AS I WRITE, there are strong rumors that the new MacBook Pros coming soon will drop the Touch Bar as part of a new design, and will revert to using good ol’ fashioned function keys. This may not turn out to be true, but if it’s ever going to be removed a full redesign feels like the time, where it can take a bow quietly while the conversation focuses on what’s new rather than what’s gone. I feel oddly sad about the idea of its removal, considering that I’ve barely used it over the years. I’ve found it to be an interesting idea with lots of theoretical potential, but it has a fatal flaw that isn’t really its fault.