I spent a short while playing with a new MacBookPro 15" with Touchbar at the Apple Store. Conclusions:

  • I hate the keyboard that is too thin and has too little space between the keys. I made so many typing mistakes with it... This is a keyboard for people who don't use a lot their keyboard, not a keyboard for code developers
  • the Touchbar is a PITA and a strong disruption because it adds another layer of input/output between the keyboard and the screen. "Typing" on the Touchbar too often requires moving your eyes from the screen to the Touchbar and losing focus when you go back to the screen. For each app, you have to learn a new Touchbar design, and some apps have more than one. A mess. And it does not counter-balance the loss of the Escape and function keys.
  • the screen seems better and brighter than on my mid-2014 retina MacBook Pro.
  • Apple Store people themselves are extremely cautious with the USB-C-based power supply when they move a MBP. MagSafe, we all miss you.
  • Touch ID is cool but I noticed the Touch ID key does not seem to be oleophobic so the fingerprint of the person who unlocked the MBP can be very visible. Probably not too difficult to copy it.
  • I have doubts on the readability/usability of the TouchBar in high-light conditions
  • the price, the price, the price !!! The 15" model with Touchbar starts at $2,889.00 here in France (price converted from € to $ at today's exchange rate), urgh !!!

For the time being, I am more than happy with my mid-2014 model and I don't plan to change. This would probably feel like a downgrade to me.