My (current) favorite MacBook Feature
It’s not what you think.
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The MacBook Air has served me well for going on almost three months now. I love most things about it. It took some getting used to when I transitioned over from my Windows-based desktop, but Apple has made an elegant, powerful laptop with tons of great features.
My favorite feature.
On my iPhone, I love Face ID, it makes logging in to apps and websites so much easier. It saves me an insane amount of time. Luckily, Apple brought a similar feature into their MacBook line up in the form of the Touch ID Button.
The Touch ID Button can be summed up simply with the words my wife used when she saw me tap it, “Is that like a fingerprint scanner or something?”.
It is, in fact, a fingerprint scanner that also serves as the power button. It saves me so much time when it comes to entering passwords or even unlocking the Mac. Furthermore, it functions just like the Touch ID feature on iPhone before the rise of Face ID and the destruction of the physical home button/fingerprint scanner.
Why is it my favorite?
To be honest, I don’t always want to type my passwords out, and honestly I sometimes forget them. This is why the ability to save my passwords and use my finger to access them fixes both of those problems. I know, I know, Chrome or any password manager for that matter does the same thing, but what if I want to buy or download something from the App Store on Mac? Bam, I can scan my finger, and it downloads without having to type in my iCloud password.
One of the issues that I ran into was the desire to use the pointer finger on my other hand. Much like Touch ID on iPhone, I was able to enroll both of my pointers just to cure the urge to use either one.
Its location is another reason I love it. It is in the top-right corner of the keyboard. It’s one of those areas that I can find without much searching with my hands. This is great in situations where I am using the MacBook Air as a second monitor and utilizing an external keyboard. I can simply slide my hand over and graze the Touch ID button. I have only had a few instances where the print hasn’t been picked up on the first try, and on the second attempt it has always worked.
Conclusion
I love to save time, it makes me feel more efficient, even if it’s really not. The Touch ID button works and works well. I know for my normal setup, Face ID (when it comes along) on my Mac wouldn’t always work with the weird angles and what not, but a physical button does just fine.
What are some of your favorite features? Leave a comment and let me know.
Thanks for reading!
