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Apple Unveils Redesigned MacBook Pro With Notch, Added Ports, ProMotion Mini-LED Display, M1 Pro or M1 Max Chip, and More

Look, it’s done. It’s pointless to complain now that Apple has given back the SD Card, HDMI, MagSafe and taken away the Touch Bar. We can argue endlessly for hours about the merits of one approach over another or we can move on to the reality. I don’t use HDMI, but I find myself using SD Card increasingly for my Zoom Field Recorders (H1, H6) and my trail cam, so it’s a wash. Will I miss that extra versatile fourth TB4 port? Probably. Is MagSafe a bad thing? No, not really, especially with the option to still use USB-C to charge (I use a Jackery 300 with 60w USB-C PD on my M1 13”).

I will continue using the Touch Bar as a productivity aid as long as Apple supports it, which should be quite some time.

instead of focusing on the negatives, it’s time to embrace the fact that these MBPs basically are beasts that Pros are going to really love. Who doesn’t want an M1 Pro Max in a 14” form factor after years of Intel IGP CPUs? Tell me Apple hasn’t scored a home run this time!
 
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ehm… did they just go back like 10 years with the design? magsafe? cardreader? really? why not dvd-drive then? and who thought building a notch was a good idea?

that notch makes it look the ugliest laptop for awhile…
 
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did they bring back usb A or will I still need a dongle to use a port that works with 99 percent of all printers,flash drives,mouses,keyboards, phones,tablets, fans,blahand whatever else people use on computers these days
 
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I just hope they don't give the next MacBook Air a notch, I wanted to get one, and I usually have the menu on autohide, with the notch this won't work well. So, I have to either use the older model or wait until this trend is finally over.
 
cult hero said:
If you're connected to a monitor or a TV, you're at a legit desk. This is place where adapters matter almost not at all.

I simply do not understand HDMI's presence... at all. Especially since it seems to exist at the cost of a Thunderbolt port. Replacing an "I can do anything" port for HDMI is annoying. With that said, the number of times I have actually needed 4 Thunderbolt ports is... zero. This configuration wouldn't impede on my workflows, but I legitimately do not understand why—of all the ports out there—HDMI is a "pro" feature. I'm interested in some feedback on this from pros—not people who use this to connect to their cheap decidedly not pro monitor without an adapter. You can make the "I don't want an adapter" argument for pretty much every port that exists. That's just not a good reason.

I'm guessing the presence of SD cards is pretty much all about photography, right? This one I get because adapters for that port are, how shall we say, cumbersome. I realize you can use this for something other than photography, but... with the pro moniker there should be a professional workflow this targets.

Memory and SSD upgrades are welcome. 8TB SSDs... wow, lol.

PS: Audio port has been moved to the left. Thank you.
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Let me tell you where HDMI makes sense: You're going to hold a presentation at work, at school, at university, or anywhere, and you want to plug in your computer to the local projector or large TV, via HDMI. Then you remember that you left the dongle at home. So for lots of people the lack of HDMI meant that forgetting the dongle caused a huge headache on a daily basis. That's why I hated mini displayport too, I kept having to carry a stupid mini displayport to HDMI adapter to class.

I agree that a normal USB port would have made a lot of sense too but that doesn't make HDMI a bad decision.

Honestly I think there should be one USB-C port and 2 normal USB ports. The USB-C port can be dongled out to do whatever you want, but the normal USB ports would be used all the freaking time since that's STILL the standard today.
 
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It won't be long until we get a dark menu option even for bright mode.

Anyway, great machine for me. 64 GB RAM, great display, real F-Buttons, HDMI, SD, Mag-Safe. This is a notebook for people who have to work on the road. Love it.
 
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Function keys, HDMI, and SD card slot? Awesome!
Headphone jack moved to the left so it's where the wire comes out of my headphones? Thoughful!
MagSafe is back, and fast charging... cool... cool....

Unfortunately a notch on the top of the screen is not what I was waiting for Apple.

It amazes me how this company time and time again manages to almost get it right, and then somehow manages to be just a little bit too different for it's own good.

At the prices Apple wants... (did you see the prices?? Holy cow!) I want a full screen. not one with a bite out of it.

Thanks, Apple, for making it easy to decide to once again not spend a lot of money on a new laptop. Now if only I could do iOS software development and testing on a PC, I could ditch the Macbook and get a computer that has everything I want at a reasonable price....

*sigh*

Niels.
 
merrygoround said:
did they bring back usb A or will I still need a dongle to use a port that works with 99 percent of all printers,flash drives,mouses,keyboards, phones,tablets, fans,blahand whatever else people use on computers these days
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They did not bring back USB-A. Your question was a good one back in 2015, but a MBP with USB-A will likely never be a thing ever again.

When I switched 5 years ago to the 2015 MBP with 4 TB/USB-C ports, I surfed over to Monoprice.com and bought a bunch of cheap USB-C to USB-x cables and never looked back. No dongles for the gear that connects to my MBP when I'm at my desk, but if I had a USB fan, I'd probably need one. When I'm on the road or at the office, the only dongle I've found myself needing is USB-C to HDMI for presentations, so I'm happy HDMI is now back. Happy, too, that SD is back for those who have been clamoring for its return.
 
I will say though, for someone like me who is interested in the new MBP's for high performance (animation work), the base price for the top-spec'd model being over 5k is a big fat no from me. That's way too expensive. Period.

Edit: My Apple Store was set to Aussie dollars or something. Now the prices seem more reasonable.
 
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Njonker said:
not one with a bite out of it.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...

Screenshot 2021-10-18 130225.png
 
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Obviously, "no notch" is better than "notch" ... but if they need the notch to go with the smaller bezels to maximize screen space for the size (and it doesn't interfere with fullscreen mode, and menubars are still workable) then I'm ok with it.

As far as the ports. Yes, more variety, thank you.

At my desk, it's not an issue. I plug in ONE usb-C cable from my dock that gives me two more monitors, keyboard, mouse, a few USB-A, SDCard, and power. But when not at my desk, the ability to plug into the existing projector or monitor, or get files to the non-networked 3d printer without carrying a handful of adapters is great.

Touch bar I was never a fan of. I can see how some people would have liked it, but it never really did much for the apps I work in, so it won't be missed by me.

And the RAM and spec bumps are amazing. This looks like a machine that could really get some work done.
 
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Ty
RigSatMe said:
So what the point of MagSafe in this case? No point, because MagSafe doesn’t transfer data, sound and video, it’s just wastes space, period.
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magsafe keeps me from damaging my expensive laptop when the cable is inadvertently pulled by animal or human in my dynamic household. It’s saved me many, many times…even when not home. Why does it bother you so much? You already use dongles. Just upgrade your portal hub to add the port you’re missing. I avoided that whole dongle mess and I’m happy Apple came to their senses.
 
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Flabasha said:
As someone who will eventually sell his 16” MBP, I love that the Notch Derangement Syndrome will keep my resale price higher. I already know the headline of my Craigslist post…“Notch-less Design!”

(Then I’ll buy my replacement Notchbook, and love the extra screen real estate 😁)
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How do you get extra screen real estate by invading part of the display area with a notch?
 
I don't like the notch either, but seriously, it's now a minor issue as long as there's a way to keep the menu bar dark. Although Im' still at loss at how it will handle apps with a lot menus. Shrinking fonts for the menu bar maybe ?

Because everything else : this the machine that ALL pro users have been asking for , for the last 5 years or so. Finally an MBP that puts design second to sheer performance ( a.k.a processors ) and practical usefulness ( a.k.a ports ). No video editor or musician was asking for a thinner machine, or a DOT awards winner ( it's a yearly design award) everyone was asking for faster rendering speeds, more plugins running at the same time , more just MOAAAAR ! :)

I just need to sell a liver or two and I'm getting one of those. ( Actually, the prices are not as insane as I feared...)
 
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technole said:
You can't claim to be the PRO device for photography and motion pictures without the two most important ports. A lot of us were tired of carrying that dongle around.
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It’s UHS 1. Enjoy emptying a card 40-170 MB/s at best. Everyone still using SD will still need and external reader and everyone else will use their TB3/4 CF Express readers and transfer at 1700 MB/s.
 
dzankizakon said:
It's not a fashion point. The menu bar will have to go around the notch when it's too long, meaning the Window and Help items will be in a strange place. The full screen video will be obscured by the notch. I don't know what will happen when you use two apps in full screen mode side by side, because there's icons and navigation right where the notch will be. That's no fashion, it's functionality.

Fashion point is, however, trying to make bezel super thin for no reason whatsoever. No one gives a **** whether bezel is 3mm or 10mm on a laptop.
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Oh, no, the full screen video will be “obscured” by the notch. Clearly, it is better to have that part of the video obscured by the bezel instead.

And how will anyone ever find the Window and Help menu in that strange place.

🙄
 
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hasek3139 said:
I want this but don’t know if I should get more RAM for the base 14 inch

I don’t do video editing, just a lot of movie watching, some gaming and web browsing
Click to expand...

Sounds like the vast majority here. Yep you should get more ram. Facebook can get demanding.
 
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betche the new MacBook airs 2022 will have those colours
and
a white notch to match that white chino yours iMac!
 
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