home Browsers What is touch bar on macbook. How the Touch Bar works in Windows. But it's logical

What is touch bar on macbook. How the Touch Bar works in Windows. But it's logical

If the last iPhone update turned out to be quite ambiguous, then laptops Macbook Pro received the most significant update in the history of the line. And it's not just a significantly updated case design, a new set of connectors and improved performance, but also the appearance of an innovative control element: the Touch Bar with a scanner Fingerprint Touch ID. Like any other product, the new 2016 MacBook Pro has both pros and cons. What impressions did the professional Apple laptop leave after three months of use, further in the MacDigger article.

The hallmark of any MacBook is its design. Whether you're a Mac or PC fanatic, it's hard to deny that appearance and the build quality of the MacBook is at a level unattainable for many manufacturers. In terms of design, Apple has always been impeccable.

The look of the new MacBook Pro has been radically updated from previous models. We can say that Apple has made a hybrid of the old MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook. The screen resolution has not changed compared to the previous generation, but its quality has increased significantly and in direct comparison with its predecessor, the difference is immediately evident. Higher maximum panel brightness, saturation and contrast. You can now use your MacBook Pro outdoors in bright sunlight.

The 2016 MacBook Pro has updated the keyboard mechanism, and now the key travel is barely felt, which at first seems uncomfortable. But once you get used to it, other computer keyboards will seem terrible to you.

As before, the all-metal body of the laptop looks flawless, but it's not too scratch resistant. Over time, marks may appear on it, so it is better to get a cover.

A feature of the new generation of MacBook is a huge touchpad. Traditionally, the trackpad in Apple laptops is unrivaled, but the need to increase it to such a size is questionable. The touchpad is really big, comparable to the iPhone 7 Plus. It does not bring any additional benefits. The fact is that even before the touchpad did not seem small at all, and there is no feeling that increasing it gives some significant increase in comfort of use.

But the main complaint may be the transition to USB-C. At first, this can really be a problem, and Apple should have at least left a memory card slot. But if you think that you will have to carry a bunch of adapters with you, then you are mistaken. In most cases, one single adapter with "classic" USB ports and an SD card slot. In addition, there are devices on the market for wireless transmission data. For example, MobiLite Wireless Pro with built-in battery. It allows you to transfer data wirelessly from any device.

Apple is striving to establish the USB-C format as the only and universal one, and in principle there are chances to force a general transition to it. Accordingly, if today for owners of MacBook Pro 2016 and MacBook 12″ connecting a USB drive becomes a headache, then after some time, owners of laptops with old connectors will experience the same torment, because the industry will gradually switch to USB-C .

There are only two weaknesses in this concept. Firstly, Apple for some reason does not move to USB-C in the iPhone and iPad, although most competitors already use USB-C in smartphones and tablets. And secondly, even if this universal adoption of USB-C as the main and universal format ever takes place, it will definitely not happen in the next two years. This means that by the time the “happy future” comes, the current “proshki” will already be obsolete.

Pleases the opportunity charging macbook Pro from external battery, but the proprietary MagSafe port is missing. What's more, the 15-inch model consumes 85 watts, so it won't charge from a normal portable charger while in use. The 13-inch MacBook Pro draws 65 watts so you can use the gadget and charge the battery.

What I definitely like is the stereo speakers to the left and right of the keyboard. They give good enough loud noise, as far as it is possible in principle in this form factor.

On the Web, you can often find complaints about the poor autonomy of new MacBooks. Unfortunately, real time battery life really far from Apple's claimed 10 hours. While doing challenging tasks like video editing, a 15-inch laptop "lives" 1-2 hours, with normal use - 3-4. Things are a little better with the 13-inch model, which gets 5-6 hours of battery life, but that's not even close to 10 hours.

The advantage of the new MacBook is certainly speed, which exceeds all expectations. Despite the fact that the laptop does not have the latest Hardware, MacBook Pro 2016 performs better than top-end Windows machines. There are no problems when editing 4K video when it comes to Final Cut Pro.

Upset limit random access memory 16 GB, which is especially felt when editing large videos. The laptop supports connecting an external 5K display via USB-C. The Mac transmits an image and charges the battery at the same time, but the overall impression of such a bundle is mixed. In normal tasks, everything works fine, but under significant workloads, performance may not be enough.

As for the Touch Bar, you can doubt its necessity in terms of everyday use as much as you like, but this is an innovation that can justify an upgrade and immediately distinguishes the MacBook Pro 2016 from all other models. It is logical to assume that other manufacturers will also begin to experiment in this direction.

The Touch Bar is an attempt to come up with another control besides the touchpad and keyboard. But at the same time it is also a rethinking of the keyboard, because the Touch Bar replaces top row keys and can imitate them.

Although, for all its innovativeness, the Touch Bar is a rather controversial solution, hardly capable of significantly increasing productivity and greatly facilitating interaction with a laptop. If you set a goal to learn how to use it at 100 and unleash the potential of the Touch Bar, then you will be able to find optimal scenarios where the touch panel is really much more convenient than the usual methods of interacting with a laptop. But to say that after using the MacBook Pro 2016 it will be hard to return to a regular MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar is not.

The last thing worth noting is the fingerprint scanner. Well, in fact: in the top tablets, which most use as toys, there is a fingerprint scanner, but in professional laptops, where the user has important documents, projects, archives Email and other things that should not fall into the wrong hands, the fingerprint sensor is still a novelty. But now Apple will most likely build it into every laptop, which means other vendors will have to too. Again, a big plus for all users - even those who would never buy a MacBook.

Technically, the Touch ID sensor is not part of the touchpad, but is located to the right of it. Using a fingerprint scanner for quick authorization and online shopping is very convenient.

The most important question - is it worth buying this laptop? The answer depends on your budget and personal preference. Apple has relied on thickness and dimensions, innovation and the “wow factor”, which put the user in front of a difficult choice: it seems that, according to the logic of things, you need to buy latest model, if there is money, the more it is so cool, but if a laptop is taken to make money with it, then doubts creep in about the appropriateness of such a decision.

It is clear that Apple laptops have always been expensive, especially top ones, but when buying a classic MacBook Pro Retina 15″, we clearly understood what we would get: a top-end device for all occasions, absolutely understandable and predictable. MacBook Pro 2016 is something new, an experiment, and here everyone must decide for himself: is he ready to spend money on this experiment and get used to the features of the novelty, or is it better to wait until the innovations that Apple has implemented here become the standard de facto.

No matter what Tim Cook says, Apple has once again proved that it frankly does not care about the Mac family. Rumors that roamed before the presentation predicted a total update of the entire line of computers, however, only the MacBook Pro series was lucky. Apart from the expected cosmetic and hardware upgrade, only the Touch Bar, a touch panel that utilized a number of function keys and brought a completely different Mac experience, could boast of fresh firmware.

Trying to keep emotions in check, we will try to talk about the new MacBook Pro in a classic style, that is, let's start with the dimensions. Apple never tires of repeating that size matters: the 13- and 15-inch versions are 14 and 17 percent smaller (14.9 and 15.5 mm) compared to their predecessors; models shed weight to 3 and 4 lbs (1.3 and 1.8 kg) and shrunk nicely overall. What are we talking about - the 2016 MacBook Pro is even thinner Macbook Air who are long overdue for retirement. From the point of view of design, the Yabloko made a muscular modification of just a MacBook out of the firmware, and this, I must say, was to our liking.

Of course, they also worked on performance, demonstrating their love for GPUs Radeon family. Just in case, we note that Apple has given the 15-inch model the role of a powerful flagship, equipping it with the most aggressive hardware:

quad-core Intel processor Core i7 2.6 or 2.7 GHz, boosted turbo boost up to 3.5 or 3.6 GHz respectively;
16 GB of RAM with a frequency of 2133 MHz;
graphics adapter Radeon Pro 450 or 455
4 Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID

Models of 13 inches in the amount of three pieces boast the following characteristics:

dual core processor Intel Core i5 with a frequency of 2.0 or 2.9 GHz, with Turbo Boost acceleration up to 3.1 or 3.3 GHz, respectively;
8 GB of RAM with a frequency of 1866 or 2133 MHz;
256 or 512 GB solid state drive;
graphics adapter Intel Iris Graphics 540 or 550
2 or 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID (not in the youngest version)

By the way, it’s quite interesting that Apple chose to remove the innovative Touch Bar and fingerprint sensor from the “budget” model altogether. Also, any more or less advanced user will notice that new Pro disgracefully switched to the Thunderbolt 3 interface, which came in 2015 and promises new horizons as in working with external devices as well as in nutrition. On the case this standard expressed in the form of USB-C ports that have proven themselves successfully. They will allow you to connect two displays in 5K resolution, provide speeds of 40 Gb / s and full charge. True, the prices for an elementary two-meter cable are at the level of 11 thousand rubles. And that's just the cable!

The GPU on the Radeon Pro 450 (455) promises a twofold increase in performance. Solid state drives sport a 50% increase in speed. Claimed battery life for all versions is around 10 hours (when watching movies and surfing the web).

Now to the screen. The already chic Retina displays are now 67% brighter and more contrast, and their colors are 23% more saturated. Schiller said nothing more.

The keyboard in the new MacBook Pro provides a more stable response, that is, the key travel has been improved. The butterfly mechanism is still used, but already the second generation. But that's not the point. The main thing is a double-sized trackpad with the Force Touch function: the yard box has been transformed into a whole football field for your fingers!

We doubt that the increased range of the speakers and the increased volume threshold will seriously affect the sound, given the design of the MacBook Pro, but this fact is worth stating.

And now we move on to the most interesting, most revolutionary part of the review and presentation as a whole - the Touch Bar and Touch ID sensor. Everyone is familiar with the latter from the iPhone, where the fingerprint sensor appeared with the iPhone 5s in 2013. It works the same way on Macs: just tap your finger to unlock macOS without entering a password. Also, thanks to Touch ID, purchases on sites with support are confirmed. Apple Pay. All scanner activity is looped on the Apple T1 chip.

The fingerprint sensor turned out to be smarter than what is used on iOS. If several users work on a computer, each has its own account and, accordingly, your configured fingerprint, then macOS, recognizing the owner, will instantly switch to the data of the person who just accessed Touch ID.

We decided to leave the Touch Bar for last, to let the thoughts gather in our heads. A number of function keys on the new MacBook Pro disappeared, Escape disappeared, which, on the other hand, an extraordinary (in all respects) feature was added, somewhere radically facilitating, and somewhere, on the contrary, complicating the work.

Touch Bar can be flexibly adjusted to various applications. Most of all, I liked how the know-how behaves at the DJ console, allowing you to compose mixes with the help of several virtual sliders displayed above the keyboard. Also, the Touch Bar is quite productively combined with video and music editors, moving around the tape or involving editing tools.

But the behavior in the browser, instant messengers, Photos and Photoshop applications caused a bunch of questions that tear apart the concept of working for the MacBook Pro as a whole. Why look for a site tab on a narrow panel when you can make one click in Safari? Why is there address bar, navigation buttons and predictive input, when it's much more convenient to use it through the keyboard or trackpad? Have you noticed Craig Frederighi's diligence in selecting emojis on the Touch Bar? There are a lot of controversial points, and we will completely keep silent about working in Photoshop, because the user will literally have to break between the usual input tools and the sliders on the touch panel.

Again, we repeat that such a thing as the Touch Bar must be tested personally, applied to work applications for every day, let into your world, and not criticized in absentia, since the chip turned out to be really ambiguous. Somebody, the same DJ, will raise the Touch Bar to the skies, and the blind typing journalist will laugh at how they want to force him to look at the keyboard, although he learned the opposite.

It remains to tell about the configuration and prices. MacBook Pro 2016 will be available in two colors: Silver and gray space. To become the owner of new firmware, you will have to fork out at least 119,990 rubles - the cost of the most budgetary 13″ version without Touch Bar and Touch ID; the maximum configuration for 15″ will cost you 222,990 rubles. All prices and modifications are presented above.

Of course, updating the MacBook Pro line to meet the requirements of 2016 is a very rosy event: workhorses have become smaller, lighter, more powerful, have been unlocked via Touch ID and a unique Touch Bar, which - we have no doubt - will still prove itself, but ... But what about the Mac mini, which was last updated in 2014? Why didn't they say a word about the iMac? Will the Air series retire? Will the price tag of the Mac Pro, which is still running on 2013 hardware, exceed a million rubles (maybe Apple is afraid of it :)? Alas, these questions remain unanswered.

Emoji can rightfully be called the universal language of communication. With the new MacBook Pro, you won't be limited in how you use its vocabulary. Click on the smiley face located on the Touch Bar and you will see the entire list of emotionally rich symbols that are available on your phone. And yes, the developers haven't forgotten about your favorite Poo emoji.

2. Easily navigate uploaded images

If you are tired of constantly looking for the right photo by opening and closing pictures on your computer, Touch Bar will solve your problem. As soon as you open a photo from the Pictures folder, the display will show all the latest pictures you have taken. It remains to select the desired photo - it will immediately appear on the big screen.

3. Control video

9to5mac.com

The Touch Bar allows you to conveniently manage not only photos, but also videos. Thanks to it, you can quickly rewind a movie or video and pause it. The feature does not yet work with players such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix, but this problem is only a matter of time.

4. Think twice before buying

9to5mac.com

Touch ID makes every purchase a lot easier and faster, and Apple makes sure you don't waste your money. Each time your finger touches an ID on the panel, the Touch Bar will remind you of the amount you are about to part with. You will soon get in the habit of thinking twice before buying anything!

5. Quickly cycle through tabs

Most people have one problem when surfing the Internet: an infinite number open tabs. To get back to the right one, you often have to go through them all, which takes time. The Safari browser in tandem with the Touch Bar easily eliminates this inconvenience: images of pages of open tabs will now be right in front of you.

6. Add, divide, multiply

The calculator is an invention of a bygone century. However, it is unlikely that it will ever become irrelevant. The Touch Bar will make using the calculator a little easier: everything mathematical operations you can do it quickly and without Shift keys and command.

7. Time travel

Surely you have been flipping through the Calendar for a long time to find out if you have any events planned, for example, on January 10th. When you go to Calendar on your new MacBook Pro, you'll see month, week, and number tabs on the Touch Bar. You can now find out your schedule for any day in just a split second.

8. Format tables without hassle

It can be difficult to join multiple tables that use different ways input. Now that you're in the Number app, the interactive panel will offer you instant formatting commands, making your job a lot easier.

9. Become a DJ

Perhaps this is one of the functions for which the Touch Bar was created. We all love to listen to music on a laptop, but having to constantly turn iTunes on and off to change a track is annoying. Problem solved. The new MacBook Pro feature will allow you to perform absolutely all operations with music without leaving the cash register: adjust the volume, select a track, add songs to the playlist.

10. Use the color spectrum

Touch Bar allows you to quickly and easily change the color of text. Just highlight the required letters and click on the colored button with the "A" symbol on the panel. It will immediately turn into a color spectrum, on which you can quickly select the desired shade.

11. Bring back the old functionality

Do you think the Touch Bar left the function keys behind? Not at all. You can always customize the panel to your own liking. And if the ability to quickly change the screen brightness, backlight and volume is so important to you, then know that Apple has not forgotten about you.

The Touch Bar is a dedicated touch bar that comes with the 2016 MacBook Pro. This component has radically upgraded the way we use a laptop.

Main materials

If you do not pay attention to details and details, it was the usual speed bump, especially since the performance of the MacBook Pro has increased markedly. Same design, same body colors, same four -C connectors, same battery life. None of the MBP's most attractive features have been sacrificed - no matter what. And this was a real miracle, because it was impossible to do without victims.

Despite the keyboard "butterfly III", with albeit imperfect, but still with protection from most types of pollution, and the lack of a physical Escape key, and whole line other progress birthmarks, the new little Pro was fantastically good.

In 2016, Apple seriously updated the MacBook Pro lineup with the addition of the Touch Bar. Initially, this idea seemed like a win-win - the user received additional screen, with which it was possible to directly interact with applications. However, even after four years, the Touch Bar has not gained due popularity among users. The biggest dissatisfaction among MacBook Pro owners is the fact that the touch bar has completely replaced the function keys. On top of everything else, the Touch Bar is completely useless on Windows 10 and others. operating systems. At least that was the case up to this point.

A lot of money and tens of thousands of hours of skilled labor have been spent developing the internal iOS device for some of the Macs, but was the game worth the candle? Those who write good things about the Touch Bar could be paid for it, even if not for everyone. There are those who are truly, sincerely, delighted with the “touch bar”. The Touch Bar is impeccably implemented. The developers successfully overcame all the non-trivial obstacles that confronted them. There are no complaints about the implementation. Engineers, technical managers, designers, testers - as always - were on top.

If you think that this is just an upgrade of a long-existing and almost boring laptop for everyone, I am at a loss to guess what, in your opinion, innovations in a laptop should be in order to be considered revolutionary. But whether revolutionary innovations are good or not is another question. It would be much more interesting if they taught the MacBook Pro to read minds and guess desires. Or they would place the keyboard on the back of the screen, for example. Alas. They are not crazy, and never (whatever they say about them) were not crazy.

Strictly speaking, the Apple T1 was running bridgeOS based on - but do you remember what watchOS is based on? Even more interesting source of information. Chief among them is Apple itself. Suddenly? The Apple T1 is much better known than other chips developed by Apple. Although, in theory, it was this chip, directly related to security, that should have become the most terrible “apple” secret. Paradox?

In 2016, Apple seriously updated the MacBook Pro, adding to it new element- . As planned by the company, the touch panel was supposed to simplify access to various functions, but for many users, the appearance of the Touch Bar was not a revelation. On the contrary, this design element is criticized to this day. But can the Touch Bar really be useful in everyday use?

If a Last update The iPhone turned out to be very controversial, then the MacBook Pro laptops received the most significant update in the entire history of the line. And it's not just a significantly updated case design, a new set of connectors and improved performance, but also the appearance of an innovative control element: the Touch Bar with Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Like any other product, the new 2016 MacBook Pro has both pros and cons. What impressions did the professional Apple laptop leave after three months of use, further in the MacDigger article.

The hallmark of any MacBook is its design. Whether you're a Mac or PC fanatic, it's hard to deny that the look and build quality of the MacBook is unmatched by many manufacturers. In terms of design, Apple has always been impeccable.

As before, the all-metal body of the laptop looks flawless, but it's not too scratch resistant. Over time, marks may appear on it, so it is better to get a cover.

But the main complaint may be the transition to USB-C. At first, this can really be a problem, and Apple should have at least left a memory card slot. But if you think that you will have to carry a bunch of adapters with you, then you are mistaken. In most cases, one single adapter with "classic" USB ports and an SD card slot is enough. In addition, devices for wireless data transmission are on the market. For example, MobiLite Wireless Pro with built-in battery. It allows you to transfer data wirelessly from any device.

I am glad that the MacBook Pro can be charged from an external battery, but the proprietary MagSafe port is not enough. What's more, the 15-inch model consumes 85 watts, so it won't charge from a normal portable charger while in use. The 13-inch MacBook Pro draws 65 watts so you can use the gadget and charge the battery.

What I definitely like is the stereo speakers to the left and right of the keyboard. They give a fairly good and loud sound, as far as it is possible in principle in this form factor.

On the Web, you can often find complaints about the poor autonomy of new MacBooks. Unfortunately, the actual battery life is really far from Apple's claimed 10 hours. When performing complex tasks like video editing, a 15-inch laptop "lives" 1-2 hours, with normal use - 3-4. Things are a little better with the 13-inch model, which gets 5-6 hours of battery life, but that's not even close to 10 hours.

The advantage of the new MacBook is certainly speed, which exceeds all expectations. Despite the fact that the laptop does not have the latest hardware, the MacBook Pro 2016 performs better than the top Windows machines. There are no problems when editing 4K video when it comes to Final Cut Pro.

The 16 GB RAM limit is disappointing, which is especially felt when editing large videos. The laptop supports connecting an external 5K display via USB-C. The Mac transmits an image and charges the battery at the same time, but the overall impression of such a bundle is mixed. In normal tasks, everything works fine, but under significant workloads, performance may not be enough.

The Touch Bar is an attempt to come up with another control besides the touchpad and keyboard. But at the same time, this is a rethinking of the keyboard, because the Touch Bar replaces the top row of keys and can imitate them.

The last thing worth noting is the fingerprint scanner. Well, in fact: in the top tablets, which most use as toys, there is a fingerprint scanner, and in professional laptops, where the user has important documents, projects, an email archive and other things that should not fall into the wrong hands, there is a fingerprint sensor is still new. But now Apple will most likely build it into every laptop, which means other vendors will have to too. Again, a big plus for all users - even those who would never buy a MacBook.