It's probably a couple dollars in parts. I can just about garuntee you if Apple made another model without it it would be almost the same price, and no one would buy the non touch bar high end model.
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Former Apple Employee Thinks Touch Bar Shouldn't Be Forced on Users Who Want Highest-End MacBook Pro
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I prefer physical keys for the functions I use most like screen brightness, volume controls etc - The bar is a useless gimmick.
If Apple offered one without the Touch Bar I'd buy it for sure, even if it cost more money than the Touch Bar version.
If Apple offered one without the Touch Bar I'd buy it for sure, even if it cost more money than the Touch Bar version.
totally agree!
one of the reasons i did not buy the new macbook pro. look at the ports, look at the headphone jack (vs. none on the iphone)... a mess.
I'd like Apple to do the obvious thing and offer physical keys + a TouchID sensor across the range of their keyboards. (I'm guessing however that they haven't created a totally secure way to do wireless TouchID).
I only really need function keys when I'm playing games - but the touch bar adds nothing to me at all, ever. Especially since I'm docked with a Magic Keyboard 90% of the time.
I only really need function keys when I'm playing games - but the touch bar adds nothing to me at all, ever. Especially since I'm docked with a Magic Keyboard 90% of the time.
or maybe a way to interact between your applications running on macbook pro and your iphone's touch id, so you could use your iphone to confrim your actions in the apps running on the mac. and by the way, it should not be limited to macbook pro, as this way you could have your imac, mini, macpro whatever that runs macos be able to use touch-id. even w/o this useless strip of oled advertisement bar.
It's actually extremely useful for many people. Just because you don't do anything that warrants a use for it doesn't make it a gimmick.
Your screenshot proves the former employee's point. The Macbook Pros without touchbar have a slower processor... So no you can't get the top of the line Macbook Pro without touchbar...
TouchBar makes simple tasks too difficult to execute for my uses (e.g., reduce volume, brightness, etc., while using function keys). I don't like having to drill through menus with the TouchBar when before it was a matter of using the function key. I also miss the haptic feedback of the functions built into the TouchBar.
Fully agreed. I think Apple is leaving a lot of money on table because people don't want Touch bar, surely won't pay a premium for something they don't want, so they buy the MacBook Escape at a lower price point. If they offered more configurations at better specs, pros would pay more.
At best, the Touchbar is classic modern Apple: interesting/cool/amazing hardware, but the software is lacking. 3D Touch is this way. It's what's holding back the iPad.
At worst, and this is my opinion, is it's simply a bad idea. We don't want to stop typing. lift our hands off the keyboard, look down and do a swipe motion or whatever on the keyboard. Keyboard is for no-look Touch typing.
Apple is in a tough spot. If they offer better configurations, the price delta will be for the Touchbar which many do not want.
A bold Apple would kill the Touch bar. Sure, give it one more try with a MacOS and 3rd party software update to prove its value, but if you can't, kill the Touchbar. Until then, beef-up the MacBook Escape—not doing so is punishing your most important customers who already think you don't care about them.
At best, the Touchbar is classic modern Apple: interesting/cool/amazing hardware, but the software is lacking. 3D Touch is this way. It's what's holding back the iPad.
At worst, and this is my opinion, is it's simply a bad idea. We don't want to stop typing. lift our hands off the keyboard, look down and do a swipe motion or whatever on the keyboard. Keyboard is for no-look Touch typing.
Apple is in a tough spot. If they offer better configurations, the price delta will be for the Touchbar which many do not want.
A bold Apple would kill the Touch bar. Sure, give it one more try with a MacOS and 3rd party software update to prove its value, but if you can't, kill the Touchbar. Until then, beef-up the MacBook Escape—not doing so is punishing your most important customers who already think you don't care about them.
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That's not true...there are currently 2 13" pro models available without the TouchBar.
I agree with this former Apple employee. As someone who wants a 15" MacBook Pro, my only option with the new hardware is to get a computer with the Touch Bar. I don't need or want the Touch Bar because it stands in the way of something that I rely on regularly with my computer -- muscle memory. It's damn near impossible to develop a muscle memory with a smooth strip of glass like you can with physical keys.
For that reason, I'm sticking with my 2014 MBP and hoping it will continue to serve me well long after AppleCare expires on it in a few months.
For that reason, I'm sticking with my 2014 MBP and hoping it will continue to serve me well long after AppleCare expires on it in a few months.
Oh, right. Don't use any F-keys or meta keys. It'd be difficult for someone to miss the point harder than you have.
I think it's pretty clear that facial recognition is the future, with the iPhone X soon to blaze the trail. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple released a wireless keyboard with the Touch bar. Go back to 4 batteries from the current 2.
Alternate headline:
People who don't run the most successful company on the industry, think they know better than the ones who do...
I just got one of those and thought it was a gimmick (after reading all those comments about this gimmick). But surprisingly I forced my self to learn it a few days and now I really like it.
My coworker had newer used a mac before and he is actually a lot happier with the touch-bar than me. Of course when you learn with it from start, it's quite useful.
My coworker had newer used a mac before and he is actually a lot happier with the touch-bar than me. Of course when you learn with it from start, it's quite useful.
So everything Apple does is perfect and correct simply because of being a successful company?
They make no mistakes?
The headline could just have well been, "Former Apple Employee Believes Touch Bar Should Be Standard Equipment on All Macs"
I've only messed around with Touch Bar at the Apple Store. I found no reason to dislike it, but haven't lived with it, so I don't know how it might really affect my work and play (though I do a lot of clicking and dragging of sliders while image editing, so I can't imagine how it wouldn't be helpful).
Part of me is shouting, "Making Touch Bar optional would have been like offering the original Mac without a mouse!" Touch Bar is Apple's attempt at integrating touch screen with the Mac in a practical manner. I do not think touch screen is practical on a large, vertical display - lifting my arms all day might be good exercise, but that's about all. As a touch-typist, I prefer to keep my hands on the keyboard as much as possible. While reaching for my mouse is second nature, if I'm using that mouse to reach for a slider... I'd much rather the slider was right on the keyboard, where I can reach it by extending one finger. With Touch Bar, it can be.
I think Touch Bar would be a $100-$200 option, if it was optional. It would likely be sacrificed in favor of larger Flash storage or better GPU/CPU, meaning adoption would be much slower and fewer pro apps would be modified to take advantage of it. Arguably, power users are most likely to need/appreciate the potential productivity boost that comes with Touch Bar. Forced adoption may not be pretty, but I think it's a strategic necessity. If the power users find it beneficial, then the rest of the world follows. If they don't, Touch Bar goes away altogether in a few of years.
I've only messed around with Touch Bar at the Apple Store. I found no reason to dislike it, but haven't lived with it, so I don't know how it might really affect my work and play (though I do a lot of clicking and dragging of sliders while image editing, so I can't imagine how it wouldn't be helpful).
Part of me is shouting, "Making Touch Bar optional would have been like offering the original Mac without a mouse!" Touch Bar is Apple's attempt at integrating touch screen with the Mac in a practical manner. I do not think touch screen is practical on a large, vertical display - lifting my arms all day might be good exercise, but that's about all. As a touch-typist, I prefer to keep my hands on the keyboard as much as possible. While reaching for my mouse is second nature, if I'm using that mouse to reach for a slider... I'd much rather the slider was right on the keyboard, where I can reach it by extending one finger. With Touch Bar, it can be.
I think Touch Bar would be a $100-$200 option, if it was optional. It would likely be sacrificed in favor of larger Flash storage or better GPU/CPU, meaning adoption would be much slower and fewer pro apps would be modified to take advantage of it. Arguably, power users are most likely to need/appreciate the potential productivity boost that comes with Touch Bar. Forced adoption may not be pretty, but I think it's a strategic necessity. If the power users find it beneficial, then the rest of the world follows. If they don't, Touch Bar goes away altogether in a few of years.
Your kind of overreacting - I think he meant a company with tens of thousands of employees, some of them will have different opinions. There is never a perfect decisions - just what is best for most of the users.
I love the touch bar...even my 5 year old likes and knows how to use it, without even asking me...
I never claimed you could. The post I was replying to asserted that the 13" Macbook Pro without touchbar was discontinued, which is untrue.