Apple Starts Approving First Touch Bar App Updates on Mac App Store

Apple over the past two days has started approving Mac App Store apps that have been updated with Touch Bar support on the new MacBook Pro.

One of the first Touch Bar apps is OmniGraffle 7, a popular vector drawing tool for designing graphics and diagrams. After updating to version 7.2, users will have access to text controls when editing labels, for example, or manipulation controls when working with shapes. Without anything selected on the canvas on the main screen, the Touch Bar can be used to add shape, a stencil, or an image.

touch-bar-omni

OmniGraffle 7.2 for Mac's new Touch Bar controls
Speed-Up, a utility for speeding up or slowing down audio playback directly in iTunes, also saw its Touch Bar update approved earlier today. Other apps that now support the Touch Bar include Gestimer, Opus One, Disk Aid, and Memory Clean 2, and several more popular apps will be updated over the coming days and weeks. Those interested can track Mac app updates on our sister site AppShopper.

The Touch Bar is a narrow strip of glass above the keyboard that provides both system and app-specific controls based on what you are doing. The touchscreen sits in place of the standard row of function keys on the new MacBook Pro and includes Touch ID for faster logins and Apple Pay. Learn more by reading our Touch Bar hands-on roundup and Apple executive Craig Federighi's interview about the Touch Bar.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro

Tags: Mac App Store, Touch Bar

Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

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miknos

31 months ago

I hope they make the touchbar open for all kind usage, at least when the app comes from outside the App Store. It's up to the user to avoid nasty apps.

I can imagine MacKeeper flashing the touchbar saying your computer has virus; please put your finger (touch ID) to enable protection!

Rating: 7 Votes

ilovenewjersey

31 months ago

The touch bar is looking nice!

But you know what would make it look even nicer? If it were placed one row above my escape and function keys.

If there isn't a System Preferences option to keep esc/fn keys always displayed by default, I'm sad to say I'll be done with Apple. And even if there is, I'm still not sure I can, or should, adapt.

I'm considering the Razer Blade Pro, but that ridiculous placement of the up-arrow key is probably a deal-breaker. It's a real shame no one makes a laptop as nice as the late-2011 17" MacBook Pro, or an OS as great as OS X Snow Leopard.

Rating: 5 Votes

miknos

31 months ago

Just curious, would Apple let a developer put an ad on the bar?

That would be horrendous!

Rating: 4 Votes

ip67

31 months ago

Touch bar might be kinda cool for stock tickers.

Rating: 3 Votes

shaunymac

31 months ago

What if that ridiculously large trackpad is because it will support Apple Pencil next year? Remove the headphone jack and add a lightning port and it makes perfect sense to me. What do you guys think?

As a wacom user for years, this would be really neat. I would love it but the fact that I would have to charge the pencil, keep an extra cable to charge the said pencil and then the surface area of that trackpad is only so big. Guess I'm spoiled with a large intros tablet.

It would be neat for quick edits and what not but it would never replace the need for a real tablet or something equivalent. And to think, that Modbook was around so long ago and Apple has yet to make something like that. I always thought that was around the corner. I nearly bought one of those a couple times but didn't need the mobility.

Rating: 2 Votes

bwoodruff

31 months ago

1Password has just been updated with Touch Bar and Touch ID support.

Disclaimer: I work for AgileBits, the makers of 1Password.

Thanks for the mention [USER=67353]@palter[/USER]! Yes, we've just released an update which enables support for these exciting new features. If anyone has questions or comments please feel free to reach out to us at support@agilebits.com

Ben

Rating: 2 Votes

DocMultimedia

31 months ago

Just curious, would Apple let a developer put an ad on the bar?

Rating: 2 Votes

dan110

31 months ago

Gotta love that new stream of income at the expense of true functionality.

Rating: 2 Votes

Jaekae

31 months ago

That does not make sense. Especially lightning port..
And its seen as a audio jack, not headphone jack, to many use it for regular pc speakers.

I think its bigger chance apple come up with a way to use ipad pro as a wacom tablet for mac. That would be awesome
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You know there is a hidden escape button thats physical and always there no matter what touchbar is showing? On left side its a butten same as the touch id button..

Function keys come everytime you press fn button same like all old macs

Rating: 2 Votes

vjl323

31 months ago

I agree completely. As a touch typist, I don't look at the keyboard when I type, and I have shortcuts assigned to the function keys. I've never had to press 'fn' to access them, as someone else stated, and I use ESC quite a bit, yet I don't think there's any physical ESC key (someone mentioned it was hidden, and opposite the TouchID area - i guess it is a blank 'zone' that one taps to get ESC? if so that is not really a key, just a touch area that one has to look down to tap properly).

If I'm using an app that has a custom toolbar and I want to turn the volume down on music playing in another app, without interrupting my workflow, how will I do that? My Apple keyboards all have dedicated volume buttons and on the laptop, it's one of my function keys with the 'fn' combo - no need to look down to find the key; but now you need to do something to access the control bar that displays the volume controls, and then tap and then slide your finger side to side to adjust volume? Wow. :(

Rating: 1 Votes

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