Apple tried enabling touch screen support on its desktops and laptops, but the result was disastrous, according to Phil Schiller, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing.
The MacBook Pro 2016 drew lots of attention with its new Touch Bar, which adds somewhat of a part-time touch experience without going full on as a touchpad.
Nevertheless, some saw the Touch Bar as a stepping stone toward real touch screens adorning Macs and MacBooks sometime in the future, but that's not the case.
As Schiller explains to Backchannel, a multi-touch display on a MacBook would not work out and would not be enough, as it would start a divide between the iMac and MacBook.
Implementing a full-on touch display on an iMac all-in-one PC would be "absurd," Schiller says, because it would make it really cumbersome to interact with the screen rather than the traditional keyboard and mouse.
It Would Be A Disaster, Absurd
Despite its instincts, however, Apple decided to try it out just in case it was wrong. To ensure it's not missing out on anything, Apple tested touch screen technology on the Mac and it bolstered its belief that it would be a "disaster."
"Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd," Schiller explains.
He further points out that adding multi-touch would imply a complete redesign of the menu bar for touch, which would in turn mar the experience for users who continue to rely on more standard pointer devices such as a mouse.
"You can't optimize for both," adds Schiller. "It's the lowest common denominator thinking."
MacBook Pro Touch Bar Is As Close As It Gets
Over the years, Apple has revisited the idea several times and tested touch screens on a Mac, only to be more convinced that it wouldn't work well. It would be cumbersome and inconvenient, quite the opposite of what Apple is trying to achieve with its devices.
When asked whether the MacBook Pro Touch Bar was the start of a larger bid to bring iOS influences to the macOS platform, Schiller assured that it's not the case. The idea behind the Touch Bar gracing the latest MacBook Pro was not to port iOS to the Mac, but rather to tap iOS technology to improve the Mac experience.
What About The MacBook Pro Ports?
The MacBook Pro also raised a bit of controversy over its port situation, adding only USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. This drew plenty of criticism from Apple fans who didn't want to be forced into purchasing additional adapters, cables and dongles to connect other Apple devices to their MacBook Pro.
In this respect, Schiller stands by the company's decision to redesign ports and says that Apple is "absolutely more sure than ever" that it was the right thing to do because USB-C will become the standard.
MacBook Pro 2016: Love It Or Hate It
Lastly, according to Schiller, the most major difference between MacBook Pro fans and critics comes down to one thing: those who have interacted with the MacBook Pro and those who haven't.
For the latter category, things would perhaps change soon since the first batch of MacBook Pro 2016 laptops has started shipping out to preorder customers.
