I must admit that, like many of you, my initial reaction was one of dismay - I am not especially fond of glossy screens, indeed, I sometimes find the glare from my matte display too much!
However, I think a little perspective is needed here. What is really important about this update is that it is a triumph of
compatibility and
standardisation for the Mac.
Firstly, the
Firewire issue: I understand that many of you have legacy devices and are committed to Firewire. It is natural that you would be upset about the diminishing support for it. However, what you need to realise is that it
is a dying standard. Its adoption outside of Macs is minimal, and, speaking as a long time fan, recent switcher (my first Mac was - and is - an Early 2008 MacBook Pro) I personally would have preferred two more USB ports where the FW400 & 800 ports are. I use a number of USB devices, and needing to switch them constantly is an annoyance. I am pretty sure, however, that I'll live. (At least until my
Thanko USB Dialysis, Respirator and Pacemakers arrive - then I'll be faced with a difficult choice). For those of you lamenting the lack of a FW400 port, however, you should note that the FW800 port is backwards-compatible - all you need is an adaptor. Is that a perfect solution? Maybe not, but FW400 has been outdated for
5 Years (FW800 was introduced in 2003). Perhaps you would like to complain about the lack of connectors for your ADB mouse, as well? Space on laptops is quite limited, and it is hardly fair that you are bemoaning the lack of what is quite definitely a
legacy port.
Secondly, on the issue of the
DisplayPort: Again, I can understand your being miffed at the idea of needing yet another adaptor to plug in your display. Again, I am glad to have a DVI port that plugs into my 24" Dell LCD just fine, however, once again, this is a triumph for standardisation. Whereas Mini-DVI was a proprietary connector developed by Apple, DisplayPort (and Mini DisplayPort) are
industry standard connectors put forward by VESA. New monitors are already coming out with these connectors, and over the next few years you will see them replacing DVI. So whilst you may bemoan paying the $90 for the Apple adaptor, you should see third-party options appearing at considerably lower prices in the not-to-distant future. But, more importantly, you will be able to hook up your new MacBooks to new displays with
no adaptor at all - and that is a first (and an improvement!). And whilst Apple can't claim to be the first to market with a laptop bearing DisplayPort, they are ahead of the market at large. Isn't that a good thing? I thought mac users liked being at the cutting edge?
As to the trackpads, I think the larger surface area whilst still managing physical clicking is great - because while I love tap-to-click, I am less whelmed by tap-to-drag. The hands-on impression I read from Engadget suggested that it didn't take any adjustment at all. Also, by not having the gap around the button that exists on the current MacBook Pro, they've reduced the entry points for dust and grit into the machine. (But perhaps that's just me being obsessive)
Finally, the glossy displays: now on this one, really, I have to agree. I hate glossy displays. As to the concerns of it breaking, however, I assume that it is the same high-strength glass that they use on the iPhone, which, as far as I am aware, is pretty resistant to being dropped and scratched. As to the glare, yes, I think it is pretty awful, and I do hope that by the time I upgrade in 2-3 years, they will have developed some sort of matte option somehow. If not however, I hope (and I would be
really surprised if this is not the case) that someone will have developed a matte display cover that you simply stick on top, like the screen protectors you can get for the iPhone right now. Perfect? Perhaps not. Good enough? Certainly.
Finally, let's not overlook the enhancements you got today - lighter laptops, easier access to the hard-drive, improved graphics performance, whilst at the same time, improved battery life (With the switching integrated-discrete GPUs) and a better case design. (Though I admit I'm not sure about the black keys). After all the years of people bemoaning the outdated design of the MacBook Pro, and the latch - why is there not more jubilation?
Chin up; I promise,
it'll be OK. This isn't the end of the world - that's not 'til December 21, 2012.
