6 ms·

> They didn't do that because it is not what most people want. > Better to focus on the 90% of customers who buy products So either you're wrong, or Apple's P

by mbesto 8y ago

> They didn't do that because it is not what most people want. > Better to focus on the 90% of customers who buy products So either you're wrong, or Apple's PR team is really bad positioning their product. From the Press Release itself in the first few paragraphs: ideal for manipulating large data sets, performing complex simulations, creating multi-track audio projects or doing advanced image processing or film editing. Already the most popular notebook for developers around the world, the new MacBook Pro can compile code faster and run multiple virtual machines and test environments easier than before. MacBook Pro now delivers faster performance for complex simulations and data manipulation. With the new MacBook Pro, developers can compile code faster and more easily run multiple virtual machines and test environments. Aren't those all features described exactly for the "niche developer/macrumors posters"?!

SPBS 8y ago
They trumpet those features only because it doesn't conflict with their MacBook Pro aesthetic that's meant to appeal the the wider audience. Given a choice between a sexy MacBook Pro design and a pro-developer feature, Apple will choose the sexy design everytime.
munchbunny 8y ago
Yes and no. Yes in the sense that those niche developer/macrumors posters are part of the described target audience, but no in the sense that they are a small fraction of the described target audience.
gervase 8y ago
I believe this is a case of a disparity between who they say their products are for (power users), and who they are actually for (people who want to think of themselves as power users). This would be similar to, for example, many sportswear brands who say they are for professional athletes, but whose primary consumer base is... not. In both cases, they may still attract the audience they claim to target, but in practice, that niche market makes up only a small fraction of their total sales.
- rbanffy 8y ago
  > I believe this is a case of a disparity between who they say their products are for (power users), and who they are actually for (people who want to think of themselves as power users). That's true for most gaming rigs and high-end Windows laptops ;-)
  - jackhack 8y ago
    computer advert in 2018, truth in advertising version: "stalk your ex on Facebook, 37% faster" "Cat videos on youtube look great in Retina full screen" "Your stolen music files sound fab thanks to deeper bass response from the stereo speakers" "chat with your dumb friends for hours, with a new longer-lasting battery" "call in sick without removing your phone from its case, thanks to bluetooth." Other than dying batteries, or physical damage (broken trackpad/keyboard) I seriously wonder why the average person needs anything but the most basic laptop when a $99 android phone is in all measures more powerful than a 10 year old laptop but we're doing basically the same activities: surf the web, chat, email. Very, very few people create content. Most consume.
    - dzhiurgis 8y ago
      YouTube videos don’t serve 4K on Safari. When they do, it’s over Chrome which is using 10W more powerr, which over entire world equals power use of a small country...
      - nixme 8y ago
        h264ify [1] will save you power on Chrome. It does not support 4k however. [1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/h264ify/aleakchihdccplidncghkekgioiakgal https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/h264ify/aleakchihd...
        microcolonel 8y ago
        Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake have full hardware VP9 decoding, so all told you'll probably be using more energy playing H.264 in Chrome if you're on a Kaby Lake or Coffee Lake processor.
rbanffy 8y ago
> Aren't those all features described exactly for the "niche developer/macrumors posters"?! Yes, and, trust me, most developers I know who got newer MBPs are pretty happy with theirs. I know I am and I hope I get one of these newer ones next week. 6 cores and 32 gigs of DDR4 make a lot of a difference. The vi users make jokes about the Esc key, of course (but I'm into Emacs, so no problem for me). One company I know of offered the "classic" model for those who wanted to have it and nobody took the offer. Among developers, the 10% troublesome to 90% happy rate seems to be present. I, personally, have different priorities and have no problem with thicker laptops. My next personal one will probably be a maxed out Lenovo or Dell XPS, since they are cheaper than Macs at the cost of features I don't really need (high-fidelity screen, for instance).
- ShabbosGoy 8y ago
  > I know I am and I hope I get one of these newer ones next week. 6 cores and 32 gigs of DDR4 make a lot of a difference. Even if they provide 64 GB, it will never be enough RAM. OSX is dogshit at memory management, with massive memory leaks. On my work laptop (-1 generation), I have 16 GB. Normal workloads (i.e. not even developer workloads/compilation tasks) consume memory to the point where I’m constantly swapping. Until they fix their shit, I’m not going to buy a new one, nor will I ask my company (I am good friends with IT) to refresh.
  - rbanffy 8y ago
    I guess 32 gigs can take me through the next 5 years like 16 took me through the past 4.
  - radicaldreamer 8y ago
    That’s not a remotely true for the vast majority of users. If you’re having this problem, you should push for a clean install because nobody on a dev team full of Macs at two different companies has had your complaint (although plenty have had a Slack or Chrome is leaky/bad memory management complaint)
    - 8y ago
et2o 8y ago
I think those descriptions are aspirational for large segment of those buying MBPs (current MBP owner)
megaframe 8y ago
I think this is like cars that market themselves as capable of racing and/or off roading, but people use them to commute in stop and go traffic. Majority of people don't select products for rational/practical reasons.

by mbesto 8y ago

SPBS 8y ago

They trumpet those features only because it doesn't conflict with their MacBook Pro aesthetic that's meant to appeal the the wider audience. Given a choice between a sexy MacBook Pro design and a pro-developer feature, Apple will choose the sexy design everytime.

munchbunny 8y ago

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that those niche developer/macrumors posters are part of the described target audience, but no in the sense that they are a small fraction of the described target audience.

gervase 8y ago

I believe this is a case of a disparity between who they say their products are for (power users), and who they are actually for (people who want to think of themselves as power users). This would be similar to, for example, many sportswear brands who say they are for professional athletes, but whose primary consumer base is... not. In both cases, they may still attract the audience they claim to target, but in practice, that niche market makes up only a small fraction of their total sales.

rbanffy 8y ago
> I believe this is a case of a disparity between who they say their products are for (power users), and who they are actually for (people who want to think of themselves as power users). That's true for most gaming rigs and high-end Windows laptops ;-)
- jackhack 8y ago
  computer advert in 2018, truth in advertising version: "stalk your ex on Facebook, 37% faster" "Cat videos on youtube look great in Retina full screen" "Your stolen music files sound fab thanks to deeper bass response from the stereo speakers" "chat with your dumb friends for hours, with a new longer-lasting battery" "call in sick without removing your phone from its case, thanks to bluetooth." Other than dying batteries, or physical damage (broken trackpad/keyboard) I seriously wonder why the average person needs anything but the most basic laptop when a $99 android phone is in all measures more powerful than a 10 year old laptop but we're doing basically the same activities: surf the web, chat, email. Very, very few people create content. Most consume.
  - dzhiurgis 8y ago
    YouTube videos don’t serve 4K on Safari. When they do, it’s over Chrome which is using 10W more powerr, which over entire world equals power use of a small country...
    - nixme 8y ago
      h264ify [1] will save you power on Chrome. It does not support 4k however. [1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/h264ify/aleakchihdccplidncghkekgioiakgal https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/h264ify/aleakchihd...
      - microcolonel 8y ago
        Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake have full hardware VP9 decoding, so all told you'll probably be using more energy playing H.264 in Chrome if you're on a Kaby Lake or Coffee Lake processor.

rbanffy 8y ago

> Aren't those all features described exactly for the "niche developer/macrumors posters"?! Yes, and, trust me, most developers I know who got newer MBPs are pretty happy with theirs. I know I am and I hope I get one of these newer ones next week. 6 cores and 32 gigs of DDR4 make a lot of a difference. The vi users make jokes about the Esc key, of course (but I'm into Emacs, so no problem for me). One company I know of offered the "classic" model for those who wanted to have it and nobody took the offer. Among developers, the 10% troublesome to 90% happy rate seems to be present. I, personally, have different priorities and have no problem with thicker laptops. My next personal one will probably be a maxed out Lenovo or Dell XPS, since they are cheaper than Macs at the cost of features I don't really need (high-fidelity screen, for instance).

ShabbosGoy 8y ago
> I know I am and I hope I get one of these newer ones next week. 6 cores and 32 gigs of DDR4 make a lot of a difference. Even if they provide 64 GB, it will never be enough RAM. OSX is dogshit at memory management, with massive memory leaks. On my work laptop (-1 generation), I have 16 GB. Normal workloads (i.e. not even developer workloads/compilation tasks) consume memory to the point where I’m constantly swapping. Until they fix their shit, I’m not going to buy a new one, nor will I ask my company (I am good friends with IT) to refresh.
- rbanffy 8y ago
  I guess 32 gigs can take me through the next 5 years like 16 took me through the past 4.
- radicaldreamer 8y ago
  That’s not a remotely true for the vast majority of users. If you’re having this problem, you should push for a clean install because nobody on a dev team full of Macs at two different companies has had your complaint (although plenty have had a Slack or Chrome is leaky/bad memory management complaint)
  - 8y ago

et2o 8y ago

I think those descriptions are aspirational for large segment of those buying MBPs (current MBP owner)

megaframe 8y ago

I think this is like cars that market themselves as capable of racing and/or off roading, but people use them to commute in stop and go traffic. Majority of people don't select products for rational/practical reasons.