Apple recently released new MacBook Pro models with great hype. As someone who is in the market for a new Mac in the next year, I watched the keynote with a pretty good amount of excitement and anticipation.
At the conclusion of Apple’s keynote presentation, I found myself staring at the screen with a dazed and confused look on my face.
For years I’ve had a MacBook Pro for taking work on the road. I do light design and image retouching on it, as well as email, web browsing and writing. At the home office I use a top of the line iMac with 32GB of RAM, Core i7 processor and upgraded video card for the heavy lifting in Photoshop, InDesign, etc.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my impending upgrade the last year or so, and decided that I could probably live with just one fully upgraded MBPro and buy an Apple Thunderbolt Display to use when I’m at home. This would save a lot of hassle with file syncing and twice the time spent upgrading and maintaining two computers.
But then Apple Event happened last week and I feel like I’m stuck in a place I don’t want to be. I absolutely love the macOS, but I’m left wondering how Apple and the rest of the world ended up so far apart on their definition of a Pro user.
The new MacBook Pro with its Touch Bar looks cool at first glance, and I can totally see how the average consumer might find it too cool to pass up. The problem for me (and by me, I mean most pros) is that anything found in the Touch Bar can be found in the menus—and probably has a keyboard shortcut associated with it. If it does, I probably know it and use it regularly. So I look at that fancy colorful Touch Bar, shrug my shoulder and… pfffft!
But that’s just one feature, right? Then I look under the hood and find more pfffft! than I think I can chew. A limit of 16GB of RAM. How do they call a Mac a “Pro” computer when you limit it to 16GB of RAM? The reason, according to Apple’s Phil Shiller, is that they wanted to keep the power-consumption down to preserve batterly life.
It’s a PRO computer. Most pro users sit at a desk most of the day, with the MBPro plugged in. Don’t even get me started on the comparatively low-end video card Apple chose to include. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it’s not a pro-level video card. Period.
The ports… that’s a big issue. Look, I get that technology moves forward. I never complained when Apple chose to switch to Lightning ports on the iPhone. But that’s mostly because I don’t have to plug anything into my iPhone other than the charger. My Mac is another thing completely. Not only do I plug my USB-A iPhone into it, but my USB-A microphone, USB-A DSLR camera cable, USB-A Bluetooth headphones (for charging) and multiple USB-A storage drives. With the new MBPro, some users will spend up to $200 on dongles to connect existing devices to the new MBPro. That’s just crazy.
Apple no longer makes stand-alone displays, opting instead to work with LG to produce a fully compatible 5K display that has an iSight camera, plenty of ports and gorgeous image quality. The price is better than Apple’s former offering, too. So there’s really no problem there, other than the problem of perception.
But the big white elephant in the room is that rumor sites claim that Apple will be updating the MacBook Pro next year with faster processors, RAM upgradeable to 32GB, better video cards, battery-efficient OLED screens and more. Of course, some of those rumors don’t match up with reality. So who knows what to believe.
I’m not sure what to make of the current MacBook Pro, or the rumors that Apple is already working on the device pro users wanted. I get that Intel is to blame for the low-power processors and the effect it has on Apple to provide more RAM and video cards, but then why even release the laptop upgrade? Why not just wait a few more months and release the better device when it’s ready?
It makes me wonder what the next iMac or Mac Pro will be, or even IF they will be. What I know for sure is that my plan to go with a single Mac, the MacBook Pro, are on hold until next year… and even then I may have to alter those plans depending on what Apple does.
I used to be a pure Apple fanboy, but that description is no longer valid—at least not in the year 2016.
Totally agree with you. I was also holding back from buying a new iMac, hoping that something exiting would come up. Not only it didn’t but seeing the panorama with the new MBP i just decided to go ahead and my new iMac now because I don’t expect much advantage in the forecoming model next year. And wath about Sierra? I didn’t even bothered upgrading.
Sierra has been a pretty great update for both my iMac and my aging MacBook Pro. As for updates to the iMac, I think it’s likely to see some fairly significant updates, but nothing that would make you regret buying an iMac right now. The current 27″ 5K Retina iMac is an awesome workhorse, in my opinion.
Can’t disagree at all. My 2010 MacBook pro is struggling. Its only lasted this long because I installed faster SSDs. The max 8GB of RAM is the final straw. As a tech and developer, I need access to USB A, thunderbolt, ethernet and even Firewire ports. Now my new laptop is going to need a cluster of stupid dongles or hubs just to maintain the same functionality. The new finger pad thing is ok, but no compensation for the lost functionality.
Apple is deaf to the criticism and tries to pass off changes like this as “courage.” They seem to think they know better than we do how we should do our jobs.
To be fair, I think Apple is “skating to where the puck will be” instead of where it is.
The problem is that none of their pro-level hardware has been updated in years. So this being the only option for modern hardware, we’re finding it a bit too modern.
Yes, the 2013 Mac Pro is a disgrace. I’ve actively discouraged clients from buying them. Unless you’re a hard core video editor, there’s not much reason to pay premium prices for old hardware with insufficient internal storage. Even if you are a video editor, it might be better to look at a platform with more options. That last statement says a lot for the state of Apple. I’ve spent 25 years using, promoting and supporting Apple products.
I believe the Mac Pro will go the way of the Xserve before too long. Apple’s excuse will be that few people are buying them. And few people buy them because they’re too limited and expensive.
I think this trend started many years ago with he surprise discontinuation of the Xserve RAID. It was a popular option and actually less expensive than most alternatives at the time. Then the Xserve itself disappeared. Pro software disappeared or got crippled with little regard for user needs. OS X Server went from an enterprise-grade system that was challenging Exchange to a $20 toy. Even the Mac Mini is now a neutered and disposable little chihuahua.
Far beyond skating to where the puck will be, Apple is skating off the rink to some other venue entirely. Obsessed with thin devices at all costs, Apple is just not listening.
It seems that Apple is slowly pushing their entire line in the direction of an app-ified experience. I really have no interest in an iOS style experience when I’m trying to get work done. The fact that Mac Pros haven’t been updated at all in about 3 years is insane.
I’m currently pretty heavily invested in the Mac/Apple Ecosystem, but if this keeps up, I’m going to be forced to jump ship for the PC. The hardware isn’t keeping up with the software anymore.