I would go so far as to say anything any Apple employee says that gets published is just marketting.
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Phil Schiller Discusses 16-Inch MacBook Pro, Says Virtual Esc Key Was Number One Complaint About Touch Bar
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I would go so far as to say anything any Apple employee says that gets published is just marketting.
Just out of curiosity, why not use the trackpad gestures for Expose and Launchpad? Couldn’t tell you the last time I touched a physical button for those.
No, Phil. The number one complaint about the touchbar was........the touchbar. 
Adding a physical escape key is only a partial admission that the touchbar (which no one asked for) was a mistake. Get rid of it already.
Adding a physical escape key is only a partial admission that the touchbar (which no one asked for) was a mistake. Get rid of it already.
Yes companies do this sort of redesign like the escape key. Customer feedback, like I mentioned. this feedback gets prioritised and investigated for product improvements.
Changing a design, such as the escape key due to user feedback isn’t unique to Apple, and not sure why you’d think it was. Apple have been explicit about the escape key that is all.
As for your dislike for the phrase ‘to be honest’: You are misunderstanding the meaning - go look it up.
Changing a design, such as the escape key due to user feedback isn’t unique to Apple, and not sure why you’d think it was. Apple have been explicit about the escape key that is all.
As for your dislike for the phrase ‘to be honest’: You are misunderstanding the meaning - go look it up.
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So, the "magic keyboard" offers:
1. A dedicated escape key
2. inverted-T arrow keys
3. scissor mechanism
Pretty much, what every other laptop and desktop keyboard does out there, for the last...20-30 years ?
Yeah, it takes a whole Phil Schiller's a$$ with all his arrogance to call these "magic" features while downplaying chrome books at the same time.
Shame...
1. A dedicated escape key
2. inverted-T arrow keys
3. scissor mechanism
Pretty much, what every other laptop and desktop keyboard does out there, for the last...20-30 years ?
Yeah, it takes a whole Phil Schiller's a$$ with all his arrogance to call these "magic" features while downplaying chrome books at the same time.
Shame...
And the appropriate huge power supply. A mid range graphics card can consume energy at a rate well over 200 Watts.
Touch ID is it that old tech from 2018? Where is Face ID in the Mac line? At least a place where it would work much better (unless you work with tour motor helmet on)
I am a network / system administrator. I use the ESC key regularly editing my BASH scripts on linux servers. Function keys still come in handy when interfacing with other text based systems. Some of us use SSH to configure routers, switches, and other devices.
ESC is also part of the force quit sequence in the Finder.
I will be using my MacBook Pro 2013 until it dies, and may go to a MBP 2015 at that point. I want a removable hard drive. And no dongle for my USB keyboard. And no dongle for HDMI for my displays.
Christian
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Hey Phil, how bout an Apple (iOS-based, maybe) 2-in-1?
Or an iMac with a touchscreen a la Surface Studio?
I was disappointed to hear Apple is just not interested in that, but then you offer keyboards for iPads. Make up your mind, man.
Microsoft is NOT sitting on their hands with these categories, nor their OS. They are getting BETTER.
I often find myself using my work PC for personal stuff now, where previously this was unheard of in my case.
It's starting to become obvious that I don't need a Mercedes to drive to work when a nice Honda or Mazda will do.
Or an iMac with a touchscreen a la Surface Studio?
I was disappointed to hear Apple is just not interested in that, but then you offer keyboards for iPads. Make up your mind, man.
Microsoft is NOT sitting on their hands with these categories, nor their OS. They are getting BETTER.
I often find myself using my work PC for personal stuff now, where previously this was unheard of in my case.
It's starting to become obvious that I don't need a Mercedes to drive to work when a nice Honda or Mazda will do.
Yes that's the touchbar. If your fingers are cold you use it as a warming bar instead.
Finally! Someone who understands! There was no problem that needed to be solved here. Totally dumbass idea from the get go.
Imagine the simplicity of connecting to a wifi home network similar to pairing AirPods with a custom Apple designed chip. Heck incorporate AppleTV into it and call it a day song with TC storage.
exactly! and let's not forget about all of the smart home devices that are dropping daily. why not take on that market with an apple security system?
Count me in this number.
But i am probably insane, i love my butterfly keyboard (i had a 2015 MacBook and now a 2019 Macbook Pro).
The problem is, people that like the keyboard and use the touchbar don't spend hours in this or other forums telling
what they like. That wound't generate any traffic.
Maurizio
Or they could build a slightly larger Mac mini that’s more modular like the Mac Pro (for RAM and a GPU specifically, but maybe even throw in a generic PCIe slot or two) and let folks have at it. Except for the approximately 7 people who use it in server racks, I don’t know of many people who need the Mac mini to be as small as it is (and even then, the need is dubious), but again, niche of a niche.
Apple could fill this gap easily. Like I’ve said, it’s no more niche than the Mac Pro or even the Mac mini. They just don’t want to.
The lack of WiFi 6 is about the only thing related to this machine so far that's been annoying. I was surprised by pretty much everything, including the price!
The webcam is... a webcam.
MagSafe is not coming back people. Get a magnetic USB-C adapter if you need this and move on with your lives. Personally, I no longer have to deal with Apple's proprietary charging connectors and can charge from all kinds of things now. It's really nice.
The webcam is... a webcam.
MagSafe is not coming back people. Get a magnetic USB-C adapter if you need this and move on with your lives. Personally, I no longer have to deal with Apple's proprietary charging connectors and can charge from all kinds of things now. It's really nice.
Or have a twin or family member you want to keep out of your machine.
Neither FaceID nor TouchID are sufficient security for a computer for me. For a phone, sure, especially since it falls back to passcode then wipes rapidly. But for a computer, where I have a *lot* more sensitive information? Sorry, I'll stick with my long passphrase.
This hubris is what cost Apple the market before. In the 80's and 90's they had a near-total monopoly on education, then Dell came in with far, far cheaper pricing and while Apple thought school districts would pay more for a better product, they didn't.
Up until the iPad I saw the occasional eMac in schools but that was it.
That's so sad. They're gonna lose a lot of people that crave the portability of the smaller laptops.
But why they don’t want to is the salient issue. Yes, they could fill the gap easily. But could they do so at a profit or is it a loser?
It’s one thing to have a niche Mac Pro, with an ASP of $10k, where there’s $3-4k gross profit. And those types of customers will buy higher-end configs from Apple, at Apple’s prices. That’s a viable product.
The product you want is more for a DIY’er who will buy a $2k machine from Apple, then order some DIMMs, a GPU and an SSD from Newegg or Amazon and “have at it”, as you say. I get why that’s attractive to people like me you and me who would benefit, but realistically, how does that benefit Apple? A viable product has to make sense for both the customer and the company.
A larger mini becomes problematic once you start talking about PCIe slots. Now you need a 300+ Watt power supply and you’ve got to cool the thing. It’ll be much larger and louder, and what’s it all for? Those who want a more powerful GPU, mostly. That edge case is addressed by an eGPU, albeit with some compromises.
My overall point is, this isn’t just a case of Apple “just not wanting to” out of spite or because they don’t care about the customers who want this. Apple is a business, and they make business decisions. Sure they like to do good things and make their customers happy, but they’re still a profit-making enterprise.
Making a relatively small number of great products best-suited for the most customers is Apple’s calling card, and that’s inherently in conflict with being able to give all customers their ideal product. iPhone SE, xServe, AirPort, Time Capsule, Aperture, etc. fans feel your pain
Again, they happily serve other niche markets — including offering the Mac Pro with up to 1.5 TB RAM — and could reasonably sell this hypothetical larger Mac mini at a great range of prices, from the current starting price point to probably about $3–4K, which would fill the gap and allow them to maintain the profit margins they’ll want.But why they don’t want to is the salient issue. Yes, they could fill the gap easily. But could they do so at a profit or is it a loser?
It’s one thing to have a niche Mac Pro, with an ASP of $10k, where there’s $3-4k gross profit. And those types of customers will buy higher-end configs from Apple, at Apple’s prices. That’s a viable product.
The product you want is more for a DIY’er who will buy a $2k machine from Apple, then order some DIMMs, a GPU and an SSD from Newegg or Amazon and “have at it”, as you say. I get why that’s attractive to people like me you and me who would benefit, but realistically, how does that benefit Apple? A viable product has to make sense for both the customer and the company.
A larger mini becomes problematic once you start talking about PCIe slots. Now you need a 300+ Watt power supply and you’ve got to cool the thing. It’ll be much larger and louder, and what’s it all for? Those who want a more powerful GPU, mostly. That edge case is addressed by an eGPU, albeit with some compromises.
My overall point is, this isn’t just a case of Apple “just not wanting to” out of spite or because they don’t care about the customers who want this. Apple is a business, and they make business decisions. Sure they like to do good things and make their customers happy, but they’re still a profit-making enterprise.
Making a relatively small number of great products best-suited for the most customers is Apple’s calling card, and that’s inherently in conflict with being able to give all customers their ideal product. iPhone SE, xServe, AirPort, Time Capsule, Aperture, etc. fans feel your pain
I feel no pain over this. I love my iMac and, when the time comes, will most likely replace it with another iMac. But that doesn’t mean that the iMac is right for everyone who wants a Mac that performs like it. And again, they make more money from a model like that than from people building their own machines or buying elsewhere.
How about Phill Schiller you talk about the obscene price overcharging for RAM and SSD prices?
The only reason is GREED. That is the only reason Apple is still soldering the components so they can rip off customer big time! It is not security or reliability. We are simply tired of the overcharging over 100 - 200%
Upgrading 16GB RAM to 32 +$400.00
Upgrading SSD 512 to 1TB +$200.00
(I can get a top of the line external 2TB SSD for $270 and internals are actually cheaper)
The only reason is GREED. That is the only reason Apple is still soldering the components so they can rip off customer big time! It is not security or reliability. We are simply tired of the overcharging over 100 - 200%
Upgrading 16GB RAM to 32 +$400.00
Upgrading SSD 512 to 1TB +$200.00
(I can get a top of the line external 2TB SSD for $270 and internals are actually cheaper)