Apple may ditch the touch bar with its next MacBook Pro

As per Mashable, the new MacBook Pros are said to feature a new generation of Apple Silicon processors and a shiny new design.

But one surprise rumour is that the Touch Bar is going to be replaced by a more regular row of functional keys, a change that wasn't required in the first place. To jog your memory a bit, the Touch Bar was first introduced to a handful of MacBook Pro models in 2016. It is an OLED touchscreen that sits just above the MacBook Pro keyboard. Its dynamic controls offer users shortcuts relevant to what content is on the most screen. It also offers quick access to system-level shortcuts.

It's been controversial and that a bit of an understatement. While it's not universally hated just like the butterfly keyboard appeared to be, not everyone liked it. According to Display Supply Chain Consultants (via 9To5Mac), Apple is removing the Touch Bar from future upcoming MacBook Pro devices, despite it being the third largest use of OLED displays.

"Touch Bars continue to be the #3 application with an 18 per cent unit share and 1.2 per cent revenue share in Q1'21," DSCC explained. "We expect Touch Bars to be exceeded by tablets when Apple starts the adoption of the 10.9" AMOLED iPad. Further, our sources suggest that Apple may cancel the Touch Bar in the future," DSCC added.

Other rumours about the upcoming lineup include a clear HDMI port, a USB-C/Thunderbolt port, two USB-C ports, and an SD card slot. This isn't the first time we're hearing murmurs of the Touch Bar getting tossed into the trashcan though. Renowned Apple analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman have reported similar predictions.