Apple | MacBook Pro: Is Apple replacing the Touch Bar with a stylus? | News | macbook

The Apple Pencil is an essential accessory for the iPad for users who use their tablet for handwritten notes or drawings. The MacBook, on the other hand, still does not offer pen support, although there have been rumors and patent applications in this regard from time to time in recent years. A current Apple patent again hints at a future MacBook with Pencil support – possibly as a simultaneous replacement for the Touch Bar.

MacBook-Pencil sticks magnetically to the case
Apple speaks in the recently acknowledged patent generally of an input tool and names a pen and a rod as concrete examples. Similar to the iPad, the stylus can also be attached magnetically to the case of the MacBook. But with the Apple mobile computer, a double function could be added, which results from the suspended position of the input tool.

Stylus to replace Touch Bar…
The company demonstrates, both in writing and with schematic drawings, where the best hanging devices for the pencil are. For example, the stylus can be attached above the MacBook keyboard and thus be doubly useful: as a removable input tool and as a replacement for the Touch Bar, which Apple only uses in one MacBook model anyway.

As a result, touch elements that provide similar features to the touch bar can be integrated on the pen housing. These include display brightness controls, volume controls and other virtual buttons already known from the Touch Bar. The Pencil would replace the physical function keys on each MacBook model – much like the Touch Bar does. However, the function keys do not disappear without replacement, but appear as touch elements on the attached pen.

…and as a mouse alternative?
In addition to the Touch Bar alternative, the MacBook pen is also conceivable as a mouse replacement, according to the patent. The touch surface of the case can be used for scrolling, zooming and moving the mouse pointer. The pencil could also be used in combination with the trackpad – while one hand is operating the trackpad, users can make entries with the pen on the display. As always with patents, it is not certain whether Apple will ever bring the described features to market.