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I really wish they made a 15" without touch bar
- Thread starter bytecurious
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You are not the only one, OP.
I don't want/need an iWatch built into my MBP
I don't want/need an iWatch built into my MBP
YES! If only there was a 2016 MacBook Pro 15" without the TB and included the same functions keys as on the non-tb 13" I'd be convinced. Heck I'd even settle with only the touchId.
Do I think the TB will be useful for some and gimmicky for others - yes. But as someone who relies solely on touch typing, keyboard shortcuts, Spotlight, the trackpad, and 1Password for almost everything, the TB does not belong in the pro category. But this is just my 2-cents.
Do I think the TB will be useful for some and gimmicky for others - yes. But as someone who relies solely on touch typing, keyboard shortcuts, Spotlight, the trackpad, and 1Password for almost everything, the TB does not belong in the pro category. But this is just my 2-cents.
"I really wish they made a 15" without touch bar"
Same here.
I also wish they made a 17" without a touch bar.
And while we're at it, I wish they made MBPs with the old keyboard and all the old connections PLUS USB-c.
I would also like a 15 hr battery life, like the new Lenovo X1 Carbon will have.
Instead Apple is going for fashion statements even on their PRO machines.
Same here.
I also wish they made a 17" without a touch bar.
And while we're at it, I wish they made MBPs with the old keyboard and all the old connections PLUS USB-c.
I would also like a 15 hr battery life, like the new Lenovo X1 Carbon will have.
Instead Apple is going for fashion statements even on their PRO machines.
Lenovo has a very bad track record with their advertised battery life.
If you actually use the machine (not using as in editing video, just simple browsing) you can expect about half of their claimed battery life.
Lenovo ships durable machines with great keyboards, but battery life and displays always used to be weaknesses.
Never get their base-display, always upgrade.
Ditto. Currently, I only find the TB useful when I'm reading PDF's in Preview - for anything else, the TB slows me down as simple functions like volume up/down often requires 1-2 extra clicks to get to the volume controls.
Their 15 hour claim is getting well over 10 hrs in real life.
The You Tube videos are starting to come in.
I wish Apple had just stayed with the MacBook air for the light computers
and MacBook Pro for the people who need more calculation and procesing speed. And not try to thin it by 17% and cancel out on the MacBook Air. Never heard of a pro who dreamed of a thinner MBP.
But Apple gave it to us anyway.
Heard many pros who wanted faster.
Apple didn't give us that.
Never heard of a pro who wished their MBP had a keyboard that felt as if they were typing on a tablet.
Apple gave it to us anyway.
That being said I am really glad that Apple finally got rid of that utterly ridiculous magnetic charge connection.
You couldn't touch that thing and it would fall out.
Not exactly good for extending the lifetime of the battery.
So that's one good thing about the new MB and MBP.
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I would like this as well.
I use one 15-inch as a desktop replacement...I am using a corded mouse and a corded keyboard, and the MBP is either at a place where the function key/touch bar area is out of comfortable reach, or in clamshell mode. It's something I would rarely use, and several hundred dollars I could put to better use for a larger SSD or other components.
Now an Apple Keyboard with the touch bar would be another story...
(http://www.cultofmac.com/452301/apple-make-magic-keyboard-touch-bar-concept/)
I use one 15-inch as a desktop replacement...I am using a corded mouse and a corded keyboard, and the MBP is either at a place where the function key/touch bar area is out of comfortable reach, or in clamshell mode. It's something I would rarely use, and several hundred dollars I could put to better use for a larger SSD or other components.
Now an Apple Keyboard with the touch bar would be another story...
(http://www.cultofmac.com/452301/apple-make-magic-keyboard-touch-bar-concept/)
I can do without a $400+ keyboard.
Don't ruin my moment. I'm pretending that Apple would do something like that for a reasonable price...
I can't see how Apple could release the touchbar concept and not also release a touchbar external keyboard. I know the rumor is that they are taking a wait and see approach, but to not do it would stink of lack of follow-through on this 'innovation.'Don't ruin my moment. I'm pretending that Apple would do something like that for a reasonable price...
That wouldn't make any sense.
How many keyboards does Apple sell?
How many MBPs does Apple sell?
If I'm not sure about my newest invention I would rather release it on a niche product like keyboard first, see how it goes and than implement it into my best selling notebook line.
Could be that there is a security problem with wireless Touch ID.
They already have wireless Apple Pay from iPhone to Mac so I don't see the difference there. Also any desktop Mac they sell would use a keyboard so if they want those machines to have these features they would have to do this at some point.
You've got it set up inefficiently, or are not using it right if it takes you extra clicks to get to basic functions like volume and brightness. You can press and immediately slide left/right to adjust brightness or volume without lifting your finger. It's technically less work than it was on the old F keys.
[doublepost=1486358808][/doublepost]
I would like this as well.
I use one 15-inch as a desktop replacement...I am using a corded mouse and a corded keyboard, and the MBP is either at a place where the function key/touch bar area is out of comfortable reach, or in clamshell mode. It's something I would rarely use, and several hundred dollars I could put to better use for a larger SSD or other components.
View attachment 687168
Now an Apple Keyboard with the touch bar would be another story...
(http://www.cultofmac.com/452301/apple-make-magic-keyboard-touch-bar-concept/)
I mean - you're outside of the intended userbase of a notebook computer if you permanently mount it like that. I get it, but Apple shouldn't have to go out of their way to make a special MBP that's going to be stowed out of the way while a low-dpi display becomes the primary workspace - what they really should do is bring back the Mac Mini's quad core configs and add these new 35w Radeon Pro 450/55/60 GPUs in, creating a headless Mac with grunt for situations like this. That seems like a no-brainer that's well within the thermal considerations of the Mini.
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I would like this as well.
I use one 15-inch as a desktop replacement...I am using a corded mouse and a corded keyboard, and the MBP is either at a place where the function key/touch bar area is out of comfortable reach, or in clamshell mode. It's something I would rarely use, and several hundred dollars I could put to better use for a larger SSD or other components.
View attachment 687168
Now an Apple Keyboard with the touch bar would be another story...
(http://www.cultofmac.com/452301/apple-make-magic-keyboard-touch-bar-concept/)
Nice setup! I like it a lot.
[doublepost=1486362548][/doublepost]
I would have to agree with this. I wish there was a like a $2,000 dollar model no touch bar 15 inch.
I'm not saying I'd buy it, because I do enjoy the portability of the 13", but I would DEFINITELY consider buying one when I upgrade.
I would be very hesitant to pay a starting price of $2,399 dollars bc I really don't need nor do I want to have the touch bar. At all.
I know what you mean, though apple these days seems disjointed when it comes to its "approach" seems a headphone jack is obsolete old tech, though continues to be included in everything but iPhones. Not to mention USB-C will never make it to idevices.... standards all over the place.
[doublepost=1486369098][/doublepost]A non TB MacBook Pro 15 would have been great. And it would have kept the prices down. Much better useability and accessibility also
The big thing is that the Touch bar models include the T1 chip to drive the webcam, touchbar and touchID. The refreshed desktop machines aren't out yet so they could have this hardware baked in as well. I'd wager that using things such as TouchID on an external keyboard would be limited only to hardware that can associate with a T1 chip (to store ya fingerprints).
So while I have minimal use for the touchbar as it stands (99% in clamshell mode), I don't think the hardware will be in vain if apple releases a toucher Magic KB.
So while I have minimal use for the touchbar as it stands (99% in clamshell mode), I don't think the hardware will be in vain if apple releases a toucher Magic KB.
I'd buy it in a heartbeat, probably. Right now, the price and the battery life deter me from getting one, both of which would likely be remedied by not having the TB.
Many reviews say that the touchbar essentially has the guts of an iWatch. Anyone else here think that the touchbar was Apple's way of utilizing unsold/unwanted iWatch components, while getting consumers to pay for it anyway?
Note: I own a tMBP, and after almost a month, i still feel its a gimmick, and kind of an impediment rather than a convenience.
Note2: TouchID on a Mac doesn't seem to feel as necessary as it is on iDevices IMHO. Truth be told, had the non-touchbar Mac had the same specs as the touchbar model, i would have opted for the non-touchbar model.
Note: I own a tMBP, and after almost a month, i still feel its a gimmick, and kind of an impediment rather than a convenience.
Note2: TouchID on a Mac doesn't seem to feel as necessary as it is on iDevices IMHO. Truth be told, had the non-touchbar Mac had the same specs as the touchbar model, i would have opted for the non-touchbar model.
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Am I that far out of the intended user base of the 15/17 MBPs??!!?
I thought a lot of people use their 15 as a desktop replacement when they need occasional mobility but are generally using it in a desktop fashion. Mind you, I'm only using 1080p displays, but I think quite a few users are now using 4k/5k displays, especially with the 15-inch 2016s, and they may very well be using a keyboard other than the built-in as their primary when using it this way. However, for me, whether I am looking at numbers or code in 1080p, or 4000p, or 8k, it is going to look equally annoying & give me a headache either way, and 1080p leaves me with more money to spend on the beer after I get the headache.
Further, I imagine many MBP owners often use their MBP in clamshell made to drive a single, larger, hi-res display, and the benefit of the touchbar may be less (hence they may wish to have the option to go for the standard function keys.)
A quad core Mini with the Radeon Pro would indeed work great for me, but I would still need a laptop, and my SurfacePro3 wouldn't be substantial for such work.
No, it only runs watchOS (Variant). The Touch Bar (obviously) and T1 chip used to run the Bar and TouchID are not found on the Apple Watch. LG makes the screen for AW, Samsung makes the TB. AW has the S1 SOC, MBP has the T1 SOC.