I’m not sure if this is even the right place to put this, so feel free to move it if it isn’t. I want a new Mac. I’m debating between the M1 and M2 pro. I’m also debating on getting one with the Touch Bar. Given the fact that I have an Apple keyboard with numeric keypad, I feel that I wouldn’t be missing anything if I got one with the Touch Bar. Now, as the subject states, what are the pros and cons of a Touch Bar in my case, given the fact that I have the aforementioned Apple keyboard which has the function keys already. :-)
Comments
Touch Bar = hard to use
IMO the Touch Bar is hard to use and honestly the 13 inch pros (both M1 and M2 variants) are a horrible deal. Either get yourself an air or pop up to the 14 inch MacBook pros.
the 13 inch M1/M2 pros are simply glorified MacBook airs with older designs that have the pro name for people who need to feel they are "pro".
Touch bar
I have an older MBP with a touch bar, and I seldom use the bar. Like you, I use a full sized keyboard with the MBP most of the time so no problem with the function keys. If I needed to use the laptop without the external keyboard more frequently I would opt for no touch bar. Apple made the bar accessible but I think it's more appealing or useful for a sighted user, even then I don't think the touch bar is all that popular even with the sighted community.
I didn't like having a Touch…
I didn't like having a Touch Bar, so much that I sold my MBP. The issue I found was clipping the bar when typing. It really didn't add any functionality for my use case though I do believe that it's helpful for scrolling ETC when dealing with media. I'd second holding out and saving a little more to get the MBP 14, that's what I use now. The air does look very nice, but there is a huge premium for portability and you loose out on better speakers and the simple yet nice ability to plug power in either side. The MBP M2 is fine, the fan does help with sustained workloads however it is an older design lacking ports, good FaceTime camera etc.
If you can hold off a little longer I think the MBP 14 m1 should come down in price when the M2 version is released which will only have marginal performance gains. The M1 pro chip is already a beast so think that might be worth going for. The form factor of the 14 is still slim, I worried that it would be really chunky, but it just feels solid. The keyboard is also lovely on it.
Hope this helps a little.
My Thoughts
I got a Mac with a touchbar in December. I like the bar to use the display and volume sliders. Finding where the f keys isn't hard at all, just count the number row if need be. Some commands have changed of course, but it's honestly not that difficult.