As noted by 9to5Mac, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the company will replace the touch panel with physical buttons in its upcoming devices. Plus, it’s also planning to bring back IO ports and the Magsafe method of charging. This is wonderful news as the Touch Bar has been a useless and hated accessory. My colleague Callum dedicated a whole piece to how Touch Bar ruined his life, and as he eloquently put it, “The MacBook Touch Bar fucking sucks.” [Read: How Netflix shapes mainstream culture, explained by data] It hasn’t been a productive addition, and people would rather have physical keys, so Apple’s decision would be cherished. For many users, IO ports, such as USB-A slot and SD-Card reader, would be a welcome change. Currently, the MacBook Pro lineup only features USB-C ports, so people have to buy additional dongles to connect to other accessories. I’m intrigued that Apple is returning to Magsafe charging, and I’d love to hear why they’re doing it. More and more machines are moving towards USB-C, so people are investing in charging bricks and power banks supporting that standard. If Apple goes the Magsafe way, I’d have to lug another charger around. Kuo also said that the tech giant is going to make a design change and square off the edges on the upcoming MacBook Pros — matching the design aesthetics of the iPhone 12 and the iPad Pro. It’s great to start off the year with fantastic news about the MacBook Pros. However, there’s still no mention of whether Apple will release MacBook Pros with touchscreens, but I’m crossing my fingers they will. If you’ve currently got a laptop featuring the awful Touch Bar and can’t wait for the new version to drop, you can always make it slightly more bearable by stopping it from changing all the damn time .
