Apple SVP Phil Schiller addresses Touch Bar, other MacBook Pro concerns
In an interview, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller further elaborates on Apple's reasoning behind the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro, why Apple hasn't gone to a full touch screen, and the USB-C connector.
"Watch, iPhone, iPad, Macbook, iMac, they really are all computers. Each one is offering customers something unique and each one is made with a simple form that perhaps is eternal," said Schiller to Steven Levy from Backchannel, regarding the absence of a full touch screen experience. "People in the industry may question them -- we don't, for some very simple reasons."
Schiller noted that Apple had tried to implement touch screens in the Mac family "a number of times over the years." Each time, the company deduced that it wasn't the right thing to do for the ecosystem.
"If we were to do Multi-Touch on the screen of the notebook, that wouldn't be enough -- then the desktop wouldn't work that way," explained Schiller. "Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd. You can't optimize for both."
The Touch Bar is an extension of the work Apple put into investigating a full touch screen experience for macOS. It is not, however, a migration of iOS to macOS.
"Its implementation is pure Mac," Schiller said regarding the Touch Bar. "The thought and vision from the very beginning was not at all, 'How do we put iOS in the Mac?' It was entirely, 'How to you use the technology to make a better Mac experience?'"
"We care about the feedback but we know that the fundamental difference on where their opinions are coming is between those who had a chance to use it and those who haven't," said Schiller, basically saying the same thing as in a previous interview. "There are people who want us to innovate faster and when we do there's people who say, 'Whoa, whoa, you're going too fast.'"
"It's certainly not on the horizon right now. We do want to add those experiences that you are talking about -- talking to talk to Siri, voice dictation, suggestions," answered Schiller when posed with the question about the future of Apple input devices. "Although for us right now, there's no reason to make that trade off. Instead, we focused on not removing the keyboard but making a better keyboard."
"There's always something for a critic to beat up on anybody's notebook, because you have to make choices," Schiller added. "I know our team made very smart choices and this is the best notebook that can be made with the greatest technology."
"Watch, iPhone, iPad, Macbook, iMac, they really are all computers. Each one is offering customers something unique and each one is made with a simple form that perhaps is eternal," said Schiller to Steven Levy from Backchannel, regarding the absence of a full touch screen experience. "People in the industry may question them -- we don't, for some very simple reasons."
Schiller noted that Apple had tried to implement touch screens in the Mac family "a number of times over the years." Each time, the company deduced that it wasn't the right thing to do for the ecosystem.
"If we were to do Multi-Touch on the screen of the notebook, that wouldn't be enough -- then the desktop wouldn't work that way," explained Schiller. "Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd. You can't optimize for both."
"I know our team made very smart choices and this is the best notebook that can be made with the greatest technology." -- Phil Schiller
The Touch Bar is an extension of the work Apple put into investigating a full touch screen experience for macOS. It is not, however, a migration of iOS to macOS.
"Its implementation is pure Mac," Schiller said regarding the Touch Bar. "The thought and vision from the very beginning was not at all, 'How do we put iOS in the Mac?' It was entirely, 'How to you use the technology to make a better Mac experience?'"
USB-C only, and the path forward
Schiller reinforced to Backchannel that USB-C connectors are "the right thing" for Apple and the industry, and the inclusion of Thunderbolt 3 is the solution to high transfer rates to and from the computer. The executive is not deaf to concerns, however, even if nothing is done about it."We care about the feedback but we know that the fundamental difference on where their opinions are coming is between those who had a chance to use it and those who haven't," said Schiller, basically saying the same thing as in a previous interview. "There are people who want us to innovate faster and when we do there's people who say, 'Whoa, whoa, you're going too fast.'"
Physical, versus virtual keys
Some critics of the Touch Bar included in the new MacBook Pro in recent days have called it gimmicky, and are concerned that it may pave the way for the removal of a physical keyboard all together on future Mac models."It's certainly not on the horizon right now. We do want to add those experiences that you are talking about -- talking to talk to Siri, voice dictation, suggestions," answered Schiller when posed with the question about the future of Apple input devices. "Although for us right now, there's no reason to make that trade off. Instead, we focused on not removing the keyboard but making a better keyboard."
"There's always something for a critic to beat up on anybody's notebook, because you have to make choices," Schiller added. "I know our team made very smart choices and this is the best notebook that can be made with the greatest technology."
Comments
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-studio/overview
Seriously, go to a Microsoft store and try one. It's pretty damn awesome and works well as both a touch surface and iMac like computer. I have loved Apple products, but it seems they have just way too much hubris now. They think if they can't do it, it cannot be done.
I find that having to get used to different input methods on different devices -- when they're essentially converging for my use case, and I am sure there many others for whom that is true -- is increasingly a bit jarring.
Apple may have to rethink this one, its new Touch Bar notwithstanding.
I do think reaching out to touch a computer monitor would be hard on the back though.
I can also imagine that the touch bar (and perhaps other future dynamic input devices on the same plane) will be a useful addition to the Mac UI.
I also now better appreciate some of the Pro-oriented choices made with the new MBPs:
1. The SSD is wicked, wicked fast and arguably storage is the biggest bottleneck many people face
2. According to the Ars review, there is a good reason for going with AMD rather than Nvidia -- the ability to drive 2 external 5k displays (apparently no Nvidia mobile GPU can do that).
So... I think I'm realizing that my initial negativity regarding the new MBPs was misplaced. These are good pro laptops.
The real issue -- at least for me -- is the lack of a Mac Pro update. But as I consider the new MBPs more carefully, I'm more optimistic that maybe there will be a good Mac Pro update coming down the pike, because (contrary to my first impression) I think these new MBPs actually do take Pro needs into account to a great extent than I initially thought.
It seems to be made for one particular application only, and that is for artist type applications.
I agree with Phil Schiller.
I can't even imagine wanting to reach out and touch the huge screen that is currently in front of me. It's a totally ridiculous and retarded idea.
Hopefully Apple will never go full retard.
And to think, you could have avoided all that typing and teeth-gnashing if you'd just waited until someone actually got hold a machine and tested it.
What amazes me is the sheer number of people who failed to consider one simple thing:
Apple has a chip that can outperform other mobile chips with half as many cores. They are masters of doing more with less. That doesn't mean that this laptop is any good, but it does mean that folk should wait to see it before throwing themselves off the balcony.