A gimmick.
If I'm not mistaken. I went o_O … Seems steep. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
>A gimmick.
pwn'd
so true.
This keyboard with remappable OLED keys was released almost 10 years ago: https://store.artlebedev.com/electronics/optimus/#51709
The only part that's similar is the key faces can change. They're still physical keys that press individually. It's not multi touch, a key can't suddenly become a slider.
Also, if that is true, perhaps what's truly new is that its actually usable. That's pretty much Apple's thing - making things more usable/useful.
That could be a jet plane from Lockheed Martin or a Thinkpad...
The jury is still out on that one.
http://img.artlebedev.ru/everything_files/images/2857/optimu...
It's nice that these aren't proprietary cables, but I'll have to spend over $100 on adaptors, or wait two years until there are cheaper alternatives.
Lastly, there may be 4 ports in total, but since 1 is used for charging, there are effectively 3. Not a deal-breaker going from 4 to 3, but definitely a problem going from 2 to 1 on the low-end MBP.
Only if you're using it exclusively for charging. They literally showed using it with a display that gets video out over the same cord it powers the laptop with.
Available December.
It doesn't need to be a 5K 27" display to provide power over USB-C.
Well they are incompatible with almost everything Apple makes. You can't even plug in an iPhone out of the box. You'll need a special adapter for every device you have (monitor, storage, phone, SD reader, etc).
More replacements than adapters. Also you don't need Apple adapters, you can get a type C — type A cable for $6.
I have an Optimus mini 3 and an Optimus keyboard.
The former I never really got along with as the oled drivers made a loud 18khz whine. The latter, however, I still use for photoshop, gaming, coding, etc. - ain't got no poxy touch strip, my entire keyboard is a technicolor discotechque.
A hindrance, to power users and touch typists.
http://www.lenovo.com/images/gallery/1060x596/lenovo-laptop-...
I think it's a fair complaint if it requires using dongles for all of your legacy devices, especially USB keys.
2.5k laptop and 1k phone and you still need $30 adapter.
Oh you mean like Windows VISTA's (yes, that one) "SideShow?"
https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+vista+sideshow&biw=2...
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=windows+vista+sideshow&...
They have had big partners do this, like Logitech, on keyboards like the G15 and G19. It was also on laptops positions above the keyboard.
which one of those ports can I use to plug in my lighting headphones?
http://cdn.toptenreviews.com/rev/prod/ce/48731-barnes-noble-...
(Just kidding!)
It's called a touchscreen.
A definite step back for the sake of introducing a gimmick, whose consequences have not been given enough thought.
They could have tried buying a Lenovo Carbon Gen.2 and using it for half a day, and realized what a stupid idea it is.
I actually had one of those laptops for a little while - issued by my workplace. It came with the same concept - a touch-sensitive strip, with (limited) display capabilities and which could change its function depending on the context.
Even if the touchstrip hadn't been an utter piece of junk (which it was - hello lack of feedback and failing to detect extremely deliberate touches), I wouldn't have hated it any less. I don't want to have to constantly look away from the screen when I'm working. I'll avoid mentioning all the other problems of the Lenovo touchstrip (or the rest of the keyboard, which was an utter abomination) because hopefully Apple gets those right - but it doesn't really matter. Give me my ESC key back, and stop breaking usability.
In their boneheaded move, actually Lenovo _at least_ had the presence of mind to realize that ESC is really off limits, so they moved it to the row below. At the expense of the ` key, which isn't really an optimal solution, but it shows some modicum of reasoning about the usability impact of that gimmick. Apple doesn't seem to care.
I gave that mostruosity back shortly after, am now a happy user of a T450s which even has an ethernet port!!!, very happy with it. Lenovo shortly after retired the gen2, replaced it with a gen3 which has an absolutely normal keyboard, issued an apology, probably fired the idiot who suggested that horrible usability compromised. I'm afraid Apple may have hired that idiot.
I now may need to have the Courage to spend my own money on a non-Apple laptop after so many years.
No innovative features? What do you call a ribbon display that no one has ever done before?
No expansion - nothing new to the MBP line.