One of Apple’s most controversial technology resources could be pulled out this year. Many will not miss

One of Apple’s most controversial technology resources could be pulled out this year. Many will not miss

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Although the design of the MacBook Pro has not changed significantly in five years, Apple will eliminate its digital Touch Bar, according to a January memo from Ming-Chi Kuo, a leading Apple analyst at TF International Securities. CNN Business translated the memo from Chinese.

Apple first unveiled the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro in 2016. It is a small, rectangular OLED touchscreen that replaced the row of function keys at the top of the keyboard. Its digital interface includes other features like predictive text and shortcuts. Apple application developers can make software to take advantage of the capabilities of the touchscreen.

Apple fans are divided on how they feel about the Touch Bar. Some love the ease of use, but others miss the physical buttons it has replaced.

Kuo’s memo states that the Touch Bar is leaving in two MacBook Pro 2021 models, a 14-inch laptop and a 16-inch laptop, and that the old physical buttons will return. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

An Apple employee demonstrates Touch Bar on a new MacBook Pro during a 2016 product launch event in Cupertino, California.

Apple may be dismissing the Touch Bar because of mixed reaction from fans, said Carolina Milanesi, a technology analyst at research firm Creative Strategies.

“Apple may not have seen so much demand and, of course, aggregate cost becomes an issue for Apple when it is not seen as a value for the user,” said Milanesi. Lower demand also “limited the level of interest from developers, which in turn limited the utility of the bar”.

The Touch Bar’s controversial legacy has been clear since its introduction in 2016.

“When Apple first unveiled the Touch Bar, the reception was very polarized,” said Linn Huang, vice president for device and monitor research. “Many were confused by the problems he intended to solve and wondered how the developers would integrate him into their software experience.”

Fans eager for a MacBook with touch screen capabilities were also unhappy with the Touch Bar – they expected a full touch screen, said Huang. But loyal fans “have found the Touch Bar to be a great addition to Apple’s vaunted user experience.”

Both Milanesi and Huang expect Apple to launch a touchscreen MacBook again in the future. Once that happens, “the story will resemble the Touch Bar as a momentary half-concession between Apple and its loyal fans,” said Huang.

Reflecting on the Touch Bar

Mark “Soldier Knows Best” Watson, a tech YouTuber with more than 800,000 subscribers, said the Touch Bar “was a complete change to something we all get used to”.

While it helped Apple to “visually modernize” the new MacBooks, “Sometimes, the uniqueness of the Touch Bar can make you have to press a few keys instead of a traditional keyboard,” he noted.

Had Apple not replaced all physical function keys with the Touch Bar, it could have been less controversial, he said.

Apple returned the escape key for the 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2019 and for the 13-inch model in 2020.

Dave “Dave2D” Lee, a tech Youtuber with more than 3 million subscribers, wants the Touch Bar to end. He misses the tactile function keys, such as volume, brightness and media controls that the Touch Bar has replaced.

These function keys were probably “embedded in the muscle memory” of some Mac users and the Touch Bar is not as reliable, he said.

“Maybe I’m from the old school, but I wish they were simple,” he said. “A good keyboard without any special tricks. This is always a winner.”

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