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You can make the touch bar surprisingly useful if you can install some third party software and configurations. I use a one call Better Touch Tool and its reall

You can make the touch bar surprisingly useful if you can install some third party software and configurations. I use a one call Better Touch Tool and its really good, It's worth a try. Here is a previous HN thread on it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20229226 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20229226

FractalParadigm 6y ago
It honestly just seems ridiculous that 3rd party software is required to restore 'basic' keyboard/computer functionality to a feature that few people seem to enjoy having in the first place. If people want the touch bar, fine, have a separate SKU for that, but at least give those of us who want a real keyboard the option to have one. It feels to me like Apple should have taken an "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" approach. There was, and is, nothing wrong with a traditional keyboard, yet for some reason they decided that changing something so fundamental was a good idea. In fact I would probably be less miffed if their systems came setup with Dvorak, at least it's possible to argue reasons why it was a good decision.
- cnst 6y ago
  Now in 2020, they actually already offer all keyboard layouts on any laptop in their US store, all at no extra cost -- which is really nice -- you can get a British, Japanese or Russian keyboard directly on any laptop when purchased directly at Apple.com for US delivery on a US credit card -- at no extra charge -- and it's advertised to still come with a correct US-based plug, so, there's nothing to worry about. I wish Lenovo would follow suit. Currently, Lenovo doesn't even sell separate SKUs for non-en-US keyboard layout even on external keyboards, not to mention keyboards already integrated into the laptops. But in any case, I'd rather have the physical keys than the TouchBar strip, even if accompanied by a laser-etched keyboard layout of my choice.
nordsieck 6y ago
> You can make the touch bar surprisingly useful if you can install some third party software and configurations. From your link: > I'd recommend BetterTouchTool and things like finger swipes for volume up/down and brightness up/down and showing things like Spotify. That sounds less good than function keys. If that's the best pitch for the touch bar, that is the very definition of damning with faint praise.
cnst 6y ago
You can already change the Touch Bar settings in macOS to put back the default keys as would be on the physical keyboard; the problem is that it's still not a physical keyboard, and you get phantom key presses as you lay your hands around the keyboard to be able to push any key you want without even looking at the keyboard. Not to mention the loss of the haptic feedback. The fact that Touch Bar is a "premium" feature, yet many folks would pay MORE to NOT have it, shows you that Apple merely doesn't want to admit the defeat, because there'd be plenty of people who'd pay more just to get the newer hardware without giving up the physical keys. P.S. The same actually goes for the oversized Trackpad on the latest 2019 MacBook Pro 16" as well: I've enabled Tap to click on MBP16 as on all my prior MacBook laptops for years, and I'm getting phantom clicks everywhere all the time now; it's really annoying, and one of the reasons why 16GB Quad-Core 2020 MacBook Air 13" is on the only decent MacBook out there, even if you have an unlimited budget to spend -- I wish they'd at least offer more RAM on it, if that's their only actual professional machine at the end of the day!
- paulryanrogers 6y ago
  Stubbornness may be a pattern from a computer hardware company offering only a single button mouse for decades

FractalParadigm 6y ago

It honestly just seems ridiculous that 3rd party software is required to restore 'basic' keyboard/computer functionality to a feature that few people seem to enjoy having in the first place. If people want the touch bar, fine, have a separate SKU for that, but at least give those of us who want a real keyboard the option to have one. It feels to me like Apple should have taken an "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" approach. There was, and is, nothing wrong with a traditional keyboard, yet for some reason they decided that changing something so fundamental was a good idea. In fact I would probably be less miffed if their systems came setup with Dvorak, at least it's possible to argue reasons why it was a good decision.

cnst 6y ago
Now in 2020, they actually already offer all keyboard layouts on any laptop in their US store, all at no extra cost -- which is really nice -- you can get a British, Japanese or Russian keyboard directly on any laptop when purchased directly at Apple.com for US delivery on a US credit card -- at no extra charge -- and it's advertised to still come with a correct US-based plug, so, there's nothing to worry about. I wish Lenovo would follow suit. Currently, Lenovo doesn't even sell separate SKUs for non-en-US keyboard layout even on external keyboards, not to mention keyboards already integrated into the laptops. But in any case, I'd rather have the physical keys than the TouchBar strip, even if accompanied by a laser-etched keyboard layout of my choice.

nordsieck 6y ago

> You can make the touch bar surprisingly useful if you can install some third party software and configurations. From your link: > I'd recommend BetterTouchTool and things like finger swipes for volume up/down and brightness up/down and showing things like Spotify. That sounds less good than function keys. If that's the best pitch for the touch bar, that is the very definition of damning with faint praise.

cnst 6y ago

You can already change the Touch Bar settings in macOS to put back the default keys as would be on the physical keyboard; the problem is that it's still not a physical keyboard, and you get phantom key presses as you lay your hands around the keyboard to be able to push any key you want without even looking at the keyboard. Not to mention the loss of the haptic feedback. The fact that Touch Bar is a "premium" feature, yet many folks would pay MORE to NOT have it, shows you that Apple merely doesn't want to admit the defeat, because there'd be plenty of people who'd pay more just to get the newer hardware without giving up the physical keys. P.S. The same actually goes for the oversized Trackpad on the latest 2019 MacBook Pro 16" as well: I've enabled Tap to click on MBP16 as on all my prior MacBook laptops for years, and I'm getting phantom clicks everywhere all the time now; it's really annoying, and one of the reasons why 16GB Quad-Core 2020 MacBook Air 13" is on the only decent MacBook out there, even if you have an unlimited budget to spend -- I wish they'd at least offer more RAM on it, if that's their only actual professional machine at the end of the day!

paulryanrogers 6y ago
Stubbornness may be a pattern from a computer hardware company offering only a single button mouse for decades