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"Apple doesn't care about professionals" Everyone who states more or less this sentiment is stating an absolute and speaking for an entire demographic when rea

"Apple doesn't care about professionals" Everyone who states more or less this sentiment is stating an absolute and speaking for an entire demographic when really they should be saying: "Apple doesn't care about a certain type of professional who happens to think just like me" I am a professional: a web designer, a programmer, as well as a musician and occasional video editor. I make a living using my MacBook Pro. I'm typing on one right now. My life wouldn't be possible without a Mac to use for my creative profession. I love nearly everything about the new MBPs and hope to get the 15" as soon as funds are available. I think the Touch Bar is one of the most exciting UI upgrades to macOS in a long, long time. (For reference, I like the Force Touch trackpad but I almost never use the force part of it and think Apple's really dropped the ball on that particular feature.) I can't wait until Logic Pro X supports the Touch Bar, as well as other music apps like Ableton Live. Even the fact that Xcode, Terminal, etc. have extensive interactions on the Touch Bar is impressive. This, THIS is how you roll out a new integrated hardware/software UI feature. Are there some issues? Sure, but what major upgrade doesn't have issues? I still remember when Apple's iOS device lineup was a mess because some devices used Lightning and others used the old 30-pin connector. Heck, the transition to Intel itself was painful back the day...it took years to get the entire Mac product line up to date with all the major software properly compiled. The switch to USB-C/TB3 is huge...the capabilities and bandwidth of that single type of port is staggering. (I'm still in awe that the new MBP can drive not just one, but TWO 5K displays simultaneously.) Instead of being upset with Apple's changes, we should be clamoring for them to upgrade their other Macs (iMac, etc.) to USB-C as fast as humanly possible. Need a dongle or two to get through the transition period? So what? I've needed dongles for one thing or another at almost every stage of the Mac journey (FW-400 to FW-800, anyone?) Apple has not lost their way. Perhaps they've lost the willingness to push out Mac hardware on a more frequent basis, which is a shame. But their ability to innovate and come out with a great product when the time is right should not be up for debate.

mstade 10y ago
This. This is me in a nutshell. In fact, I just ordered the new 13", with touch pad. I never use the F-keys and am genuinely excited by the touch pad - I think it's going to be one of those features that after the fact you just can't believe why no one did it earlier. I love touch id on my iPhone, and can't wait to use it on my Mac – it'll obsolete my Yubikey. This feature alone would be enough to get me to upgrade. To me, the MBP I just ordered will pay for itself in no time, so it was a no brainer for me. To me, the MBP just works, often in really subtle ways too that I just don't notice until I'm not on a Mac. To me, my current MBP is the best laptop I could possibly have. When I bought it, I even said that I don't even know how Apple could possibly top it. It's the best computer I've ever used, my livelihood depends on it. I probably could do the same things with other hardware, and other software – but man, it just works and that's worth every premium I paid for it. To each their own but to me, Apple just made this thing that couldn't possibly be better, better.
blub 10y ago
There are indeed many professionals that don't need high specs, and could even do their work on a 12" MacBook or iPad pro. The Pro in MBP refers not to them, but rather to those needing powerful CPUs, GPUs, large amounts of memory and compatibility with various hardware. I'd have added upgradeability, but the MBP has been a complete failure at that for a long time. Who defines "pro" like that? The internet. It became a synonym for heavy duty workloads.
j2bax 10y ago
Do you do a lot of your creative work right at the MBP keyboard/touchpad? I can't imagine doing too much highly creative/productive work without an external monitor and peripherals. I wonder if they will be building an external keyboard with the Touch Bar.
- jaredcwhite 10y ago
  I do a fair amount at a desk with external monitor/keyboard/trackpad. So, yes, it will be interesting to see how the absence of the touch bar in that context will feel after getting used to it on the MBP directly. I have a feeling I'll want to get away from my desk more often. :) However, I have no doubt Apple is working on a external version of this, though after hearing about the complexity of this solution inside the machine (using a variant of watchOS, ARM chips, etc.), I suspect this is a ways off.
  - majewsky 10y ago
    Putting whole operating systems into peripheral devices is not particularly outlandish. The external keyboard on which I'm typing this has its own ARM chip and memory to drive its programmable backlight. The engineers at Apple will surely have designed the T1 chip and appendices to be easily transplantable from an MBP into an external keyboard.
j2bax 10y ago
Do you do a lot of your creative work right at the MBP keyboard/touchpad? I can't imagine doing too much highly creative/productive work without an external monitor and peripherals. I wonder if they will be building an external keyboard with the Touch Bar.
bsder 10y ago
> The switch to USB-C/TB3 is huge...the capabilities and bandwidth of that single type of port is staggering. "All USB-C/TB3" is going to be a disaster in the short term and nobody with an investment in external peripherals is going to move for at least a year, maybe two. This ALONE would make me sit this refresh out. Apple's history with driver stability lately has been not good. I'm also skeptical about how "professionally" you use your laptop. Even TB2 on the previous gen Macbook Pro was unstable when you plugged in an audio interface and a 4K monitor. I had to move the 4K monitor to the HDMI port so that the audio interface wasn't interfered with. The problem is that things that use bandwidth interfere with things that die based upon latency.

mstade 10y ago

This. This is me in a nutshell. In fact, I just ordered the new 13", with touch pad. I never use the F-keys and am genuinely excited by the touch pad - I think it's going to be one of those features that after the fact you just can't believe why no one did it earlier. I love touch id on my iPhone, and can't wait to use it on my Mac – it'll obsolete my Yubikey. This feature alone would be enough to get me to upgrade. To me, the MBP I just ordered will pay for itself in no time, so it was a no brainer for me. To me, the MBP just works, often in really subtle ways too that I just don't notice until I'm not on a Mac. To me, my current MBP is the best laptop I could possibly have. When I bought it, I even said that I don't even know how Apple could possibly top it. It's the best computer I've ever used, my livelihood depends on it. I probably could do the same things with other hardware, and other software – but man, it just works and that's worth every premium I paid for it. To each their own but to me, Apple just made this thing that couldn't possibly be better, better.

blub 10y ago

There are indeed many professionals that don't need high specs, and could even do their work on a 12" MacBook or iPad pro. The Pro in MBP refers not to them, but rather to those needing powerful CPUs, GPUs, large amounts of memory and compatibility with various hardware. I'd have added upgradeability, but the MBP has been a complete failure at that for a long time. Who defines "pro" like that? The internet. It became a synonym for heavy duty workloads.

j2bax 10y ago

Do you do a lot of your creative work right at the MBP keyboard/touchpad? I can't imagine doing too much highly creative/productive work without an external monitor and peripherals. I wonder if they will be building an external keyboard with the Touch Bar.

jaredcwhite 10y ago
I do a fair amount at a desk with external monitor/keyboard/trackpad. So, yes, it will be interesting to see how the absence of the touch bar in that context will feel after getting used to it on the MBP directly. I have a feeling I'll want to get away from my desk more often. :) However, I have no doubt Apple is working on a external version of this, though after hearing about the complexity of this solution inside the machine (using a variant of watchOS, ARM chips, etc.), I suspect this is a ways off.
- majewsky 10y ago
  Putting whole operating systems into peripheral devices is not particularly outlandish. The external keyboard on which I'm typing this has its own ARM chip and memory to drive its programmable backlight. The engineers at Apple will surely have designed the T1 chip and appendices to be easily transplantable from an MBP into an external keyboard.

j2bax 10y ago

bsder 10y ago

> The switch to USB-C/TB3 is huge...the capabilities and bandwidth of that single type of port is staggering. "All USB-C/TB3" is going to be a disaster in the short term and nobody with an investment in external peripherals is going to move for at least a year, maybe two. This ALONE would make me sit this refresh out. Apple's history with driver stability lately has been not good. I'm also skeptical about how "professionally" you use your laptop. Even TB2 on the previous gen Macbook Pro was unstable when you plugged in an audio interface and a 4K monitor. I had to move the 4K monitor to the HDMI port so that the audio interface wasn't interfered with. The problem is that things that use bandwidth interfere with things that die based upon latency.