Yeah, I'm all for the ports on the new MacBook. At least they're looking forward- you can almost literally connect anything to them at high speed. The bandwidth complaints are just stupid, it's based on the chipset than Intel provides and the MacBooks (as you mentioned) actually have more external port bandwidth than most of their competitors. And even half of 40 gigabit is a lot of gigabits for an external port...
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12.9-Inch iPad Pro in Short Supply Ahead of Rumored March Update
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Yeah, I'm all for the ports on the new MacBook. At least they're looking forward- you can almost literally connect anything to them at high speed. The bandwidth complaints are just stupid, it's based on the chipset than Intel provides and the MacBooks (as you mentioned) actually have more external port bandwidth than most of their competitors. And even half of 40 gigabit is a lot of gigabits for an external port...
I really like the idea of the large iPad, but until they do something to advance the state of iOS on the iPad its going to be hard for it to ever be something that can more than a luxury/novelty to me. Having it run (practically) the same OS as the iPhone is something that I feel is really holding it back.
So, you would say that both your iPads are working perfectly well but your Mac Pro and iMac are not working perfectly well?
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And the half-bandwidth ports on the right side only apply to the 13" MBP.
No, what I am saying is that these spec bumps on the iPad and the constant attention given to these devices yields less value add to the user experience than would have been obtained by giving similar attention to the desktop.
I am of the opinion that the iPad is primarily a media consumption device. You watch movies, browse web, look at photos and maybe do minor editing. Doing all those things on last year's hardware isn't going to be much different from the latest release. That's the reality.
I don't own a Mac Pro because I don't need one, but that machine hasn't been updated in almost three years. iMac isn't too far behind it and uses outdated hardware. In my opinion, desktops are used for serious work. I believe they are primarily content creation devices and that's where updates and extra muscle play a role. I think that updating an iPad every other year while making sure the desktop is updated at least yearly would make more sense.
That's all I'm saying...
Yeah, they're great for the dongle makers. I hear all this wonderful talk about the bandwidth of TB3, but how many thumb drives or external HDs can even use a fraction of it. The real world still runs on USB. A few days ago I was confronted with the need to print a document away from home. The only available printer had a USB connection. Couldn't use my iPhone or iPad, but my ancient 2011 MBP with those dinosaur USB ports got the job done. A new MBP with zero USB connectivity would have been useless.
to Tim:
I need my ipad pro to be more capable like my macbook air. Like full-featured ms word, excel; true multi-tasking (dislike the split screen!), always on top dock.
I need my ipad pro to be more capable like my macbook air. Like full-featured ms word, excel; true multi-tasking (dislike the split screen!), always on top dock.
If your looking at the 12.9 iPad then make sure you compare screen size to the Surface Pro. My co-worker gave up on his Surface Pro 4 because he couldn't live with the screen size. He even tried the Surface Book. The only thing to keep in mind is that Tim is wrong. The iPad Pro is not a Laptop replacement. If you need programs that run on a PC then get the Surface.
FYI, the Surface Pro is far from perfect. I'm not to happy with mine (this maybe because Windows 10). File explorer crashes every time I open something from it. This even after I did a clear restore and only load Office on it. I also have it hooked up to and external monitor (since it's screen is so small). But when I wake from sleep it doesn't wake the external monitor. I have to disconnect the monitor to wake it backup. This also move any programs back down to the Surface screen.
HA! Lower price?! Never. This is there new strategy. Introduce new "pro" versions at higher price. Keep old version for a few years. Remove old version, drop "pro" title but keep "pro" price.
I wonder what the pack-in charger will be like. My 12.9" Pro desperately needs the 29W USB-C one since it last more or less 4 hours on a single charge with the screen at full brightness and recharging it is a pita.
A way to attach the Pencil would also be nice.
Couldn't care less about True Tone, but the DCI-P3 gamut would be a welcome addition to the already brilliant display.
With all that being said, I'm not ready to jump in and get a new one, since I've only gotten my 128GB LTE Pro 4 months ago. My rMBP sits idle most of the time, and that's a good indication that the Pro is the right tool for me.
A way to attach the Pencil would also be nice.
Couldn't care less about True Tone, but the DCI-P3 gamut would be a welcome addition to the already brilliant display.
With all that being said, I'm not ready to jump in and get a new one, since I've only gotten my 128GB LTE Pro 4 months ago. My rMBP sits idle most of the time, and that's a good indication that the Pro is the right tool for me.
I have 2 old iPads and as much as I like the iPad it's crippled.
I've actually just ordered a Windows 10 tablet the other day.
Sorry Apple, we're no longer on the same page.
I've actually just ordered a Windows 10 tablet the other day.
Sorry Apple, we're no longer on the same page.
Wow, it really looks like they're going to do a early spring update. Good for Apple spreading the releases should make it easier for people to afford products. Hopefully that'll be good for sales (to an extent).
That said, unlike it past years I'm not seeing alot of benefit for updating (have a tripple core, if memory serves, Air 2). This is much more like updating a Mac than a phone - although I would guess phones will slowly slip into this type of slowing update cycle as well (am seeing it among friends already...the perceived massive performance leaps between gens isn't being seen by people so much).
That said, unlike it past years I'm not seeing alot of benefit for updating (have a tripple core, if memory serves, Air 2). This is much more like updating a Mac than a phone - although I would guess phones will slowly slip into this type of slowing update cycle as well (am seeing it among friends already...the perceived massive performance leaps between gens isn't being seen by people so much).
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so when will apple actually make an OS that utilizes the screen size?
it's been a big iphone for years now!
it's been a big iphone for years now!
I'm just wondering if some of these tech things, like tablets and digital cameras, have reached a sort of innovation saturation point where changes are more incremental than innovative, like faster processors, better battery life, higher resolution. I mean, what can you do to disrupt things, short of a holographic 3D display, telepathic input etc.? I'm sure in the more distant future there will be truly different devices that to us would seem amazing, but year to year in present times it seems like the changes are just more about sizes and colors.
Looking fwd to seeing what the new lineup offers. I would like to see the mini become "Pro" and get an "on par" spec bump. Still waiting to see a new breakthrough in the charging technology with some sort of quick-charge on my "quick list" Def in the market for an upgrade and hope the 2017 iPad lineup really delivers.
So, an 18-month cycle for the iPad is too fast but an 18-month cycle for the Mac is too slow?
And you don't think most iMacs are used for browsing the web, look at photos and do minor editing? Would Kaby Lake really make any meaningful difference to 80% of iMac users? The Mac Pro is a different case but it is probably represents less than 1% of all Mac sales, and even did so two years ago. Compare that to the percentage of iPad Pro users that use the Apple Pencil.
There is a difference between saying serious work is predominantly done on desktops (or be more general non-tablet/phone devices) and saying that desktops are predominantly used for serious work.
The iPad lately has been closer to an 18-month cycle than to a 12-month cycle. Excluding the iPad mini 3 (which only got TouchID), the iPad mini has been on a 12-24-24-18+ month cycle. The 9.7" iPad also had a lengthening cycle with 18 months passing between the Air 2 and the 9.7" iPad Pro, ditto for the 12.9" iPad that is also getting close to 18 months now.
The iMac in recent years has only skipped one Intel processor generation (Broadwell in the 27" iMac and presumably Skylake in the 21.5" iMac). The MacBook Pro has only skipped Broadwell in the 15" model, the 13" model didn't skip any processor generation, nor did the MacBook (or the MacBook Air until it got EOLed technology-wise). So, on these models, there isn't much Apple could have done more in regard to update cycle length. The Mac Mini is also roughly following its iPad namesake in terms of update cycles. Again, things are different with the Mac Pro.
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Using the 29-W Macbook charger with the iPad Pro already gives you a 'breakthrough' in charging speed.
I can't wait for the updated 12.9 Inch Ipad. I'm going to get that, the Apple pencil, and the Logitech keyboard cover they sell on Apple.com. It's going to be like my very own Apple Surface Pro. 
I know it won't quite be a perfect laptop replacement, but I want to try it out and see how close it is.
I know it won't quite be a perfect laptop replacement, but I want to try it out and see how close it is.
I agree -- sort of -- though I haven't fallen as far as ordering a Windows tablet yet.
In fact I owned just about every meaningful iPad, the original one, the iPad 2, the iPad Air and both the 9.7 and 12.9 iPad Pros. Everyone of them bought on release day. For over a year I was iOS-only, keeping only a USB-key with MacOS on to hijack the iMacs at the library if needed (had to do it twice in a year).
What I find maddening about the iPad is that it is almost entirely capable of replacing a laptop (for me at least, I'm an academic, so office-style work is what I do, plus content consumption like any other guy). But Apple doesn't seem very interested in bridging that last tiny bit.
The iPad's problems, as I see them:
1) software. we all agree it can and should do more
2) the peripherals. The Smart Keyboard in particular, should be less ugly, backlit, and they should really come up with some sort of variable angle mechanism*. The Pencil, too, really need a way to stick to the iPad (the third party options are goofy at best)
* Honestly, the day I bought a MacBook Pro and ended my iOS-only year of experimentation I was pushed over the edge by having to try to work for several hours on a desk where the overhead lights and the fixed angle of the Smart Keyboard combined to produce the best reflections I have ever seen, followed by the best headache I have ever had. When I got my MBP I cuddled the hinge and pushed the screen at different angles for an hour just do undo the trauma. And sure, I have tried things like the Brydge for 12.9, but at that stage I am the first to say, you might as well get a laptop.
In sum: if Apple wants me to ditch the MBP and go iPad-only again, I am more than willing to do so. But they need to give me a clear set of use-modes: how do I work when I am at the desk (Logi Base + Magic Keyboard?), what do I take with me on the go (Smart Keyboard?), and when I factor in all these extra accessories, etc, what is the residual advantage over a laptop?
Apropos of this thread sort of I have noted that our TV viewing habits have changed. We, my household, is much more likely to watch TV via a pad of some brand like a book on the lap rather than a TV set in the corner of the room. So big pads with a headphone socket have found their niche.
Funny that a MBP with zero USB connectivity has ports labelled 'USB-C'. I guess that Mac laptops also have been useless in the face of projectors or external monitors since 2002 when they removed the VGA port. Ask yourself, should laptops keep having VGA ports or should projectors get DVI, HDMI and/or DP port? My current monitor came with VGA, DVI and DP ports and cables.
You very likely already own a handful of different USB cables (USB A to USB B, USB A to USB mini, USB A to USB micro, USB3 A to USB3 micro, USB A to USB Lightning). Essentially, you got a different kind of USB cable whenever you got a peripheral with a different USB port. Now that last aspect is reversed, you need to get a different USB cable when you get a new computer.