Apple Tells Suppliers to Expect Strong MacBook Pro Shipments Going into 2017

[-hh]

The big difference is that only one of those ports (the TB1 port) can be used to adapt and daisychain all possible kinds of peripherals...

Not quite true, as Firewire can daisychain.

As laptops have become lighter, MagSafe probably has become a bit less effective. And offering a MagSafe cutoff at the end of the USB-C charging cable would probably be more fiddly and less effective as well (I simply cannot see MagSafe and USB-C charging to ship on the same laptop, among other things this would require two charging cables).

Less effective doesn't mean ineffective, and just because USB-C (at least theoretically) *can* support charging does not mean that it is obligated to: Apple could have elected to have incorporated a MagSafe dedicated to power...but chose not to.

FWIW, something that I think people are missing on this en masse conversion to USB-C is that while it has great promise for both a universal plug format as well as high bandwidth .. not all devices actually need high bandwidth.

As such, while one can use USB-C to power a keyboard or mouse, to actually do so is grossly underutilizing it, which devalues how much it is actually worth when there is no "lesser port" present to use instead.

 

[elmaco]

Once You Go Mac, You'll Never Go Back!

Not sure about it anymore, given the high prices for Apple's notebooks

 

[Beck Show]

View attachment 670986

Lol "better PC"....oxymoron

 

[rippley5150]

I wish Apple stores at least had a display model to check out.

 

[Judas1]

The laptops still have 3.5 mm audio ports. And USB-C to HDMI cables (not dongles, cables) are starting to appear and join things like USB-C to Lightning, DP, USB-B, USB mini, USB micro, and USB SS aka USB3 micro cables.

That's a terrible mindset for a company to have. That people should just adapt to it instead of it accommodating them. It's not asking a lot for them to support current standards out of the box. And of course spe ial wires and dongles will always become available to connect anything but you shouldn't need them. I have half a dozen HDMI wires right now. So I'll now need to get a usb-c to HDMI wire also and add it to my collection? Is that a solution that makes sense?

 

[i.mac]

Vocal trolls = professionals?

Vocal trolls = Vocal trolls

 

[wozmatic]

The refurbished ones are selling out fast - regularly disappearing from the site.

Exactly! because the new macbooks with the stupid touch bar are so expensive and all of those poor folks looking to upgrade (myself included) were just gutted at the horrible refresh and the extortion prices.

Hope Apple loses big on this release to get some sense knocked into them
[doublepost=1478649602][/doublepost]

Vocal trolls = Vocal trolls

To add to this banter, I don't think the vocal trolls are trying to troll, they are just legitimatly bummed that Apple flaked on this release.

The touch bar is stupid, the I/O is horrible (you need a damn adapter just to connect your own iPhone) and the pricing is ridiculous!

Personally I was really depressed about the release, looking forward to it for over a year and they jar-jar binks'ed it...

 

[robeddie]

Even if the wise move is to wait for the kaby lake processors in the spring, these MBPs will easily shatter sales records.

They are simply stunning.

You're just in love with it because it's the new thing.

It's the classic consumerist disease: whatever is new and different seems "amazing" ... for a while.

But guess what, in another year, it'll be just you're plain 'ol' boring laptop to you, doing the same stuff the previous laptop did.

Personally, I think my 2011 iMac, my 2012 MBP, my 2013 MBA, my 2015 13 inch MBP are all 'stunning'. I love tech. I love what these machines can do. But just because it looks a little different and has some different ports, doesn't make me crave these new laptops.

 

[MallardDuck]

they jar-jar binks'ed it...

Best.
Review.
Ever.

 

[srminton]

Professionals are (rightfully) complaining, but that won't stop the flashy Starbucks crowd from wanting the latest shiny toy.

Great work, passing judgment on people you know nothing about, based on the brand of computer they're using. If someone shows up at Starbucks with a $2000 Surface Book or a $1000 Surface "Pro", do you apply the same kind of scorn, or do you just reserve this for your chosen stereotypes? I'll be that the half the people you see working in Starbucks are doing something useful and creative while you're so busy looking down your professional nose at them.

 

[macmee]

I see better things to be worried about than this new Macbook.

like the bees. Where are the bees going, why are the bees dying??????????

 

[Icaras]

Exactly! because the new macbooks with the stupid touch bar are so expensive and all of those poor folks looking to upgrade (myself included) were just gutted at the horrible refresh and the extortion prices.

Hope Apple loses big on this release to get some sense knocked into them
[doublepost=1478649602][/doublepost]

To add to this banter, I don't think the vocal trolls are trying to troll, they are just legitimatly bummed that Apple flaked on this release.

The touch bar is stupid, the I/O is horrible (you need a damn adapter just to connect your own iPhone) and the pricing is ridiculous!

Personally I was really depressed about the release, looking forward to it for over a year and they jar-jar binks'ed it...

And that's just yours and their opinion. And like every doom and gloom thread on this site, I just take all of this fuss with a grain of salt. This is just ongoing proof that the market doesn't follow the banter of a few disgruntled forum posters, especially in the case of Apple.

I think the new MBP is awesome. Love the touch bar, love the USB-C only IO, love the thinness. This is classic Apple. The "introductory" high price, is also classic Apple. In two years time, the Touchbar MBP will go down in price, like it always does, and it's going to sell even more, making the Touchbar MBP the hottest Mac in discussion.

Again, people either have way short memories, or they're just young and this is only their first or second Mac in their lives. People should get to know Apple's history first. Apple has absolutely nothing to worry about.

 

[PantalonesSucia]

Probably because they don't anticipate updating it for another 4 years so fire out those MBP parts!!

 

[djcerla]

They're insignificant asides. A toy emoji bar and thinness at the cost of everything on a "pro" machine.

Now, industry leading storage....maybe if you're drunk enough on koolaid, but the Samsung 960 Pro SSD does 3500MB/s and is $330 for 512 gig. Apple is not industry leading there.

Industrial design is ugly. Compared to machines like the Razer Blade and steath, the new mac is the ugly duckling.

Screen quality is trailing, when most high end laptops are 4k IPS devices. And those anemic speakers are a bad joke compared to any $1500+ PC.

What you said about storage perfectly qualifies your opinions.

 

[emailnotebox]

Why would a corporation say otherwise to its suppliers? Negative remark would devastate their own operations.

Anyways, Apple is always witty in changing market perceptions, and again doing a fine job in rebranding its Netbook Pro pipeline.

 

[Luke MacWalker]

And that's just yours and their opinion. And like every doom and gloom thread on this site, I just take all of this fuss with a grain of salt. This is just ongoing proof that the market doesn't follow the banter of a few disgruntled forum posters, especially in the case of Apple.

Especially in the cas of Apple, you don't have much choice: even if you don't like the new Mac so much, if your old one is failing (like mine), you can only swallow up everything Apple decided or give up years of investment to jump ship. The price of giving up is often higher than the inconvenience and this alone could explain many things. (Just t be clear: in my case, I will not give up on Apple, but for the first time I looked at "Hackintoshes" not just by curiosity.)

I think the new MBP is awesome. Love the touch bar, love the USB-C only IO, love the thinness. This is classic Apple. The "introductory" high price, is also classic Apple. In two years time, the Touchbar MBP will go down in price, like it always does, and it's going to sell even more, making the Touchbar MBP the hottest Mac in discussion.

You really think the touch bar costs $400? I don't think so, however hard it is to manufacture…
I never had trouble paying the "Apple tax" because I always thought it was not a tax but just the price of the added quality and value. But in this case… No way! Even if just a big price difference between touch bar and no touch bar is probably unwarranted, I could accept that and even buy it. But the old model still sells at the same price as its introductory price (or about the same), which means the new one is really overpriced. And when I buy it, I will not do it happily like I did with all the previous ones (back to the PowerBook 140, for notebooks!).

Again, people either have way short memories, or they're just young and this is only their first or second Mac in their lives. People should get to know Apple's history first. Apple has absolutely nothing to worry about.

Of course this MBP will not sink Apple! I'm even pretty confident that now they will be around until I can retire, so I'm not worried about that either. But because I can remember pretty well the day I got my Apple //e, the day I used my first Mac SE at school, the day I bought my first Mac (IIcx), I'm rather sad and disappointed today. And I'm not excited at the idea of buying and getting this new Mac, as I've been for so may years (and last time being less than a year ago). Too bad.

 

[Beck Show]

A. The 3.5mm jack on MBPs is used by audio professionals for more than just headphones. Unlike a phone.

B. Lightning headphones with the iPhone 7 come with a 3.5mm jack adapter included.

The adapter won't work with the lightning headphones to use with the MBP. The adapter is female 3.5 mm, male lightning. That doesn't solve the problem. Bluetooth is the solution in this case.

 

[Icaras]

Especially in the cas of Apple, you don't have much choice: even if you don't like the new Mac so much, if your old one is failing (like mine), you can only swallow up everything Apple decided or give up years of investment to jump ship. The price of giving up is often higher than the inconvenience and this alone could explain many things. (Just t be clear: in my case, I will not give up on Apple, but for the first time I looked at "Hackintoshes" not just by curiosity.)



You really think the touch bar costs $400? I don't think so, however hard it is to manufacture…
I never had trouble paying the "Apple tax" because I always thought it was not a tax but just the price of the added quality and value. But in this case… No way! Even if just a big price difference between touch bar and no touch bar is probably unwarranted, I could accept that and even buy it. But the old model still sells at the same price as its introductory price (or about the same), which means the new one is really overpriced. And when I buy it, I will not do it happily like I did with all the previous ones (back to the PowerBook 140, for notebooks!).



Of course this MBP will not sink Apple! I'm even pretty confident that now they will be around until I can retire, so I'm not worried about that either. But because I can remember pretty well the day I got my Apple //e, the day I used my first Mac SE at school, the day I bought my first Mac (IIcx), I'm rather sad and disappointed today. And I'm not excited at the idea of buying and getting this new Mac, as I've been for so may years (and last time being less than a year ago). Too bad.

No no, I never indicated any stance as to whether I "believed" the Touchbar costs $400 more. And by the way there is more to just the Touchbar that can raise the price. Reengineering, minatiurization, and of course R&D can contribute to a higher price. It is a redesigned machine after all, and not just on the outside. The internals have been completely reengineered as well. But that's not what I'm here to argue about.

The point is: the price will go down

That is how Apple has always moved forward. Whether I think the current machine justifies its higher price tag is moot. Look in the past. This is what Apple does. Look at the first MacBook Air. $1799. Look at the first retina MBP 15-inch. $2199 (I think). Where are those prices now today? The same thing is happening right now.

 

[Abazigal]

That's a terrible mindset for a company to have. That people should just adapt to it instead of it accommodating them. It's not asking a lot for them to support current standards out of the box. And of course spe ial wires and dongles will always become available to connect anything but you shouldn't need them. I have half a dozen HDMI wires right now. So I'll now need to get a usb-c to HDMI wire also and add it to my collection? Is that a solution that makes sense?

That's precisely why we need more companies to have this sort of mindset. To push new tech forward, because it's clear that people are never going to adapt to newer, better technology on their own if they felt that their existing tech was still good enough.

 

[Count Blah]

Great work, passing judgment on people you know nothing about, based on the brand of computer they're using. If someone shows up at Starbucks with a $2000 Surface Book or a $1000 Surface "Pro", do you apply the same kind of scorn, or do you just reserve this for your chosen stereotypes? I'll be that the half the people you see working in Starbucks are doing something useful and creative while you're so busy looking down your professional nose at them.

I'll not hold my breath waiting for you to chastise all those who disparage those voicing their displeasure with the new MBP.

It's OK to pass judgement one way, but not the other, right?

 

[Randombilly]

I am a buyer!
I own a screen printing company. So lots of photoshop and illustrator. I also co-founded a company that puts on off road running marathons and ultra marathons, and Ive been a little annoyed crunching down 4k drone video for promos, and I can't wait to have that faster processor and video card to edit with!
I went with the 15" with an upgraded hard drive.

 

[Judas1]

That's precisely why we need more companies to have this sort of mindset. To push new tech forward, because it's clear that people are never going to adapt to newer, better technology on their own if they felt that their existing tech was still good enough.

Newer isn't always better. TB3 has a high bandwidth but only a few things actually need that. HDMI, usb-a can do the same thing a tb3 port does. There is no point pushing a new tech for newness sake. Its the same as HDTV companies pushing 4k years ago when even cable was only 720p. It's stupid. And if you bought a 4k TV then, it was a stupid move because 4k HDTVs now are cheap, and we have 4k content. Apple isn't the only company making tech so they should stop acting like they do with proprietary ports, and cutting off current standards. They even cut off their own products from connecting to this computer out of the box.

 

[Abazigal]

Newer isn't always better. TB3 has a high bandwidth but only a few things actually need that. HDMI, usb-a can do the same thing a tb3 port does. There is no point pushing a new tech for newness sake. Its the same as HDTV companies pushing 4k years ago when even cable was only 720p. It's stupid. And if you bought a 4k TV then, it was a stupid move because 4k HDTVs now are cheap, and we have 4k content.

Change has to start somewhere. Do you think we could enjoy 4K content today and have cheaper 4K TVs if there wasn't demand for them earlier on to warrant continued investment and development in that area?

No, we are enjoying 4K content today precisely because there were early adopters who made the leap of faith and purchased 4K televisions even when they were fantastically expensive and when content was practically nonexistent.

If everyone just sits around waiting for tech to become widely adopted before adopting them, we will never get to that point.

The fact that change takes time should not cause those of us that know the limitations of something new to dig our heels in. More importantly, if you are a maker, then by definition you have to get ahead of the change or you will soon find yourself behind.

 

[Judas1]

Change has to start somewhere. Do you think we could enjoy 4K content today and have cheaper 4K TVs if there wasn't demand for them earlier on to warrant continued investment and development in that area? Change starts with people needing or wanting newer tech. It's a natural process and Apple is too quick to abandon current, I repeat current, standards.

No, we are enjoying 4K content today precisely because there were early adopters who made the leap of faith and purchased 4K televisions even when they were fantastically expensive and when content was practically nonexistent.

If everyone just sits around waiting for tech to become widely adopted before adopting them, we will never get to that point.

The fact that change takes time should not cause those of us that know the limitations of something new to dig our heels in. More importantly, if you are a maker, then by definition you have to get ahead of the change or you will soon find yourself behind.

Tech will evolve from customers needing or wanting it. Do you need or want only tb3 and usb-c right now? It's not up to Apple or any other country to push a tech for no reason at all. If I wanted to use a wired mouse, why would I need a tb port when a regular usb-a is fine. That is called useless new tech. And 4k evolved over time and will evolve over time. 4ks a few years ago did nothing but turn people off to 4k.

 

[Abazigal]

Tech will evolve from customers needing or wanting it. Do you need or want only tb3 and usb-c right now? It's not up to Apple or any other country to push a tech for no reason at all. If I wanted to use a wired mouse, why would I need a tb port when a regular usb-a is fine. That is called useless new tech.

I got a MBA in 2012. I didn't need the thunderbolt port then. I just bought a thunderbolt dock for work last year and have been using it to great benefit.

I didn't see a need for thunderbolt back then. Doesn't mean I won't find a need for it subsequently down the road. I am not going to be changing laptops every 2-3 years. I intend to run my MacBook Air into the ground before I upgrade, so I appreciate that it be as future proof as possible.

By your logic, if the MBA had omitted the thunderbolt port in 2012 because I didn't need it, I would then have to buy a new laptop if I subsequently wanted to make use of the technology.

Give me new tech and I will find a way to make it work. Sometimes, new tech will open up new ways of working that wasn't possible with existing older tech.