Apple leaks new MacBook Pro with touch strip

[Muffinator]

Quote

 

Apple is widely expected to unveil a redesigned MacBook Pro at an event on Thursday, but it looks like it may have let a couple images slip out early. MacRumors spotted a pair of images hidden inside yesterday's update to macOS Sierra, both of which show a new MacBook Pro, a touch panel above its keyboard, and a fingerprint reader.

The images show a narrower MacBook Pro with slimmer bezels around both the keys and screen. The keys all look to be flatter, likely adopting the same slim format used on the MacBook. Otherwise, the design looks more or less like the Pro we know today.

 

I'm definitely excited to hear Apple's full event on Thursday. Would be cool if you could customize what the screen does based on the application you are using.

For example: Custom Macro keys or maybe even commonly used shortcuts like copy and paste, undo and redo etc. 

EDIT: Wow, I know it can do buttons and notifs and the like. But will the user be able to customize those buttons, and add more, etc. My bad 

 

Quote

But the highlight of these images is of course the touch strip at the top of the keyboard, which has been rumored for months. The images give an early idea of what it'll be like in use: completely blank and black when the computer is off, and able to display colors, buttons, and symbols in response to whatever comes up on-screen.

One of the pictures shows it being used for Apple Pay. An arrow points to the right corner of the touch strip, where a Touch ID fingerprint reader is located

Still not what we meant when asking for a touchscreen on a Mac. 

 

Sauce: http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/25/13408862/apple-new-macbook-pro-with-touch-strip-leaks

 

[DildorTheDecent]

That's p cool tbh. Touch strip would be great for thing like that.

 

Probably does notifications too. 

[corrado33]

Meh. I'm over "touch" controls. They never work well. What's wrong with physical buttons?

 

And yes, the article noted that it could do notifications. 

 

 

[Muffinator]

11 minutes ago, corrado33 said:

-Snip-

 

And yes, the article noted that it could do notifications. 

 

 

Sorry for my bad wording, I knew it could do notifications, although i'm not sure if they will add "buttons" to the strip that change based on the application being used.

[corrado33]

1 minute ago, Muffinator said:

Sorry for my bad wording, I knew it could do notifications, although i'm not sure if they will add "buttons" to the strip that change based on the application being used.

I would imagine they would considering that the function buttons have been removed.

[GoodBytes]

Tag from title removed.

[captain cactus]

TouchID integration into Macs will be an interesting thing. It means that somewhere there's a chip similar to the secure enclave present in iDevices with TouchID, which means it'll be pretty hard to crack into a Mac with that thing installed, similar to how iPhones and iPads are kinda impossible to get into without a passcode/fingerprint. 

 

Now I hope it won't be a MacBook Pro exclusive and get it to the other Macs at well, sooner than later.

[GoodBytes]

I don't get the utility of this features. I mean it is cool... but it more of a gimmick. You'll play for it for a month.. I am sure you'll visualization and such on it, but ultimately it would be distracting. I guess, it can be made, so that for example, PhotoShop can show you direct access items on it, but I think any professional already knows the keyboard shortcuts.

 

It is nice to see Apple implementing TouchID.. finally joining 2004-05? tech. Better late than ever, I guess.

[Muffinator]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

I don't get the utility of this features. I mean it is cool... but it more of a gimmick. You'll play for it for a month.. I am sure you'll visualization and such on it, but ultimately it would be distracting. I guess, it can be made, so that for example, PhotoShop can show you direct access items on it, but I think any professional already knows the keyboard shortcuts.

People asked for a touchscreen and they gave us this.

[79wjd]

14 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

It is nice to see Apple implementing TouchID.. finally joining 2004-05? tech. Better late than ever, I guess.

If it was 2004-05 it would be shit. 

[Kamina]

Gimmicks.

[byalexandr]

Who in their right mind pays $326.20 for a pair of shitty Beats?

[Magnetorheological]

That keyboard looks pretty flush with the casing...I sure hope they don't put those "butterfly" switches of the MacBook into the MBP.

[dtaflorida]

Touch Strip... sounds like a club in Vegas...

[SansVarnic]

Wow another way to provide money to apple, as if their stuff is not already more expensive than its worth...

 

 

Dont forget this will be hailed as another "innovation" by Apple ...   

 

May the iSheeple line up in droves.................................. /s

[NumLock21]

[Daveeede]

4 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

Wow another way to provide money to apple, as if their stuff is not already more expensive than its worth...

 

 

Dont forget this will be hailed as another "innovation" by Apple ...   

Well technically the implementation of a touch strip is kinda innovative. Ground breaking? No. 

 

Curious to see how well it is implemented across other programs. I guess people will be forced to use Safari over chrome for now if they want to use Apple Pay on their MBPs.

[captain_to_fire]

Can't wait to replace my 2011 MacBook Air 13". I'm hoping that they've kept the scissor switch mechanism for the keyboard because the typing experience in the MacBook Retina 2015 was not good which uses the butterfly switch. TouchID is a plus for me but does it mean they're bringing the Secure Enclave Co-processor from the iPhone to the Mac or they now bringing TPM chips to the Mac? I think the reason why Apple is still not releasing a touchscreen Mac is because there's no widespread adoption even with Windows PCs. I mean, most OEMs are still shipping laptops with no touchscreens, not to mention the plummeting PC sales that Windows 10 failed to address so I can see why Apple is not doing the same. 

[silberdrachi]

Im interested, though my company bought the mac book i use so im not about to replace it. The only downside is that i need the function keys and it seems like more and more stuff is stopping using them which is a real pain in my ass.

 

Im interested what type of third party support it will get.

[Eztrcfyu]

2 hours ago, silberdrachi said:

Im interested, though my company bought the mac book i use so im not about to replace it. The only downside is that i need the function keys and it seems like more and more stuff is stopping using them which is a real pain in my ass.

 

Im interested what type of third party support it will get.

Most likely the touch bar has function keys on it normally, then depending on the context, pop-ups like the Apple Pay thing in the pictures will appear there. No idea if that's how it will actually be, but it would be pretty absurd to completely remove function keys just for this.

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, Eztrcfyu said:

Most likely the touch bar has function keys on it normally, then depending on the context, pop-ups like the Apple Pay thing in the pictures will appear there. No idea if that's how it will actually be, but it would be pretty absurd to completely remove function keys just for this.

MacBook Pro is aimed, as the name suggest, at least used to be aimed, at professionals. Professionals tend to use complex software that require the usage of F# keys, and usually the user doesn't really look at the keyboard when pressing them. Now, you won't be able to feel the keys, and might hit 2x F# keys or miss the key you wanted to press (hitting another F# key next to it). It will be annoying to use.

 

I wonder if Apple purposefully leaked this image 2 days in advance to get this downside pointing done, so that it is not talked about at or after the reveal, as if it has been forgotten, and allow the people not following such news not know about the design flaw until they already bought the product... and see that they can't get used to it, well after the return period ends.

[Tataffe]

2 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

snip

Why are you knocking it before trying it?

 

Oh right, because it's not Microsoft introducing it ...

[pk-man]

Didn't lenovo implement something like this?

 

Anyways, never a fan of touch buttons.  The top bar will be great for sending the user ads reminders though lol. 

 

Will it have more than 1 USB port?

[Dabombinable]

10 hours ago, djdwosk97 said:

If it was 2004-05 it would be shit. 

It worked perfectly on my Toshiba Tecra M5. I could even use the sensor for horizontal and vertical scrolling.

[Bsmith]

For consumers it's good since those pesky F-butons are gone that they probably never touch.
For power users it's also nice if the strip changes properly along with the functions of the software, but on the other hand it's something else that is more easily to break.

 

I will sit this one out until I see it in practice or able to try it myself.