Apple introduced its latest Macbook models a few weeks ago and the Macbook Pro received an all new Touch Bar. The reviews of the new Macbook refresh have been mixed. While the Touch Bar is a shiny new addition welcomed by the majority, it comes at a considerable price.
Touch Bar is an OLED touch strip that converts into any button or slider you want it to be. The new MacBook machines are pretty expensive and even a model that does not feature the Touch Bar starts at £1,449. Well, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars just to get the Touch Bar on your Mac. A pair of developers has come up with a hack that brings Touch Bar to almost any MacBook available in the market.
As discovered by the folks over at 9to5Mac, the duo of developers has released a new app called Touch Bar demo on the GitHub that allows you to experience Touch Bar in two different ways.
The first way adds Touch Bar to your Mac by installing a standalone application. This, however, does not provide the Touch experience of the capability. The user will have to use function key on their keyboard and scroll through the on-screen options. The features appear on top of everything on the Macbook’s screen.
The second method adds Touch Bar through an iPad as long as it is connected to the Macbook over a USB connection. However, this method is a bit more complex. Installing the Macbook is much easier than installing the Touch Bar on an iPad as it required some developer tools.As demoed in the video embedded below, the Touch Bar appears on the iPad and can be controlled using touch. The icons are also dynamic and switch according to running application on the Mac.
Here’s the video demo: