I've only had my M1 Pro for about a week, but I didn't expect to love the Touch Bar at all. So many users called it gimmicky, fussy, useless.
I work and play laying on the sofa a lot. The front edge of the laptop is on my stomach, the screen propped up against my thighs, so the trackpad is awkward to reach. Carpal tunnel, anyone? So obviously having controls just below the screen is practical.
But beyond the physical placement, for audio such as listening to music on Spotify, the controls are just clearly BETTER, beyond my lazy-assed sofa life. And I'm impressed that Apple programmed such precise controls on the Touch Bar for Spotify, their main competitor in streaming.
Working with music, and listening to music, for hours on end, the precise volume level is vital, and I'm frequently adjusting it. Too loud and I start to damage my ears over hours. But I really want to hear certain passages loudly. The fact that you can single touch the volume button and then slide it to the increment you want with a single gesture is great. But even better is the "other" volume control that appears, the "fine" volume control, just to the left of the main one. (which also lets you 'touch and slide' single-gesture) Once you have set the general level of the volume you want, you can just use the 'fine' control alone. Because often, the increments on the main volume control lack subtlety: one level is too quiet, the next up is too loud.
Sure, on other Macs I've used the key command for fine volume control: Option+Shift, and then the volume up or down buttons. When I can remember the darn key commands. But I for one am thrilled I have an easier control right below my screen. As well as many other buttons specific to Spotify.
I have not yet worked extensively with the Touch Bar in other programs, like Logic Pro, but I look forward to learning it.
Another small audio thing I love is that as a right-handed person, the headphone jack being on the right side is better, so when I pick up my laptop with my right hand, I'm not dragging the cord awkwardly across the machine.
I work and play laying on the sofa a lot. The front edge of the laptop is on my stomach, the screen propped up against my thighs, so the trackpad is awkward to reach. Carpal tunnel, anyone? So obviously having controls just below the screen is practical.
But beyond the physical placement, for audio such as listening to music on Spotify, the controls are just clearly BETTER, beyond my lazy-assed sofa life. And I'm impressed that Apple programmed such precise controls on the Touch Bar for Spotify, their main competitor in streaming.
Working with music, and listening to music, for hours on end, the precise volume level is vital, and I'm frequently adjusting it. Too loud and I start to damage my ears over hours. But I really want to hear certain passages loudly. The fact that you can single touch the volume button and then slide it to the increment you want with a single gesture is great. But even better is the "other" volume control that appears, the "fine" volume control, just to the left of the main one. (which also lets you 'touch and slide' single-gesture) Once you have set the general level of the volume you want, you can just use the 'fine' control alone. Because often, the increments on the main volume control lack subtlety: one level is too quiet, the next up is too loud.
Sure, on other Macs I've used the key command for fine volume control: Option+Shift, and then the volume up or down buttons. When I can remember the darn key commands. But I for one am thrilled I have an easier control right below my screen. As well as many other buttons specific to Spotify.
I have not yet worked extensively with the Touch Bar in other programs, like Logic Pro, but I look forward to learning it.
Another small audio thing I love is that as a right-handed person, the headphone jack being on the right side is better, so when I pick up my laptop with my right hand, I'm not dragging the cord awkwardly across the machine.
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