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Apple Working on Six Mini-LED Products Including New 14.1-Inch MacBook Pro and Refreshed iMac Pro
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Well, the question of how Apple wants to extend the Touch Bar to the desktop is a valid one.
They have since launched the iMac Pro and Mac Pro as two entirely newly designed products (after the Touch Bar was introduced), and neither answers that question. Nor do the spec bumps on the Mac mini and iMac.
And even if you put aside desktop computers, a lot of people often use a MacBook Pro in a setup with external displays, and thus — ergonomically more or less necessary — an external keyboard and mouse/trackpad. Heck, the MacBook Pro 16" page suggests at the bottom, "hey, maybe you want to hook up two displays". And then "hey, maybe you want to accessorize with a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and some AirPods Pro".
Which is funny if you think about it, because that external keyboard? It very clearly doesn't have a touch bar.
it is mildly concerning that, more than three years in, Apple hasn't shipped an answer to this. They've shipped a space grey Magic Keyboard in the iMac Pro, and then a black one in the Mac Pro. But neither added a Touch Bar.
If Apple wants to commit to the Touch Bar, they need to ship a Magic Keyboard Pro or have some other story on how this is supposed to work.
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Not buying a computer now based on rumors of a potential computer in the future is a fool's game.
Yeah, you can do that, but pro tip: a future computer will always be better. The one a year from now will be faster, the one two years from now even faster, and the one three years from now will have new features. If you need now, buy now. If you can wait, wait.
Architecture changes that may or may not happen (the MacBook Pro would probably not be one of the first Macs to move to ARM anyway!) don't change that calculus.
The single digits ( or less) of the overall Mac market that the Mac Pro represents isn't a primary driving force for most software developers.
If Apple extended the Touch Bar to the MacBook Air that would more than wipe out any "drag' the desktops (all together, the mainstream iMac being the significant contributor there ) would bring to the issue.
There are probably more folks using MBP's as docked desktop replacements than desktops. That would be a more convincing driving "use case" than Mac Pro.
But neither is really going to do much to get around Apple's deep aversion at the moment to wired keyboards ( in the docked MBP's I doubt they consider them much ). And once the docked large display is relatively far away from the keyboard it falls into many of same issues that keeps Apple out of the touch screen display in the desktop contexts.
The iPad Pro competes with the Surface Pro, which goes up much higher in price.
Meanwhile, lower-end iPads have gained many of the Pro features — you can take the cheapest and still use the Pencil now.
I think if Apple wants to up it further move the Pro upmarket by say $200, they will, and it won't lose them that many customers. For the mass market, they have the $329 option.
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Micro-LED has many advantages, but it has the minor issue of only existing in prototypes. It probably won't reach the mass market for another several years.
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They're completely different.
Mini-LED is a different backlight technology for a TFT screen. Many small LEDs allow for more optimized (better contrast; lower energy use) local lighting.
Micro-LED, like OLED, eschews the backlight altogether. That requires each pixel to be driven by its own LED, though, hence "micro" being a lot smaller (and harder to manufacture) than "mini".
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Why? I genuinely would like to know. It's not that much bigger than 13.3". Everyone is after the perfect aspect ration, but that didn't work out as well for the 16" either.
How Apple wants to extend shouldn't be much of a question at this point. What is being questioned is more so trying to apply the same exact solution with exactly the same hammer. That particular question is questionable itself.
All laptops have trackpad/touchpad for many more than several years. Is Apple trying to attach touchpads to all desktop ? No.
So why should the touch bar be any different?
Apple has had the external trackpad for a long while but they aren't trying to couple it to practically every desktop sold. And it isn't like Trackpad gestures being developed by software makers was highly limited because not every desktop user bough a external Trackpad.
Apple at this point has a macOS feature called Sidecar.
Anyone who highly wants a Touchbar for their desktop can get one by paying more money.
The specific implementation in the laptops is highly coupled to the T2 chip which in turn highly couple it to several other things which don't fit well with the desktop contexts.
Sure they are. It's called the Magic Trackpad.
It doesn't exist in external form.
Your MacBook Pro, lid open, has a screen, a keyboard, and a trackpad.
A desktop has a screen, a keyboard, and either a mouse or a trackpad.
But wait. Your MacBook Pro also has a Touch Bar. The desktop does not.
No, because the mouse exists as an alternative.
Not sure why you're explaining Sidecar, but thank you, I guess?
If anything, it proves my point. Unless you're saying "Apple's answer to Touch Bar on the desktop or a lid-closed MacBook Pro is to attach an entire iPad"?
OK, so you are saying that. Uhhuh.
I know that getting bridgeOS to run on an external device is tricky.
I also don't really care. That's for Apple to solve.
I was wondering the same thing. I've been holding out to buy a new 13" that were theoretically going to be announced at the end of this month, but now am I gonna try to hold out AGAIN for a 14" mini-LED? It's definitely tempting.
Not buying another Mac until it is ARM based. Hopefully this coincides with Mini-LED but we will see.
Sheesh, and when that all comes, you're going to be thinking the same way about wifi7, 11th gen processors, etc. It never ends if you think like that. Just buy what is there when you need to, and upgrade when you need it. Wifi 5 is 3.5Gbps, which is highly likely to be much faster than your incoming internet speed, so a bump up to the 9.6Gbps is something you won't even be able to access. Similarly, unless you are doing some serious number crunching, you won't notice the difference between 9th or 10th gen processor, or even 7th for that matter. What you WILL notice though, is the keyboard that works on the 16"; the physical esc key; the improved volume and quality of the speakers; the maxed out battery for flight regulations; and maybe even the increased screen size. If my 2015, who knows what gen processor or wifi, MBP wasn't cutting it, I'd go and get the current 16", but mine does everything I need just perfectly fine, it's a beautiful machine.
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Apple really needs to declutter their approach to naming products. It’s so convoluted and nonsensical... especially the “Air” moniker. That made sense back when Jobs took one out of an envelope, but not so much now.
It should just be:
—MacBook: for non pro users
—MacBook Pro: for their pro users
—iPad: all their iPads
—iPhone: all their iPhones
And just have the specs and year be the things that differentiate themselves.
“I just bought a 2021 iPhone.” No need to have all the Plus and Max and Pro and Air. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
It should just be:
—MacBook: for non pro users
—MacBook Pro: for their pro users
—iPad: all their iPads
—iPhone: all their iPhones
And just have the specs and year be the things that differentiate themselves.
“I just bought a 2021 iPhone.” No need to have all the Plus and Max and Pro and Air. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
“Chill dude?” Really? Was my simple declarative sentence so crazy in your eyes?
The point was that the 2019 16” uses the SAME CPU as the prior model. That is very unusual for Apple or for any other computer company. We thus knew that intel 10th gen and wifi6 were imminent.
This is not the “every year something better will come” situation - this was “something better is already out there” situation.
I understand that you feel ripped off because you bought a machine that was outdated on the day you bought it, but don’t take your frustrations caused by failure to do the obvious research out on me.
Sorry, I shouldn't have denigrated you, my bad. I retract the "chill dude" comment.
Fair call, but in many other ways, the 16" is a massive step up from the failed 2016-19 generations (which I will never own), e.g. the failed butterfly keyboard. And my comments about very few people actually noticing any real world performance differences between processors etc still stands.
And I apologize for my rabid nonsense in my last paragraph
I definitely agree it was a massive step up - I am rocking a 2016 MBP 15" with a terrible keyboard, and almost bought the 16" just for that, but I figured I can wait the 6 months for upgraded specs.
Ha ha, all good, I started it.And I apologize for my rabid nonsense in my last paragraph
I definitely agree it was a massive step up - I am rocking a 2016 MBP 15" with a terrible keyboard, and almost bought the 16" just for that, but I figured I can wait the 6 months for upgraded specs.
I am seriously very happy with my 2015 pre-butterfly model. One day I'll upgrade to a 16", and I am very happy that they exist and fixed the keyboard issue, but I am in no rush. At the moment, my most limiting factor is the SSD size, but with this model I can upgrade it. Already did from 512 to 1TB, and will again to 2TB sooner or later. If I suddenly need more than 16GB RAM, then 16" it will be, but that isn't on the near horizon, so will hold off for as long as possible for their upgrade prices to come down (have you priced a 32GB 2TB 16", youch!).
My friend has had to get his butterfly keyboard replaced 4 times now, so lucky you to not need that so far! Just make sure you offload it before the keyboard warrantee expires!!!
I'm sure I would have needed two keyboard replacements - i get around it by mostly using an external magic keyboard.
Hate this thing.
I have a 2015 I use as an itunes server - I put an SSD in there myself as well. Battery is swelling now, though. Will have to address that.
Really good point. If they can get rid of 3D Touch due in part to fragmentation, they can definitely get rid of the TouchBar. By far the biggest gimmick they have ever put on a laptop.
If only Apple would embrace AMD’s Ryzen 3 (4000 series) CPUs and APUs, then both your suggestions would be possible.
Depends, do you want to be using an ARM machine from the jump off with all of the software incompatibilities that will inevitably go with it?
I personally wouldn't.
I will probably spring for this 14 inch and see where we are in 3-4 years time.
Long shot thought... What if... Apple is streamlining? Hear me out.
Rumors of the 12" iPad Pro with no mention of the 11" got me on this track along with rumors of an iPad mini with mini LEDs. Perhaps Apple's going to go with a streamlined product line-up: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 — an 7.9" iPad mini, 10.2" iPad, 12" iPad Pro, 14.1" MacBook Air, 14.1" MacBook Pro, 16" MacBook Pro.
Rumors of the 12" iPad Pro with no mention of the 11" got me on this track along with rumors of an iPad mini with mini LEDs. Perhaps Apple's going to go with a streamlined product line-up: 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 — an 7.9" iPad mini, 10.2" iPad, 12" iPad Pro, 14.1" MacBook Air, 14.1" MacBook Pro, 16" MacBook Pro.