The touch bar in the new macbook pro is a step backwards. Is it worth buying a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar? Impressions after three months of using Macbook pro with touch bar
Emoji can rightfully be called the universal language of communication. With the new MacBook Pro, you won't be limited in how you can use its dictionary. Click on the emoticon located on the Touch Bar, and you will see the entire list of emotionally rich symbols that are available on your phone. And yes, the developers have not forgotten about your favorite Poo emoticon.
2. Easily navigate through downloaded images
If you're tired of constantly looking for the right photo, opening and closing images on your computer, Touch Bar will solve your problem. As soon as you open a photo from the “Pictures” folder, all the recent photos you took will appear on the display. All you have to do is select the photo you want - it will immediately appear on the big screen.
3. Control the video
9to5mac.com Touch Bar allows you to conveniently manage not only photos, but also videos. Thanks to it, you can quickly rewind a movie or video and pause it. The feature does not yet work with players such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix, but this problem is only a matter of time.
4. Think twice before purchasing
9to5mac.com Touch ID makes every purchase much easier and faster, and Apple makes sure you don't waste your money. Every time your finger touches the ID on the panel, the Touch Bar will remind you of the amount you are about to part with. You'll soon get into the habit of thinking twice before you buy anything!
5. Quickly cycle through tabs
Most people have one problem when surfing the Internet: an endless number of open tabs. To get back to what you need, you often have to go through them all, which takes time. The Safari browser in tandem with the Touch Bar easily eliminates this inconvenience: images of the pages of open tabs will now be right in front of you.
6. Add, divide, multiply
The calculator is an invention of a bygone century. However, it is unlikely that it will ever become irrelevant. The Touch Bar will make using the calculator somewhat easier: you can perform all mathematical operations quickly and without the Shift and Command keys.
7. Travel through time
You've probably spent a long time flipping through the “Calendar” to find out if you have any events planned, for example, on January 10th. When you go to Calendar on your new MacBook Pro, you'll see month, week, and date shortcuts on the Touch Bar. You can now find out your schedule for any day literally in a split second.
8. Format tables without hassle
It can be difficult to connect multiple tables that use different input methods. Now that you're in the Number app, the interactive panel will give you instant formatting commands, making your work much easier.
9. Become a DJ
Perhaps this is one of the functions for which the Touch Bar was created. We all love listening to music on our laptop, but having to constantly turn iTunes on and off just to change the track gets annoying. Problem solved. The new MacBook Pro feature will allow you to perform absolutely all operations with music without leaving the cash register: adjust the volume, select a track, add songs to a playlist.
10. Use a color spectrum
Touch Bar allows you to quickly and easily change text color. Just highlight the letters you need and click on the colored button with the “A” symbol on the panel. It will immediately turn into a color spectrum, on which you can quickly select the desired shade.
11. Return old functionality
Do you think the Touch Bar has left function keys in the past? Not at all. You can always customize the panel to your own taste. And if the ability to quickly change screen brightness, backlight and volume is so important to you, then know that Apple has not forgotten about you.
The Touch Bar is a dedicated touchpad included in the 2016 MacBook Pro. This component has radically revolutionized the way we use laptops.
Main materials
If you don't pay attention to the details, it was just a normal speed bump, especially since the MacBook Pro's performance has increased noticeably. Same design, same body colors, same four -C connectors, same battery life. None of the MBP's most attractive features have been sacrificed – no matter what. And this was a real miracle, because it was impossible to do without victims.
Despite the butterfly III keyboard, which is flawed but still resistant to most types of smudges, and the lack of a physical Escape key, and a whole host of other progress birthmarks, the new little Pro was fantastically good.
In 2016, Apple seriously updated the MacBook Pro line, adding the Touch Bar. Initially, this idea seemed like a win-win - the user received an additional screen with which they could directly interact with applications. However, even four years later, Touch Bar has not gained sufficient popularity among users. The greatest dissatisfaction among MacBook Pro owners is the fact that the touchpad has completely replaced the function keys. Apart from everything else, the Touch Bar is absolutely useless in Windows 10 and other operating systems. At least that's how it was until now.
A lot of money and tens of thousands of hours of skilled labor were spent on developing the internal iOS device for some of the Macs, but was the game worth the candle? Those who write good things about the Touch Bar could get paid for it, even if not everyone. There are also those who are truly, sincerely, delighted with the “touch bar”. The Touch Bar is implemented flawlessly. The developers successfully overcame all the non-trivial obstacles that confronted them. There are no complaints about the implementation. Engineers, technical managers, designers, testers - as always - turned out to be at their best.
If you think that this is just an upgrade to a laptop that has been around for a long time and is almost boring to everyone, I am at a loss to guess what, in your opinion, innovations in a laptop should be so that they can be considered revolutionary. But whether revolutionary innovations are good or not is another question. It would be much more interesting if they taught the MacBook Pro to read minds and guess desires. Or they could place the keyboard on the back of the screen, for example. Alas. They are not crazy, and have never (no matter what they say about them) been crazy.
Strictly speaking, the Apple T1 ran bridgeOS, which is based on - but do you remember what watchOS is based on? Even more interesting is the source of information. Chief among them is Apple itself. Suddenly? The Apple T1 is much better known than other chips developed by Apple. Although, in theory, it was this chip, directly related to security, that should have become Apple’s worst secret. Paradox?
In 2016, Apple seriously updated the MacBook Pro, adding a new element to it - . According to the company's idea, the touch panel was supposed to simplify access to various functions, but for many users the appearance of the Touch Bar was not a revelation. On the contrary, this design element is criticized to this day. But can the Touch Bar be truly useful in everyday use?
It's now officially Apple's newest toy—and quite an expensive one, considering the $1,799 price tag for the entry model. The Touch Bar opens the door to a whole new world of how we interact with our MacBook while working on it. Developers get access to API codes and the panel will work flawlessly with third-party applications. And of course, Apple developers have already taken care of deep integration of the touchpad with macOS Sierra, where it will definitely find great use.
Most importantly, the Touch Bar changes depending on what you're doing. When you use one application, you get one set of controls and, accordingly, when you use another application, you get a different set of controls. This is a very flexible system that instantly adapts to the user's needs.
Over time, developers will very soon dramatically increase the potential use of this panel. In the meantime, let's figure out how, here and now, we can use the Touch Bar in the MacBook Pro.
No. 1. Use the Touch ID scanner to make purchases with Apple Pay
A small bonus in the appearance of the Touch Bar in the MacBook Pro is the placement of a fingerprint scanner on it. At first glance, it appears to be built into the touchpad, but it's actually part of the Power button, located on the very right side of the strip. This means that Macs finally have decent support for the Apple Pay service. If a webpage or app supports Apple Pay, you can simply tap your finger and make an online purchase.
No. 2. Edit photos
The Photos app, and perhaps other similar apps, can provide a convenient Touch Bar interface for photo editing. It not only provides instant options for making small changes like rotating a picture, but it also displays more advanced sliders for editing brightness or rotating the horizon of photos.
No. 3. Video editing
The Touch Bar brings further development to the control of playing video fragments, since now the entire video fragment is displayed on the panel in the form of icons. By moving your finger you can start viewing a fragment from any place. This option will likely work with video files hosted on your computer and with existing projects in iMovie/Final Cut Pro, but it would be great if in the future it would also be possible to do tricks like this on sites like YouTube.
No. 4. Switch between browser tabs
The Safari browser also received deep integration with the touchpad. When surfing the web, your bookmarks will appear as icons. With a light touch, you can switch from one tab to another without literally taking your hands off the keyboard instead of using the mouse for these purposes. To go to a new page, all your bookmarks are located right there, under your fingers.
#5. We use the Touch ID scanner to unlock your Mac and switch between accounts
The most practical use for the Touch ID scanner on the new MacBook Pro is switching between user accounts on the computer, as Phil Schiller demonstrated at the presentation. If there are several user accounts on your computer, then all you need to do to switch to the corresponding profile for other users is just to put your finger on the scanner and macOS will identify the user and switch to the corresponding profile. In the same capacity, the scanner can be used to instantly unlock your computer, which will allow you to continue working on it from where you left off for a break.
No. 6. Develops creativity
An Adobe representative has teased the possibilities of what the Touch Bar in Photoshop will be capable of in the very near future. You can change the brush size on the fly, view the entire color range and select the desired color for the brush, and much more. Another plus is the fact that the Touch Bar allows you to add shortcuts to the panel for the most frequently used actions, which are usually deeply hidden in the commands and settings menu.
No. 7. View and send emoticons
The real question is: would the Touch Bar exist if there wasn't a need to invent a super way to add emoji? All jokes aside, the ability to view emojis on the keyboard sounds great. This method is more intuitive than scrolling through and selecting emoji icons using the mouse. You can expand any category of emoticons, select the appropriate one and send it with a simple touch of your finger.
No. 8. Edit and view Keynote slides
The Touch Bar makes it easier to work with any text-based application, including Keynote. But in addition, the Keynote app lets you swipe and view your slides. In a long list of slides, you can scroll through the icons and switch between them.
No. 9. Add live effects to your music
Music apps like GarageBand provide tools for managing your music right on the Touch Bar. If you participated in the creation of musical compositions, then you will definitely like this. Not only will you be able to edit your projects using menu options, but as demonstrated by DJ Algoriddim at the presentation, it will be possible to add live effects. While music is playing, you can change the sound in real time and add effects directly from the Touch Bar, just like DJs usually do.
#10. Change operating system settings
Last but not least, you, of course, have the opportunity to change system settings and gain access to so familiar buttons. Such as volume level, playback control buttons, display brightness and keyboard lighting control buttons, and of course, the favorite ESC button.
Fair, not overpriced and not underestimated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without asterisks, clear and detailed, where technically possible - as accurate and concise as possible.
If spare parts are available, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs require much less time. The website shows the approximate duration of any repair.
Warranty and responsibility
A guarantee must be given for any repairs. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.
Half the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works directly with suppliers, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts for current models, so you don’t have to waste extra time.
Free diagnostics
This is very important and has already become a rule of good manners for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you don't have to pay a penny for it, even if you don't repair the device based on its results.
Service repairs and delivery
A good service values your time, so it offers free delivery. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of a service center: correctly and according to technology can only be done in a prepared place.
Convenient schedule
If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient to fit in before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00
The reputation of professionals consists of several points
Company age and experience
Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years and has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, and recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the service center are restored.
Other service centers trust us and refer complex cases to us.
How many masters in areas
If there are always several engineers waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of right away.
2. you give your Macbook for repair to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices
Technical literacy
If you ask a question, a specialist should answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you can imagine what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.
In defense of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. He should have told me how to properly configure the touchpad, to make it as useful as possible.
It's a pity, but many still refuse to admit that the Touch Bar is a step forward compared to the F1-12 function buttons. It is for such doubters that we have prepared as many as 40 additional tips on how to upgrade your sensor strip.
Basic features:
1. Learn to look at the Touch Bar
Train yourself to look at the Touch Bar and you will love it
When Apple launched the first MacBook Pro with Touch Bar in 2016, it felt awkward. But in fact, he was rather unusual.
The fact is that most Mac owners who work at the computer for a long time every day get so used to their keyboard that they don’t even look at it anymore.
Touch Bar requires different habits: you I'll have to learn to look wider and look at the touch strip.
As practice shows, you can adapt in a week or two.
2. Don't overload the Touch Bar with buttons
A clear example of adjusting the volume from a button
Keep in mind that you don't have to try to fit literally everything on the touchpad: It's better to use multi-function buttons.
For example, the “Volume Slider” will easily replace all other buttons for you to configure it. You don't just have to press it to bring up the controller - instead, hold it and slide it in any direction.
3. Be sure to configure the Control Strip
On the left are application control buttons, on the right is Control Strip
You can customize the Touch Bar in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard.
Select “Program Control Buttons” from the “Show in Touch Bar” menu, check the “Show Control Strip” box, and check “Extend the Control Strip” in the “Press the Fn key to” box.
This is the combination after a year of use proved to be the simplest and most universal. Now on the left side of the Touch Bar there will be application control buttons, on the right - computer control, which you can expand with the Fn button.
Now click “Customize Touch Bar” and drag only useful features for the Control Strip onto it: both the full and short version.
4. Actions for all applications can be customized
Application-specific Touch Bar settings are most often found in the View menu.
Check the View menu of standard and third-party applications. Most often, this is where you will find the “Customize the Touch Bar” item, which will help you choose the content of the panel for yourself.
5. Figure out how to hide the Control Strip
If you don't have enough space for app buttons, hide the Control Strip
If you use complex apps with a lot of quick actions on the Touch Bar, you can hide the Control Strip in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard.
You'll still be able to access it by pressing Fn.
6. Think about what you can do to occupy the entire Touch Bar
This is especially true in third-party applications
If you actively use Adobe Photoshop, be sure to set up the Touch Bar. In this program, this item is hidden in the “View” menu.
You can add buttons to the panel for working with brushes and fills, quick access to the history of changes, control of the opacity level - all this will help you take advantage of your space on the Touch Bar.
7. Understand switching between tabs
Note the arrow buttons
Typically buttons that have an arrow image are switches with additional features.
For example, when editing images in the Photos app, you can use the arrow button on the left edge of the Touch Bar to switch between settings, filters, and cropping.
8. Try the Incoming Call Panel
If your iPhone is set up to allow calls from other Apple devices (Settings > Phone > On Other Devices) and you receive or make a call from your MacBook Pro, you can monitor its progress directly from the Touch Bar.
9. Don’t be afraid to be left without the F1-12 keys
You can return the familiar function keys for your favorite apps
If any of your applications are not adapted to work with the Touch Bar (to be honest, we have not seen any), you can enable the usual function keys F1-12 for it.
To do this, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts and add it here.
Editing text:
10. Try predictive typing
Predictive mode will speed up text entry if you're not good at it
If you are not typing as quickly as you would like, predictive mode will help you with this - almost all standard and many third-party applications support it.
When you work with text, the Touch Bar will display word options for further input.
11. Enter Emoji quickly
Quickly enter Emoji using the Touch Bar
In Messages and other instant messengers, a button with a smiley face appears on the left side of the Touch Bar. It will help you quickly enter Emoji without going to the Emoji & Symbols panel.
12. Learn to switch between emoji sections
The button with the treasured arrow will help you with this.
By default, the emoji menu shows the last emoji you used. But you can move to other sections using the arrow button.
13. Turn ordinary words into emojis
Predictive input + Emoji
In addition to ordinary words, Touch Bar also offers Emojis, which can and should be used to diversify communication.
14. Unlock secret formatting tools
Auto-hide predictive input
When you highlight text in Notes or any other predictive app, it automatically hides so you can speed up the formatting process.
Finder Actions:
15. Change Finder Display with One Click
Switch how files are displayed in the Finder using the Touch Bar
In Finder, the Touch Bar is the easiest way to switch between file display options.
16. Quickly create folders and move files
Notice the button with the folder icon
Select several files that need to be moved to a new folder, use drag-n-drop, click on the create folder button and drop these files into it.
This combo seems difficult at first, but over time it will greatly speed up working with files.
17. Send any file in a couple of clicks
The fastest way
Select any file in the Finder, click on the eye button to activate a preview, and then immediately click on the send button to transfer it in any convenient way.
This is much faster than using sending from the context menu.
Buttons for Safari:
18. Open links in a couple of clicks
The entire list of favorite sites on the Touch Bar
Just click on the input line, and a complete list of your favorite sites with folders will immediately appear on the Touch Bar.
19. Sort links by importance
The bookmarks bar on the left should contain the sites you use most often
To make sure the sites you open most often are immediately accessible, move them as far to the left as possible in the bookmarks bar.
20. Enter site passwords quickly
Select the account you want to use
If you are using Keychain Access, simply click on the login or password entry field, and the Touch Bar will immediately display multiple accounts, which are available for entry.
21. Add reading mode to the Touch Bar
Reading mode on the Touch Bar in Safari can be added through Settings
Add Reading Mode to the Touch Bar in Safari via View > Customize Touch Bar and you'll be able to activate it as quickly as possible.
Other Apple software:
22. Mail: Hold the checkbox to change its color
Mark the letter with any color
In Mail, you can highlight emails with flags so you can later find information on a specific topic by color—you can do this using the Touch Bar.
First select a letter and then press the red checkbox to select a color.
23. Photo: scroll through pictures
Flipping through photos in Photos with the Touch Bar is great
You don't even have to look down at the touchpad: just flip through photos by swiping left and right.
24. Photo: Adjust the intensity of the setting
Make your photo darker and brighter, but not only
Select the required option when editing a photo in Photos and change its value via the Touch Bar. This applies to brightness, color, white balance, and so on.
At the same time you will immediately see the possible result in the touchpad preview.
25. Photo: compare before and after
You only need to press one button!
Pay attention to the button to the left of the adjustments. It will give you the opportunity to quickly see the result before and after to understand that your manipulations did not make the photo worse.
26. Books: turn the pages
And through the Touch Bar in “Books” it’s convenient to quickly make bookmarks
Similar to Photos, the Books app has a convenient slider for turning pages. To the right of it there are also buttons for searching the book and bookmarks.
27. iTunes: Control from any app
The most convenient playback control
If you listen to music through Apple Music, on the Control Strip button is automatically added, which activates playback control mode.
With it, you can rewind a song, pause it, and also switch between recordings.
28. Calculator: use action buttons
Touch Bar makes your Mac a complete calculator
If you just upgraded to a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, you'll be pleased to see calculator control buttons on the Touch Bar.
Now you won't need to use the cursor to perform actions at all, and this speeds up calculations significantly.
29. Terminal: Use function keys
You can add up to 20 function keys in Terminal
If you need function keys in the same “Terminal”, go to the Touch Bar settings for this application and add up to 20 of them.
Third Party Applications:
30. Adobe Photoshop: Set Up Your Favorites
Customize any of the three panels
In Adobe Photoshop, you have three panels available to you for the Touch Bar: Layer Options, Brushes, and Favorites. You can first select any of them and then customize as you wish.
The item with touch panel settings in this case is hidden in the “View” menu.
31. Adobe Photoshop: Switch between changes
The history menu on the Touch Bar is simply brilliant
Notice the history button on the Touch Bar. It will open to you a whole set of iterations of your image, and you can select the one you need based on the preview.
32. Adobe Illustrator: Combine Objects
One of the most popular functions when working with vector graphics
The most popular button on the Touch Bar when working with Adobe Illustrator has long been the combination of several simple shapes into a more complex one.
33. Microsoft Word: Switch Between Styles
This greatly speeds up formatting
Activate the style editing feature and quickly use them with text via the Touch Bar. This speeds up document formatting in this editor literally significantly.
Try it.
34. Microsoft Office: Open recent documents
Quickly search for recent documents
To quickly open one of your latest documents, simply click on the clock button - this works in any Microsoft Office application.
35. Take Touch Bar screenshots
And then edit them
To take a screenshot of the Touch Bar, simply press Command+Shift+6. After that, you can make the necessary notes on it using the screenshot editor built into macOS.
This will help you explain the touchpad features friend, as I am doing now, or, conversely, ask questions.
36. Customize the area for screenshots
Select the area to take the screenshot and where to save it
Press Command+Shift+4, and then select more screenshot options on the Touch Bar.
37. Figure out how to tell if there are a lot of elements on the Touch Bar
Note the shading on the left and right
This can be seen by the darkening of the elements on the left and right sides of the touchpad.
38. Customize your site for Touch Bar
To have a beautiful icon on the Touch Bar
To ensure your web page icon looks optimal on the Touch Bar, follow Apple's instructions for site owners.
39. Add Automator Actions to the Touch Bar
Automator Quick Actions button in the lower right corner
If you're a heavy user of Automator, you can add a button with your favorite quick actions to its base on the Touch Bar.
So it will be possible to launch them easier and faster.
