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I carry three rules of good interface design:

1. object-first: the object connotes the actions ("the noun you see defines the verbs").

2. ergonomics: avoid time-and-space changes to interface objects ("things should remain where expected, unmodified by context")

3. inference: first-time use can be inferred by the language enforced by (1) and (2) above.

The touch bar violates all three by enforcing (1) refocusing; (2) contextual change; and (3) complexity

You can add our own to that list.

I carry two rules. Use it before judging it, and then if I miss it when I use a device without said feature, then it's a good design.
 
That's because that's all Apple ever do. They charge you a fortune for 2 year old technology because all of their new products are behind the times the day they come out. Was never like that under Jobs.

It's unfortunate that Apple have become a company simply geared at gouging as much money as they can from customers while providing subpar products in return. The money you'd spend on this MacBook Pro would get you an incredible machine for anything you'd need to do professionally. The only reason to buy one of these would be for the Apple logo on the front.

You know, I have never found any Apple product to be subpar.

I've always been pleased with the premium feel. The quality of the materials. The fit, finish and design.

I also don't think you can fairly compare specs between the Mac and a PC. A PC is running Windows, which basically has to be compatible with a million different configurations of possible hardware. As such it HAS to run insanely fast to get anything done, given the inefficient code used to cover so many hardware configurations.

Conversely, since Apple make the OS and the hardware options, it's far easier for them to keep the code more efficient. So you can achieve more with less brute horse power.

300 horse power in a small sedan would be quite quick, put that in a Range Rover, and it might feel a bit sluggish.

I rarely find myself being too annoyed with the speed of my old MacBook Pro, now the new one has a quad core processor, faster memory and HD, more RAM, I'm thinking it will be fine.

I'm okay with a sensible balance between crazy powerful hardware, and reasonable battery life.

I would however argue that sometimes Apple is so obsessed with thin, that I'd almost rather have a fatter machine if they could fit more battery capacity in it.
 
Sidenote: I love that dude MBDTF, his reviews are sick. One of the best YouTubers out.
 
If you think about it, Apple has a fairly mixed record in ergonomic design. Not the first time form passes function.

Think:
- Mouse with one button
- Mouse with silly little wheel nipple that clogs up
- Puck mouse
- The new Apple TV remote

I think the touch bar might join the above collection...
 
Gimmick AT BEST. A little too late. Um...Fujitsu laptops had fingerprint unlock technology before 2010 and many Windows laptops already have 4K screens with multi-touch gestures. As always, enjoy your overpriced MacBook Pros. I wish I could put MacOS on a Dell XPS laptop. Much better design.

-1

Fingerprint unlock technology in PC notebooks has been around for ages. Even my old (and still perfectly working) 2009 Dell XPS M1530 has a fingerprint sensor. It's quite embarrassing to sell this feature as a novelty in the year 2016.

Oh, and on a side-note, back in the day when I still cared about Hackintoshes, I had a working Snow Leopard installation on that old Dell XPS. It can be done, but it's just not worth the effort. And when I compare Sierra with Windows 10, I really don't see anything anymore where macOS is more advanced than Windows. Apple dropped the ball a long time ago; they no longer care about the Mac, they've turned into a pure iOS gadget company. The concept of the new Surface Studio machine blows everything out of the water that Apple has done in the PC market in the last five years -- and the Surface represents a technology that Apple couldn't do at this point even if they wanted to.
 
"we've been working on this for years!" so we forgot to change the cpu from skylake to kaby lake.
Just leave the 2015 cpu in there, xmas season is near and intel delays won't help.
 
Anyone notice Craig didn't answer the question on giving some secret detail that wasn't covered on stage?

I guess there wasn't anything significant to say.

When the original MBP came out in 2012 with the retina display I had to pre order on the day of announcement. This new one though, hasn't got my juices flowing at all.

Apple is at a point where if someone invented a clean way to run MacOS (not Hackintosh) on some of the innovative Microsoft hardware they are coming out with Apple would be in serious trouble.

Essentially this MBP release is a spec bump with a touch bar thrown in.

And the TV app. Why did they waste their time make that? People need to get creating things and using tech to advance the world, not consume more television.

//rant over
 
Why do people think they can't use this without looking at it? You will easily learn where the controls are and will be able to do it without looking.

But the power of the touch bar is the ability to adapt to different scenarios, even within the same app.
If you pay attention to the photoshop demo you can see the girl did almost everything with the touch bar because she selected different functionalities and had different UI on the bar each time.
While it is easy to remember were the function keys are in a particular app it is quite hard to remember what and were will show up in the bar in a particular scenario without a glance.
 
You're really going to compare 2nd Gen Touch ID to pre-2010 Fujitsu laptop biometrics?

....
Absolutely. Because it serves the exact same purpose and it got the job done. What is so special about this touch id thing again?

Slap an Apple logo on it and a $2K price tag and your question answers itself...

They took an old idea and have made it their selling point.

As much as I love Apple...and believe me I spent a lot of money on their products over the years...there is nothing special, nothing groundbreaking about this MBP refresh.

Maybe they'll add a touch screen in a few years and the Fanboy choir will sing along. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: and then Craig Fandroidini will remind us how cool it is and how much potential it has. Sorry Craig, maybe next time.
 
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But the power of the touch bar is the ability to adapt to different scenarios, even within the same app.
If you pay attention to the photoshop demo you can see the girl did almost everything with the touch bar because she selected different functionalities and had different UI on the bar each time.
While it is easy to remember were the function keys are in a particular app it is quite hard to remember what and were will show up in the bar in a particular scenario without a glance.

If you really want the function keys, Craig showed in the first minute of his demo that you can bring them back easily and keep them there.
 
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I believe Apple are transitioning all of their Macs to their own chips. Not A-Series but something similar, which are faster and more efficient than current chips.

Their advancements in the A-series chips in iPhones and iPads have made it very apparent that they're deadly serious in this area, and then we have their M-Series co-processor chips, the W-Series wireless chips in their headphones and now the T-Series chip in the new Macbook.

They're doing something big behind the scenes, and I believe that this is it. They're creating a true desktop class series of processors for their Macs, and are re-working everything from the ground up again, just like the transition to Intel years back.

That's why we've seen no updates. This is the calm before the storm.
 
Potential in Apple terms. Let's not kid ourselves. Potential lol...

chimp-money-counting-video-id146210361
 
But the power of the touch bar is the ability to adapt to different scenarios, even within the same app.
If you pay attention to the photoshop demo you can see the girl did almost everything with the touch bar because she selected different functionalities and had different UI on the bar each time.
While it is easy to remember were the function keys are in a particular app it is quite hard to remember what and were will show up in the bar in a particular scenario without a glance.

^^^This.
Exactly my view when I said, earlier:

I carry three rules of good interface design:
  1. object-first: the object connotes the actions ("the noun you see defines the verbs").
  2. ergonomics: avoid time-and-space changes to interface objects ("things should remain where expected, unmodified by context")
  3. inference: first-time use can be inferred by the language enforced by (1) and (2) above.
And, the touch bar violates all three by enforcing (1) refocusing; (2) contextual change; and (3) complexity

Note that I s
aid "good interface design" -- not the only interface design.
 
Cheapest 15 Inch MacBook is $2999 in Australia, that is just rediculous. Average person just cannot afford those prices. Even the 12 Inch MacBook is $1999 or more. My next computer will be somewhere cheaper. Just not worth the money.

I was never able to afford Apple but got lucky this year and won some money at the lottery :)

No, they're not worth the money.
 
I still can't get my head around the new iWatering price. I know the £pound has tanked in value since Brexit was announced. But before the new MacBook Pro's were announced the 15" MacBook Pro started at £1599. Now the new 15" MacBook Pro with Touchbar starts at £2349. That's a whopping £750 increase for the base model!! - What's more it only comes with a lowly 256GB SSD. Nothing Pro about that whatsoever.

My 2011 15" MacBook Pro is on it's last legs - and I'm not sure how much longer it will go on working (after numerous Logic board replacements, repairs and upgrades). It'll be officially obsolete by the end of this year - so once it dies that'll be it. I'm so heavily invested in Apple hardware and the Apple Eco system. I love MacOS and don't plan on switching to Windows - but at the same time, I can't justify those sort of prices for a modest spec bump - and no upgrade path. Really don't like the direction Apple are headed these days. I really need to consider my options. Maybe it's time to build my dream Hackintosh after all...
 
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