I don't get why everyone is "so disappointed" in the new Macbook Pro. Too many people I think fall for the processor number gimmick (which marketers want you to fall for) and don't actually understand these mean pretty much nothing in real world usage.
As someone who got to use a new Macbook Pro for awhile (and now has one on its way) the machines are far faster than anything I've used and I get to use a lot of different equipment (including the latest Surface and high end Windows laptops).
The only problem with the new Macbook Pros is the price, they are very expensive.
I agree with you on the processor number. The rating in GHz is useless because it varies year to year and by architecture. For example, a 2.4 GHz from this year is considerably faster than a 2.4 GHz CPU from 5 or 6 years ago. This difference exists because different architectures and CPUs of different years don’t all perform the same number of Instructions Per Clock. The best unit of measure for CPU speed would be Floating-point Operations Per Second (FLOPS) because it’s a real-world measure of computational capability, which allows you to compare CPUs of different architectures and different years.
But regarding what’s wrong with the new MacBooks, that’s easy.
For starters, the touchbar adds significantly to the price while adding very little in terms of utility. Also, the problem with the touchbar being implemented as a replacement for the function keys is a big pain because the keys there keep changing and you have to look down at the touchbar whenever you want to do anything; the exact opposite of physical function keys.
Then there’s the port situation. The only ports on the new MacBook Pros are USB-C ports, which are pretty useless because only a small amount of peripherals use it, while all USB peripherals from the last ten years or so uses USB-A, so you’ll end up having to plug in an adapter most of the time when you want to plug in a peripheral.
There’s also the issue of storage. Apple charges a premium for its Solid State Drives, which are soldered in and consequently cannot be upgraded or even replaced in the case of failure, making the whole computer disposable. Those of us who like to have extra storage would prefer that the MacBook Pros be as thick as their pre-2012 counterparts so they can contain a traditional hard drive so you can have an inexpensive 2 terabyte hard drive in addition to say, a 512 gigabyte Solid State Drive.
Another issue is the battery. Just like its predecessor, the battery is glued in, making replacement extremely difficult and time-consuming.
And let’s not forget the RAM, which like the other Retina MacBook Pros, is soldered to the board, just like the Solid State Drive.
The RAM and Solid State Drive being soldered to the logic board makes the computer disposable, and yet the price has not changed.
Apple’s making you pay a premium for disposable computers. In the past, many people bought Macs for their longevity. You could be sure to get
at least 5 good years out of a Mac, or maybe even 10 if you got a high-end machine like a Mac Pro or if your computational needs could still be satisfied by a ten-year-old Mac. But now, upgrades and part replacements are absolutely impossible. Believe it or not, there are many people who are still using Macs from 2008-2011, who are just hoping that Apple will return to making upgradable Macs before their current Macs die. If Apple’s going to make disposable computers, they should at least lower the price significantly.
