Why Apple finally killed the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro

Today’s Apple Unleashed event brought with it several interesting announcements, including the release of two new MacBook Pros. These laptops are an upgrade over the existing versions of the MacBook in every possible way, but there’s one thing they’re actually missing — the Touch Bar. Why did Apple finally decide to get rid of a feature it was once so proud of?

Introduced five years ago, the Touch Bar was certainly a novelty on the laptop market. The narrow touchscreen, located right above the keyboard, was supposed to revolutionize the entire user experience. Conceived as a quick link between the typing we know from laptops and the touchscreens we use on our phones, the Touch Bar sure seemed like something Apple had great plans for… until it didn’t.

Great on paper, not in reality

Image used with permission of the copyright holder

The decline of the Touch Bar began almost as soon as it was invented. It certainly made a splash when it was released with the MacBook Pro in 2016. According to Apple, the small touchscreen strip was meant to offer a dynamic experience that allows users to interact with content on the main screen. It also needed to add easier access to specific apps, functionality within those apps, and even things like volume control.

While the Touch Bar sounded great as a concept — though it didn’t sell to everyone, even from the start — Apple did very little to follow it up. Surprisingly, there has never been a single MacOS update that introduced new features or capabilities to the Touch Bar.

The brand also didn’t advertise the feature much beyond its initial release. This made it easy to go unnoticed, and most people who own a MacBook Pro never even bothered to use the Touch Bar. Part of this may be the lack of advertising and support from Apple, but another part is the fact that the Touch Bar was simply uncomfortable to use for most people.

Most of us have learned to use keyboards in a certain way, although laptop users have adapted to using the trackpad, as well as its usual position on MacBook computers. But the fact is that during daily use, our hands are rarely close to where the Touch Bar used to be. In addition, some people found the combination of typing and touch controls simply awkward to use, further alienating them from the technology.

Image used with permission of the copyright holder

The clumsiness of the Touch Bar was especially annoying in the early years. Before MacBook Pro users got used to its placement, many experienced problems with accidentally touching the Touch Bar while typing on the top half of the keyboard. The result was often a nuisance, causing web page refreshes and files to close. Apple later patched this, but it didn’t improve the start of the Touch Bar.

The idea of ​​volume controls on the Touch Bar was interesting, but it also proved quite demanding compared to a regular keyboard and mouse. Apple also promised that the Touch Bar would be a place for hidden app information, but unfortunately that too proved to be quite ineffective due to the position of the bar. Ultimately, many people looked for ways to disable the Touch Bar instead of trying to adapt to it.

Limited reach

There’s another nail in that coffin — the fact that the Touch Bar was only available to MacBook Pro users. This limited his reach and probably reduced his potential quite a bit as a result.

When it came out, the Touch Bar seemed like a fancy, shiny new gadget that many people couldn’t wait to try. Ultimately, it’s hard to say exactly what led to its downfall, but it’s also hard to deny that it proved a disappointment to many. Some have been quite vocal about their dislike of it, and others have simply not bothered to use it. The end result remains the same — Apple was driven to the decision to discontinue it.

The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops no longer have the Touch Bar. It has been replaced by a series of physical keys that blend well with the keyboard. While some may miss it, the removal of the Touch Bar seems likely to be less controversial than its introduction.

You can still get it on the 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple still sells. But one thing’s for sure — Apple probably won’t be bringing it back anytime soon.

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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

Links: Why Apple finally killed the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro – Tekmonk Bio, Why Apple finally killed the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro – Kungfutv, Why Apple finally killed the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro – Blogtomoney