Might be a rare breed here, but I'm going to miss the Touchbar thanks to this app called Pock that puts the dock in the Touchbar.
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New MacBook Pro Keyboard Has All-Black Design, Full-Size Function Keys, and Touch ID Ring
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What would have been cool is if the function keys were made to be physical keys with e-ink displays to allow for customization by the user per app.
This is one design change I’m not really on board with. The contrast between the keys and the back were nice. Maybe it’ll look better in person.
Touch-typing is an invaluable skill, and I'm sure the backlight will be more than enough for those who still have to look down
the touchbar added a lot of cost. $300 extra at its launch iirc. That's a lot for something of dubious value.
because looking down at a "second screen" from the main screen and back up is awkward just like it often was with the Wii U if you ever used that Nintendo console.
Also wasn't changing volume and brightness slower with touchscreen compared to just tapping keys? It looked purty tho.
because looking down at a "second screen" from the main screen and back up is awkward just like it often was with the Wii U if you ever used that Nintendo console.
Also wasn't changing volume and brightness slower with touchscreen compared to just tapping keys? It looked purty tho.
Yes, whenever I would have to get my MBP serviced, the keyboard and top case was considered all one piece.
Maybe it's simply because it's different, but I don't like the aesthetics at first blush. It could, however, be an improvement in several ways:
- The new design may present less likelihood that crumbs, dust, or liquid penetrates through the keyboard into underlying components.
- May make the keyboard more easily serviced/replaced and possibly (heh) more user serviceable. Which would be a small improvement in the right-to-repair area.
- May streamline the manufacturing process: previously Apple would have to tool and manufacture 3 different aluminum top cases to accommodate the ANSI, ISO, and JIS key layouts. Now, possibly, the tooling and manufacture of the top case is identical and only the separate keyboard piece needs to then be installed.
should be some well placed notches on the function keys too. For example the lower volume key could use a notch so one can more quickly put 3 fingers over mute, lower volume and raise volume without looking.
And ditto for the play button function key.
It’s the MacBook Pro the last one should have been.
But Apple are smart. And it’s not the first time they’ve taken things away, only to give them back.
They would have had the Apple Silicon project in the works for years. Maybe even before the TouchBar. But since they couldn’t push the thermal envelope back then, they had to innovate in other ways.
But Apple are smart. And it’s not the first time they’ve taken things away, only to give them back.
They would have had the Apple Silicon project in the works for years. Maybe even before the TouchBar. But since they couldn’t push the thermal envelope back then, they had to innovate in other ways.
The Touch Bar was apples quick check in the box response to the craze of touch screen pcs. Apple didn’t want to do a full blown touch screen for MacOS so they did the Touch Bar instead which was one of the worst things ever on an MBpro IMO
If you are a ”Pro” you shouldn’t be looking at the keyboard to begin with.
That would be the best case solution. I sure hope that inset doesn't move when we press the keys.
I know I'm in the minority on this one, but the lack of the Touch Bar is a deal breaker for me.
Apple's new MacBook Pro models unveiled today feature a redesigned keyboard with an all-black design, a row of full-size function keys, and a Touch ID ring that provides a more tactile experience for unlocking the Mac with your finger.
The function keys include new shortcuts for Spotlight, Siri, Dictation, and Do Not Disturb, in addition to usual shortcuts for display brightness, media playback, volume, and more. These keys replace the Touch Bar, which was removed on all new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, five years after it was introduced.
Apple didn't comment on its reason for removing the Touch Bar, but during its "Unleashed" event, the company said that the return of physical function keys brings back the "familiar, tactile feel of mechanical keys that pro users love."
The keyboard is now surrounded by a black anodized aluminum inset, whereas there used to be silver or space gray aluminum between the keys.
While some users are disappointed that Apple removed the Touch Bar, the new MacBook Pro is likely to be a crowd-pleasing design given not only physical function keys, but the return of additional ports like an HDMI port, SD card slot, and MagSafe. The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models also feature Apple's next-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, mini-LED displays with a ProMotion adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and more.
The new MacBook Pro models can be ordered now and will start arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, October 26. Pricing starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model. Apple said macOS Monterey will be publicly released one day earlier on Monday, October 25, following over four months of beta testing.
Article Link: New MacBook Pro Keyboard Has All-Black Design, Full-Size Function Keys, and Touch ID Ring
The only thing I can think of is maybe the black is more "receptive" to the keyboard backlighting, giving each key a glow in low light conditions, and not just glowing letters/symbols. If that's the reason, then it certainly would help with the otherwise wasted backlight underneath the spacebar.
It IS, but I can't help but to wonder if it would impact the thermals being that close to the exhaust vents.
For people who touch type. Once your index fingers find their way there all the other keys are just muscle memory. But there‘s no particular reason why those two are the ones that have the bumps other than convention. If you pay attention they on almost every hardware keyboard not just laptops.
As I wrote in the main new MBP thread, the keyholes being etched out of the aluminum shell has always been a signature feature of the iconic MacBook unibody design. Now the keyboard looks like any other PC laptop.
Imho this cheapens the aesthetics and premium feel of the new MBP, but I agree with others that is it was probably done as a cost savings and/or serviceability measure.
The function/media keys should never have moved to the Touch Bar imo. The Touch Bar is pretty useful for some apps like IDEs and for autocompleting/typing in east Asian languages, but it should have been above the function row than replacing it.
That's one of my biggest (and one of the only) annoyances with this model. It's so close to being back to perfect. No more butterfly keys, the inverted-T arrow keys are back, MagSafe and other ports are back! But, I def don't use Siri/dictation or DND enough to be their own keys. DND, I only use via automations, otherwise, it's rare enough going into Control Center is fine. Siri/dictation I pretty much don't use AT ALL on the Mac. Get rid of those and replace them with keyboard brightness, and give me at least ONE USB-A port, and this would be PERFECT (once I could afford the more specced out model)
My real question is... why did they make the left/right keys half-heigh? It's inconsistent with the desktop keyboards (and my 2019 MBP).
This was maybe the case 10 years ago. If you look at modern laptops a lot of PC manufacturers have mimicked the black keys on metallic/gray color shell design so much that it doesn’t really stand out anymore. This black key well is actually pretty pretty unique, since most of the market is using either the MacBook look or the same color on the entire top surface and keys.
Also, I don’t see how it improves the serviceability or the cost since it’s not a separate part from the unibody (just double anodized for color). Presumably the double anodizing would actually increase cost, so this is probably a purely aesthetic decision.
No need for a link. Multiple users have expressed disappointment right here in this thread. Add me to the list. There are other similar comments throughout this site as well.