Miss the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar? Check Out the Flexbar

[magic_mouse_max]

*useless for you
Most power users ie. programmers use function row keys all the time. Replacing it with a touchbar was a massive pain in the **s.

Software dev with 20+ years' experience here - My primary keyboards are all 60-65%, i.e. without the function keys. I use a ton of keyboard shortcuts in my flow. I rarely use the function keys, but when I do, I get to them via layers.

But I do agree with you on the second point (**s). As a touch-typist, I can't afford to look down on my keyboard for input. The Touch Bar will have significantly slowed me down.

 

[DogHouseDub]

Exactly.

I don’t hate the Touch Bar. But having to look away from your display and down at this thing and then push it with a finger is far less efficient and fast than doing a similar task using keyboard shortcuts/commands or various on-screen widgets.

You might as well go with the easier-to-read StreamDeck

 

[Ursadorable]

I never understood the hate for the touch bar. I liked it.

If I was to wager a guess, it was because they replaced the function keys that people used, with something they never asked for.

 

[edrozenberg]

The only reason they created this dumb glue-on bar with ugly cable they attempt to hide in product shots was to generate comments on news blogs. Glue-on because the silly skinny thing will tip over and move everywhere otherwise.

 

[Unity451]

Some people liked the touchbar, seems most did not, however, let’s just say Apple sold 10M of those MBPs and just 1% found them useful - that would make it a 100k units opportunity, initially priced at $120 which will jump up after release… that’s a $12M opportunity - why not?

The thing that I didn't like about the TouchBar is that it eliminated the normal Function keys. There could be benefit to having this as a peripheral device though.

 

[Moi Ici]

I never understood the hate for the touch bar. I liked it.

Me too…

 

[tedstoutpa]

Me too…

Me too…

 

[WongYay]

I am still using this device

 

[kuito]

MR: Miss the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar?

Me: No

s/Me/Nearly Everyone/

The touch bar was horrible, and I am very glad it’s gone.

 

[rmariboe]

Me too…

Me too…

 

[rmariboe]

The Touch Bar is one of the things keeping me from replacing my 2019 MBP 🥹
But this produkt 🫷😤

 

[lostPod]

Kickstarter? No thanks. Have been robbed there many times.

 

[leifp]

For those who haven’t taken the time to delve deeper, perhaps do so before airing irrelevant complaints? I know, internet.

For those who just hated the Touch Bar, great! Things are back to normal for you; no need to comment. For myself, I hated that it replaced physical function keys so I never bought a Mac with it. I will keep an eye on this but still would prefer my keyboards had this attached. If it’s particularly successful, somebody will solve that problem… and it will enter my workflow.

Assuming Apple hasn’t learned from the actual beef users had with their implementation and is planning on adding it back in on future Macs…

 

[Janschi]

Sorry, the Touch Bar was pointless. Apple didn't show it the love it deserved. I was using Pock to show the dock inside the Touch Bar as it freed up real estate on the screen.

 

[akbarali.ch]

i think part of the failure was because how much it was restricted by Apple, instead they should've let the devs build what they want. Also, because the touchbar was only available on macbook and that too only on the pros. It was not available on the desktop and also, when the macbook was being used as desktop connected to a monitor. So it just didn't get enough stage time to show its skills and make its place.

i really wanted to try it our, but i jumped from Macbook pro 2013 to straight Apple silicon, so missed the entire drama.

 

[tomtad]

I want one I can physically glue onto my laptop

 

[tomtad]

i think part of the failure was because how much it was restricted by Apple, instead they should've let the devs build what they want. Also, because the touchbar was only available on macbook and that too only on the pros. It was not available on the desktop and also, when the macbook was being used as desktop connected to a monitor. So it just didn't get enough stage time to show its skills and make its place.

i really wanted to try it our, but i jumped from Macbook pro 2013 to straight Apple silicon, so missed the entire drama.

In my view it was because it was limited to the MacBook Pro. If they had gone all in and released it on all Macs, along with a desktop keyboard, then it could have become a much more essential feature. Instead it was seen as an expendable one only on one line of Macs.

 

[dannys1]

*useless for you
Most power users ie. programmers use function row keys all the time. Replacing it with a touchbar was a massive pain in the **s.

For what, I've programmed tons of web applications for my business and i've never press F1 to F12 once. Xcode doesn't need them - VS Code has shortcuts linked to them but considering you have to press FN+F# to do anything unless you lose your function keys it's a pain.

As a power user, BetterTouchTool gave me loads more options and shortcuts than the F keys do.

 

[dannys1]

In my view it was because it was limited to the MacBook Pro. If they had gone all in and released it on all Macs, along with a desktop keyboard, then it could have become a much more essential feature. Instead it was seen as an expendable one only on one line of Macs.

Considering the price of the keyboards for the iPad Pro - imagine how much an external touch bar keyboard would have been...

 

[NewOldStock]

Apple's New Patent | Sidewall Displays​

======================

 

[pksv]

For what, I've programmed tons of web applications for my business and i've never press F1 to F12 once. Xcode doesn't need them - VS Code has shortcuts linked to them but considering you have to press FN+F# to do anything unless you lose your function keys it's a pain.

As a power user, BetterTouchTool gave me loads more options and shortcuts than the F keys do.

If it was working for you then great, you're in minority programmers though. Every that I spoke to hated it (hated it tiny bit less after they excluded ESC key).

 

[macjaffa]

Sorry, the Touch Bar was pointless. Apple didn't show it the love it deserved. I was using Pock to show the dock inside the Touch Bar as it freed up real estate on the screen.

could you drag documentts to icons on the dock to load the file up ? you know drag and drop?

 

[Janschi]

could you drag documentts to icons on the dock to load the file up ? you know drag and drop?

I haven’t tried that out, but there was a feature where you could use the mouse to go to control the Touch Bar. I stopped using Pick last month.

 

[dannys1]

If it was working for you then great, you're in minority programmers though. Every that I spoke to hated it (hated it tiny bit less after they excluded ESC key).

But i'm still wondering what you used the function keys for whilst programming?