I'd consider the touchbar more useful for UI interaction if it were instead in either:
- The trackpad
- The bottom 1" of the laptop screen
- The trackpad
- The bottom 1" of the laptop screen
If the space bar area was converted to the track pad. Tapping it would be a space, while dragging it would give you the touch bar like features. So for example, when using Word, you have formatting options on the space touch bar like they demonstrated on the touch bar. If you tap it, it's a space, but start sliding from the left, and the formatting options appear on the screen itself, and you stop sliding when you reach the option you want to select it. Basically, tap to touch, and slide to scrub between options (or between a timeline).
This way you also wouldn't have to take your eyes off the screen to know what options are available.
They don't "lag behind current hardware for better margins". The CPU class they use in the MBPr line is still unavailable from Intel. Early "Kaby Lake" PC laptops use other, more power hungry, Kaby Lake models, and even those in limited runs.
If they wanted to achieve better margins in any way, they could use way worse construction and materials, not insist on high quality trackpads, not add the touch strip, add cheapo USB 2.1 and even Ethernet ports to keep everybody happy, and just put some early, 6-hour battery life Kaby Lake machine out there.
It's not about licensing fees.
Skylake processors were announced last year and the new laptop uses them. In fact, I believe the 15" BTO edition uses the fastest Skylake processor Intel makes.
No, I'm referring to the equivalent to the i7-6700HQ Kaby Lake CPU, that Intel still hasn't delivered...