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Stop Gatekeeping Pro Models

S

Sheepish-Lord

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 13, 2021
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With the release of the new MBPs a lot of folks including YouTubers are stating how non-pro users don't need these and probably shouldn't buy them. Additionally, forum users that claim they are "pros" have started gatekeeping these telling folks they should just by a MBA. While financially that makes sense I'll play devils advocate.

Reality is even if you're someone that just enjoys content and browsing the web the displays alone are worth the upgrade. I'm not a pro movie reviewer but I have an OLED tv so should I be relegated to a tiny lcd screen? Also, with the latest 12.9" IPP and iPhone Pro models we are spoiled with miniLED/OLED screens having 120hz. Personally, I don't want to use all 120hz devices with great displays only to jump on a MBA when I need to type a long email out or do some research.

So for those of you that can afford it buy a MBP and don't look for justification. It's not our fault Apple puts the better displays on their top models. If Apple gave the MBA a small & large screen with a better panel then great but until then us non-pros have no choice.
 
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Sheepish-Lord said:
With the release of the new MBPs a lot of folks including YouTubers are stating how non-pro users don't need these and probably shouldn't buy them. Additionally, forum users that claim they are "pros" have started gatekeeping these telling folks they should just by a MBA. While financially that makes sense I'll play devils advocate.

Reality is even if you're someone that just enjoys content and browsing the web the displays alone are worth the upgrade. I'm not a pro movie reviewer but I have an OLED tv so should I be relegated to a tiny lcd screen? Also, with the latest 12.9" IPP and iPhone Pro models we are spoiled with miniLED/OLED screens having 120hz. Personally, I don't want to use all 120hz devices with great displays only to jump on a MBA when I need to type a long email out or do some research.

So for those of you that can afford it buy a MBP and don't look for justification. It's not our fault Apple puts the better displays on their top models. If Apple gave the MBA a small & large screen with a better panel then great but until then us non-pros have no choice.
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Honestly, the smart thing to do with these, is to just max them out on CPU/GPU and RAM, get maybe 2TB storage, and use it as both a notebook AND desktop computer (taking advantage of the new Thunderbolt 4 to dock) for the next 5 years. (I say that because maxing out CPU/GPU/RAM is NOT that much more money compared to what they were charging in previous models)

It might be overkill TODAY, but, 2-3 years from now, it won't be. And it is futureproofed for literally AT LEAST 5 years.

Everyone thinks these are just massive jumps that Apple will be able to replicate again, but really, it's just because of the architecture change from X86 to ARM. Despite what Apple loyalists say, Apple won't be able to reproduce this magnitude of change again anytime soon. (i.e. battery life, performance, etc improvements)

Already, we are seeing issues with battery life being shot to hell and heat becoming an issue just going from M1 to M1 PRO/MAX. They won't be able to die shrink from 5nm for at least a few more years, either.

SO, we are looking at incremental improvements for at least the next 3-5 years.
 
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Sheepish-Lord said:
Per urban dictionary:
A word used to describe when someone sets a standard/limit on what someone must do to call themselves a 'true fan' of something/someone.

So replace 'true fan' with 'pro'
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Neither really applies though.

No one is keeping anyone from anything. Most reviewers have said that what the new MBPs & their cost is a reason that most users will not need a machine like the new MBPs. They even often show examples of the machines doing special effects for movies, generating complex graphics, and more that those who most email or stream Netflix will not need. All the while pointing out that seriously editing photos & videos can be done on the non pro versions of the MacBooks if one should want to.

So why recommend someone spend 2 or 3K more than they need to? Yes, they are the shiniest newest top of the line product from Apple this quarter, but wiping the shiny sparkles away from one's eyes & ignoring the FOMO the new MBPs aren't necessary for EVERYONE.

So yes, while it may seem that those who've wanted this machine for years & finally got it, are labelling it as a machine for fellow creatives. Then again, it's also a way that Apple has kind of fashioned it.

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.
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- Apple- from the Macbook Pro's webpage.


I'd argue it isn't gatekeeping, but the opposite. It's marketing salesmanship that says the MBP is for pros, meaning if you don't have one of these machines you aren't really pro. It's basically using a disclaimer to make something more exclusive, so it becomes more attractive to many.
 
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Youtubers giving good advice for once and not trying to sell the hot new shiny thing and people still complain. You can buy whatever you want OP, it's still a good idea to take a step back and think about what you actually use your devices for and whether or not it would benefit from the MacBook Pro vs Air.
 
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FaceChart2 said:
Honestly, the smart thing to do with these, is to just max them out on CPU/GPU and RAM, get maybe 2TB storage, and use it as both a notebook AND desktop computer (taking advantage of the new Thunderbolt 4 to dock) for the next 5 years. (I say that because maxing out CPU/GPU/RAM is NOT that much more money compared to what they were charging in previous models)

It might be overkill TODAY, but, 2-3 years from now, it won't be. And it is futureproofed for literally AT LEAST 5 years.

Everyone thinks these are just massive jumps that Apple will be able to replicate again, but really, it's just because of the architecture change from X86 to ARM. Despite what Apple loyalists say, Apple won't be able to reproduce this magnitude of change again anytime soon. (i.e. battery life, performance, etc improvements)

Already, we are seeing issues with battery life being shot to hell and heat becoming an issue just going from M1 to M1 PRO/MAX. They won't be able to die shrink from 5nm for at least a few more years, either.

SO, we are looking at incremental improvements for at least the next 3-5 years.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I’m not a video editor, but I still like a fast processor. I whole heartedly enjoy 120hz. I like having a top of the line gpu to play games every now and then. I still like having a nice bright screen. And I’ve been using Apple products long enough to know they slow down with every software update.
 
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The 120Hz mini LED screen, the new form factor, the ports, the speakers and the significantly faster performance are all worth it. And if you spec up the M1 MacBook Pro to 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, it’s suddenly much closer to the base 14 inch model M1 Pro MBP. Of course, the M1 macs are still very amazing, but if you are getting the M1 MBP today, I’d rather recommend you to get the M1 Air since it’s much cheaper with similar performance if you don’t need sustained loads to the chip.

i think that the M1 MBA will easily fulfill the needs for 70% of the people, with the base model M1 Pro serving another 20%. The remaining 10% who really needs the top edge performance can consider upgrading the RAM and to the M1 Max chip, but it’s for specific use case and not for everyone.

For the rest who don’t really know why exactly you should get 32GB RAM or M1 Max with 32 cores, but rather just have the money to spend, it’s up to you but spending for a base model today and a base model 3 years later may get you a better notebook with similar money in the long run.
 
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Sheepish-Lord said:
With the release of the new MBPs a lot of folks including YouTubers are stating how non-pro users don't need these and probably shouldn't buy them. Additionally, forum users that claim they are "pros" have started gatekeeping these telling folks they should just by a MBA. While financially that makes sense I'll play devils advocate.

Reality is even if you're someone that just enjoys content and browsing the web the displays alone are worth the upgrade. I'm not a pro movie reviewer but I have an OLED tv so should I be relegated to a tiny lcd screen? Also, with the latest 12.9" IPP and iPhone Pro models we are spoiled with miniLED/OLED screens having 120hz. Personally, I don't want to use all 120hz devices with great displays only to jump on a MBA when I need to type a long email out or do some research.

So for those of you that can afford it buy a MBP and don't look for justification. It's not our fault Apple puts the better displays on their top models. If Apple gave the MBA a small & large screen with a better panel then great but until then us non-pros have no choice.
Click to expand...

I mean they’re right. If you’re not doing cpu or gpu heavy stuff, you don’t need one of the machines. I could see why you’d want one. They’re awesome. But I don’t really see anything wrong with wanting something and getting it.
 
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Sure, but the problem is that I was on here a few days ago and there was a post talking about how the new MBP is too chunky isn’t necessary for web browsing and should be thinner. I’m all for people buying a pro computer for non pro use, but don’t complain about the form factor.
 
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JayMysterio said:
So why recommend someone spend 2 or 3K more than they need to? Yes, they are the shiniest newest top of the line product from Apple this quarter, but wiping the shiny sparkles away from one's eyes & ignoring the FOMO the new MBPs aren't necessary for EVERYONE.
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The issue wasn’t why recommend something but why recommend against it. And you’re way off with spend 2k or 3k more, since base 14in MBP is $300 more than 13in MBP with the same ram and storage, not including discounts at Amazon and elsewhere.
 
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yitwail said:
The issue wasn’t why recommend something but why recommend against it. And you’re way off with spend 2k or 3k more, since base 14in MBP is $300 more than 13in MBP with the same ram and storage, not including discounts at Amazon and elsewhere.
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Exactly. Either get the 14-inch or the M1 MacBook Air. The 13-inch M1 MBP is at a rather embarrassing price range ($1,700 for 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD), without the 120Hz XDR mini-LED screen, with Touch Bar (either an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preference), and with very similar performance as the M1 MBA unless under very long sustained load of the chip (but if your workflow involves this, why not get the new MBP for the performance?), worse webcam and much less ports.
 
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yitwail said:
The issue wasn’t why recommend something but why recommend against it. And you’re way off with spend 2k or 3k more, since base 14in MBP is $300 more than 13in MBP with the same ram and storage, not including discounts at Amazon and elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Because it's what the reviewers do. It isn't an only recommend a product or nothing at all. It's either a reviewer does recommend or does not recommend a product. This is the rare case when reviewers are often doing both. Reviewers are saying yes get this product if you have the money to burn and/or if this is the product that you've been waiting for, that so many professionals have hammered Apple for. They are saying no, don't get this if you're going to be just surfing the web, answering emails, and watching Youtube because it's frankly unnecessary. IF you want it though, go have a party, no one can stop you unless it isn't in stock.

Also I am talking Apple fans here. People that are reading & watching every review to nitpick about how the reviewer said something, what they said specifically to a granular detail, and what their thumbnail pic looked like for the video. I'm taking those same fans who's realistic needs hadn't changed since 8gb of ram was considered a lot & a TB HD was the stuff of dreams. Who now suddenly need 32gb of ram & 8 TB HD, because they can get it, and pretend it's them "future proofing". Those same people who will be posting here about how badly the need next year's MBP for "future proofing".

Your mention of cost is often mentioned by the same reviewers some seem to imagine are "gatekeeping". It's called mentioning options. For some that few hundred dollars makes a big difference. So if one can get more in a lower tier machine like ram or storage over a higher spec base model, it's something a good reviewer should do.

The fact that reviewers are getting called out because they recommend a cheaper model for an audience that would do perfectly fine with it, ... is something just so "Apple" from it's own base. ?
 
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Sheepish-Lord said:
So for those of you that can afford it buy a MBP and don't look for justification.
Click to expand...

I agree but look around the forums, it is members who are continually opening threads trying to justify purchasing a Pro device. For the most part, they don't need a Pro device, therefore and sensibly other members do not recommend they buy one. Today, Apple devices are very different from the past. An MBA with M1 is still far superior to even yesterdays Pro machines.

Too many people, understandably are still in the mindset of "I need to spend more and get Pro" because of the mediocre performance of older, cheaper devices. That has changed.

But, f you want one, buy one. If all you are going to use it for is browsing and watching TV then you only have to justify the purchase to yourself, nobody else. You do you.
 
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The other point is how much is Apple trying to not have impact on planet and how much is Google trying?
 
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haruhiko said:
Exactly. Either get the 14-inch or the M1 MacBook Air. The 13-inch M1 MBP is at a rather embarrassing price range ($1,700 for 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD), without the 120Hz XDR mini-LED screen, with Touch Bar (either an advantage or disadvantage depending on your preference), and with very similar performance as the M1 MBA unless under very long sustained load of the chip (but if your workflow involves this, why not get the new MBP for the performance?), worse webcam and much less ports.
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Well put. The argument that most people don’t need a M1 pro MacBook also applies to 13in MBP. ?
 
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