The Touch Bar is the most unorthodox addition to Apple’s new MacBook Pro — or any laptop in recent memory. A thin OLED strip that runs the length of the keyboard, resting just above the number keys, displays different “buttons” depending on the situation. Watching a movie? Symbols appear to let you adjust the volume. Hosting a party? Those symbols morph into an impromptu DJ kit. Texting? Enjoy the emoji keyboard.

Because most of us aren’t DJs, and none of us need a special touch screen to tweak the volume while watching Netflix, it’s the emoji-specific keyboard that I suspect will get the most daily usage. It’s a cute idea that raises a question: are emoji now as essential to written language for the typical computer-owner as numbers and…

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