Macbook Pro With Touch Bar: The Best Bits Of iOS In A Really Great Mac
Macworld|Macworld January 2017

The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros are naturally thin, fast, and expensive. But the innovative new Touch Bar makes them surprisingly delightful to use.

Susie Ochs
Macbook Pro With Touch Bar: The Best Bits Of iOS In A Really Great Mac

Apple gave its new MacBook Pro a thinner, sleeker case, which demanded a new, lower travel keyboard, a new venting system, and even a smaller battery. But while I appreciate a Mac that’s smaller and lighter, I’d rather have a Mac that’s easier or just more fun to use. These 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Apple’s new Touch Bar are both.

The Touch Bar brings my favorite things about the iPad Pro’s software keyboard to the Mac. The amount of useful shortcuts it adds is ridiculous, and this is before most third party developers have even had a chance to add Touch Bar support. Even for a premium price—and these Macs aren’t cheap—I think the Touch Bar makes this a much more compelling buy than the MacBook Pro with function keys (go.macworld.com/ mbpfunctionkey).

MEET THE TOUCH BAR

The Touch Bar is an OLED strip that’s tempting to call a display, but Apple wants developers and users to think of it as an input device, not a display. You can’t adjust its brightness yourself, for example, because if it was too bright it would start looking more like a display than a set of keys. It’s also optimized for viewing at a 45-degree angle, looking down from above, which is odd for any screen. Nonetheless, the Touch Bar stays visible and legible even if you are sitting at an off angle to your Mac.

The Touch Bar is incredibly handy not only because its controls change to match the app you’re using, but also because it’s so customizable. Visit System Preferences → Keyboard, and you can choose what happens when you press the Fn key. The default shows the function keys: F1, F2, and so on. But if you never use those keys, you could also have the Fn key expand the Control Strip to full size.

Denne historien er fra Macworld January 2017-utgaven av Macworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Macworld January 2017-utgaven av Macworld.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MACWORLDSe alt
Mac 911
Macworld

Mac 911

Solutions to your most vexing Mac problems.

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2024
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great-sounding headphones that support aptX
Macworld

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great-sounding headphones that support aptX

B&W's new top-of-the-range Bluetooth earbuds sound great and include an innovative smart case that supports aptX technology for high-quality audio-even on Apple devices.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
AirPods versus AirPods Pro: How they compare
Macworld

AirPods versus AirPods Pro: How they compare

Don't know whether to buy the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC, or AirPods Pro 2? Here's how they stack up.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
Apple's true hit of 2024 isn't the iPhone 16
Macworld

Apple's true hit of 2024 isn't the iPhone 16

Apple's unsung hero of the fall is the AirPods 4.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
Ugreen Revodok Pro 210: Decent speeds at a nice price
Macworld

Ugreen Revodok Pro 210: Decent speeds at a nice price

A hub for users who don't need top performance from their connections.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger: Clever and compact
Macworld

Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger: Clever and compact

Anker proves that with a clever design, you can also achieve compact dimensions suitable for traveling.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024
Wombat Willow: A solid typing tool with some quirks
Macworld

Wombat Willow: A solid typing tool with some quirks

This isn't a keyboard that lets you simply plug in and go-you need to read the manual.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
pdfFiller: An overpriced, half-baked PDF editor for macOS
Macworld

pdfFiller: An overpriced, half-baked PDF editor for macOS

A basic PDF editor that doesn't fulfill its promises and costs too much.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
iPHONE 16 & 16 PLUS REVIEW: THE PHONE FOR EVERYONE CREEPS INTO PRO TERRITORY
Macworld

iPHONE 16 & 16 PLUS REVIEW: THE PHONE FOR EVERYONE CREEPS INTO PRO TERRITORY

APPLE'S BEST ALL-AROUND PHONE IS BETTER AND ALL-AROUNDER.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
APPLE WATCH SERIES 10 REVIEW: MODEST IMPROVEMENTS TO A PROVEN FORMULA
Macworld

APPLE WATCH SERIES 10 REVIEW: MODEST IMPROVEMENTS TO A PROVEN FORMULA

IF YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A BIG APPLE WATCH REVAMP, THIS ISN'T IT, BUT IT'S STILL THE BEST SMARTWATCH AROUND.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024