Apple on the Touch Bar development


CNET:

Marketing chief Phil Schiller, software engineering lead Craig Federighi and top designer Jony Ive explained, in exclusive interviews earlier this week, why the Mac matters. Since they say it's so important to Apple, we asked them why it took four years, four months and 16 days to deliver what they call a "milestone" and a "big step forward" for its top-of-the-line laptops.

"The calendar isn't what drives any of the decisions," Schiller says in a 90-minute briefing at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. "We challenge the teams to do great work and sometimes that great work can be done in one year, sometimes it takes three years... What we really care about is creating new innovations in the Mac and continuing the story that has really defined Apple for so many years."

The Touch Bar seems like a really interesting cross over from iOS. People have been calling for a multi-touch screen on a Mac since before the iPhone. So, it's not surprising Apple has been working on something for a long time. The Touch Bar seems a way to bring some of that interface without having to make the display screen live.