The keys that the touchbar replaced were definitely not useless - they were media control, sound control, screen/keyboard brightness and expose/mission control/launchpad (and of course, ESC.)
Those are all extremely common keys to use. And yes, you could also use them as "F#" keys I guess. Now, those keys are non tactile and much, MUCH less pleasant to use. Also, if you're watching a movie in the dark and you turn off your keyboard backlight the stupid touchbar stays lit up for 45 seconds.
I think Apple will eventually kill the touchbar or at least offer a version without it.
I think the corner they've painted themselves into is they know they can't charge more for a non touchbar version and if they offer it for less that's cutting profit margin as well as a tacit admission that it isn't a beloved feature.
But their choices over the last few months along with the revelation that they're finally ditching their butterfly keyboards leads me to believe it's coming.
They are ditching butterfly keyboards due to the reliability issues (dust causing keys to malfunction), not because of they've abandoned the quest for thinner, lighter laptops.
Those are all extremely common keys to use. And yes, you could also use them as "F#" keys I guess. Now, those keys are non tactile and much, MUCH less pleasant to use. Also, if you're watching a movie in the dark and you turn off your keyboard backlight the stupid touchbar stays lit up for 45 seconds.
I think Apple will eventually kill the touchbar or at least offer a version without it.
I think the corner they've painted themselves into is they know they can't charge more for a non touchbar version and if they offer it for less that's cutting profit margin as well as a tacit admission that it isn't a beloved feature.
But their choices over the last few months along with the revelation that they're finally ditching their butterfly keyboards leads me to believe it's coming.