No, a portion of the bar (the "Control Strip") is always reserved for system stuff and can be expanded to full width with a tap.
Re:Return of the Mac (2005)
by DashRattlesnake on Tuesday November 01, 2016 @06:25PM
(#12850644)
> Macbooks don't have a row of "function keys" though. They have a row of keys that do very specific things in the OS
If you look closely, those keys have things like "F1", "F2", etc. written on them. They're function keys.
Re:Return of the Mac (2005)
by redbeard0x0a on Tuesday November 01, 2016 @06:34PM
(#12850726)
They are actually 2 modes (you switch between the OS keys and the Fx keys by pressing the fn key). There is also an OS setting to switch which mode is enabled by-default (without pressing the fn key).
Right, so TouchBar increases the number of possible modes to basically infinity. Isn't there already a way to make the TouchBar just render the function keys?
Yes. Now the Touch Bar will (by default) display the function keys when the `fn` key is pressed, and display the current set of functionality per the application otherwise. There is, per the presentation and reports, an OS setting that allows you to switch which is the default.
Re:Return of the Mac (2005)
by cauterized on Tuesday November 01, 2016 @06:34PM
(#12850725)
One of the first things I do on a new Mac is to toggle the preference that lets you use the function keys and function keys and the "fn" modifier to coerce them to do things like volume control. Macs (until now) absolutely do have function keys for anyone who wants them.
* Adjust screen brightness (x2)
* Adjust volume and mute (x3)
* Adjust keyboard brightness (x2)
* Power button (x1)
* Play/pause and next/previous (x3)
* Rearrange the desktop windows (x2)
So, if you launch an app that uses the touch bar, will you lose the ability to adjust the brightness and volume?