Apple Says It Removed the Touch Bar From 2021 MacBook Pro Models Because Customers Loved Full-Sized, Tactile Function Keys

With the Touch Bar gone on the 2021 MacBook Pro models and not expected to make a return on future products, Apple silently admits that the little strip of display should not have been present in the first place. According to the company’s executive, ‘Pro’ customers wanted to experience the tactile feel of those function keys, so not only have those made a comeback, but their size matches that of the other keys.

Customers That Still Love the Touch Bar, Apple’s Executive Says the M1 MacBook Pro Is Still Available

Apple’s senior worldwide marketing VP Greg Joswiak spoke to Wired in an interview about a number of things, but one discussion in particular that caught our eyes was its reasoning to remove the Touch Bar after half a decade. Joswiak wants us to believe that Apple’s ‘Pro’ customer base wanted those physical function keys, so they made a return.

“There’s no doubt that our Pro customers love that full-size, tactile feel of those function keys, and so that’s the decision we made. And we feel great about that.”

One can argue that the Touch Bar opened up plenty of options for users when it came to triggering certain actions based on the program they were using. After all, a small screen like that can easily switch to displaying different icons at different intervals, a luxury that is not present with physical function keys. Apple has attempted to make this transition a less painful one by adding shortcuts for Siri, Spotlight, and other functions on those function keys, but a Touch Bar had its own set of advantages.

For those that miss it, Apple says that it is still selling the M1 MacBook Pro, at least until it is officially discontinued. Another thing that bothers us is how long it took the company to realize that not many people wanted the Touch Bar, though we believe that Apple’s choice to remove it may have been more to do with increased production costs and less to do with what customers require. Creative professionals would certainly not choose to look for an alternative just because of a Touch Bar.

Also, their purchase of any 2021 MacBook Pro model would be dependant on how quickly it can get finish those intensive tasks, and other factors, not because Apple chose to replace a strip of display with some physical function keys. Since the 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch MacBook Pro models offer a redesign, it would have taken additional engineering resources and efforts to bring back the same Touch Bar. If you may not have noticed, even without the Touch Bar, these powerful portable Macs do not come cheap, as they start from $1,999, and that too is the least capable of them all.

Imagine how much more customers would have to pay if the Touch Bar was retained?

The post Apple Says It Removed the Touch Bar From 2021 MacBook Pro Models Because Customers Loved Full-Sized, Tactile Function Keys by Omar Sohail appeared first on Wccftech.