AirBar gives your MacBook a touchscreen for $99

Got a MacBook and hate the fact that Apple doesn't want to live in this century and add touchscreens to its laptops? Are you jealous of how many touchscreen laptop options people on the Windows side have? Well, here's a solution for you. Sort of.

Enter AirBar. This is an accessory you power through one of your MacBook's USB ports, and you magnetically attach it to the bottom bezel of your screen. Then it starts doing its magic, as portrayed in the presentation video below.

AirBar lets you swipe things, pinch to zoom, and just perform all the gestures you'd expect to on a touchscreen - but you do all this on your MacBook's non-touch display. It works by emitting an invisible light field that "senses touch from fingers, gloves and even a paintbrush", according to the official press release. No software installation is required.

The first Apple product to get support is the 13-inch MacBook Air. The AirBar designed for it can already be pre-ordered for $99, and shipping is set to start in early March. More MacBooks will be supported "within the first half of 2017".

Oh, and just in case you read this while owning a 15-inch Windows 10 laptop sans touchscreen, you'll be happy to know that there's an AirBar for you too - and even cheaper, priced at $69.

Source | Via