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I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar? I don't get the draw - we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid livi
by dotBen 6mo ago
I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar?
I don't get the draw - we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid living our fingers over to a touchpad. Why would I want to start clicking on my screen?
If you're using your computer for tasks (rather than entertainment) and you're not a visual designer, I don't get why Apple are apparently going to be putting them into the new MBP line later this year.
- post-it 6mo ago> I don't get why Apple are apparently going to be putting them into the new MBP line later this year. Apple has apparently being going to put a touchscreen in a laptop every year since the iPad came out, and it's never materialized.
- xmprt 6mo agoPreviously, those were rumors from enthusiasts who wanted to see it. Now it's an internal leak so there's a lot more credibility to those rumors.
- hu3 6mo agoNo, there were internal "leaks" in the past as well. https://archive.ph/xOgtp https://archive.ph/xOgtp
- jacobgkau 6mo ago> January 11, 2023 > Based on current internal deliberations, the company could launch its first touch-screen Mac in 2025 Even if it didn't come to pass, just a few years ago is a more relevant leak than the every-year-since-the-iPad-released "rumors."
- hu3 6mo agoYes and it's an article about a leak 3 years ago. And there were more "leaks" before that. I just can't be bothered to research and link the obvious to argument against an "opinion".
- xmprt 6mo ago> Based on current internal deliberations, the company could launch its first touch-screen Mac in 2025 It looks like those leaks aren't too far off what I'm saying. Deadlines slipping by 1-2 years isn't way off especially for such a new/different product direction. And the rumor also said "could" which means even internally, it wasn't a strong claim.
- mrweasel 6mo agoBecause it would blur the lines between the iPad and MacBook to much. Right now it's two clearly distinct product lines, with separate use cases. Adding touch to the MacBook could hurt iPad sales (in the pro segment). I also think Apple knows that their laptops doesn't need touch. It's a gimmick and adds nothing to the usability, but raises the cost.
- thesuitonym 6mo agoMacs are definitely not optimized for keyboard commands. If you feel the software you use is keyboard optimized, odds are it's not really Mac software.
- 9dev 6mo agoHuh? Of all the wonky shit about my Mac, the flawless keyboard navigation is really none of that
- devmor 6mo ago“Flawless” is absolutely the opposite of how I’d describe the third class keyboard navigation in MacOS. It’s actually more intuitive to use a magic keyboard on the iPad than on the desktop OS.
- platevoltage 6mo agoAt least we have trackpads that are worth a crap.
- devmor 6mo agoI do adore the macOS trackpads, they blow anything else I’ve used out of the water. The keyboard (physically) is also just very pleasant to type on.
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- platevoltage 6mo agoThere is no comparison. I even use their trackpad in my desktop setup. The keyboards are fine. I prefer a mechanical keyboard, but this is a laptop of course. I do want to strangle someone over at Apple for deciding to NOT put the control key in the bottom left corner though. Luckily it's not a hard fix.
- 6mo ago
- bitmasher9 6mo agoSometimes, if I’ve been using my iPad for awhile and switch over to my MBP, I might reach out and touch the screen out of habit. I can’t be the only one.
- antonymoose 6mo agoI had the opposite problem when work issued me a ThinkPad - I would accidentally brush my screen with my caveman knuckles once a day and somehow nuke a dozen lines of code.
- bruckie 6mo agoMy kids do this all the time. They also use the touchscreen in conventional laptop configuration (not folded-flat tablet mode) on their Chromebooks all the time. It's bizarre to me. I'm always trying to get them to use the keyboard, but they don't care. Example: enter password on the keyboard, then tap the log in button on the screen with their finger, rather than just pressing enter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- egeozcan 6mo agoMy 3 year-old never had access to tablets or phones but sees us using phones all the time. So when he gets curious and touches the laptop screen (something he does with our phones occasionally as well), he's shocked to see it doesn't react.
- jval43 6mo agoI do this on my iPad with Magic keyboard and I'm a die hard command line user otherwise. I think the reason I started doing it on the iPad is that the keyboard focus is sometimes inconsistent, so clicking or tab-tab-tab-enter is slower and less reliable vs. just touching the screen. Definitely feel the gorilla arm though.
- alsetmusic 6mo agoMy father did within six months of owning an iPhone.
- radley 6mo agoIt just feels ancient and weird now that I can tap every screen I own, except my Mac. I don't want to replace the Mac's keyboard & mouse with a touchscreen, I would simply like it to support touch. (This also made me realize the impending obsolescence of the Studio Monitor XDR: no touch support.)
- kjkjadksj 6mo agoWhy though? What compels you to even want that?
- radley 6mo agoMy iPad is mounted next to my Macs. I use it as a media player, checking deliveries, personal messages when I'm on my work laptop, and such. All of that is done via touch. When I need to flip over to my Mac to do the same thing, I have to use a 40 year old interface (a mouse). It's not hard. I don't think we need to make everything touch-size on Mac. Small icons & buttons are perfectly fine in a production environment, and they're considered to be accessible. Just let us touch the screen.
- isidusjdjsu 6mo ago> I have to use a 40 year old interface (a mouse) …yeah, and? Should we just drop mouse’s and keyboards now because they’re “old interfaces”? C’mon, please. I’m not sure how old you are but you sound like you grew up with an iPad in your hand.
- radley 6mo agoFirst laptop was a Powerbook 100. First computer was Atari 800. Currently use an MX Master 4 mouse. I totally get the irony.
- kjkjadksj 6mo agoI don’t understand what is wrong with the mouse/trackpad. 40 year old tech? I bet touchscreen tech is that old too.
- eitally 6mo agoI very much would want a touchscreen for my use cases.
- Waterluvian 6mo agoI don’t understand touchscreens on laptops that aren’t designed to fold flat. It’s got the feel of finger painting an unconstrained birthday balloon.
- dwedge 6mo agoI had a laptop that folded to 180, without touch screen, and had a webcam hidden under F7 so it either looked straight up your nose or showed your huge fingers
- samplatt 6mo agoYou're essentially holding a large tablet upright, but all the weight is taken up up the base. Rather than finger-painting, try holding it on both sides like a tablet or gamepad and operating with thumbs. Scrolling/controlling checkboxes and switches feels GREAT. Depends entirely what you're using it for.
- harr01 6mo agoThe benefit of a touchscreen MBP is that Apple will be forced to make their screens more protective.
- fortran77 6mo agoAll my Windows laptops have touch screens and I love it. What is the problem with having another input method available? You only use it when it’s appropriate.
- Wowfunhappy 6mo agoI wouldn't want a touch screen to become the primary input device, but I think it would be useful on occasion. Not entirely unlike how we still have touchpads even though we try to use keyboard commands.
- lysace 6mo agoThe ergonomic aspects are horrible. I believe there's actual research on this from the 70s/80s/90s.
- skwallace36 6mo agoas long as it works well, would rather have it than not (but don't want to pay extra, so yeah... leave it out)
- dwedge 6mo agoWhile I'm the same and totally agree with you, the few times I've been using touchscreen I find the habit sticks so hard that for days I keep touching my macbook screen, so there is definitely some subconscious desire for this (or I would have defaulted to using the trackpad even if my brain thought touch was available)
- ThoAppelsin 6mo agoIt is indeed addictively intuitive. Once these people get to use it for a week, they won’t ever be able to look back.
- platevoltage 6mo agoI agree. I've never wanted a touch screen on my laptop. My screen gets smudged enough already.
- paxys 6mo agoIt would make sense if the screen folded over. In a laptop form factor a touch screen is just annoying because it keeps pushing the screen back.
- christophilus 6mo agoI have 2-3 old touchscreen laptops lying around. The touchscreen is useless to me. Worse than useless. If I ever use it, it’s accidentally, and I end up annoyed.
- commandersaki 6mo agoYes, I feel like it'll be a degrade in quality if they do this with any of their current line up. If they want to make a Macbook Ultra or whatever with it, that's fine -- I would have no interest in it.
- 2muchcoffeeman 6mo agoWhy? Better than a track pad. Use a Surface Pro some time. If you are just casually browsing or reading a website. I find it much nicer to just tap on a link or swipe to scroll.
- emmelaich 6mo agoSometimes I feel the urge to do some art, and the bigger surface might allow that. Perhaps in lieu, make a bigger trackpad.
- 3yr-i-frew-up 6mo ago[dead]
- AussieWog93 6mo agoI feel like the point isn't "there should be a touch screen MacBook" but more "holy shit we simulated a working touch screen by looking at reflections coming off the glass, isn't that cool".
- wombatpm 6mo agoBut the Touch Bar was such a resounding success …
- lukan 6mo agoWell, when I am doing rather thinking work, so not type in commands as fast as possible - I very much do like my laptop to have a touchscreen. It is way more ergonomic and comfortable, but yes, slower. But when the real work happens in my head, I like to be rather comfortable. (Also I can immediately test touch features of the apps I develope)
- mcv 6mo agoI completely disagree. I've got a laptop with a touch screen, and it's occasionally very useful. It's rarely my primary input method, but when you're not constantly using the mouse, how often do you lose track of where the mouse cursor is? Instead of reaching for the mouse, figuring out where the cursor is, and then carefully maneuvering it over the button I want to click, I can just reach out to the screen. A touch screen is incredibly useful when you're not currently already holding your mouse. It's easier to switch from keyboard to touch than from keyboard to mouse.
- latexr 6mo ago> I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar? I don’t want a touchscreen MBP, but as long as touching the screen is an optional interaction and everything else is the same, I see no reason to reject it if it was free. I can just not touch the screen. > we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid living our fingers over to a touchpad. “We” is a much smaller percentage of people than you’re likely thinking of. We’re outliers, not the norm. Yes, even amongst professionals.
- mrweasel 6mo agoTech-reviewers keep harping on the MacBook for not having a touch option, but I think it's mostly of check a box. Something no one seems to address is that it makes no sense to have touch on the laptop screen, because you honestly don't use it much, at least in a professional setting. You'll always dock your laptop anyway, either for comfort, or legal compliance (or both). My 27" monitor doesn't have touch, that's what I use 99% of the time, the laptop screen is a small auxiliary screen on the side. Why I reach out and touch it? That's also why the touch bar made no sense, it was on a keyboard that I almost never use.
- dayvid 6mo agoSeems like it only makes sense if it's a hybrid tablet laptop like the Yoga. Otherwise it's a nice gimmick. I can also see Apple being terrified at someone's dirty fingers smudging the laptop, though they'd have some anti-smudge coating built in at that point
- lofaszvanitt 6mo agoMaybe they solved the greasy fingers leaving smudges on your screen problem with a new surface. :D