HATE the Body on new M1 MBPs - Squared-Off, Cheap Feel???

[tmoerel]

I think that is not a fair comparison, design is on Apple DNA so I always expect a nice design from an Apple product.

And it is well designed. Dieter Rams would have been proud.....and he is a well respected designer!

 

[leman]

The differences to me are: the iPhone, Mac mini, Mac Pro, iMac, Apple TV have very thin seams and gaps with generally highly chiseled edges (when present). The result is a device that “feels” like it’s been CNC machined from a single block.

This one has more rounded edges with larger gaps and feels like it’s several pieces screwed together. The large font engraving is also uncharacteristic of small fine and precise text on devices, when present.

Before someone says “but it’s boxy”, every laptop is boxy, that’s not the design element that has defined an Apple product for say the last 10 years

Yes, it has a more aggressive industrial design to it. I think this is a new style for professional devices we will see from Apple in this iteration. Looking at this, the consumer models will probably have slightly softer lines and the pro model will have this aggressive, chiseled styling.

And sure, one can argue about tastes, but suggesting that there is a lack of attention to detail? This is a high-end designer product from start to the end, meticulously crafted, not one line out of place. Regarding larger seams: that's design elements borrowed from earlier popular Apple pro laptops such as the PowerBook and unibody MacBooks. For the recent modes Apple sees to be revisiting some of the "golden age" products (was the case for the iMac, the newer iPhones and now the MacBook Pro)

 

[tRYSIS3]

The differences to me are: the iPhone, Mac mini, Mac Pro, iMac, Apple TV have very thin seams and gaps with generally highly chiseled edges (when present). The result is a device that “feels” like it’s been CNC machined from a single block.

This one has more rounded edges with larger gaps and feels like it’s several pieces screwed together. The large font engraving is also uncharacteristic of small fine and precise text on devices, when present.

Before someone says “but it’s boxy”, every laptop is boxy, that’s not the design element that has defined an Apple product for say the last 10 years

Apple has been going for a flat design since the iPad Pro in 2018, and the Mac Pro actually does have similar rounded edges so it's not like they just started doing it now.

I have to disagree with you on the engraving, it's different from their old style but I find it quite badass... and I think that Apple will start incorporating it in future designs.

I don't think it has been mentioned here yet but the apple logo is actually larger than the one on the previous generation. That alongside the black keyboard and bottom engraving are stylistic choices that were not needed but were added as show of dominance/brag by Apple and how proud they are of their new design/product.

 

[darkus]

Yes, it has a more aggressive industrial design to it. I think this is a new style for professional devices we will see from Apple in this iteration. Looking at this, the consumer models will probably have slightly softer lines and the pro model will have this aggressive, chiseled styling.

And sure, one can argue about tastes, but suggesting that there is a lack of attention to detail? This is a high-end designer product from start to the end, meticulously crafted, not one line out of place. Regarding larger seams: that's design elements borrowed from earlier popular Apple pro laptops such as the PowerBook and unibody MacBooks. For the recent modes Apple sees to be revisiting some of the "golden age" products (was the case for the iMac, the newer iPhones and now the MacBook Pro)

Agree 100% that tastes vary and this may simply be catering to a new different taste. In my own industry we saw the same type of move from fine accurate lines to large unformed swooshes that make metal look like plastic, because that’s where the taste is right now, or was.

But on the other hand, saying that larger seams is the result of meticulous crafting is a stretch 😀. It’s the hallmark of lazy design or design that comes on top of a given frame that cannot be altered.

But again, I agree it could be intentional. If so, that would indicate Apple was chasing the Target and Walmart crowd— which of course does not match the pricing strategy.

Apple has been the unquestioned trendsetter for the last 10 years. I guess we have to see if this continues in that tradition, is an anomaly, or is the mark of a new more humble market position. In that sense I guess the next iMac Pro will give us a lot of answers to this question.

 

[tRYSIS3]

But again, I agree it could be intentional. If so, that would indicate Apple was chasing the Target and Walmart crowd

Funny you say that because after seeing the new MacBook Pros in person I thought my old 16” looked like a toy in comparison

 

[leman]

But on the other hand, saying that larger seams is the result of meticulous crafting is a stretch 😀. It’s the hallmark of lazy design or design that comes on top of a given frame that cannot be altered.

How come? It looks very much intentional. Spacing is even and the manufacturing quality is as high as ever. Why would this be lazy?

But again, I agree it could be intentional. If so, that would indicate Apple was chasing the Target and Walmart crowd— which of course does not match the pricing strategy.

What??

Apple has been the unquestioned trendsetter for the last 10 years. I guess we have to see if this continues in that tradition, is an anomaly, or is the mark of a new more humble market position.

Again, what?? Why is this a "mark of a more humble market position"? To me it looks like a very aggressive new bold style that combines design of past professional products with a modern touch. There is nothing humble about it.

 

[darkus]

How come? It looks very much intentional. Spacing is even and the manufacturing quality is as high as ever. Why would this be lazy?



What??



Again, what?? Why is this a "mark of a more humble market position"? To me it looks like a very aggressive new bold style that combines design of past professional products with a modern touch. There is nothing humble about it.

Not literally humble, a more humble market position. In the context of traditionally being an unquestioned trendsetter, what that means is that they don’t necessarily need to be a trendsetter in every single category anymore. I don’t personally believe that would be true, but your guess is as good as mine

 

[tRYSIS3]

Again, what?? Why is this a "mark of a more humble market position"? To me it looks like a very aggressive new bold style that combines design of past professional products with a modern touch. There is nothing humble about it.

Humble would be the last word I use to describe the new design, if anything it's Apple's most confident MacBook design yet. I only wish it was more boxy if anything

 

[tRYSIS3]

Not literally humble, a more humble market position. In the context of traditionally being an unquestioned trendsetter, what that means is that they don’t necessarily need to be a trendsetter in every single category anymore. I don’t personally believe that would be true, but your guess is as good as mine

It's the biggest leap in performance the MacBook has ever seen, how does that make for a more humble market position?

 

[jtopp]

I saw the new M1 MacBook Pros - "16" and 14" tonight. The body is squared off and thicker than my 2013 MBP. WHAT??? And it feels cheap, not like the former Airplane Grade aluminum. You knock on it and it feels hollow-ish. And the bottom feet are harder than previous models, almost like a cell phone case that is hard plastic and sort of hits the desk too hard. I am pretty disappointed. Why, Apple, Why? I waited years to upgrade. Almost tempted to get a deal on an older one now.

I’ve had many MacBook pros since the switch to Intel back in the day and I must say that you are wrong. My M1 16” is far better than the 2019 16” I traded in for it a few weeks ago. It’s fast, has a better display, is solidly built and it doesn’t sound like a vaccine cleaner when doing something simple like importing photos to Lightroom. If you like the old model go get one nobody is stopping you but you need to go get your head checked if you think the new 16” is cheap.

 

[leman]

Not literally humble, a more humble market position. In the context of traditionally being an unquestioned trendsetter, what that means is that they don’t necessarily need to be a trendsetter in every single category anymore. I don’t personally believe that would be true, but your guess is as good as mine

I don't think that Apple ever intentionally pursued a goal of becoming a trendsetter. They simply execute their vision with little regard to what is considered popular or stylish. Their design is often different from the crowd because a) they have more courage in designing uniquely looking products and b) they want their products to be iconic and immediately recognizable.

I have little doubt that the next Dell XPS will come out with more boxy chassis and aggressive lines 😀 Or maybe it won't. Apple's design is aggressive enough that an average multimedia laptop maker might have concerns copying it. Which would be another big win to Apple.

 

[bmustaf]

Mac computers were always about form AND function, it's just that different designs focused on different aspects. Sure, the new models are minimally larger and heavier, but that doesn't mean Apple has not been paying attention to form. These laptops are still absolute designer pieces.

Frankly, I think that this dichotomy form VS. function is a bit silly. Both are two interleaved aspects of design. Did the Touch Bar models prioritized form before function? Hardly. They prioritized portability and compact form over having HDMI, that's it. Apple always seemed to produce the most compact laptop for the given power level, and these new Macs are no exception. Just that the power level criterion has been minimally readjusted.

Of course they're interleaved and they aren't mutually exclusive. So, for an overly simplistic thought exercise, let's say "form vs function" is an analog dial that runs from 1-10 (1 being "all function" and 10 being "all form"), Jony Ive's goes to 11 (and that's where in an admittedly exaggerated for effect my opinion sits about the past MBPs, the MBP has been before this model), and now, we're somewhere back at a 4-5 so it seems really shocking to some people (calling it brackish, thick, etc). Maybe all true, but we're more in a reasonable middle with this product in the gamut of form v function and it seems extreme or binary, when, really, it's just a return to a balance.

Remember, this all exists within the context of our current understanding of physics and what's possible with commercialized technology for a given market price: so all that is actually part of "form vs function" that isn't binary, but definitely an analog knob if you really want to simplify the analogy.

Like I said, if you want form *and* function and don't believe that they do actually trade off in product design and many of these (not all) are immutable (until significant innovations in materials, physical science, etc continue to evolve over the course of years): you're dreaming and/or fooling yourself about physics & economics.

 

[bmustaf]

Some things have odd designs, take the US Military Humvee, it's not pretty by any means but it will get our troops out of almost anything imaginable. The new MBP is the same, who cares what it looks like, it's ready for anything and does everything with ease.

The HMMWV is* a piece of junk. A lowest bidder, cross-service, do-everything-at-lowest-cost-but-nothing-well piece of junk that has cost countless lives. This is probably not the analogy you want to use 🙂.

*More accurately: it has been turned into a piece of junk b/c it has been put into roles & uses for which it is not appropriate, including modifications (such as various armor packages, etc) that it was never designed for but warfighters were not at the center of that decision, but DoD civ "leadership", procurement, finance commands were...

 

[randomgeeza]

I saw the new M1 MacBook Pros - "16" and 14" tonight. The body is squared off and thicker than my 2013 MBP. WHAT??? And it feels cheap, not like the former Airplane Grade aluminum. You knock on it and it feels hollow-ish. And the bottom feet are harder than previous models, almost like a cell phone case that is hard plastic and sort of hits the desk too hard. I am pretty disappointed. Why, Apple, Why? I waited years to upgrade. Almost tempted to get a deal on an older one now.

Aww diddums. Don't buy one.

 

[Appleh8er]

cool, dont buy one then. nobody cares.

Richard?

 

[millerj123]

The HMMWV is* a piece of junk. A lowest bidder, cross-service, do-everything-at-lowest-cost-but-nothing-well piece of junk that has cost countless lives. This is probably not the analogy you want to use 🙂.

*More accurately: it has been turned into a piece of junk b/c it has been put into roles & uses for which it is not appropriate, including modifications (such as various armor packages, etc) that it was never designed for but warfighters were not at the center of that decision, but DoD civ "leadership", procurement, finance commands were...

Could've compared it to the Bradley, that would be worse.

Oh, and I love the feel and performance upgrade from my prior 2011 13" MacBook Pro to the 14" Pro. I hope to get at least half the life out of this new one.

 

[leman]

Of course they're interleaved and they aren't mutually exclusive. So, for an overly simplistic thought exercise, let's say "form vs function" is an analog dial that runs from 1-10 (1 being "all function" and 10 being "all form"), Jony Ive's goes to 11 (and that's where in an admittedly exaggerated for effect my opinion sits about the past MBPs, the MBP has been before this model), and now, we're somewhere back at a 4-5 so it seems really shocking to some people (calling it brackish, thick, etc). Maybe all true, but we're more in a reasonable middle with this product in the gamut of form v function and it seems extreme or binary, when, really, it's just a return to a balance.

Remember, this all exists within the context of our current understanding of physics and what's possible with commercialized technology for a given market price: so all that is actually part of "form vs function" that isn't binary, but definitely an analog knob if you really want to simplify the analogy.

Like I said, if you want form *and* function and don't believe that they do actually trade off in product design and many of these (not all) are immutable (until significant innovations in materials, physical science, etc continue to evolve over the course of years): you're dreaming and/or fooling yourself about physics & economics.

The only product that Apple made where pursuit of form would impact function that comes to my mind is probably the Apple Magic Mouse. That device is as pretty as it is ergonomically terrible. As to the rest... all Apple products are high-end designer items. And their functionality is fine. Even the weird design experiment that was a cylinder Mac Pro was an excellent little desktop computer (that sadly could not scale with the rest of the industry).

 

[MacHiavelli]

Apple has decided that the laptop is coming to the end of its mainstream life (ask Kuo). The current MacBooks are legacy / vintage products, stuffed with old, cheap, nostalgia-driven ports to keep a particular ageing generation of users happy for a few more years. A dull, uninspiring box that took no effort to design and which is meant to look old against what will replace laptops in the future, encouraging the next generation to adopt new tech. This is Apple parking the trailer behind a shed, knowing that they and most users will forget about it in time.

 

[Rashy]

Yeah, whatever. Troll.

 

[MacHiavelli]

DAF, C.

 

[mattdeezy]

OP is just jealous they don't have one. This is the best laptop apple (or maybe anyone) has ever made.

 

[lclev]

When I first saw pictures of the new MBP they almost convinced me to not get one - I was not a fan of the way it looked. I loved the "look" of my 2020 13" MBP but all I could use it for was media consumption. While I could do simple small videos it was not powerful enough for what I need to do. I also do not like the larger 16" size. So when the 14" MBP M1 Max came out I decided if I didn't like it I had 14 days to return it.

Regardless of what esthetics it may or may not have for each person's individual taste, the performance is over the top. Rendering and encoding 4K video is a snap. The new ARM laptops are amazing.

Apple has decided that the laptop is coming to the end of its mainstream life (ask Kuo). The current MacBooks are legacy / vintage products, stuffed with old, cheap, nostalgia-driven ports to keep a particular ageing generation of users happy for a few more years. A dull, uninspiring box that took no effort to design and which is meant to look old against what will replace laptops in the future, encouraging the next generation to adopt new tech. This is Apple parking the trailer behind a shed, knowing that they and most users will forget about it in time.

And as to this post.... seriously? What is legacy/vintage about these new ARM processors??? As for design, I have found I actually like the look now that I have one in my hands. But regardless in the end for me it is all about the performance. And my new 14" MBP M1 Max has it in spades!

 

[ururk]

And as to this post.... seriously? What is legacy/vintage about these new ARM processors??? As for design, I have found I actually like the look now that I have one in my hands. But regardless in the end for me it is all about the performance. And my new 14" MBP M1 Max has it in spades!

Agreed, I didn't understand that post either. As I look back at computer history we've gone from mainframes to small hobbyist systems, to personal computers... while certainly something new will be on the horizon, it isn't here yet and a lot of professionals - and business practices - are built around how we develop code, program systems, and input data. The closest thing I can think of for the "next thing" are tablets, but the toolchains and input devices for those just aren't efficient enough for day to day work (except perhaps some of the visual arts, where a pen interface lets one draw on screen). POS systems have moved to touch interfaces of one kind or another, but that's more of an appliance and a PC was always overkill to run those systems.

I often wonder if the next revolution won't be seen in hardware, but software/AI.

 

[smoking monkey]

I’m not a fan of the new tank like weight and design but I love how quiet and powerful it is. It’s complicated!

 

[arche3]

When I first saw pictures of the new MBP they almost convinced me to not get one - I was not a fan of the way it looked. I loved the "look" of my 2020 13" MBP but all I could use it for was media consumption. While I could do simple small videos it was not powerful enough for what I need to do. I also do not like the larger 16" size. So when the 14" MBP M1 Max came out I decided if I didn't like it I had 14 days to return it.

Regardless of what esthetics it may or may not have for each person's individual taste, the performance is over the top. Rendering and encoding 4K video is a snap. The new ARM laptops are amazing.


And as to this post.... seriously? What is legacy/vintage about these new ARM processors??? As for design, I have found I actually like the look now that I have one in my hands. But regardless in the end for me it is all about the performance. And my new 14" MBP M1 Max has it in spades!

The 14 is perfect in design and performance.
The 16 is not. Performance is perfect. Design no.