Apple released the MacBook in 2015 with an extremely thin and light design profile. It brought about a new design language to the Mac line which was later implemented on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines as well. However, the design is not particularly popular with users as it compromises on “proper cooling of the machine” in favour of thinness.
In 2016, Apple refreshed the MacBook Pro to feature a new design along with the removal of all general ports in favour of USB-C ports and the addition of the TouchBar. The TouchBar has been one of the most controversial features of the laptop right in line after the troublesome keyboard.
Unnecessarily expensive
The thin OLED strip above the keyboard updates dynamically depending on the app that is open at the time to give quick access to shortcuts of the app. The TouchBar was Apple’s answer to touch-friendly Windows laptops, however it did not work out in favour of Apple. The general user response to the TouchBar has been: the touchscreen lacks any kind of feedback when touched, it does not go with the keyboard as users tend to type without looking and the TouchBar changes from app to app.
Some people find the TouchBar to be useful, however the majority of the user base does not as its an unnecessary expensive addition. In case of failure of the TouchBar, users will have to spend around $200-$300 or more to fix the OLED touch screen. I would personally prefer to buy a MacBook Pro without TouchBar and save those 300 bucks.
This year, Apple unveiled the 16” MacBook Pro which fixed the majority of the issues people had with the laptop. However, the company needs to also address the TouchBar issue. It should offer the TouchBar as an option and not make its products unnecessarily expensive for everyone.
