If you’ve been wondering about the Touch Bar in the new MacBook Pros, check out Daniel Jalkut’s Touché. It’s a Mac app that simulates the Touch Bar on your Mac’s screen. I’ve been running it all afternoon and while putting the Touch Bar on the screen isn’t nearly as convenient as stretching it across the top of the keyboard, it does really give you a feel of how the Touch Bar works. The below image, which magnifies on click, shows the Photos Touch Bar on my screen.

In order for Touché to work, you’ll need to download the latest build of macOS. Daniel has a link on his website. While you’re there, check out some of Daniel’s other apps from his company, Red Sweater Software.

Din Tai Phun dumplings. There is no substitute.

Daniel Jalkut recently wrote this piece about the Touch Bar coming to an Apple external keyboard. That would allow for the Touch Bar to be used with desktop Macs and MacBooks used in clamshell mode. Daniel thinks they’ll eventually get there.

“I find it impossible to believe that Apple would go to all this work, both on the Touch Bar itself, and across the entire range of its own apps and OS features, unless it had a grand vision for the Touch Bar that extends way beyond the internal keyboard of its premium notebook computers.”

— Daniel Jalkut

I agree. I'm certain it would need more charging (and perhaps a bigger battery) than the current external keyboard and I’m guessing it will be pretty pricey but I fully expect a Touch Bar enabled external keyboard to eventually show up from Apple.

Test Drive Touch Bar with Touché

Touch Bar on an External Keyboard