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Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

9to5mac.com

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Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#481

Post by mbreese »

pault wrote: post #406
bmurphy1976 wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This app was released recently: https://pock.dev/ It puts the dock in your touchbar. It's the first time in the 9 months I've had this laptop where I've actually gone "ok, this is useful" and I am actually using it. I now have the dock auto hide and I mostly use the touch bar to open apps. That said, I'd still prefer they ditched the touchbar in favor of function keys. I'd be happy if they shrunk the ridiculous size…

Personally, while I have never once used the touchbar, I do think the ability for apps to display contextual function keys has a lot of use cases. I would be happy if they released physical keys with little oled screens on them, like that old Optimus keyboard. Apparently it was garbage but the tech has come a long way in ten years.

I think that one thing holding this back is the lack of a desktop keyboard with a touchbar display. If there was a normal sized keyboard where you could have a full keyboard and a TB display, that would help give an incentive to have more touchbar apps like pock.dev.

Unfortunately, so many people hate the current version of the touchbar that there hasn’t been much innovation in this area.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#482

Post by robocat »

bmurphy1976 wrote: post #364
lajawfe wrote: post #232

I can't stop but speculate if departure of Ive had anything to do with this. I guess there was a lot of push-back internally about this, but because of Ive, they had to endure 4 generations of butterfly switches. Touchbar also is just a resource hog for nothing extraordinarily useful. I haven't seen people use it too often. I bet they did user studies and found out that the Touchbar wasn't the new interaction method…

This app was released recently: https://pock.dev/ It puts the dock in your touchbar. It's the first time in the 9 months I've had this laptop where I've actually gone "ok, this is useful" and I am actually using it. I now have the dock auto hide and I mostly use the touch bar to open apps. That said, I'd still prefer they ditched the touchbar in favor of function keys. I'd be happy if they shrunk the ridiculous size…

Windows laptops are far worse than the touchbar: replacing the function keys with volume, brightness etc.

The two worst keys are the touchpad lock key, and the WiFi key. Both of which "crash" the laptop when your average user hits them unintentionally: because either the touchpad stops working or the internet stops working. Absolute madness.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#483

Post by gurkendoktor »

twoheadedboy wrote: post #308
iamben wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still using my MBA from mid 2013. It's a wonderful thing. Battery is "replace soon" but it's mostly plugged in. It's battered and bruised, but still fast enough. I've been debating a change for a while and figured at the start of the year I'd wait to see if they were going to ditch the bf keyboard if they release a new MBA. Super glad I waited, fingers crossed I get the same life out of the next one! Say what you…

I have a mid 2013 Air as well (and I recently replaced the battery for $100, it’s great and you should too), but I’d attribute the long life to simply the SSD and the software rather than anything else.

I think not having a dedicated GPU helps a lot too. Less heat, and one major component less that can break. In my small set of anecdata, consumer Macs outlive their Pro counterparts.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#484

Post by bayindirh »

dboreham wrote: post #325
bayindirh wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taptic Engine is a very good click emulator. The touchpad of newer MacBooks and tactile feedbacks of newer iPhones are just amazing. On the other side, nothing can emulate a good (even membrane) keyboard, because typing's most important sensory feedback is not touch or sound, but finger travel. I'm a programmer and use a variety of keyboards. I have an 2014 MacBook Pro, a lowish end membrane keyboard at office and a…

Sorry, but you have to specify which color of Cherry MX.

I've already specified that I'm using Cherry MX Brown in my Comment. No?

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#485

Post by ljm »

tomp wrote: post #398
Perceptes wrote: post #71

I desperately hope this is true. I have the first MacBook Pro that came with the Touch Bar, and it's the worst computer I've ever owned. The keyboard has failed twice, and the Touch Bar is inferior to the old hardware keys in every way. I hate it. The only reason I got it is because the MacBook Air it replaced was dying and I couldn't wait any more. Assuming this report is true, my only remaining worry is that they w…

What will likely happen is Apple will replace Touch Bar with keys, and add OLED / e-ink screens on those keys.

I imagined they’d expand it with more functionality, but I don’t think it’s getting any update in the new models?

At the minute it doesn’t do much except replace your function keys with a display. If it could render the dock or maybe take over some of notification centre, it might have some novel functionality.

What I’ve been trying to do so far is see if I can integrate it with emacs through a dynamic module, so it could render the modeline.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#486

Post by reneherse »

rorykoehler wrote: post #142
Perceptes wrote: post #71

I desperately hope this is true. I have the first MacBook Pro that came with the Touch Bar, and it's the worst computer I've ever owned. The keyboard has failed twice, and the Touch Bar is inferior to the old hardware keys in every way. I hate it. The only reason I got it is because the MacBook Air it replaced was dying and I couldn't wait any more. Assuming this report is true, my only remaining worry is that they w…

I bought a maxed out 2013 mbp instead. Was ready to buy a brand new one cash in hand but couldn't bring myself to do it. Still waiting...

I just purchased an Apple-refurbed 2015 MBP. It was a little surreal to be paying almost full price for a 4 year old model. The list of "pros" for the purchase decision was mostly a mirror of the "cons" of the more recent generations.

Overall, the 2015's are reliable machines with only the relatively minor annoyances of the battery recall and the "staingate" anti-glare coating issue.

Really hoping Apple returns to the ethos of their older designs, with serviceability and modularity higher on the list of design goals.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#487

Post by microtherion »

atombender wrote: post #423
aleem wrote: post #188

Apple has squandered a lot of its goodwill. It reminds me of my relationship with Microsoft products. As long as they were shipping, they were making money in the short term because people were coerced to buy in. For 5 damn years the Air didn't get a Retina display. Right now, I can't buy 2.8Ghz Macbook Pro unless I get the TouchBar. I can't buy an Air unless I settle for much lower specs. The dongles and USB-C are a…

The MagSafe has a brilliant feature which is often forgotten: You can take someone else's MagSafe cable and plug it into your own MacBook without disturbing that person. This is possible because of the magnetic connector, of course, but it's also because the connector has a light that tells you that the laptop is fully charged. I frequently sit in an office with co-workers, or in a room with friends, and there's an u…

> The light helps in situations where the other person isn't near their MacBook, too. You'd obviously never take a charging cable from someone's laptop that might be low on juice. But if the light is green, you can.

If they were doing any computation with the lid closed, that's not going to make you any friends.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#488

Post by rayiner »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #478
Perceptes wrote: post #71

I desperately hope this is true. I have the first MacBook Pro that came with the Touch Bar, and it's the worst computer I've ever owned. The keyboard has failed twice, and the Touch Bar is inferior to the old hardware keys in every way. I hate it. The only reason I got it is because the MacBook Air it replaced was dying and I couldn't wait any more. Assuming this report is true, my only remaining worry is that they w…

You could buy a 2015 MacBook Pro and upgrade to rock solid keyboard, sane-sized trackpad, MagSafe, hdmi, USB ports and an SD card port. It’s not thin enough to slice salami but I am a vegetarian so that’s not a big deal.

But the bulblet and bought a used 2013 15” MBP after a year in Lenovo exile. Cost me $600 for a six year old computer, but it feels great.

Re: Kuo: Apple to include new scissor switch keyboard in MacBook

#489

Post by atombender »

microtherion wrote: post #487
atombender wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The MagSafe has a brilliant feature which is often forgotten: You can take someone else's MagSafe cable and plug it into your own MacBook without disturbing that person. This is possible because of the magnetic connector, of course, but it's also because the connector has a light that tells you that the laptop is fully charged. I frequently sit in an office with co-workers, or in a room with friends, and there's an u…

> The light helps in situations where the other person isn't near their MacBook, too. You'd obviously never take a charging cable from someone's laptop that might be low on juice. But if the light is green, you can. If they were doing any computation with the lid closed, that's not going to make you any friends.

Surely they'd need an external screen connected for that.
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