This response is fascinating to me, primarily because my personal preference is almost completely the opposite. One thing that strikes me though: of the things

This response is fascinating to me, primarily because my personal preference is almost completely the opposite. One thing that strikes me though: of the things you mentioned that you like about the touchbar, many of them don't necessarily need to live in that area of the keyboard. I should also clarify one thing: I do like that the touchbar can visualize things in context (and I find the things you mentioned cool), but I wouldn't choose that over the physical keys. For me, the perfect middle ground would be a bar above the function row that doesn't try to be both things. Or perhaps somewhere else entirely (to the right or left of the trackpad?) > Perhaps those with larger hands can reach the function keys without disrupting their positioning. For me it is not possible. This could be part of the issue as well. I can reach without issue, but I can understand why this doesn't work for everyone.