Chrome 60 added Touch Bar controls for supported 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models, letting users reach common browser actions from the strip above the keyboard. Google announced the desktop stable release on July 25, 2017; this is a historical feature, not a description of the current Chrome version.
What Chrome 60 Touch Bar support included
The feature applied to 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016 and 2017 that had a Touch Bar. Chrome placed browser shortcuts there for tasks such as navigating, searching or entering a URL, bookmarking a page, and opening a new tab. Contemporary coverage of the release described the controls and supported hardware in MacRumors and 9to5Mac.
These were browser controls displayed alongside macOS Touch Bar controls; Chrome’s feature was not an extension system, and it did not mean that every button on the bar could be customized.
How users customized Chrome’s Touch Bar controls
On a supported Mac, users could open the menu-bar path View > Customize Touch Bar to rearrange or remove Chrome shortcuts. They could also combine Chrome’s controls with existing system controls and turn off predictive typing suggestions. Customization changed the available shortcuts and their arrangement; it did not make every control freely configurable.
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- SUPERCHARGED BY M2: The 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop is a portable powerhouse. Get more done faster with a next-generation 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory.
- UP TO 20 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE: Go all day and into the night, thanks to the power-efficient performance of the brand new Apple M2 chip. (Up to 20 hours of video playback)
- BIG, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY: The 13.3-inch Retina display features 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color, and support for 1 billion colors for vibrant images and incredible detail.
- SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE: Thanks to its active cooling system, the MacBook Pro can sustain pro levels of performance, so you can run CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks for hours.
- VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY: The MacBook Pro features two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack that lets you connect and power high-speed accessories.
Chrome 60 was a broader desktop release
Google announced Chrome 60.0.3112.78 for the desktop stable channel on July 25, 2017, for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The company said rollout would take place over the coming days or weeks. Its stable-channel announcement also said the release included 40 security fixes.
The release contained web-platform changes aimed at developers, separate from the Mac Touch Bar feature:
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- Quad-core 8th-Generation Intel Core i5 Processor
- Brilliant Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
- Ultrafast SSD
- Payment Request API: support became available on desktop, helping websites integrate browser-based payment flows.
- Credential Management API: Chrome included updates to the API used by websites to work with user credentials.
- CSS font-display: support gave developers a way to influence how text renders while web fonts load.
These additions describe platform capabilities, not extra Touch Bar functions. The release coverage does not establish a measured speed improvement or adoption figure attributable to the Touch Bar support.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the release matters in context
Touch Bar support was a targeted usability addition for owners of specific MacBook Pro generations, while Chrome 60’s stable release also delivered platform work and security fixes across desktop operating systems. Google’s Chrome team wrote in its July 25 announcement: “The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 60 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux.”
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Quad-core 8th-Generation Intel Core i5 Processor
- Brilliant Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
- Ultrafast SSD
Rank #3
- SUPERCHARGED BY M2: The 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop is a portable powerhouse. Get more done faster with a next-generation 8-core CPU, up to 10-core GPU and up to 24GB of unified memory.
- UP TO 20 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE: Go all day and into the night, thanks to the power-efficient performance of the brand new Apple M2 chip. (Up to 20 hours of video playback)
- BIG, BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY: The 13.3-inch Retina display features 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color, and support for 1 billion colors for vibrant images and incredible detail.
- SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE: Thanks to its active cooling system, the MacBook Pro can sustain pro levels of performance, so you can run CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks for hours.
- VERSATILE CONNECTIVITY: The MacBook Pro features two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a headphone jack that lets you connect and power high-speed accessories.
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