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Dovahkiing

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2013
439
413
It would kind of negate the whole touchbar. I don't imagine them having both touchscreen laptops with a touchbar. While I agree the touchbar is not useful, it will likely be a while before Apple reverses course - if ever given these things sell like hot-cakes anyway.
 

Painter2002

macrumors 65816
May 9, 2017
1,196
942
Austin, TX
That's not happening, and if it did, that would mark the moment, I leave the Mac platform.
Same here, I’m all for innovation and that sort of thing, but I need a physical keyboard period. I have tried typing on iPads and what not and it just doesn’t work for me.

I don’t see Apple doing this on the “Pro” lineup though. Such a laptop with a touchscreen keyboard would be a niche product.
 
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BacToMac

macrumors member
Jun 26, 2009
54
20
Thank God--they can finally make this thing thinner!!! (Said no one ever not named Jony...)
 
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Arcade

macrumors 6502
Oct 1, 2012
409
210
Bronx, NY
I got rid of my iPad 3rd gen years ago because I didn’t like typing on it. I have the same feeling with my 2018 iPad. I’m currently using it until I can get my very first Mac in a few months. I love typing on a regular keyboard and holding a mouse in my hand better.
 

New_Mac_Smell

macrumors 68000
Oct 17, 2016
1,931
1,552
Shanghai
Pretty sure that was first brought up several years ago, and comes up every several years when someone stumbles across it and can make a quick click-bait post about it...

It'll happen eventually, it's the natural progression of things, but it's not happening next year, or likely in the next 10.
 

Mockletoy

macrumors 6502a
Sep 26, 2017
608
1,888
Gothenburg, Sweden
Lenovo (I think?) actually has a machine like this. I tried one of them at MicroCenter once and it was so, so bad. Total garbage for typing more than a web address or something.

I'd be done with Mac notebooks.
 
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537635

macrumors 65816
Mar 7, 2009
1,022
921
Slovenia, EU
Just remember Apple wasn't nearly the first to implement touchscreens on mobile phones (or tablets).

But they were the first ones to get it right.

If (big big if) and when it'll be ready, I believe it will be done so it will be an important step forward for input devices.
 

elf69

macrumors 68020
Jun 2, 2016
2,333
489
Cornwall UK
Acer made one of these and well it was a belly flop.
Acer Iconia from 2010 I believe.

Will be a very long time before this actually happens but at some point I'm sure it will though.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,112
42,824
If (big big if) and when it'll be ready, I believe it will be done so it will be an important step forward for input devices.
Well, as it stands, macOS is not a touch first OS, and seeing the teething issues Microsoft had by making windows touch first, I'd say its a huge undertaking. I know MS made massive changes to the OS, to make it a tablet OS first and virtually ignored the desktop experience with windows 8, but the point remains it was a painful process.
[doublepost=1533641346][/doublepost]Also consider those who have other then laptops, i.e., Mac Pro, iMac, Mac minis, Having a virtual keyboard for them, makes no sense.
 

Ma2k5

macrumors 68030
Dec 21, 2012
2,523
2,500
London
It didn't work out for Lenovo (typing accuracy/speed diminished greatly) and even having just a strip on the current MacBooks (TouchBar) people complained about the lack of feedback/accidental presses etc, so if Apple was to ever implement this, it would be nothing like how Lenovo implemented it on it's Yoga Book.

A durable dust/water resistant keyboard is interesting in theory, but seems pretty hard to execute.
 
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hajime

macrumors 604
Jul 23, 2007
7,625
1,144
I am in the library. It has been quiet even some people are using their laptop computers. Suddenly a guy came in with his butterfly keyboard and ruined the quietness.
 

rafark

macrumors 68000
Sep 1, 2017
1,664
2,767
It could work if they are 3d keys, you know, like a flat surface that "grows" 3d buttons based on the current layout.
 

BacToMac

macrumors member
Jun 26, 2009
54
20
How fast people forget the real keys on mobile phones and the outrage when touchscreens were coming out...

Very true--I thought you'd have to pry my Blackberry 8830 out of my cold, dead hands. I didn't hop on the iPhone bandwagon until the 4S.
 

DeanPSN

macrumors 6502
May 21, 2018
255
183
Dublin, Ireland
How fast people forget the real keys on mobile phones and the outrage when touchscreens were coming out...

Not the same thing, you don't write as much on your phone as you do on your computer, so you cannot compare that. Let's not forget that not everyone used blackberry's and writing on a numeric keyboard and pressing 3-4 times to get to the letter you needed was a pain in the ass, so touchscreen was a well needed change.
 

elf69

macrumors 68020
Jun 2, 2016
2,333
489
Cornwall UK
biggest issue with touch keyboard is much more likely get accidental key presses when typing over a normal keyboard.

I had a android powered sony tablet P which had keyboard in lower screen.
I loved this folding tablet until GPU failed.
 
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