The op-ed and the couple of “pros” he quoted are entitled to their opinions, but what they have to say is not much when broken down…
Author’s main complaints:
Keynotes: agree, they’ve gotten pretty embarassing. However, as pathetic and unintentionally funny as they've become, it has nothing to do with whether the actual product is great or not or fits your needs.
No matte screen: yeah, this is personally a big deal to me as well, and a deal-breaker on desktop displays, but the reality is that Apple hasn’t offered matte screens on any of their laptops or desktop displays for, like, half a decade, so not really sure how this point is particularly relevant now, and, like 98% of the competition has followed suit on the glossy displays. At least Apple has made a concerted effort to reduce the reflections/glare on their screens, where most of the competition are like mirrors. There's, like, 5 widely available laptops on the market with matte screens, e.g. (some) Dell’s Precision laptops, almost all of which are relatively heavy “workstation” replacements, which Apple has NEVER offered. Ultimately the manufacturers followed the "market".
Touch Bar: Personally, I’m skeptical as well, but considering they haven’t used it yet, kind of early and short-sighted to already be writing it off. Maybe it will be gimmick, maybe we’ll all be wondering how we lived without it. Regardless, it has nothing to do with whether the MBP is appropriate for “Pros”.
Marketing Photo: He appears to be claiming that the setup is a fraud. Well, tons of people are editing RED footage on MBP’s… maybe it’s an “indie” movie or a documentary or tv commercial or a tv episode, and not the latest Marvel blockbuster, but again, if a laptop can’t handle his needs, then don’t buy a laptop. He continues on about how Apple doesn’t “understand” “Pros” because they’re marketing photo doesn’t actually look like “real life”. To quote him: "
Had this photo not been this ridiculous then I wouldn’t be writing this letter." It’s a freaking marketing photo! ALL of Apple’s marketing photos show fantasyland setups with clean and tidy desks… again… absolutely nothing to do with whether a MBP is appropriate for a “Pro” (has this guy ever seen “advertising” or has he been living under a rock?)
This is what his “Pro” friends have to say about it:
Pratik of SR:
USB-C: A bunch of words about his feelings and how Apple doesn’t understand Pros, but his only actual example alludes to buying a few new cables and adapters is forcing “Pros” to abandon the entire Apple ecosystem. Yes, someone who’s really identified why “Pros” can’t use the new MBP… because “Pros” evidently don’t know how to buy a new $10 cable.
Michael, a “professional” photographer:
USB-C: A bunch more words about feelings and how Apple doesn’t understand Pros, but then launches into how they have “
mountains of legacy drives and devices that we can’t switch over...” This guy knows so much about technology and Apple products that he implies he has to replace all those USB and TB devices because the port on the new MBP has a different shape. Then he admits that he understands you can buy adapters, but complains about them as an inconvenience (hey Michael, buy a $10 USB-C replacement cable to connect to your camera if you don’t want to use an adapter). Again, this USB-C port “issue” is so mind-boggling ridiculous… but that’s the internet age for you, where everyone makes the biggest mountains out of the smallest molehills.
16GB limit: There are a bunch of “Pros” that would like to see higher RAM options (including me), but as has been explained ad-nauseum in thread after thread, Apple had to make a choice: serve the 95% of the market that would rather have thinner and lighter, or serve the 5% of the entire laptop market that wants/needs 32GB or more. It’s a drag at the moment for a small subset of usages that really do require more than 16GB on a laptop, but the reality is that even most “Pros” clammering for more than 16GB do not need more than 16GB. I can guarantee you that Michael, the “professional” photographer, doesn’t need more than 16GB of RAM even though he's complaining about it. Because he doesn’t really know much about technology, he takes at face value all the other “Pros” who don’t know much about technology, and they create a nice little feedback loop.
Touch Bar: Same deal as before… his points are valid on why it might not make as much sense as Apple is suggesting, but again, he hasn’t used it. And again, the Touch Bar doesn’t make the MBP any less “Pro”.
Mark, Filmmaker and RED user:
USB-C & SD drive: Yet another “Pro” who’s supposedly on the go, never knowing what he might be handed or what he might have to hook his MBP up to, yet somehow has never needed to carry an adapter or cable, because everywhere he goes, they all have the proper cable to fit his MBP ports when he needs them. Is only specific example is being handed a USB flash drive… and losing the job because he doesn’t have an adapter. roll eyes.
So, to summarize from the article why the new MBP is suddenly an epic failure for “Pros” and a laptop only school kids and facebook posters can use:
- Keynote address' are sucky.
- Doesn’t offer a matte screen (just like it hasn’t for the last half decade).
- Has a Touch Bar that might turn out to be a gimmick, but might not be - they haven’t used it yet.
- Apple creates glitzy marketing photos that don’t always reflect reality.
- USB-C ports because they have to buy some new cables and/or adapters.
- 16GB: Yeah, it’s a drag, and if you’re in that 5% of the laptop market that actually would benefit from more, you’ll have to go elsewhere (there’s about five widely available laptops on the market with 32GB, most of which are relatively heavy or meant to be plugged in most of the time… that’s not a market that Apple has ever served and probably never will serve). Hopefully next year this can be addressed.
That’s it. That’s literally a summary of all their points.
Two points on my own 20+ years of “professional” experience working with other "Pros" and using the fastest workstations available:
Just like most people, most “Pros” (i.e. 95% of them) have very little clue about hardware. Just because they’re film makers, engineers, software developers, etc. doesn’t mean they understand the technology or even the best use of it.
I can’t tell you how many (but it’s a lot!) of “Pros” have come into our office with their laptops and asked us if we have an adapter to hook their laptop to our conference room TV… it’s like all these “Pros” coming out of the wood-work have suddenly somehow never needed a specific cable or adapter on the go.
(edit: i further anonymized those people quoted - my intention was not to publicly embarrass anyone)
