The Touch Bar was undoubtedly a curiosity when it was first introduced to the laptop market five years ago. Right above the keyboard, a small touch screen was installed with the intention of revolutionising user interface design. The Touch Bar certainly appeared to be something Apple had great ambitions for, until it didn’t. The Touch Bar was intended as a rapid bridge between the typing we are accustomed to from laptops and the touchscreens we use on our phones.
The Touch Bar’s demise began nearly immediately after it was created. When it was introduced alongside the 2016 MacBook Pro, it undoubtedly made a splash. Apple claims that the purpose of the little touchscreen was to provide a dynamic experience that allowed customers to engage with the material on their primary screen. Additionally, it was intended to make some apps easier to access and add features to them, such volume control.
Apple did relatively little to further develop the Touch Bar concept, despite the fact that not everyone was immediately sold on it. Unexpectedly, there has never been a MacOS release that added fresh Touch Bar features or functionalities.
Beyond its first introduction, the brand didn’t really promote the feature much. Because of this, it was simple for it to vanish into obscurity, and the majority of MacBook Pro owners never even bothered to utilise the Touch Bar. Apple’s lack of promotion and support may have played a role in some of it, but another factor was probably the fact that the Touch Bar was generally difficult to use.
The majority of us have developed a certain technique for using keyboards, but laptop users have become accustomed to using trackpads and to their customary placement on MacBooks. In actuality, though, our hands are rarely in the vicinity of the Touch Bar during normal use. In addition, several people found it uncomfortable to use the technology because it combined touch control with typing.
In its early years, the Touch Bar’s clumsiness was particularly annoying. Many MacBook Pro users experienced problems with accidently brushing the Touch Bar while typing on the upper half of the keyboard before becoming accustomed to its arrangement.
Although the concept of volume controls on the Touch Bar was intriguing, they also proved to be a bit fiddly in comparison to a standard keyboard and mouse. Apple also stated that the Touch Bar would provide a location for concealed app information, but sadly, due to the bar’s placement, this too turned out to be quite ineffectual. In the end, rather than trying to adjust to the Touch Bar, many customers looked for ways to disable it.
The fact that owners of MacBook Pros were the only ones with access to the Touch Bar serves as one more nail in the coffin. This restricted its application, which significantly reduced its potential.
When the Touch Bar first came out, it appeared to be a stylish, brand-new device that everyone wanted to test. In the end, it’s difficult to pinpoint the specific causes of its collapse, but it’s also difficult to dispute the fact that it disappointed a lot of people. Others simply chose not to utilise it, while some voiced their disapproval loudly. The end outcome is still the same: Apple decided to remove it as a result.
The Touch Bar is no longer present on the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro computers. It is replaced with a row of actual, keyboard-compatible keys. Although some people might miss it, it appears that the Touch Bar’s withdrawal will wind up being less contentious than its introduction.
It is still available on the 13-inch MacBook Pro that Apple continues to sell. But one thing is certain: It’s unlikely that Apple will bring it back any time soon.