I upgraded from a 2019 16" Intel MBP to a 2021 M1 16" MPB. Everything is much, much better, except that I miss the touchbar. It's not that I found the touchbar super-useful, but it was a lot more useful that the fixed set of function keys. An example: it was so easy to take a screen shot. And I could easily adjust the brightness on both my external monitor (LG 5K) and built in display. With BetterTouchTools it was even more useful. I never understood why the touchbar was to hated. Certainly not a giant step in UI, but a moderately useful invention.
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Am I the only one missing the touchbar?
- Thread starter ahostmadsen
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If Apple had ever added a touchbar to a stand-alone keyboard, it might have taken off. I have a touchbar on my MacBook Pro, but 95% of the usage is at my desk - with an external keyboard. So while I “Have” one, I barely use it enough to form an opinion. Lots of other users move back & forth between a desktop & portable, and again - no opportunity to really rely on the touchbar because it’s not always there. I don’t know why it wasn’t fully adopted across the line, I can only guess there was internal disagreement about it as well as external.
I never got a chance to use a Touch Bar, but I always thought it was a great idea, but only for people who don’t touch type the function keys, which I think is most people.
Not being available on external keyboards was a huge problem, but I kind of think it was dead on arrival anyway because the people whom the Touch Bar’s success depended on was software developers. They were the only ones who could make the Touch Bar actually useful. But since developers touch type function keys, they hated the Touch Bar, so they had little to no motivation to make it succeed. That’s my theory anyway.
But I think it was a great idea, so I’m sad it fizzled. I feel the same way about 3D Touch. And several other things, but don’t want to go on a tangent.
Not being available on external keyboards was a huge problem, but I kind of think it was dead on arrival anyway because the people whom the Touch Bar’s success depended on was software developers. They were the only ones who could make the Touch Bar actually useful. But since developers touch type function keys, they hated the Touch Bar, so they had little to no motivation to make it succeed. That’s my theory anyway.
But I think it was a great idea, so I’m sad it fizzled. I feel the same way about 3D Touch. And several other things, but don’t want to go on a tangent.
It was a good idea but never really updated. They should have just put the Touch Bar above the function keys and everyone would have been happy. However I don't miss it.
They should should have kept the technology they developed. The touch bar is so useful for alot of things. I agree with everyone who said they should have just kept it above the function keys instead of replacing them.
Never had one but it's part of a my possible change in my upgrade plans (originally 13" MBP M1 now just considering 14" MBP).
I feel like the touch bar will now get even less support from developers since it's been discontinued. Might as well future proof and get the more recent design with the function keys.
I think a cool yet too expensive idea people brought up were to make the function keys individual OLED screen keys where you could change them to suit your needs.
Someday...
I feel like the touch bar will now get even less support from developers since it's been discontinued. Might as well future proof and get the more recent design with the function keys.
I think a cool yet too expensive idea people brought up were to make the function keys individual OLED screen keys where you could change them to suit your needs.
Someday...
Hated the Touch Bar. SO glad it’s gone. Drove me nuts accidentally resting a finger on the brightness slider or volume buttons.
i love the idea, hate it in practice. Having to look down all the time is annoying and the times I do use it I can never get it click where i want to click. There is no reference point for your fingers so as a tool to increase productivity it fails. There are a few apps that do some neat things with it, but aside from that I am fine seeing it go.
Putting the Touch Bar above the function keys would have been ideal theoretically, but I wonder what kind of trade offs there would have been. Maybe space was the issue.
When did you find yourself resting your fingers up there? Do you touch type function keys?
Do you touch type function keys? I always have to look at the function keys so I don’t think having to look at a Touch Bar would have been worse for me in that regard.
I think touch typing function keys is the great divider when it comes to the Touch Bar. Those who touch type them will not like it. It seems that group of people is mostly developers. Edit- and IT.
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I have always liked the Touch Bar. I was hoping for function keys and the Touch Bar, or a double height Touch Bar where the function keys filled half, and dynamic filled half, and when you were using certain apps, it used all for that app. I feel like the Touch Bar was never embraced and developed to its full potential.
I do touch type them. I am not a dev but I spend a lot of time in Terminal. If I have to look down to read the Touch Bar it just slows me way down. That’s why I hate the spell check functions. Great idea, but looking down and having to refocus is such a distraction….not to mention the ergonomic problems with using it. I think if you are a DJ, for example, it works well because your workflow is constantly looking all over the place. But for someone in the same window/app it’s kind of a pain.
I always hated function keys even before the touchbar was invented, so yeah I definitely will miss it once my current touch-bar mac is replaced. Going to hold off on that as long as possible though just because of what I consider to be a shortsighted decision. So, Apple won’t get my money as soon as they would have as anything else will feel like a step backwards to me.
Decent concept, wrong implementation. Make the function keys each have their own little screen that can dynamically change with each app (or can just be function keys). They should still be pressable like real keys. Maybe have one that is extra wide so you have a dedicated space for a scrubber. Or put it above the function row.
In any case, it's an idea whose time will never come. And the fact that it originally involved taking away the escape key is a sign of just how bad things had gotten in Apple's hardware design by 2017. It was cursed.
In any case, it's an idea whose time will never come. And the fact that it originally involved taking away the escape key is a sign of just how bad things had gotten in Apple's hardware design by 2017. It was cursed.
I never understood the hate towards the Touch Bar, but I never used it that much either. For me, the biggest problem with the Touch Bar was the absence of tactile feedback and the necessity to look down to see where I put my fingers. Not a fan either of function keys, but I can adjust luminosity or volume faster and without systematically having to look down of my screen. I don't think I'll miss the Touch Bar, but I was not super excited by the comeback of function keys either.
I agree that the Touch Bar was a good idea, but it was not natural to use. Macs are designed so we can look on the screen and never have to look down on the trackpad/keyboard, and Touch Bar was doing the opposite of that.
I agree that the Touch Bar was a good idea, but it was not natural to use. Macs are designed so we can look on the screen and never have to look down on the trackpad/keyboard, and Touch Bar was doing the opposite of that.
I still have mine. This is the 16" 2019 MBP. I have my 2021 16" MBP in the bedroom.
I don't hate the Touch Bar, but I won't miss it when I finally upgrade. The number of times I've left my finger resting above the number row, only for the screen to go dark because I've accidentally come into contact with the brightness controls, is too high.
I definitely prefer function keys -- every day twice on Tuesdays. The Touch Bar was always a solution to a problem that never existed. It represented Apple's misplaced attempt at "innovation" at a time when the company simply was not innovating in either design or function. It was a a failure on every level and had Apple offered competitive laptops without it, I am quite sure that the Tough Bar would have met its demise far sooner than it did as it was obvious that most serious typists would never prefer such a gimmick. What made the fiasco far worse was Apple's decision to pair it with the butterfly keyboard -- probably the biggest embarassment for a major company since New Coke.
I am heartened that Apple was able to self correct and abandon these kind of misguided experiments and return to true innovation in the form of Apple Silicon. Now all it needs to do is offer well-built reliable laptops that appeal to the vast majority of users, which I think it is doing with its current M1 offerings.
I am heartened that Apple was able to self correct and abandon these kind of misguided experiments and return to true innovation in the form of Apple Silicon. Now all it needs to do is offer well-built reliable laptops that appeal to the vast majority of users, which I think it is doing with its current M1 offerings.
Never been a huge fan of the TB, too little support for it and too much customization needed to actually make it useful. Ergonomics were terrible. It was admittedly quite good for slider-type controls, but that's it.
After 3 months of not having to use it, I realize that I am not missing it in the slightest, not even unconsciously. The fact that the TB has completely disappeared from my muscle memory in such a short amount of time is a pretty strong indicator that it only solved problems which never existed in the first place.
After 3 months of not having to use it, I realize that I am not missing it in the slightest, not even unconsciously. The fact that the TB has completely disappeared from my muscle memory in such a short amount of time is a pretty strong indicator that it only solved problems which never existed in the first place.
I'm still appalled they never managed to fix safari tab preview bugs with touchbar after so many years.
