Apple adds Touch Bar to MacBook Pro laptops

Apple has unveiled new high-end laptops that feature a thin interactive display above their keyboards and a fingerprint sensor.

The firm says the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar provides software-specific commands that are more "intuitive" to use than the function keys it replaces.

The announcement was not a surprise, however, because of an earlier leak.

Apple had not updated its MacBook Pro laptops since May 2015. Its MacBook Air models were two months older still.

That has impacted sales. Earlier this week Apple revealed that it had sold 10% fewer Macs in the year ending 24 September than over the prior 12 months.

Researchers suggest the wider PC market has also shrunk, but to a lesser extent.

"The lack of updates was part of the problem, but it's also the case that the competition has got a lot stronger," commented Roberta Cozza from the tech consultancy Gartner.

"Over the past year we've seen more interest from both business customers and consumers in Windows 10 computers, which have benefited from both the new operating system as well as better designs and better pricing from their manufacturers.

"For some time, Apple's main focus has been the iPhone - which accounts for much of its revenue - and making the iPad a better productive tool. But there are still many users who want PC-grade performance, and they needed this Mac refresh."

There was no update to the MacBook or MacBook Air laptops, nor to the firm's iMac or Mac Pro desktop PCs.

The innovation helps address the fact the laptops' main displays are not touchscreens and cannot be used with a stylus, as is the case with many Windows 10 PCs as well as Apple's iPad Pro.

"It works as a miniature tablet built into the keyboard, allowing users to seamlessly move between keys and a much more nuanced touch interface without lifting a hand," commented Rhoda Alexander from the tech consultancy IHS Markit.

"By contrast, the beauty of a stylus is that it allows you to bring the fluidity of pen input across a myriad of applications, without having to use a particular graphics program to support it.

"The Touch Bar approach may lack some of the fluidity of the stylus solution but offsets that with convenience, the ability to seamlessly blend key functionality and touch input."

BBC