What could replace it?
Key Takeaways
Apple
Apple has all but ditched the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar.
From day one, people didn’t like it.
Apple
That’s normalsome people don’t like change.
Why was the Touch Bar so controversial?
Could Apple have saved it?
Apple
And what could replace those tired old F-keys in the future?
“The Touch Bar is one of the most useless additions to the MacBook Pro.
Whats Wrong With the Touch Bar?
Art Lebedev
The strip is actually a little iOS-like computer, a miniature iPhone with its own operating system.
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, he praised the touch screen for its flexibility.
Unlike physical keys, which have a fixed layout, screens can be endlessly reconfigured.
And the Touch Bar had some useful tricks.
But from the beginning, app developers mostly ignored the Touch Bar.
And so did Apple.
The advantage of physical keys is that they do the same thing every time you press them.
A screen is more configurable, but it comes with a cost.
you might’t just tap a key without looking.
That’s the Touch Bar.
“Removing the keys essentially degraded usage,” Almog continued.
Another constant problem was accidental input.
I used a MacBook with a Touch Bar for just a few weeks, and it drove me nuts.
The Touch Bar was too close to the number key row and easy to hit accidentally.
But couldn’t we do better?
Another alternative has been around for a while.
How about keeping the keys but adding a tiny OLED screen to each one?
The advantage is that the keys are still physical but can be switched to match the current app.
See also:Elgato’s Stream Deck MK.2.
Art Lebedev
Or how about something more radical?
E-ink keycaps would offer the same configurability but without the battery drain.
E-ink is visible in sunlight and only uses power when the display changes.
And while were looking at e-ink, how about a panel on the outside of the unit?
A discreet status strip with battery level and maybe notifications, visible at all times.
It would be pretty neat to peek if that important email has arrived without opening the MacBooks lid.
For now, though, probably nothing will change.
Apple keyboards have had a rough half-decade between the Touch Bar and the MacBooks disastrous butterfly keyboards.
Maybe its better to quit while were ahead?
