Gadgetory

Apple's new MacBook Pro is thinner and lighter than its predecessor with a flattened keyboard and an expanded touchpad it's also got new Intel CPUs faster storage and a brighter Retina display it's also USB see only which has been controversial to say the least but you know all that already what you really want to know is what about that crazy touch bar how does it work the touch bar is a long OLED touchscreen that sits above the keyboard replacing the traditional function key row and it usually displays basic controls like screen brightness and volume but when you launch a supported app new contextual buttons pop up on the screen is it a gimmick if you spend a bit of time trying to figure out different apps you'll end up with maybe five or six favorite things that can really streamline your experience and I started using a few instinctively almost right away the initial thing you'll want to do with the touch bar though is setup touch ID with the built-in fingerprint reader just by placing a finger on the touch ID and clicking down user profile switch almost instantly you can also change the default buttons in the keyboard preferences menu just by dragging new ones to the bottom of the screen and right on to the touch bar in Safari each tab you have open is represented by a tiny thumbnail image tapping on one switches the browser to that tab messages has an emoji button which gives you a long scrolling collection of everyone's favorite nonverbal communication tool scroll over to the one you want and just tap on it iTunes get useful transport controls including the ability to scrub back and forth in both songs and videos it's definitely finer control than you get with just the touch pad and until we get Photoshop support apples photos offers the most in-depth touch bar support there's a wheel for rotating a photo as you crop it you can also run through all the built-in photo filters or just brightness and color all by running your finger across the touch bar of course these are examples of Apple's own apps the only ones that currently have touch bar support if you prefer chrome to Safari for example you're out of luck at least for now but Microsoft Adobe and others are expected to add support in the near future the touch bar is fun but the biggest decision when it comes to the new MacBook may actually down to something more practical are you ready to move into the USBC only future we're connecting nearly any accessory is going to require a special cable or dongle it may seem daunting but many of the latest ultra-thin Windows laptops have also gone USBC only so does a good chance we're all gonna end up there eventually