Touch Bar

The Touch Bar is a small multi-touch-enabled OLED strip that was introduced in 2016 as an alternative to function keys on MacBook Pro models. It was phased out of the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in October 2021. However, the 13-inch MacBook Pro that was announced in June 2022 still retains the Touch Bar.

Usage
When typing, the Touch Bar shows predictions and fonts. More specific functions can be enabled in apps that support the Touch Bar:


 * Notes: The Aa menu is enabled.
 * Photos: Thumbnails of photos and videos are displayed.
 * Spotify: Progress within a song is displayed.

Issues
The Touch Bar received a mixed reception and some complaints over its effect on battery life. After limited adoption by 3rd-party developers, Apple decided to reinstate classic tactile function keys on larger MacBook Pro models in 2021.

Articles

 * Touch Bar MacBook Pro FAQ at EveryMac.com (2021-12-13)
 * Everything you need to know about the Touch Bar for MacBook Pro by Lory Gil at iMore (2020-05-07)