Professional Mac Users' Complaints List Grows After 'Disappointing' Apple Event

[dumastudetto]

Here's what Gruber has to say

I think that sums up what's occurring, you cannot say its people living in the past, or that its just some fringe users, or typical frustration that we see every roll out. There seems to be a lot of hard core, dedicated mac users who are dismayed

Most of them were already dismayed going into the event (for example, Marco Arment). They are dismayed because they think Apple is focusing too much attention on the stuff that is making them the most money, and not enough on the stuff that is still a very nice side business for them.

In terms of the Mac, even Arment concedes that the MacBook/MacBook Pro is where they make most of their money from Mac sales. So naturally when they do commit resources to the Mac, they are going to invest it in the part of the business that will bring them the biggest returns.

This doesn't necessarily mean Apple will never make a new Mac Pro, or update the current one. It just explains why the biggest priority is working on the MacBook lines when they do invest in something new or interesting.

 

[AfroAbel]

Yep, I love that apple has fast SSDs, but I would not say it has a better keyboard, I'm not sure how useful a larger touch pad is, but I also absolutely hate the haptic engine based touch pad. Its not the same imo as the "old fashioned" touch pad.

Don't forget that the MBP has less battery then its prior version and cannot go beyond 16GB which many professionals need.

So if it had a 32gb Ram option (which Skylake doesn't support) it suddenly wouldn't be a mediocre update?

 

[Rogifan]

haha, it's alot of fun!

for example:


But today it's Tims fault

People have selective memories. Especially all those passing around that SJ video.

 

[Abazigal]

It flopped. That's why the second generation was a redesign.

I would argue that it succeeded in that it at least for people to start re-evaluating what they really wanted in a laptop, and what they were willing to give up.

As it turned out, a thinner and lighter form factor turned out to be more prized than ports or raw performance. Just goes to show that not all features are created equal.

 

[octopi]

A lot of these people are living in the past. We are where Steve Jobs predicted we'd be, living in a post-PC era where the market for high-end traditional computer products is a niche within an already tiny niche.

What Tim and Apple are doing is absolutely right for the company. Those complaining and hating on Apple and Tim are broadly speaking living in the dark ages.

It's odd than when people have a differing opinion it's labelled 'hating'. It's not hating it's just a different viewpoint and in a lot of cases have legitimate points. Not always, granted.

I think that if you buy a brand new iPhone 7 and then a brand new MacBook Pro and there is no way to plug one device into the other than purchasing an additional cable..... that could quite legitimately be called living in the dark ages.

 

[69650]

A lot of these people are living in the past. We are where Steve Jobs predicted we'd be, living in a post-PC era where the market for high-end traditional computer products is a niche within an already tiny niche.

What Tim and Apple are doing is absolutely right for the company. Those complaining and hating on Apple and Tim are broadly speaking living in the dark ages.

The problem is we are NOT living in a post-PC era. Like most people I use a PC all day every day for work. I can't simply switch to the iPad for work because the iPad has too many limitations. I know because I've tried that.

So that vast majority of people still need a desktop and/or laptop. Look at Apple's numbers recently - the Mac has overtaken the iPad in terms of revenue.

Also, there is the "halo" affect to consider. I use an iPhone because I use a Mac. If I wasn't a Mac user I would probably buy an Android phone instead. So if you lose Mac customers you also lose iPhone/iPad customers.

Apple needs the Mac to retain it's very loyal customer base. By failing to upgrade their Mac desktop machines they will inevitably lose customers who would have bought a Mac but will buy a Windows desktop instead. It's a crazy position for Apple to put themselves in. If they kill the Mac they will kill the company IMO.

 

[0092762]

People working with Linux/Unix/networking using *nix editors that require escape and function keys find that only the low end 13 inch model has a useful keyboard.

I work with Unix all day and I don't need function keys. Escape key is sometimes needed but it's not a big issue. I'd rather have the touch bar with copy/paste and other customizable shortcuts over function keys.

The biggest issues with the new Macbook Pros is the price, period. 1299 for the base and 1499 for the touchbar edition and a lot of the negativity would have gone away.

 

[Rogifan]

This man was a genious... Apple is now the new Xeror.. Yeah i said it..

Have a look through this thread...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-announces-new-aluminum-macbooks.580479/

 

[AcesHigh87]

The MacBook Pro is still a professional machine. The specs are on the high-end, 16GB of RAM is plenty for most people, 512GB SSD is a lot (and you can buy more if you need it), GPU not the best but Apple has never put the best dGPU's in their laptops or iMacs. It's a highly capable machine for professional work.

Are the new MBP's capable enough for your professional work? Only you can judge that. But I feel confident that Apple will be covering enough bases with these new MacBook Pros. The fact they have gone from 2-3 weeks shipping times to 4-5 weeks says they are selling very well too.

Many photo and video editors are very happy with them. I was listening to a podcast last night with a photographer who shoots professionally for a living, and another who does a lot of video editing for iMore, and both have jumped in and ordered the new MacBook Pros because they are very happy with them.

16GB of RAM is certertainlt not plenty for video editing. It's just touching the recommended for Media Conposer and Premiere Pro which are the go to NLE's and it isn't at the recommended if you want to work with 4K.

The GPU's, as you said, are basically nothing for pro work. The CPU is underpowered for heavy rendering. The SSD is impressive, I will agree with that, but no one worth their stuff is editing on the internal which brings forth one of the major problems: Connectivity.

I get that USB-C is the future but it isn't the now. Not being able to connect anything to this system without a pile of extra dongles doesn't make for a pro machine if you ask me.

Maybe this will work for some people. It would probably be plenty for people doing photography (lack of SD card sucks but a lot of pros shoot CF anyway) but for anything greater then web video it's going to be clunky. The OS will feel fantastic and snappy on that SSD but NLE's won't run well.

It's fine that isn't there market for this, I get it, I just wish that they still had a computer that worked for this market. It's supposed to be the Mac Pro but that is a whole other can of worms.

 

[dumastudetto]

It's odd than when people have a differing opinion it's labelled 'hating'. It's not hating it's just a different viewpoint and in a lot of cases have legitimate points. Not always, granted.

I think that if you buy a brand new iPhone 7 and then a brand new MacBook Pro and there is no way to plug one device into the other than purchasing an additional cable..... that could quite legitimately be called living in the dark ages.

If you've spent even a few hours in the MacBook Pro forum the last few days, I think you'd concede there is a lot of hate going on. There are even polls asking who should replace Tim Cook in an ideal world. And plenty of ugly jokes about him. It's hate.

 

[Bubba Satori]

I think some of the disappointment can be laid at the feet of the Pro name.
It doesn't mean Macbook Professional, It means Macbook Profound.
Don't forget your bathrobes and towels.
42

 

[Jimrod]

A vocal minority is whining on the internet like they do after every Apple release. Yawn.

A vocal minority of fanboy apologists are whining about people who don't blindy eat up every turd Apple drops recently, like they do after every new Apple release. Yawn.

 

[Booky]

I actually saw the new Macbook Pro w/o the touchbar "in person" at Best Buy —in space gray. The lack of the backlit Apple logo and the new plug make it look cheaper somehow. The gray color doesn't do it any favors either. Perhaps the silver option makes up for this. The keyboard did not feel better than the one it replaces. Perhaps with some use one can grow accustomed to it. In all fairness I only used it to get an impression of it. From a marketing perspective I think Apple should have released the touch bar model first —or all of them together. This one basically faded in with the other laptops on display and did not stand out at all. I recognized it by the larger trackpad. I have been an Apple customer for over 20 years and looked forward to upgrading from my late 2013 MacBook Pro retina. Perception wise this latest laptop makes it appear like a step (or more) backwards. I hope Apple takes the observations of long time users seriously.

 

[Rogifan]

Here's what Gruber has to say


I think that sums up what's occurring, you cannot say its people living in the past, or that its just some fringe users, or typical frustration that we see every roll out. There seems to be a lot of hard core, dedicated mac users who are dismayed

Read through this thread from 2008. Not much different than now.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-announces-new-aluminum-macbooks.580479/

 

[blazewon22]

I think most people don't realize that the 16GB RAM limitation is because of the processor not a "choice" by any vendor.

As far as the dongles, imagine the backlash had Apple decided to change the iPhone and next iPads to USB-C instead of the current thunderbolt design. Car manufacturers, all the accessories, etc. would have been screwed.

Most of my family that has a iPhone or iPad does not even own a Mac. They have PC's or Chromebooks. They sync their photos and music through the cloud. They charge from wall outlets, USB stations, wireless pads, etc.

The high-end photography market is small compared to these owners to justify an SD Card reader. 3rd party dongles will come out soon enough if the Apple cost is too much.

The Intel Graphics processor will push 2 4K screens. Seems like a good upgrade from he 2015 model which is what we should be comparing to, not a 2012 device. Apple has always had closed systems so why the wish for tinkering is amazing.

 

[OllyW]

So 32GB magically became a 'pro' requirement in 2016? It wasn't one in 2014 or 2015? Prior to the event I don't remember seeing these tantrum throwers saying "if the new MBP doesn't have 32GB RAM it's a failure and I'm not buying one".

A lot of members were asking (or demanding) for a 32GB RAM option before the event. This is just a handful of recent quotes from the Waiting for Skylake MBP thread.

I'd rather have the option for 32gb ram than space grey, OLED, USB-C etc.

They better, 32Gb isn't even enough.

No doubt Sierra’s memory handling will be improved, but I wouldn’t want a MBP with less than 24GB, and ideally it would have 32GB.

Absolutely, that's crazy. I hope I can get 32Gb RAM

I'm hoping for 32 gb RAM and 2TB ssd.

I wouldn't bother buying unless it has 32gb inside. New software is hungry.

I'm in for the 32GB option

I only hope they add 32GB RAM option.

Hoping for 32GB ram option.

 

[vcboard]

It all comes to this, Apple has:

• 230+ billion cash reserves
• 10 billion R&D spending in 2016
• more than 115,000 employees
• more than 2 years since the last hardware update

And they can only come out with 1 (One!) Mac product line update, which hardly can be called a revamp

 

[ob81]

"Making products we love to use ourselves."

I actually think that this is exactly what hey are doing these days. They wanted to wear a watch that they made, so they made an Apple Watch. They wanted MacOS on A tiny workstation to carry with them to coffee shops, so they made a MacBook. They don't like clunky cameras, so they focus on improving the iPhones camera. The MacBook Pro? They are only concerned with their own apps working smooth on a workstation, so they need up the graphics card a bit. Notice that I didn't say processors. The current ones will do for their needs.

 

[HappyIntro]

Apple is clearly making huge mistakes with its Mac computers by not updating and providing what seems obvious upgrades. I hope the bad reception the new MacBook Pro lineup is getting will get through to management, so they can see their mistakes, and can make course corrections to remedy their mistakes. What Apple is doing (or not doing) with its Mac hardware now is very disappointing and does not bode well for the company.

 

[Rogifan]

It flopped. That's why the second generation was a redesign.

The second generation that didn't come out until late 2010. Anyway my point was it happened on St. Steve's watch.

 

[SilenceBe]

Is that the defining criteria on what makes a laptop "pro"? How did all these "pros" survive before? How are they surviving now? It's not like the market is flooded with laptops that offer 32GB and 64GB RAM.

If I would follow your logic we should still be stuck using 286 x86 processors with 1MB RAM and 40GB Hard drives because "hey, nobody complained then" and "Pro's where able to do their work then". With all do respect btw but that doesn't make a lot of sense.

When I bought my current MBP in 2011 4GB was more than enough... at the time. But as user usage patterns change that 4GB wasn't suffice anymore and I upgraded the amount of RAM, the joy of not having soldered RAM because it made the machine (horror) 2mm thicker...

Today I maxed out my machine at 16GB because of my continuous use of virtualisation but also more heavy stuff including ML. It could be perfectly be that 16GB is enough for a lot of tasks... today but I expect a little bit more from a 2016 machine targeted to professional users.

 

[cube]

The reality is that given Intel's CPU design, Apple could either have left the max ram 16GB or made the new computers heavier and thicker. They made the right decision. 90% plus don't need 32GB of ram, but almost everyone would like a thinner and lighter notebook.

Fine. Apple should do the right thing and remove Pro from the name.

 

[Max Portakabin]

The exec team truly has become a circle jerking group of f*cktards most interested in their RSU's, getting interviewed on TV, appearing in ads with James ***** Corden, hanging out in thee clurb in thee clurb with misogynistic rappers and probably becoming the face of Head & Shoulders for Craig.

Big up iPhones and iPads because that's all a bookkeeper like Cook needs. But then forget they only exist in their successful state because of third party devs.

Third party devs who can only create apps on a Mac.

Surely one of those self important ****s in Cupertino can join the dots and realise what happens to their golden goose if they crap in the Mac and by extension the devs?

Perhaps when they stop tugging each other and elucidating about how profound and brilliant they all are, it'll hit em smack in the face before it's too late.

 

[Juicy Box]

It's a shame they have used "Hello again" as a reference

I thought the same thing, what a disappointment.

 

[caskibum]

A lot of these people are living in the past. We are where Steve Jobs predicted we'd be, living in a post-PC era where the market for high-end traditional computer products is a niche within an already tiny niche.

What Tim and Apple are doing is absolutely right for the company. Those complaining and hating on Apple and Tim are broadly speaking living in the dark ages.

If Tim & Co want anyone to dev apps for iOS and tvOS (and yes, macOS), they better get off their butts and make some mac hardware that has traction with people. Or release xcode for windows, or open macOS to deployment on hardware of choice and get out of the hardware business. Because it's all well and good to say we don't live in a PC world any more, but there's only one product in the world that can be used to create content for the beloved app store, and it ain't iOS. If Apple still wants people to make apps, they need to sell compelling computer hardware or lose developers to other platforms.