("the noun you see defines the verbs").

2. ergonomics: avoid time-and-space changes to interface objects ("things should remain where expected, unmodified by context")

3. inference: first-time use can be inferred by the language enforced by (1) and (2) above.

The touch bar violates all three by enforcing (1) refocusing; (2) contextual change; and (3) complexity

You can add your own to that list.

 

[576316]

We wouldn't be as angry if they hadn't gimped the $1,499 rMBP by using a Macbook Air class 6360U 15W CPU...
Why give us something worse for the same money after 2 years of wait?

That's because that's all Apple ever do. They charge you a fortune for 2 year old technology because all of their new products are behind the times the day they come out. Was never like that under Jobs.

It's unfortunate that Apple have become a company simply geared at gouging as much money as they can from customers while providing subpar products in return. The money you'd spend on this MacBook Pro would get you an incredible machine for anything you'd need to do professionally. The only reason to buy one of these would be for the Apple logo on the front.

 

[Jsameds]

Jobs on Touch Screen laptops:

“We’ve done tons of user testing on this,” Steve Jobs said in Wednesday’s press conference, “and it turns out it doesn’t work. Touch surfaces don’t want to be vertical. It gives great demo, but after a short period of time you start to fatigue, and after an extended period of time, your arm wants to fall off.”

https://www.wired.com/2010/10/gorilla-arm-multitouch/

 

[576316]

He and the presenter from Adobe were the only two with any ounce of personality, and the feeling they were happy to deviate off the script line. You could almost see Tim's discomfort whenever the camera panned back to him, when they were on stage. The rest of it was almost a satire of the usual, predictable, presentation that these Apple product announcements have become - scripted, yawn inducing garbage. They're too scared to take ANY risks any more, in both their products or how they present them. I guess the Mac Pro was their last gamble and it bit them badly.

I'm half expecting some sort of Tim Cook apology keynote in the next few years for something controversial or bad yet to happen at Apple. Every company has their bad day, Apple's is coming for them soon. Sales and revenue are declining, their products are failing to impress. If the iPhone 8 disappoints they're gonna be in a bad place - though not financially.

 

[purplehaze0]

Yea. Well of course he's saying it's great. That's his job.
Me? Render me unimpressed. They are nice machines, for sure. But they are ridiculously pricey. And they are not what customers wanted. How many Macbook Pro owners where waiting for a smaller pro? I think not many. How many Macbook air owners wanted a more powerful Macbook Air and where willing to pay the premium? Not many - they could have gotten the older Macbook Pro Retina.

Oh of course how many wanted to get rid of the standard USB ports, because they take up soooo much space?

But what we got is a price hike. Awesome. That's what we've all been waiting for.
Truth is, we've been warned. When Apple decided to marry beats audio, well known shiny, overpriced but poor sound hardware...

And look who's came up with an innovative piece of hardware with a useful pen for an desktop just yesterday?
mschira
P.S. and they killed the Macbook air 11. Why? I love this machine. And if they had to where is the replacement? I mean the 12" Macbook is nice for people wanting a typewriter and surfmachine, but the anemic hardware can't replace the 11" Macbook air. Why not come up with a slightly thicker 12" machine with a 17W CPU?

Sadly it seems 'thin' equates to better apple