People should really try the Surface Pro before dismissing touch screens. The pen can be super useful, even with the keyboard attached in "laptop mode". The kickstand works very well for this, since the screen can be tilted further back while still being stable when applying pressure to it with the pen. Even if you are not an artistic person, it's great for making sketches while taking notes (Onenote is great for this), scribbling on Powerpoint slides to explain something while doing a remote presentation, making diagrams on slides using the "convert to shape" feature etc.. And of course it comes in very handy in tablet mode, e.g. when reviewing and marking up papers.
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Isn't touch screen better than touch bar?
- Thread starter vmflapem
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Still waiting to receive mine but the touch bar makes absolute sense to me. I don't want to reach out to the screen (though as an iPad user I still do once in a while). I also almost never used the F-keys because I could never remember what each one does. I'm looking forward to a touch bar that changes with my tasks and tells me exactly what it will do.
So funny story, I was at the apple store testing it out and I just automatically tried swiping with my hands on the screen then remembered it wasn't a touch screen. I can understand why people wouldn't want to get fingerprints, but you have to admit that a touch screen makes it so convenient. Then you can even utilize the screen for drawing.
Or fingerprints on the screen of an iPad or an iPhone. Strange how no one is worried about that.
MacOS would need to go through the Windows 8 period to get there.
It will be messy.
They're going to regret it in a decade when every single alternate is also a tablet and Cintiq in one.
It will be messy.
They're going to regret it in a decade when every single alternate is also a tablet and Cintiq in one.
Dunno about yours, but my iPhone wipes clean every time I slide it into my pocket. My iPad, if needed, also wipes clean with one swipe against my shirt.
They both almost equally suck. Touch bar is marginally worse because you are forced to use it for basic functionality while in windows laptops you can just ignore the touch screen if you want to.
If you are a designer who wants to draw stuff on the screen then obviously the touchscreen is a huge plus.
I have a lenovo touch laptop at home and we literally forget the thing even has a touch interface.
If you are a designer who wants to draw stuff on the screen then obviously the touchscreen is a huge plus.
I have a lenovo touch laptop at home and we literally forget the thing even has a touch interface.
Touch my screen and I will cut your arm off, is my response when someone points at something on the screen and then moves to actually touch the display.
So, no, I don't want a touch screen Mac, the touch bar does fine thank you.
So, no, I don't want a touch screen Mac, the touch bar does fine thank you.
I agree to some extent but the laptops like the Yoga that go all the way back 2 in 1s are actually kind of neat because you can fold them back into tablet mode. I agree I have no desire to reach up and touch my screen in laptop mode either. Having the option to put it in tablet mode for sitting on the couch or for a kid I think is kind of useful. Rather than purchasing and grabbing a second device.
I still think Apple should consider a hybrid like this in their MB line and leave the MBP line alone.
I can't say for certain because i have not used one yet but I really have to believe that if I could complete tasks without using the old F keys that I am not "forced" to use the TB. I think your comparison is really poor.
Nah. Touch screen laptops are still stupid to me. I don't think the touch bar is really that great or necessary, but I'll take it over a touch screen laptop.
Obviously, you never use a laptop with touch screen. It becomes annoy, when you want to clean your screen. And it's really tired to lift your hand on screen.
Out of all arguments for touch screens on a laptop, for me it all comes down to this.
Touch-screen laptops aren't a game changer but they do come in handy. As an engineering student it helps being able to pinch and zoom on large schematics on my surface. Nobody beats the trackpad on the mbp so being able to have additional custom gestures on the screen is great. Again, not a huge deal but it's so common now that I have an "oh yeah" moment every time I jump back on my mbp.
Fingerprints aren't anymore problematic than on your phone, a simple wipe every couple weeks and it's hardly noticeable.
Fingerprints aren't anymore problematic than on your phone, a simple wipe every couple weeks and it's hardly noticeable.
Because touchscreens are not good for laptops. Ever use one? They are not a good experience. They get the screen all smudgy and looks gross. There's nothing positive about a touchscreen laptop.
A touch screen on a laptop is a terrible idea. You're physically interacting with a surface that's merely supported by a very light base, which doesn't allow for precise control. You're also using an operating system that is in no way optimized for touch screen interaction rather than the use of a cursor (eg. different gestures and size of icons). The Touch Bar is the best solution for bringing a touch screen experience to a notebook running macOS.
You need only look at where Apple diverged with Mac OS and iOS and when Microsoft introduced Windows 8. iOS was built from the ground up as an operating system that relies solely on touch screen interaction, while Windows 8 retained features of its predecessor while attempting to shoehorn in features that would allow it to be used comfortably on a tablet. Looking back, Windows 8 was a pretty terrible operating system without a clear direction (Microsoft originally had a Windows 8 RT that ran on mobile CPU architectures, was better for tablets, but inexplicably ran Microsoft Office in a desktop mode and confused consumers).
Additionally, I'd also prefer that my MacBook not have a bunch of grimy fingerprints on it. It's hard enough keeping my iPhone screen clean.
You need only look at where Apple diverged with Mac OS and iOS and when Microsoft introduced Windows 8. iOS was built from the ground up as an operating system that relies solely on touch screen interaction, while Windows 8 retained features of its predecessor while attempting to shoehorn in features that would allow it to be used comfortably on a tablet. Looking back, Windows 8 was a pretty terrible operating system without a clear direction (Microsoft originally had a Windows 8 RT that ran on mobile CPU architectures, was better for tablets, but inexplicably ran Microsoft Office in a desktop mode and confused consumers).
Additionally, I'd also prefer that my MacBook not have a bunch of grimy fingerprints on it. It's hard enough keeping my iPhone screen clean.
I had a touchscreen laptop. It's clunky and doesn't work well in practice, although a great idea in theory. Maybe software is not there yet to utilize it. In practice I found that I never used the touchscreen, and when I just got fingerprints on it as others have noted. I use a laptop over a tablet for screen real estate and the keyboard/pointer, otherwise I just use a tablet for content consumption. If it were a 2 in 1 and most gestures were more useful than keyboard/touchpad, I might use one. I just think laptop users use them for the keyboard and PRECISION pointing. My finger on a high res screen can't select small cells or items on screen.
Like I said, if software were optimized for it (Windows 8.0), then I might be able to use it. But this is an example of a solution for a problem I don't have.
Like I said, if software were optimized for it (Windows 8.0), then I might be able to use it. But this is an example of a solution for a problem I don't have.
Why is a touch bar more intuitive? Why is a tablet the only viable option and forced to be relegated to a touch screen? Why not a laptop? I have tried both. The touch screen is very intuitive. Is it more intuitive to take your eyes off the screen so you can navigate a thin strip at the top of a keyboard? To me it would be more intuitive to touch what you are actually looking at, no?
"Raising my hands to poke at a screen"... Seriously? How do you navigate a touch bar? Is caress the right word? Fondle? Is moving your hands two or three inches past a touch bar too much effort? Is it too far to go? Does it cause that much fatigue and waste that much time?
I see it the opposite. A current MacBook with a touch screen would be amazing. That I would buy. As far as fingerprints on a screen, I get those now on my Macbook Air without even touching the screen. How is that even possible?