Flexbar review: Designed to be near the keyboard and your fingers. Last updated 10 hours ago. The Flexbar is a replacement for Apple's Touch Bar that could give the Stream Deck a run for its money — assuming the software is fully hammered into shape at some point.
The Touch Bar was an element of the MacBook Pro keyboard that offered the promise of productivity. By giving users the ability to touch a row of context-aware buttons that performed shortcuts or changed settings, they could potentially do more without needing to navigate menus or remember key combinations.
While the component had potential, it was often derided and was eventually replaced by a row of physical function keys, following the death of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Consumers no longer have the option of using the Touch Bar in Apple's current crop of hardware, and instead they must look elsewhere if the want something similar. The Stream Deck is an obvious and well-tested option, but if you wanted an interface that's much closer to the Touch Bar in concept, you should instead turn to the Flexbar.
Created by Eniac, the Flexbar is a thin OLED display that provides a set of software buttons and controls to work with your Mac and its apps. By touching the screen, you can trigger shortcuts, macros, or otherwise control the connected Mac, all from a bar designed to sit above your keyboard, like the original Touch Bar.
