A backward step ?

[Fulhamrback]

I thought I would ask for some feedback from those of you who have been long time users of mac and specifically MBP's.

There are so many threads about whether now is the right time to buy a new MBP or is it better to wait for the next refresh and these threads now seem to be morphing into speculation as to what the next refresh will mean in terms of spec, will the optical drive be removed, what processors will be used , what type of storage medium will they adopt as standard etc. Now it seems to me that the current line of MBP's are pretty awesome machines already but are not perfect(what is ?) and Apple will obviously change/update the specs and or design of the MBP in some way at some time in the not to distant future. My question is in your opinion have Apple ever 'messed up' their refresh, taken a backward step when changing the specs of their line up. has there ever been a refresh where the previous generation of MBP's etc were considered superior than the new?

 

[chrono1081]

I thought I would ask for some feedback from those of you who have been long time users of mac and specifically MBP's.

There are so many threads about whether now is the right time to buy a new MBP or is it better to wait for the next refresh and these threads now seem to be morphing into speculation as to what the next refresh will mean in terms of spec, will the optical drive be removed, what processors will be used , what type of storage medium will they adopt as standard etc. Now it seems to me that the current line of MBP's are pretty awesome machines already but are not perfect(what is ?) and Apple will obviously change/update the specs and or design of the MBP in some way at some time in the not to distant future. My question is in your opinion have Apple ever 'messed up' their refresh, taken a backward step when changing the specs of their line up. has there ever been a refresh where the previous generation of MBP's etc were considered superior than the new?

There is no way to tell any of this. Apple keeps everything secret and you usually only hear about things right before they launch.

Spec bumps are usually minor so it all comes down to if you need it, grab it now, if you feel like waiting to see if something better comes out you can.

 

[Fulhamrback]

There is no way to tell any of this. Apple keeps everything secret and you usually only hear about things right before they launch.

Spec bumps are usually minor so it all comes down to if you need it, grab it now, if you feel like waiting to see if something better comes out you can.

Thanks for the reply, I didn't word my question that well. I am not trying to second guess what the new refresh will look like. Just looking to see if anyone had ever felt that the newer models of the mac line up had been a backward step, thats all.

 

[aimbdd]

I am sure i couple people have. For example getting rid of the express slot on macboook pro. If you don't like the new ones you can always get the last model, even for a discount maybe.

 

[goMac]

I don't think there has ever been an upgrade that was agreed upon as a backwards step.

Sometimes they drop features that make certain groups of people angry. Expresscard, SATA 2, hot-swappable battery, FW-800, hot swappable drive bays... These removals pissed off some groups of people, but they weren't generally agreed upon as downgrades. For example, I use the SD card slot on my Macbook Pro a lot more than I used an Expresscard slot. I don't personally consider it a downgrade, even though I know some people who would disagree.

 

[Brien]

I don't think there has ever been an upgrade that was agreed upon as a backwards step.

Sometimes they drop features that make certain groups of people angry. Expresscard, SATA 2, hot-swappable battery, FW-800, hot swappable drive bays... These removals pissed off some groups of people, but they weren't generally agreed upon as downgrades. For example, I use the SD card slot on my Macbook Pro a lot more than I used an Expresscard slot. I don't personally consider it a downgrade, even though I know some people who would disagree.

I rarely use my ExpressCard slot on the 15", and everyone I know who does has an SD/XD/MMC adapter in there anyway. The only thing I think I'd miss going to a new 15" would be not having a CF adapter.

 

[Gen]

Steve Jobs is an inventor.
And an inventor's life creed is simple; "you don't know what you want because I haven't showed it to you"

Even though they are awesome today, we don't really know what tomorrow will bring - and how awesome that tomorrow will be.

 

[Fruk]

In my opinion YES, they have been backstepping / mis-stepping.

The MacBook Pro.
What is the Pro for? Professional right?
So, why replace an ExpressCard slot - used by many profesionnal audiovisual hardware companies - by a SD slot, which is typically recreationnal.


(I'd vote for SD slot upgrade on MacBook and return of ExpressCard for MacBookPro.)

Note to Brien and goMac: I'm not arguing, I'm right.

 

[netdog]

As I remember, in some senses the Mac Pro 2009 was considered a backwards step. The 2008 Octo had been a great deal, and the refresh in 2009 had a lot of people looking to get significantly better value by finding one of the 2008's.

Obviously the 2009 and particularly the 2010 Mac Pros are great machines, and have in many ways advanced the platform, but as someone who bought one of the first 2008 Octos, I've never had even the remotest tinge of envy regarding what has been launched since mine. It was and is a great machine, and was a terrific value, at least for someone used to buying Apples.