Dive deep into Windows' settings using only a touchscreen and you'll quickly grow frustrated.
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Ask Microsoft how hard it was to design a touch-native platform that still appeals to non-touch users - Windows 8's touch-first interface spooked some PC buyers, and even Windows 10's more balanced strategy has its problems. The Touch Bar is no doubt a challenge (including for developers who want to support it), but reworking an entire operating system is a massive undertaking that can easily run into trouble. It's understandable why the company would implement a navigation strip instead of redesigning macOS for touchscreen support. It's just a perpetual reminder that there's a more direct way to meld touch with conventional computing, and Apple is passing up the opportunity. So far, it appears to be very thoughtful. This isn't to say that Apple's Touch Bar implementation is clunky.
Why should you scrub through a video timeline on your keyboard when you could manipulate it directly on the display? Many everyday activities, such as choosing emoji in Messages or playing music in iTunes, practically beg for direct finger input. Some of these elements wouldn't be practical with a touchscreen (you can only fit so many editing buttons on screen at a time), but many of them would be. You only have to look at the Touch Bar's features to imagine what could have been.
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As big a step forward as the Pro may be, it's not necessarily the giant stride that you might like. However, the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar really amounts to a confession - it's an acknowledgment that touch input can improve your computing experience, and that Apple has been missing out on technology that some PC users take for granted. Computers need a fundamentally different interface than your smartphone or tablet, Apple argues, and it's cumbersome to keep raising your hand to the display. Ever since Phil Schiller brought up the issue while introducing the second-generation MacBook Air, Apple has made a point of publicly resisting the pressure to introduce touchscreen Macs.