So to start out with, let me give you the setting. Small business owner. We run Mac because support is almost non-existent and that helps our small company. We do have a couple Surface tablets because of customized software that needs a touch screen. 95% Mac. 5% Windows. I say this to point out that I am VERY practical when it comes to picking devices.
Rewind 4 years ago and our company picks up the MacBook Pro’s and a couple MacBook Airs. We spend good money on them, but they are all still running strong and work great for all of our business needs. We have updated them to the latest OS and they all still zip along and work great for:
Email, Web (web apps and just regular browsing), Excel (large sheets), Photo Manipulation, PDF editing, Light Photoshop/Illustrator, Web Design.
I also have a photography business that is separate from this one. I use Photoshop and Lightroom a lot as well as video software for the new drone side of the business.
After 4 years I was looking for a newer machine. Not because I was burdened by a slow machine, but because….well I love tech and it felt past time. I agree with many who say that Apple took a LONG time with this update.
But I guess to my main point. If I look at this release I have mixed feelings. It is great to have a release and it is also great to have some new cool things, but it does also feel a little flat. I also feel like people are freaking out over not really anything. It feels like when Apple pulled the DVD drive out of the MacBook Pro all over again. Let me try and be practical….
MacBook Pro at my office:
Dock. Plain and simple. One cable now charges AND provides ALL of the functionality I need. From a cable perspective this means I have a CLEANER and less cabled workspace because I can tidy up my cables and LEAVE them at my desk all clean and simply hook in one cable, two if I use my two monitor setup, which would require one dongle or conversion cable. But still, this is fewer connections every time I walk into my office. Right now I connect my power, monitor 1, monitor 2, USB dock, audio. And then when I leave I disconnect all those cables. All of them move around and it is hard to keep it clean and tidy. In the future, that will be more simple and clean thanks to the move by Apple. Also, I am not limited by which side of the laptop the ports are on. Whatever works better in my setup, great!
Next, when I am not in the office. Well what do I really connect while “mobile”? I certainly don’t connect big displays, so that is out. While we do sometimes present to customers, this is by no means a multiple times a day occurrence. And yes, I recognize some people do this, but it is not a large percentage of the population that present many times a day. I have been in business a long time. If you present a couple times a week you are “more than average”. So sure, I have a dongle for that. But you know what? I already do! I have to have a pouch of dongles because of all of the legacy connections that I need to be prepared for. When you are at a customers site, you don’t know what you will need. So really I am just changing my dongles.
What about being a photographer and now no SD slot? Well I already had a dongle because I need CF and SD and mini SD. Plus transfer speeds are better with an external device. So no change. I am pretty sure anyone who is semi-pro or pro into photography will be in the same boat. Who else is a major user of the SD slot? Someone who needs it daily and yet doesn’t already use an adapter? Maybe some people, but not a large segment.
What about all of the USB devices that aren’t compatible with USB C yet? There you have it. Finally. We get to a REAL complaint. Well you know what? I feel it is acceptable to force me to use an adapter to push us to USB C. Apple has done it a lot in the past and doing it again here….I guess I am ok with it. It might require ONE extra dongle than I am already carrying AND only is a big deal when I am mobile and away from my desk AND when I need to use a USB device. Looking at it that way, probably less than 10% of my laptop use time. And again, I already had to have a pouch for dongles, so what is adding one more?
I know people are making a big deal about the lighting cable vs USB C. It does seem odd. If the new anniversary iPhone next year doesn’t incorporate USB C I will be stumped. But I feel like this is sort of cart before the horse, but only by 10 months. After the next iPhone release I think it will all be good. Why not release this iPhone with USB C? I guess you get people screaming either way. If you did it now, people would bitch about all of the accessories that have purchased not working. At least next year if it is a dramatic redesign of the phone, it would make more sense to change the connector at that point. Sucks for connecting to a new laptop for 10 months. But I think Apple just picked the six of one instead of a half dozen of the other. Again, if the new design doesn’t incorporate USB C, I will be stumped and probably upset as well.
Anyway, a lot of rambling, but I feel like using Mac as much as I do, in both the business and creative professional space, I had to chime in. It is a SLIGHT inconvenience, and really in most ways a great update. Certainly WAY more good than bad. Certainly not near as “APPLE IS ENDING” as people seem to think. I know emotions can get high, but from a practical perspective, the “dongle hell” just honestly isn’t there during 80-90% of use. I know everyone’s situation is different, but what percentage of the population actually will be hit hard by this? I see the non-professionals getting hit the hardest, and…well…MacBook Pro. Pro. Pro’s use it at their desk (docking station solves the issue). Pro’s use it mobile and already use dongles due to client factors and (at least in photography) speed issues. Pro’s look at a machine for how it helps them do their job and worry less about the minutia of an adapter or a couple extra dollars here or there for a cable. Professionals do professional work and this machine helps get that done better than the one I had 4 years ago. The rest is just noise.
PS. This is of course not getting into the pricing topic. As a business and one that invests in technology every 3-4 years, cost is not a large factor. I know that not everyone can say that and it could be a real deal changer for them. But when you use these tools for your profession, typically cost is not really what you are worried about. Not just in computers, but with any profession. You don’t skimp on the tools of your trade. I don’t complain about the cost of the new Canon, I am thrilled there is a new tool. Same with my laptop.
Rewind 4 years ago and our company picks up the MacBook Pro’s and a couple MacBook Airs. We spend good money on them, but they are all still running strong and work great for all of our business needs. We have updated them to the latest OS and they all still zip along and work great for:
Email, Web (web apps and just regular browsing), Excel (large sheets), Photo Manipulation, PDF editing, Light Photoshop/Illustrator, Web Design.
I also have a photography business that is separate from this one. I use Photoshop and Lightroom a lot as well as video software for the new drone side of the business.
After 4 years I was looking for a newer machine. Not because I was burdened by a slow machine, but because….well I love tech and it felt past time. I agree with many who say that Apple took a LONG time with this update.
But I guess to my main point. If I look at this release I have mixed feelings. It is great to have a release and it is also great to have some new cool things, but it does also feel a little flat. I also feel like people are freaking out over not really anything. It feels like when Apple pulled the DVD drive out of the MacBook Pro all over again. Let me try and be practical….
MacBook Pro at my office:
Dock. Plain and simple. One cable now charges AND provides ALL of the functionality I need. From a cable perspective this means I have a CLEANER and less cabled workspace because I can tidy up my cables and LEAVE them at my desk all clean and simply hook in one cable, two if I use my two monitor setup, which would require one dongle or conversion cable. But still, this is fewer connections every time I walk into my office. Right now I connect my power, monitor 1, monitor 2, USB dock, audio. And then when I leave I disconnect all those cables. All of them move around and it is hard to keep it clean and tidy. In the future, that will be more simple and clean thanks to the move by Apple. Also, I am not limited by which side of the laptop the ports are on. Whatever works better in my setup, great!
Next, when I am not in the office. Well what do I really connect while “mobile”? I certainly don’t connect big displays, so that is out. While we do sometimes present to customers, this is by no means a multiple times a day occurrence. And yes, I recognize some people do this, but it is not a large percentage of the population that present many times a day. I have been in business a long time. If you present a couple times a week you are “more than average”. So sure, I have a dongle for that. But you know what? I already do! I have to have a pouch of dongles because of all of the legacy connections that I need to be prepared for. When you are at a customers site, you don’t know what you will need. So really I am just changing my dongles.
What about being a photographer and now no SD slot? Well I already had a dongle because I need CF and SD and mini SD. Plus transfer speeds are better with an external device. So no change. I am pretty sure anyone who is semi-pro or pro into photography will be in the same boat. Who else is a major user of the SD slot? Someone who needs it daily and yet doesn’t already use an adapter? Maybe some people, but not a large segment.
What about all of the USB devices that aren’t compatible with USB C yet? There you have it. Finally. We get to a REAL complaint. Well you know what? I feel it is acceptable to force me to use an adapter to push us to USB C. Apple has done it a lot in the past and doing it again here….I guess I am ok with it. It might require ONE extra dongle than I am already carrying AND only is a big deal when I am mobile and away from my desk AND when I need to use a USB device. Looking at it that way, probably less than 10% of my laptop use time. And again, I already had to have a pouch for dongles, so what is adding one more?
I know people are making a big deal about the lighting cable vs USB C. It does seem odd. If the new anniversary iPhone next year doesn’t incorporate USB C I will be stumped. But I feel like this is sort of cart before the horse, but only by 10 months. After the next iPhone release I think it will all be good. Why not release this iPhone with USB C? I guess you get people screaming either way. If you did it now, people would bitch about all of the accessories that have purchased not working. At least next year if it is a dramatic redesign of the phone, it would make more sense to change the connector at that point. Sucks for connecting to a new laptop for 10 months. But I think Apple just picked the six of one instead of a half dozen of the other. Again, if the new design doesn’t incorporate USB C, I will be stumped and probably upset as well.
Anyway, a lot of rambling, but I feel like using Mac as much as I do, in both the business and creative professional space, I had to chime in. It is a SLIGHT inconvenience, and really in most ways a great update. Certainly WAY more good than bad. Certainly not near as “APPLE IS ENDING” as people seem to think. I know emotions can get high, but from a practical perspective, the “dongle hell” just honestly isn’t there during 80-90% of use. I know everyone’s situation is different, but what percentage of the population actually will be hit hard by this? I see the non-professionals getting hit the hardest, and…well…MacBook Pro. Pro. Pro’s use it at their desk (docking station solves the issue). Pro’s use it mobile and already use dongles due to client factors and (at least in photography) speed issues. Pro’s look at a machine for how it helps them do their job and worry less about the minutia of an adapter or a couple extra dollars here or there for a cable. Professionals do professional work and this machine helps get that done better than the one I had 4 years ago. The rest is just noise.
PS. This is of course not getting into the pricing topic. As a business and one that invests in technology every 3-4 years, cost is not a large factor. I know that not everyone can say that and it could be a real deal changer for them. But when you use these tools for your profession, typically cost is not really what you are worried about. Not just in computers, but with any profession. You don’t skimp on the tools of your trade. I don’t complain about the cost of the new Canon, I am thrilled there is a new tool. Same with my laptop.
