God of Kings
Ruler of all heads of state
Link to video.
It is very interesting that the upcoming MacBook Pro with Retina Display will have an OLED touch bar where the function keys would be.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display to have OLED Touch Bar
- Thread starter God of Kings
- Start date
Link to video.
It is very interesting that the upcoming MacBook Pro with Retina Display will have an OLED touch bar where the function keys would be.
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- Mar 17, 2007
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I could see it being useful, although not for myself. I'm a programmer, and thus make relatively heavy use of the function keys (not to mention using them to view the various advisors in Civ games, a use case not to be underestimated!).
But if you don't use them frequently, I could see it being somewhat useful. My current laptop is an HP EliteBook 8740w workstation, and one of its more unique features is a touch-sensitive panel above the keyboard (and above the function keys rather than replacing them). While it doesn't have the ability to change the display beyond changing LED colors (the sound icon is white normally, orange when muted, etc.) as the rumored MBP would, in terms of functionality it convinced me that a touch panel can be an effective replacement for physical buttons, like my previous laptop had. It simply works, reliably, and I don't miss the physical buttons as I initially thought I might.
I have heard that some other laptops which have attempted touch-sensitive panes above the keyboard in the past have not done so well in terms of it working reliably, but given both technological progress and Apple's reputation for polish, I suspect this will work as flawlessly as what HP shipped with my laptop.
As for the information displaying dynamically, it's a neat feature, although other than the traditional media controls, I don't know how much it would really add. For example, the battery indicator and clock - those already show up at the menu bar at the top of the screen, so is there any particular reason I'd look at them on the OLED panel instead? WiFi makes some sense if it's a one-touch disable toggle. However, if it's not too difficult for developers to extend it, it could gain useful application-specific shortcuts, with better visual feedback/discoverability than the function keys... kind of like how some high-end gaming keyboards have programmable shortcuts areas already.
Overall it is an interesting idea, and the implementation and support of it will tell if it becomes a useful new feature, or something that looked cool on paper but didn't add as much in practice.
I am going to second-guess one of the video's assumptions, that Apple will use Intel's Skylake processors. I think they're waiting for Intel's next-gen Kaby Lake processors. They're expected to ship to retail in Q4, and if Apple used Skylake they'd quickly be using previous-generation processors. Waiting for the new CPUs would also explain the relative "lateness" of the debut. The AMD graphics is probably accurate, however; AMD has been touting having thinner notebook graphics this generation, and Apple's all about thin laptops, so it would make a lot of sense.
And then there's the real question of whether the 17" MBP will return. Especially if it was somewhat thicker for improved cooling (+faster processor/graphics?), and had a 1920x1200+ 16:10 screen (and with the space, why not function keys in addition to the OLED bar?), I could see it getting a lot of attention both from users looking for a more "pro" MacBookPro, and PC users looking for a screen factor that's all but disappeared from manufacturers other than Apple.
It probably won't, but I know I'm not the only person remaining on an older workstation (17" MBP or otherwise) due to newer alternatives not checking all the same boxes.
But if you don't use them frequently, I could see it being somewhat useful. My current laptop is an HP EliteBook 8740w workstation, and one of its more unique features is a touch-sensitive panel above the keyboard (and above the function keys rather than replacing them). While it doesn't have the ability to change the display beyond changing LED colors (the sound icon is white normally, orange when muted, etc.) as the rumored MBP would, in terms of functionality it convinced me that a touch panel can be an effective replacement for physical buttons, like my previous laptop had. It simply works, reliably, and I don't miss the physical buttons as I initially thought I might.
I have heard that some other laptops which have attempted touch-sensitive panes above the keyboard in the past have not done so well in terms of it working reliably, but given both technological progress and Apple's reputation for polish, I suspect this will work as flawlessly as what HP shipped with my laptop.
As for the information displaying dynamically, it's a neat feature, although other than the traditional media controls, I don't know how much it would really add. For example, the battery indicator and clock - those already show up at the menu bar at the top of the screen, so is there any particular reason I'd look at them on the OLED panel instead? WiFi makes some sense if it's a one-touch disable toggle. However, if it's not too difficult for developers to extend it, it could gain useful application-specific shortcuts, with better visual feedback/discoverability than the function keys... kind of like how some high-end gaming keyboards have programmable shortcuts areas already.
Overall it is an interesting idea, and the implementation and support of it will tell if it becomes a useful new feature, or something that looked cool on paper but didn't add as much in practice.
I am going to second-guess one of the video's assumptions, that Apple will use Intel's Skylake processors. I think they're waiting for Intel's next-gen Kaby Lake processors. They're expected to ship to retail in Q4, and if Apple used Skylake they'd quickly be using previous-generation processors. Waiting for the new CPUs would also explain the relative "lateness" of the debut. The AMD graphics is probably accurate, however; AMD has been touting having thinner notebook graphics this generation, and Apple's all about thin laptops, so it would make a lot of sense.
And then there's the real question of whether the 17" MBP will return. Especially if it was somewhat thicker for improved cooling (+faster processor/graphics?), and had a 1920x1200+ 16:10 screen (and with the space, why not function keys in addition to the OLED bar?), I could see it getting a lot of attention both from users looking for a more "pro" MacBookPro, and PC users looking for a screen factor that's all but disappeared from manufacturers other than Apple.
It probably won't, but I know I'm not the only person remaining on an older workstation (17" MBP or otherwise) due to newer alternatives not checking all the same boxes.
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