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

[SimeoneSergio]

I could do web development on a MacBook Air with its tiny display and non-retina screen? Really? Yeah Photoshop really works beautifully on a MacBook Air.

And you need the top spec 15" rMBP to do that stuff? Are you serious?

I'm sorry but Apple is more interested in serving people like me with a machine, because I'm in the majority of users group. You are not if you need 32GB RAM in a laptop to do your job. Sorry!

This is exactly why there should be the option to go beyond the specs that make you guys happy. You are not the max-demand-user. And the max-demand-user is the user that helped Apple define the MBP.
Sorry!

 

[danielwsmithee]

I have a 21" 4k iMac and the ram is soldered to the main board.
No upgrading option at all.

We'll if you buy the model designed for Grandmas and classrooms, don't be surprised when you get the corresponding feature set.

I understand there is a market for a smaller/cheaper iMac. My guess is the market segment that wants both a smaller iMac and user upgrade-able RAM is exceedingly small though. It doesn't matter to me that RAM is not user upgrade-able on all products, but it should be on all Pro targeted products (MBP, iMac 27", Mac Pro).

 

[philosopherdog]

Bunch of cry babies. Most of the grievances are way over blown and the benefits are ignored.

 

[dumastudetto]

And you need the top spec 15" rMBP to do that stuff? Are you serious?

This is exactly why there should be the option to go beyond the specs that make you guys happy. You are not the max-demand-user. And the max-demand-user is the user that helped Apple define the MBP.
Sorry!

Obviously you missed the post where I said I also do video editing and production as a hobby in my spare time. I don't even need to max out the specs for that I agree, but it does make some of the process quicker. And I'm happy to pay a premium for the time saved.

Gruber's piece is the best explanation you're going to get on why they are not offering you a 32GB option:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/11/01/bjarnason-macbook-pros

Please read it and think about it. While you may not agree, and I understand and appreciate you are frustrated, but Gruber nails it on why Apple has made their decisions. Now you need to decide whether to buy something else other than an Apple laptop, because 16GB is the maximum RAM you'll be able to put in one for at least another year.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

This is the MacBook Pro. Who gives a crap if the MacBook Pro is thinner if it has useless ports instead? And doesn't the Air have USB-A ports? I have a Spectre x360 laptop that has 3 ports and the laptop is thinner than the Pros.


This would have made sense if...7+ was released last year. But it was only released a couple of months ago. So Apple must have knew that these new Macs will sport the new USB-C ports when they were designing the 7.

You're assuming the world is just going to run out and drop $1,799+ on these new MacBook Pros with USB-C. That takes time. Maybe next year.

And don't use iCloud as an alternative. That's stupid. Because:

1) I'm not forking more money to Apple per month for extra space/iTunes Match/Apple Music

2) If something goes wrong with my phone, I want to restore it through iTunes. FULL restore that is.

3) I want to sync my music that's ON my laptop.

Stop defending Apple on this stupid decision. Please. Or, they should have done it right.

Then Apple has a solution for you. For only $25, all of your problems are solved. http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m

 

[slimothy]

The event was more of a "meh" event.

 

[sarge]

Did I claim they were?

Why make a claim when you can simply imply?

Some of the biggest sites on the internet though are being produced by staff using iPhones and iPads.

Some of the biggest sites on the internet - don't make me laugh. This mindset has ruined the 'world wide web'.

Do they churn out the best content? No, not always. There is better produced stuff available that is made with higher end equipment. But the majority of people are consuming from the more popular establishments obviously.

Well see you gave yourself away right there. Great content is never churned out, and if you think it is then you've never made anything truly great. What I object to, as a creative individual, is when the tool that once allowed me to express myself proceeds to act as an impediment to that expression. Obviously we will adapt because improvising is what creative professionals do. Apple may or may not be a part of that great adaptation however.

 

[Volatileagent]

Can't see any big improvements over my 17", quad i7, 16Gb, 2Tb Fusion-drive equipped MacBook Pro.

Well, while not as large, the screen quality is WAY better on the 2016 model. That's pretty big.

 

[rjohnstone]

We'll if you buy the model designed for Grandmas and classrooms, don't be surprised when you get the corresponding feature set.

I understand there is a market for a smaller/cheaper iMac. My guess is the market segment that wants both a smaller iMac and user upgrade-able RAM is exceedingly small though. It doesn't matter to me that RAM is not user upgrade-able on all products, but it should be on all Pro targeted products (MBP, iMac 27", Mac Pro).

My two previous 21" iMacs had user upgrade-able memory.
It was cheaper to buy them with the stock config and then upgrade the ram myself.
I have no need for a 27" iMac. I have a 32" external monitor that I use in conjunction with the 21" display.
Email and stuff on the small screen, work on the other.

My mistake was I bought the Core i5 8GB version, the next model up (still a 21") had open memory slots.
Lesson learned.

 

[coolfactor]

Just post this under every news article until everyone gets it

The guy is (yes, is) a genius. And that's exactly how Apple feels today - run by marketing. When Tim Cook tries to be "cool", rather than just be himself, we have a problem. Steve Jobs was always able to just be himself. He didn't need to be anything else.

I've, very rarely, taken to sending my thoughts to Tim Cook by email, expressing my dissatisfaction with useful features being dropped from products, mainly when Pages 5.x came out and was crippled in several ways. The result: complete silence. Yet he's responded to others via email on other topics. Maybe it's a random draw, but I've also sent in dozens of messages via the official Feedback forms, and again... complete silence. Never a response. Not once did an Apple engineer reach out to me to find out why the loss of these features was important to me and my clients. And those features have never returned. I eventually moved on, no longer using Apple Pages.

It really feels like the company doesn't care. Are they busy? Sure. But you'd think of out two dozen messages over a two-year period, that I'd hear back just once, right? That's not too much to ask, is it? I wasn't looking for a response personally, but some evidence that they are listening, that they hear the concerns of their customers. The end result is an erosion of my faith in Apple.

The latest MacBook Pro, with the cool new Touch Bar, looks cool. It looks futuristic. It's different. It separates them from the competition. It gives people a tangible vector upon which to make buying decisions. But that came at the expense of a complete neglect of their other products. Inexcusable, and that has overshadowed any excitement that the Touch Bar created.

Is Apple trying to do too much these days? Probably. Do they have a CEO that lacks the ability to maintain a healthy, updated stream of products. Yes, unfortunately. At the very least, communicate. Say *why* the Mac Pro has not been updated in 3 years. That's not too much to ask, is it? Give your customers some credit for being able to comprehend reality.

 

[dumastudetto]

Why make a claim when you can simply imply?



Some of the biggest sites on the internet - don't make me laugh. This mindset has ruined the 'world wide web'.



Well see you gave yourself away right there. Great content is never churned out, and if you think it is then you've never made anything truly great. What I object to, as a creative individual, is when the tool that once allowed me to express myself proceeds to act as an impediment to that expression. Obviously we will adapt because improvising is what creative professionals do. Apple may or may not be a part of that great adaptation however.

Yep bottom line is you are not getting a new MacBook Pro this year with 32GB RAM. Now all you've got to do is decide where you go from here now you know what Apple has decided and why.

 

[nixfu]

We know what is the hold up.. they are working on the Mac MINI TOWER finally.

 

[sarge]

I could do web development on a MacBook Air with its tiny display and non-retina screen? Really? Yeah Photoshop really works beautifully on a MacBook Air.

The people who use MBP's to the max as you put it, are not a majority of MBP users. Go read John Gruber's piece on this:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/11/01/bjarnason-macbook-pros

I'm sorry but Apple is more interested in serving people like me with a machine, because I'm in the majority of users group. You are not if you need 32GB RAM in a laptop to do your job. Sorry!
[doublepost=1478108443][/doublepost]

It's a faster MacBook Pro with better graphics, a more color accurate display, and a faster SSD. I don't think it's difficult for them to conclude they will be very happy with this upgrade.

Yea and the Carolina Panthers were better on paper than the Denver Broncos. If I could afford a new macbook I'd be happy too.

 

[mi7chy]

Majority of Macbooks sold are used for Facebook so the emoji tool bar makes perfect sense.

For the boring pro work with CATiA, Solidworks, ANSYS, OrCAD, etc. pros use something else that mirrors this list or the new Surface Studio perfection.

http://www.3ds.com/support/certified-hardware/

 

[jdoll021]

Just post this under every news article until everyone gets it

Tim Cook should watch this. And if he understands what this means, if he gets it, then he should do the right thing...and step down. Maybe he doesn't need to leave completely, maybe be a VP or Board President or something, but he needs to put a product guy in charge. And someone needs to find Jony Ive a competitor, like Scott Forstall. Love him or hate him, Forstall and his team were in competition with Ive and his team and Apple did well because of it. Now we have a one sided vision of the future...THIN!! EVERYTHING MUST BE THIN!! THIN, I SAY...THIN!!!

 

[Kestrel452]

I can't help but laugh at all the people defending Apple over this, especially since the only popular claim seems to be "they're targeting the majority of consumers".

Since when do the majority of consumers want to spend $3,000-4,000 on a machine that's just for Facebook??? They're buying a 15" Apple laptop because they want the best. I don't think there are many consumers out there that fall into the category of plopping $3,000 for a machine just because of the brand, those are the physicians and BigLaw Firm attorneys of the world who have to show off their social status. For everyone else, these shenanigans will only last so long before the fumes run out.

 

[needfx]

I can't help but laugh at all the people defending Apple over this, especially since the only popular claim seems to be "they're targeting the majority of consumers".

Since when do the majority of consumers want to spend $3,000-4,000 on a machine that's just for Facebook??? They're buying a 15" Apple laptop because they want the best. I don't think there are many consumers out there that fall into the category of plopping $3,000 for a machine just because of the brand, those are the physicians and BigLaw Firm attorneys of the world who have to show off their social status. For everyone else, these shenanigans will only last so long before the fumes run out.

your signature signifies you're buying one anyway /s

 

[wozmatic]

Just post this under every news article until everyone gets it

Exactly
[doublepost=1478111672][/doublepost]

Might sound silly of me, but I really hope this Macbook Pro flops, it would be a great lesson for Apple.

Looking at the comment numbers on MacRumors and threads about how the new MacBook Pro falls short to expectations, I can honestly say most of us agree and hope this does flop.

Also hope the next update has a 15" without the touch bar.

 

[idunn]

"Frankly, it’s that total disconnect between what computer users want and what mobile users want that has me worried about the Mac."
— Adam Knight

http://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/10/27/new-macbook-pros-and-the-state-of-the-mac/




Others at this same link expressed much this same sentiment in various ways.

Apple's obsession with everything iOS seems the crux of the problem. To an extent understandable as presently representing the lion's share of their revenue. With no doubt mobile 'computing' (I say this last advisedly, as more consumption and communication) no doubt here to stay and significant.

BUT what Mr. Cook & Company overlook to their peril is the remaining importance of the Macintosh computer line. Not as legacy and due respect to what once was, rather what remains vital—no less than the freedom of personal computing and all that implies. Or what Apple was all about at its inception.

Mr. Cook may think an iPad is swell for all his needs, but plainly his day is not filled with the need for the heavy duty computation required in graphic arts and many other tasks. Stick him in a room he cannot leave until finishing something similar—with an iPad 'Pro' and a Mac Pro—and then see at conclusion which he has reverted to.

That's why.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Give your customers some credit for being able to comprehend reality.

Judging by the reactions since thursday, it's clear Apple customers can't comprehend reality. Apple flat out said there were better life issues and most dismissed this as if Apple didn't say anything at all.

 

[xxray]

I'm honestly so disappointed. I went to check out some laptops today. Saw the Dell XPS 13 & 15, Surface Pro, and Surface Book. They're all good as in they have great screens, good specs, like the touch screens and innovative features, etc. But I just really don't like Windows. I haven't used Windows in years, thought maybe I'd like it again, but I just don't. None of the laptops I saw compared to Apple's hardware quality and feel either. I really hate that I can't get a powerful MacBook without spending thousands of dollars, and even then, I can't get more RAM. I feel stuck. I've been planning on getting a new laptop, and I either have to spend so much more money than I want to spend, or deal with lower quality hardware and Windows. It really sucks.

 

[danielwsmithee]

All things considered 2 years from now, the new MBP design will be one of the best on the market. Intel's new processors will support low power RAM up to 32GB. USB-C will become ubiquitous, and AMD will have released Vega/Polaris 11 based graphics that will be efficient enough for this form factor.

This feels like a good design for the next 10 years, but there are pain points now while both the technology (RAM/GPU) and market (USB-C) are not quite ready.

The thing I don't think I will ever like is the keyboard from the MacBook.

 

[idunn]

As it's one of the most successful companies in the world, and has the money and resources to devote to whatever it wants to, i refuse to buy that. In a small company of four people, yes it is ok to put the focus on the most successful and most important project. But Apple could very easily devote an entire team to developing the Mac Mini alone and it would be a drop in the ocean when it came to their expenditure. Yet if a Mac Mini was loved and maintained and constantly innovated, heaven forfend it might actually be a successful product. They have no excuse. If it's the case that they really don't want to be developing these products anymore, then just drop it. As Apple is so secretive, it's insulting to their customer base to string them along for so long as people's jobs and livelihoods depend on these products. In the case of the Mac Pro especially, a 3 year gap between updates is pathetic really.

Actually, just consider what even one dedicated person at Apple—given access to their resources—could do for the Mac Mini.

 

[mollyc]

There is no reason Apple can't make a laptop for the Facebook/email crowd AND the need-more-RAM crowd. It's what they used to do, which is why so many people are upset.

 

[@jsa]

if i had money to spare i'd buy that dumb machine