Apple’s new MacBook Pro’s “Touch Bar display runs a modified version of watchOS, which itself is a modified version of iOS,” Chris Smith reports for BGR. “That means Touch Bar runs independently of macOS, and that certainly makes sense.”
“Because it integrates the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that’s also used for Apple Pay purchases, the Touch Bar needs a secure enclave to protect your payment information,” Smith reports. “That’s done with the help of Apple’s T1 processor, which is an ARM processor, and probably a variation of the S1 found inside the Apple Watch.”
“Interestingly, the front-facing camera is also connected to the T1 chip, for security reasons,” Smith reports. “These discoveries come from developer Steven Troughton-Smith, who already explored the code that makes Touch Bar tick.”
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/791872723681239040
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/791820857480011777
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/791846498585698305
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/791848207026417664
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The times they are a-changin’.
Think code convergence (more so than today) with UI modifications per device. A unified underlying codebase for Intel, Apple A-series, and, in Apple’s labs, likely other chips, too (just in case). This would allow for a single App Store for Mac, iPhone, and iPad users that features a mix of apps: Some that are touch-only, some that are Mac-only, and some that are universal (can run on both traditional notebooks and desktops as well as on multi-touch computers like iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and – pretty please, Apple – Apple TV). Don’t be surprised to see Apple A-series-powered Macs, either. — MacDailyNews Take, January 9, 2014
SEE ALSO:
Apple does touch right and, as usual, Microsoft does it wrong – October 28, 2016
Amazon offers big savings on Apple’s all-new Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro models – October 28, 2016
IBT: Apple’s MacBook Pro Touch Bar is the coolest thing ever; will change the way we use laptops – October 28, 2016
Wired hands on with Apple’s New MacBook Pro: It’s a whole new kind of laptop – October 27, 2016
CNET on the new MacBook Pro: Apple’s amazing strip show reinvents the notebook – October 27, 2016
Hands on with Apple’s new MacBook Pro: Looks and feels so good it’s unreal – October 27, 2016
Apple debuts three new TV ads for all-new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar – October 27, 2016
Apple unveils groundbreaking new MacBook Pro with revolutionary Touch Bar and huge Force Touch trackpad – October 27, 2016
That is REALLY amazing. And clever. And probably makes it difficult for the copycats. This Mac has an integrated iOS accessory. Isn’t AirPods another “iOS” accessory that a Mac uses seamlessly? What’s next…?
i wonder how does it works on bootcamp
My guess is that it does not, but I’m not spending $3K+ to find out just yet.
Considering it works on its own chip, my guess is that it offers a fallback default mechanism to output function keys.
If not, a MBP just became a hobbled Windows machine.
It doesn’t need a fallback. It just needs a VM to drive the TouchBar, or BootCamp to include proper drivers supplied by Apple.
I watched the presentation yesterday. What was interesting was seeing Schiller diss the MB Air for being bigger than the new MBP.
I am wondering if Apple are planning to replace the air with an iOS machine. Still not too sure about this because the iPad Pro effectively does that anyway.
But to make that comparison of a still shipping product is odd and there must be a good reason.
The MBA is still around for 1 reason and 1 reason only. To keep a laptop in the $999 range.
Apple COULD have replaced the MBA with the MacBook by reducing the MacBook’s price to $999, but they chose profits over people.
As usual.
“chose profit over people”, as if you ever declined your paycheck from your employer!…
Do you always take your employer’s side?
The good reason is that Apple essentially killed the MacBook Air with these new products, and will only be selling existing stock until they quietly discontinue them.
The MacBook Air is a dead MacBook walking.
I’m sitting on the fence right now. The touchBar is intriguing, but I was waiting for an announcement about an upcoming iMac. No mention was made about an iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro. Makes me wonder if these have been abandoned altogether. Now my choices are, buy current iMac, or buy new MBP with TouchBar. I speced out both with max Ram and top-of-line graphics cards, MBP at $3400, and iMac at $3500. Should I wait hoping that updates the iMac or go with one of the above options. Don’t want to wait for something that may never happen. I wish TC had said that an iMac update was in the works, or was being discontinued. Would have made my decision easier. Will use present MBPs until I know something one way or the other. The question seems to be, is the new MBP the new iMac? 🖖😀⌚️
32″ or 36″ iMac.
They are probably coming soon. Having one of their flagship products with a touch bar, you would assume they would add it to the other flagship – that being the iMac. OR, apple now expects you to have a system like the one they demo’ed yesterday (where you have multiple large LG monitors at home). I hope they decide on the iMac (which can handle a better i7 that the MB).
In reality, they should release a keyboard with the TouchBar on it…. but they’ll wait for the early adopters to buy the new MBP before starting on that. 1 year from now they’ll release a TouchBar keyboard for use with iMacs. Oh… it won’t come standard with iMacs… you’ll have to pay for it. Apple made it clear that they’re keeping a keyboard with function keys around as a price differentiator by keeping a MBP with the F keys on it.
In other words… Profits over people.
As usual.
Go with a 5k iMac. It’s far more capable than any Apple laptop by far.
… iMac. Want one. Got both an MBP and an iMac at the last change-over and both are getting a bit old. Not that I _NEED_ either, but W A N T them. One of the problems with Macs – they don’t get old and crippled soon enough to demand the latest/greatest forcing you to admit you just lust after ‘something new’.
Sounds like a stupendous hack to get it out the door to me. Does this mean if you want to program touch bar you need to generate a separate ARM coded program separate to your main program? Sounds bizarre.