Whoever said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks obviously just wasn’t trying hard enough. If you’ve been lusting after the brand new MacBooks and drooling over the new LED touch bars, only to look into your bank account and sigh, we’ve got good news for you: You can totally fake a touch bar on your old Mac.
Developers have made a “fake” demo version of the touch bar experience that you can download and stick on your old computer. It can work with either the function key on your MacBook, or you can stick it on an iPad and attach that to your computer for a more tactile experience.
So first: Make sure your Mac is completely up-to-date. Then download the app here and run the installer. Once that’s all done, just press your computer’s “fn” key and presto, a “magic” touch screen demo should appear on your computer screen.
If you want to try out the magic touch bar on your iPad, you’re going to need to keep your device connected to your computer via USB and side load the app, which can be a bit finicky. (For more info on side loading, check out instructions here.)
Although it’s definitely not a perfect system, it’s a good way to gauge Apple’s new tech and decide whether or not it’s truly worth saving up $1,800 for a touch bar MacBook Pro.
What else do you want to fake update? Let us know @BritandCo!
(h/t Field Guide; photo via Apple)
Cailey is a junkie for all things pop culture. She studied journalism and English literature at SUNY Purchase, then continued studying French cinema and literature at Paris IV Sorbonne. She currently lives in New York where she can often be found singing '70s music at karaoke bars.
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