Also, if it is useful, surely there should be a discrete keyboard that has it... I use my MBP mostly with a full sized keyboard, mouse, and additional monitors.
I think I'd rather have a MBP with a conventional keyboard, and add the touchbar with a discrete keyboard if I decide I need it.
This is configurable. Just go to System Preferences > Keyboard, and on the first tab you can choose whether the touch bar shows (a) app specific controls plus an expandable control strip (the default), (b) the expanded control strip (the old default behavior), (c) function keys, or (d) app specific controls w/o expandable control strip.
Options (b) & (c) match the keyboard options without touchbars, and as before you toggle between them with the Fn key. The upside with the touchbar is you can see whether you’re in function or control mode. In any case, sounds like (b) is what you want.
Disclaimer: I’m running High Sierra so not sure if this is available on Sierra, but assume it is.
Keep the ability for apps to take over the bar, but also give the ability to install as a new "system" action that is always visible. Currently there is only one "app" system slot on the bar and it gets taken by iTunes or Xcode.
Except you don't get a worse battery, that's the crazy part. The base/cheaper model gets the better battery than the expensive model.
The lower-end 13-inch base MacBook Pro gets a 54.5w/hr battery, and only drives one screen. The higher-end 13-inch touchbar MacBook Pro only gets a 49.2w/hr battery, and has to drive two screens. - https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/ Presumably the TouchBar takes up enough space that they had to reduce the battery size to compensate.
So, not only do you have a touch bar you (probably) don't want, wasting battery life you'd rather keep, you also have smaller total battery capacity too. The lineup goes out of it's way to double-punish the more expensive product.