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Apple Unveils New 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros With Retina 'Touch Bar'

Atlantico said:
[...] There's no space for extra 20+W of power consumption in a MacBook Pro. Which is why it has a modest 2GB VRAM. All desktop Radeon Pro series cards have 8GBs VRAM and they're the same chip as this one, but VRAM is cut down to conserve power consumption. Nothing is free.
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And I claim there is power space for having 8GB VRAM in the MBP, the same I claim there's power space for >16GB RAM. Anyway, let's suppose there would really be an unbeatable limit imposed by the Laws of Physics. Fine, by Tim's Law, you can show why a MacBook Pro cannot hold more than 4GB VRAM nor 16GB RAM.

But then, you'd had a bad time trying to explain why Apple has also made it impossible to choose a decent GPU in Mac desktops. Only exception was the tower-based Mac Pro, but they realized it didn't agree to Tim's Law, so they "fixed" it.

The conclusion is clear. Apple does not (and I mean: not, or, in other words but equivalent: not) care anymore for the professional user. It's just Facebook users, web, iOS, and watches. That's their only worry. I don't work in those fields, so, no wonder Macs are no longer for me (except perhaps the Retina MacBook, as I just said in a previous post, whose performance limitations I consider very reasonable given its lightness, quietness, and beauty --I cannot say the same for the new MBP, sorry).
 
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No. 44 said:
What does getting rid of MagSafe and going BACK to the old method have to do with "new technology" and "innovation"?

Just curious...
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The 16GB RAM limit is hard to defend. But the MagSafe removal is absolutely impossible to defend.

I feel like the MagSafe removal is the affirmation of the final definite farewell to Steve Jobs. It's the affirmation that they no longer care for good ideas that are helpful to users while giving a clear advantage over competitors.

We'll no longer see this kind of "there's one thing more" pleasant surprises again.

Instead we'll see a borderless display iPhone, which won't be any pleasant surprise because other company showed it first.

It's easy to guess what you can expect in any future Apple presentation these years:

1-Something you already saw from other company.
or
2-A removal of stuff the user liked and enjoyed (MagSafe, earphone port...) and that no other company in the world would dare to remove because of being a reason for product purchase.
 
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No. 44 said:
What does getting rid of MagSafe and going BACK to the old method have to do with "new technology" and "innovation"?

Just curious...
Click to expand...

It does when MagSafe isn't compatible with the whole concept and selling point of USB C.

What's the point of having a dedicated charging port when any of the other 4 USB ports can be used for charging, in addition to other purposes?

Sometimes, you have to take a step back before you can take two steps forward.
 
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so after 4years here's what happened......
no 4K display, no option for 17 macbook
seriously lagging other ports ( they could have gone with two usb C and two USB A instead)
so now I have look for adapter everytime I want to use usb devices.
it made sense on 12 macbook since it is only ultra portable category where youca n compromise a little but for the 15" powerhouse it does not.
Also I do not the Radeon Pro graphics it seems Apple did not properly check the spec of current generation graphics having anything less gtx 10x series is not going to cut it.
I've been mac user since first macbook air was released, now going back to windows.
compare anything in high - end windows laptop with 17" screen and you have lots of good options for high performance PCs.

my 2 cents!!
 
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Abazigal said:
It does when MagSafe isn't compatible with the whole concept and selling point of USB C.

What's the point of having a dedicated charging port when any of the other 4 USB ports can be used for charging, in addition to other purposes?

Sometimes, you have to take a step back before you can take two steps forward.
Click to expand...

the "whole concept and selling point of USB C" is that it can carry power?

MagSafe was an elegant and efficient solution to a real problem. removing it is, as you stated, a step back.

what's the point of having a port that can do everything and then dedicating it to the singular base task of supplying power.
 
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thats all folks said:
the "whole concept and selling point of USB C" is that it can carry power?

MagSafe was an elegant and efficient solution to a real problem. removing it is, as you stated, a step back.

what's the point of having a port that can do everything and then dedicating it to the singular base task of supplying power.
Click to expand...

The point is that it can do a lot more than simply supplying power.

Just look at the new USB C monitor launched by LG. With just a single cable, you can supply power, data and display through a single USB C cable, connected to any of the 4 ports on the MacBook. MagSafe is redundant in this scenario.

And when I don't need to charge my laptop, the USB C port can be freed up for whatever I need it to be at that point in time. Unlike current MacBooks where the MagSafe charging port is there regardless of whether I need it or not, and cannot be used for any other purpose.

MagSafe is undeniably good at what it does - charging, and it served its purpose well back when charging ports were just charging ports. Today, USB C has the potential to be capable of so much more, and MagSafe simply has no place in this new world order.
 
Abazigal said:
It does when MagSafe isn't compatible with the whole concept and selling point of USB C.

What's the point of having a dedicated charging port when any of the other 4 USB ports can be used for charging, in addition to other purposes?

Sometimes, you have to take a step back before you can take two steps forward.
Click to expand...



It's not so much the port, it's mainly the cable I hoped Apple would redesign - a shallow-tip magnet USB-C that touches the power paths through a tweaked port housing.

Works as a classic USB-C port, but has an alternate internal architecture when an Apple Shallow Changing Cable is attached.
 
As the list of shortcomings and compromises grows longer and longer, it's apparent, this is a fashion accessory.
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Abazigal said:
MagSafe isn't compatible with the whole concept and selling point of USB C.

What's the point...
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I can understand wanting universal ports, but if you're going to have that, MagSafe is the one thing that SHOULD be a dongle. A breakaway plug on the end of the charger.

The point is not destroying your port and charger when someone snags the cable.
 
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asiga said:
A removal of stuff the user liked and enjoyed (MagSafe, earphone port...) and that no other company in the world would dare to remove because of being a reason for product purchase.
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This is called Courage!

(It's also called making sure I remain happy with my "old" 2015 model, for which I am grateful.)
 
ThunderSkunk said:
As the list of shortcomings and compromises grows longer and longer, it's apparent, this is a fashion accessory.
[doublepost=1477756449][/doublepost]

I can understand wanting universal ports, but if you're going to have that, MagSafe is the one thing that SHOULD be a dongle. A breakaway plug on the end of the charger.

The point is not destroying your port and charger when someone snags the cable.
Click to expand...

there are already MagSafe dongles that do just that. Leave it connected to the end of the power cable, and bobs your uncle.

But the reality is that in casual tests I've performed at the Apple Store with the MBA, the laptop is so light and the MagSafe so strong that the MB is more likely to get pulled off the table than separate. Conversely, the rMB USB-c cable yanks right out in most cases without any risk to the port. So MagSafe served its purpose with 4lb.+ macs that truly benefitted from it.

That said, I would much prefer a Lightning connector for charging than the fragile USB-c port. There may be a reason there are four ports that all function identically, because by the EOL of the MB you might be down to 1 or 2 functioning ones.
 
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bobdobalina said:
Why not a mini touchbar between the track pad and the space bar? I know you might hit it during sloppy typing, but there should be some solution to minimize that. I think that reaching all the way to the top of the keyboard is poor ergonomics for high frequency use buttons. I mean, that's why the functionk keyes hide up there. But an adjustment slider for Lightroom or similar, nah, no thanks.
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An application specific visual interface right under my palms where I can't see it. Not for me. I think they nailed it right where it is.


Folks bitch and moan about Apple's proprietary cables and connectors, then they release a machine that uses what is becoming the industry standard for I/O and everyone moans. Magsafe was cool feature most of the time, but I actually have to work with my laptop in some weird places where they can be metal shavings around and I've had to deal with the port sucking them up and trying to dig them out with tweezers and hope they don't short anything out.

I've been carrying dongles for years, not a big deal. I also carried an external floppy and optical drive as I needed them for job site work. I still have to carry a USB to RS232 cable. No different than having to carry three varieties of USB cable now. I carried just as many when I tried to switch to a Dell, only difference is that they all worked on the Mac and nearly every one was flakey as hell on the XPS (and TB3 STILL doesn't work on the Dell a year later)
 
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So now we will soon have a touchbar on the new iMac external keyboard of course. Then Apple will make the trackpad into a trackscreen(pad) so we can scroll through lists displayed right there on the trackpad and draw on it with apple pencil or fingers with great precision. Then Apple will find a way to make the whole thing haptic so we can replace the whole keyboard with a touchscreen and we end up with a laptop with a display for high quality output and a large haptic touchscreen/pad/bar as ultimate configurable input device. Can't wait.
 
Knar said:
So now we will soon have a touchbar on the new iMac external keyboard of course. Then Apple will make the trackpad into a trackscreen(pad) so we can scroll through lists displayed right there on the trackpad and draw on it with apple pencil or fingers with great precision. Then Apple will find a way to make the whole thing haptic so we can replace the whole keyboard with a touchscreen and we end up with a laptop with a display for high quality output and a large haptic touchscreen/pad/bar as ultimate configurable input device. Can't wait.
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This is actually a very interesting point.

With a feature as bold as the Touch Bar, its hard not to imagine it coming to desktop Mac platforms. But the touch bar is surely powered by some pretty powerful tech, hard to see it running well on its own.

But if they could pull it off, maybe they would just flat-out sell the Touch Bar, and it would like, magnetically snap onto the pre-existing Apple Magic keyboard. That would kill all the 'Touch Bar is useless with an external display' peeps.
 
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Would Bluetooth be fast enough though seeing as it has to actually move data TO the keyboard as well? If not, and I am assuming it wouldn't, they'd have to come up with a way to connect it to other Macs – and of course they want to get rid of cables.
 
This is what I would have done with the new MacBook Pro's as far as processing power goes. I would have a basic 13 inch with a dual core processor and an upgraded 13 inch with a quad core processor. Then I would have a basic 15 inch with a quad core processor and an upgraded 15 inch with TWO quad core processors for a total of at least 6 cores if not 8 cores. With the power efficiency of the new processors and if they went back to the thicker case with the larger battery then it is very possible. It's time to get over this thinness and light weight at all costs attitude. Power users want POWER! Figure that.

Also they priced it for a power user yet gave it features for a prosumer.

Apple has lost its way.
 
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My new SoftMac

Apple's announcement of the new MacBook pros was very disheartening for me. First, they took away the SD slot. Why? I use it all the time and it’s not cumbersome at all. In fact, nothing sticks out from my SD slot. My slot is hiding a 200GB micro SD in a carrier. It doesn’t stick out at all. I use SuperDuper to do a nightly backup and since I partitioned it, I also have a 70GB scratch drive for temporary files.


Why did they kill the MagSafe charging cable? A small feature, but one I’ve come to rely on.

The ports, the ports. Where the **** are my ports? Surely they could have left a single USB port somewhere. Sad.

So here’s where Apple and I part company for the second time. The first time was when they allowed 3rd parties to build the hardware. It was awful. I went to Windows and left OS9 behind. When Jobs came back and launched the iMac, they had me again. Then, when they released the first OSx laptop, I was back all the way.

With the introduction of the new MacBook Pros, I’m gone again, and I don’t think I’ll ever return. Here’s why – I have a SoftMac. It runs Sierra 10.12.1 very nicely. My SoftMac has the latest Intel Gen7 CPU, 16GBs of memory (upgradeable), 512GB SSD, a DVD player, a SD slot, Ethernet port, USB ports, monitor ports, with a 17” display.

It’s running macOS under Adobe’s free VMware player. Windows 10 is still the host.

OH, almost forgot. The cost of the machine? $949 !!

p.s. The SoftMac is an HP Envy 17" laptop.
 
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A "Touch Bar" is a *yawn* gimmick. A "Touch Screen" would be innovation! (Or at least keeping up with the competition...like their attempt with the iPhone)

Apple, you disappoint me these days. I think it is painfully obvious that Jobs was the innovative driver and the "Captain" has gone down before the now-meandering ship. :-(

Orange Computer said:
LAME, LAME, LAME. No real innovation. Just a touch bar on an overpriced computer. Come on, Apple you can do better.
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navaira said:
Would Bluetooth be fast enough though seeing as it has to actually move data TO the keyboard as well? If not, and I am assuming it wouldn't, they'd have to come up with a way to connect it to other Macs – and of course they want to get rid of cables.
Click to expand...


They don't have to use Bluetooth though, there's always the possibility of it being a USB device. Or they could go for WiFi. Slap a nice big battery in there to cope with it and we're happy.

I do also think the Touch Bar will evolve and we'll end up with more than one variation of it, the Trackpad being the next obvious place to add one.
 
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ThunderSkunk said:
As the list of shortcomings and compromises grows longer and longer, it's apparent, this is a fashion accessory.
[doublepost=1477756449][/doublepost]

I can understand wanting universal ports, but if you're going to have that, MagSafe is the one thing that SHOULD be a dongle. A breakaway plug on the end of the charger.

The point is not destroying your port and charger when someone snags the cable.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It was folly of them to remove it but at least there is a viable solution available in the Griffin Breaksafe.
I know it's not a cost any of us would like to outlay but I would definitely purchase it for the new machine to have the piece of mind. I can't count how many times magsafe has saved my computer from hitting the deck.
And in a way, this system is better because you can unplug the cord from the charger to replace if there is a problem instead of having to buy a whole new charger like the previous magsafe design.
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Stuartbr said:
All, instead of just complaining on this forum, let apple know your views directly @ http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html
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done
 
Im really starting to lose patience with Apple. Innovate guys and look after the designers and artists that stuck by you.
 
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