'Touch Bar' Trending on Twitter Following Rumors It'll Be Removed on 2021 MacBook Pro

NinjaHERO said:
This is great news. Of course, Apple could just produce both models and let the consumers choose. If one sells far less than the other, they know their market and they can discontinue one. Would be fun if we had the option. :)
p.s. I hate the touchbar.
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10 to 1 would buy the non-touchbar would be my guess -- especially since it would be cheaper (which would be reason alone to purchase the non-touchbar).
 
I certainly have gotten used to the Touch Bar on my previous MBP and my current one. Not that I will be sad to see it go since I took some time for me to get used to it.
 
senttoschool said:
I think it's quite obvious that internally, Apple product people weren't fully bought into the touch bar themselves. If Apple product designers truly believed in the touch bar, they would have brought it over to the Magic Keyboard and Air. And they would have invested a lot more resources in developing more features for it.
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Sort if like force touch being touted and then left on the vine to whither.

Some features meant to simplify things instead add complication. So other designers and engineers, both at Apple and 3rd party, who believe in KISS may have not seen the merit of Touch Bar or force touch.
 
NinjaHERO said:
This is great news. Of course, Apple could just produce both models and let the consumers choose. If one sells far less than the other, they know their market and they can discontinue one. Would be fun if we had the option. :)
p.s. I hate the touchbar.
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And that would encourage developers to support it how?
 
Hilarious that most people identified the 2015 macbook pro as near-perfection, and it's now only 5 years later that Apple is returning to it.

- butterfly keyboard -> reverted
- touchbar -> now rumored to be reverted (they already pulled the physical escape key back in, very possible)
- magsafe -> now rumored to be reverted (iPhones trending this way, so very possibly). I personally don't mind USB-C here though. Maybe a USB-C->magnetic power only adapter is the best balance if it can handle 65-90w.

It's almost like Apple should test/try out these features before pushing them on everyone.
 
I never thought the touch bar was a good idea. I like my inputs (keyboard, mouse) to be predictable. The touch bar was not predictable by virtue of its context sensitive interface. So imho, good ridance, it will not be missed.
 
Professional usability expert here doing some armchair analysis. (I’m sure there are others in this forum with differing opinions.) I’m also a touch bar MacBook Pro user. The touch-bar is a third rail topic, but I’ll boil down what I see as the real usability issues:
  • Apple removed frequently used keys, like ESC, and they learned quickly by replacing it
  • Losing tactile keys reduces usability for a number of reasons:
    • It is harder to touch type, reducing speed if the keys are frequently needed
    • For those with disabilities like poor or no eyesight, or motor control issues, they can’t find the key quickly using their sense of touch and mental map of the location (true, there are alternatives for the sightless and they will likely use assistive input or VoiceOver, but this removes an efficiency for them
  • Contextual and variable key locations adds learning curve to remember sequences
  • The location is not ergonomic, as you have to move up and away from your typical typing position to access conditional information
  • As an information feedback system, it’s also not ideal because it’s not in the screen field of view; you have to look down and away to get the information
    • To play devil’s advocate, it could be a great monitoring location for key data if that data is infrequently needed
Apple likes to experiment with tech before they nail it down. Variable keyboards where the key can adjust visual input or perhaps include haptics are a fine addition if some of the above concerns are addressed. My guess is that they allow modifiers or long key presses on the existing keys to modify the keys around them visually for this functionality. Maybe as specialized input. It seems like they have patents going in this direction, and it would make more sense.

I don’t really like my Touchbar that much. I have enjoyed the technology in use, and see a lot of possibilities, but it’s not that usable. The current implementation is clearly an experiment. We’re bound to see a better iteration in the future.
 
The Touch Bar is okay. I do use it and it does offer more functionality over the physical version.
Going back to the MagSafe connector is a big mistake unless they have one on both sides. Being able to charge on either side is a vast improvement. My ideal is that all devices will use usb-c so that you can use one charger for multiple devices and be able to charge more than one device at the same time using either a daisy chain or parallel charging ports. This will be most useful when traveling. Add a usb-c hub and you can connect to anything you need without having to carry multiple dongles.
 
ikramerica said:
Yep. Which is harder? Which pulls focus more? Which takes more time?

Looking off screen to see the touchbar and move your fingers, or keeping focus but moving your hands?

It might be that the touchbar is ergonomically better. But my kids get upset when they can’t just tap the screen. So maybe the touchbar was designed for a demographic that is aging out?
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You hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. Apple just needs a touch screen on Macs. the Touch Bar in it’s current incarnation is a hybrid that doesn’t really nail anything well.
 
Theyayarealivin said:
We don’t need Touch Bar. It’s just a gimmick and it’s too hard to use.
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And it's a MBP-only use case, which I always thought was dumb.

Had Apple gone all in and released a Magic Keyboard with TB for iMacs, Mac Pros, and for use on any Mac laptop in clamshell mode, it would have made more sense.

What doesn't make sense is having workflows / user interface only applicable to a MBP.
 
I just got a new MacBook Pro M1 and like the Touch Bar. I dont understand the hate.
What I really want is an actual USB port instead of having to buy a dongle to plug in 99% of my USB devices.
Also miss the MagSafe power connection.
 
Marzzz said:
The Touchbar is useful for fast-forwarding thru ads (on YouTube, for instance) that would otherwise not respond to pointing and clicking with the track pad.
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I found it useful for pausing YouTube calligraphy videos more precisely than I could achieve with other methods so I can copy the strokes while seeing them.
 
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