Tim Cook Says 'Strong Demand' For 2016 MacBook Pro Helped Set New Mac Sales Record Last Quarter

[cult hero]

Well that's obviously not true. If anyone looks at a Razer Blade laptop and then actually believes Apple is selling a good laptop, they're brainwashed and self-deluded.

I love comments like this. Apparently, the only reason I like this machine is because I'm brainwashed and self-deluded. It can't possibly have anything to do with liking the machine and the fact that it suits my needs. It can't be the fact that I like the size or that the screen is really, really, really nice. Oh, I guess it's just my Apple conditioning that really has me enjoying a single cable plugin to a 5K monitor too.

And limited ports? I can connect this thing to basically anything. (And I know, OH NOES! DONGLES! ERG!) I've been dealing with video adapters since long before this machine. I needed a serial adapter before this model. Firewire has been gone for years along with Ethernet. Okay. Whatever. I still connect to all of those things but people who don't aren't encumbered by it (like every other laptop user in my household).

Thanks. Nothing about me is sad about this:



Pictured above is the "dongle hell" I currently live in which manages to actually require one less cable than my prior setup.

I come home, I plug in one cable. I go to the office, I plug in one cable. When Thunderbolt was first released, my first thought was, "Man, too bad this can't do power delivery too."

And I get it. No one is obligated to love this machine. But I don't sit around parroting nonsense like, "If you can't see why this isn't the best laptop ever, you're brainwashed and self-deluded."

I don't know anybody with the 13" MBP, Touch Bar or not, who complains about battery life or anything really. Including myself. Honestly the best Mac I ever owned.

I really like this machine. A lot. I was mixed when I first got it because:

1. It was flat out unstable. I had sleep/wake issues, things would crash, and there were some issues when connecting to Thunderbolt devices.
2. The TouchBar had rendering issues.
3. The keyboard, while better than the MacBook, just doesn't have enough travel. I have tried to like it but...

Anyway, issues 1 and 2 have been solved since 10.12.4 (.4 was a HUGE update for me). Issue 3 is annoying, but I never liked the chicklet keyboards either. They're annoying in their own way, so it was a lateral move for me.

In my circle, 4 of us have the 13" TB models and no one is sad. Two of us have 5Ks and we're not sad either.

 

[WRChris]

It's not hard Tim when previous figures were sliding due to no updates....corporate BS

It's funny, when the product was announced everyone said it would flop, now that sales have risen it's "duh, no crap sales have risen"....consumer BS?

 

[DevNull0]

Would it be reasonable to expect hexa core MacBooks by the end of this year ?

From Timmy's accounting department. Of course you can have a 6 core MacBook.

3 cores in the CPU (including the GPU), 1 core handling the emojiBar, 1 core doing battery management, and don't forget a core for the Intel Management Engine.

 

[randyhudson]

The new 2016 MBP is a piece of crap. The keyboard is rubbish, and the touichbar is a gimmick. The Touch ID is so slow, it would be faster to just type your password (again, if the keyboard weren't rubbish)

(commenting from my 2016 MBP 15-inch, purchased by my employer)

 

[shyam09]

That tends to happen when there are no major releases for 4 years and people want new technology.

Lowly Intern: Wow Tim Cook sir! Imagine if we updated the entire Mac line! That would create an even greater mac sales record.

Tim Cook: Shame on you lowly intern. Did you not see that the 2016 Macbook Pro was the sole contributor to this so logically the Macbook Pro will have to be updated next. The people have spoken, they prefer the MacBook Pro over the entire Mac line.

Lowly Intern: But what about the Mac Pro sir?

Tim Cook: We already have a MacBOOK Pro, we just removed the user guide booklet and it's now a Mac Pro!

Lowly Intern: But ...

Tim Cook: Who is this? Security, give him some new watchbands and shoo him away.

 

[amanapple29]

From Timmy's accounting department. Of course you can have a 6 core MacBook.

3 cores in the CPU (including the GPU), 1 core handling the emojiBar, 1 core doing battery management, and don't forget a core for the Intel Management Engine.

Lol,

Unfortunately Apple's been moving at a snail's pace and is charging exorbitantly for outdated tech. So I would redraft my question : Would it be reasonable to expect deca core MacBooks by the end of this year ? ( Question framed taking Timmy's Accounting Department into consideration )

 

[DudeDad]

You should've just got it replaced instead of claim your money back. Probably your machine had an issue, or perhaps it even was just software.

I don't know anybody with the 13" MBP, Touch Bar or not, who complains about battery life or anything really. Including myself. Honestly the best Mac I ever owned.

15" is a different story, some people seem to have battery life issues on that.

Funny, I hear the opposite! I may have had a bad one...I had some buyer's remorse. I think they need to

1. Stop focusing on thickness at the expense of battery life
2. Update their processors in real time to keep people happy
3. Bring the prices down somewhat so more can purchase

I do find it funny that the ones who complain that the units don't have the most up-to-date processors are the ones who will keep their old machines that "work fine"....

 

[bladerunner2000]

Make no mistake. The current MacBook lineup and its pricing / value per $, is in the worst shape since Steve Jobs’s passing.

To be fair, price to value ratio with all Apple products is absolute trash. The only saving grace for Apple products is OS X, everything else is hot garbage.

 

[Rickjames74]

Make no mistake. The current MacBook lineup and its pricing / value per $, is in the worst shape since Steve Jobs’s passing.

Curious - have you used one as a daily driver?

I upgraded from a 2014 to 15" 2016 & I love the **** out of mine. The giant trackpad is unparalleled the screen is awesome It's lightweight and powerful for someone like me who doesn't give a **** about upgrading it's fantastic.

I produce digital media for a living I use Illustrator Photoshop and Final Cut Pro and I have not been disappointed at all. The only time I've ran into an issue was creating a billboard export took way too long so I upscaled for export on my iMac.

 

[WRChris]

Lowly Intern: Wow Tim Cook sir! Imagine if we updated the entire Mac line! That would create an even greater mac sales record.

Tim Cook: Shame on you lowly intern. Did you not see that the 2016 Macbook Pro was the sole contributor to this so logically the Macbook Pro will have to be updated next. The people have spoken, they prefer the MacBook Pro over the entire Mac line.

Lowly Intern: But what about the Mac Pro sir?

Tim Cook: We already have a MacBOOK Pro, we just removed the user guide booklet and it's now a Mac Pro!

Lowly Intern: But ...

Tim Cook: Who is this? Security, give him some new watchbands and shoo him away.

I would recommend a psychiatric consultation if you are having these imaginary conversations in your head. I'm not serious, I know it was a poor attempt at humor.

 

[cracksoup]

Well that's obviously not true. If anyone looks at a Razer Blade laptop and then actually believes Apple is selling a good laptop, they're brainwashed and self-deluded.

They may well buy the 2016 MBP because they're vested in MacOS and the ecosystem, but if they've looked at the windows offerings and don't know they're buying a vastly inferior product at an insane ripoff price, there's something wrong with them.

Also, I really don't understand who the target market is for the 2016 MBP. If you prioritize thin, sleek, and limited ports, the MB is a better choice and a heck of a lot cheaper. If you want a capable machine to get things done, the 2015 MBP beats the 2016 in every way and is also a heck of a lot cheaper. The 2016 MBP just does nothing for people who want capable machine and is overpriced and bulky for people want a toy to carry with them.

The 2016 model has a better display, better keyboard, a touch bar (for good or bad), larger and arguably better trackpad, better processor and thinner body as well as dedicated graphics in all 15" MacBook Pro models. I'd argue that it's way better than the 2015 model. The only way the 2015 beats the 2016 model is the price and legacy ports.

 

[kyykesko]

Now if they only came up with an Apple version of a modular laptop. Take a look at Linedock and for example the Slice battery for Thinkpad X220 or the modular bay in Fujitsu Lifebooks. In basic setup it'd be pretty much as the current MBP. Take out the bottom plate, replace it with something Linedockish with extra battery and some ports and you'd have something even Pro users can actually use. All in one. I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I'd be even happier if they replaced the keyboard with something that's actually good. The battery is still the biggest issue for me.

 

[otternonsense]

FFS, Tim Cook is ever frolicking in la-la land. Is there any oxygen in his bubble?

OF COURSE demand was strong, Timwit, as other commenters also pointed out, the computer was years short of an upgrade, and OSX-captive users were hurting for a new workstation. What we got was a nerfed overpriced unupgradeable piece of crap with a gimmicky emojibar that you can't even use out of the box without hubs and dongles. Still, it somehow somewhat addressed the issue of "newness". And it made the 2015 MBP look like awesome value for money, and that was already pretty poor value in 2016 to begin with. I wonder if Apple's calculations factor in all the returns from users who found the 2016 version unusable.

I'm literally shouting out loud at how ridiculous this has all become
[doublepost=1494012832][/doublepost]

It's funny, when the product was announced everyone said it would flop, now that sales have risen it's "duh, no crap sales have risen"....consumer BS?

Or people not voting with their wallets enough. Or companies offering it to their staff for whatever reason (like in my case).

The 2016 model has a better display, better keyboard, a touch bar (for good or bad), larger and arguably better trackpad, better processor and thinner body as well as dedicated graphics in all 15" MacBook Pro models. I'd argue that it's way better than the 2015 model. The only way the 2015 beats the 2016 model is the price and legacy ports.

It has a better screen. The rest of it is noise. I'd happily trade mine with the 2015 model.

 

[citysnaps]

.
So many people here getting frothed up and with a major case of the shakes because the 2016 MBP is a success and that's at odds with their anti-Apple and Tim Cook hate narrative.

How adorable!

 

[techortreat]

It’s the only reason why I bought one. I was holding off as long as I could waiting for new models. I still miss the escape key.
[doublepost=1494008473][/doublepost]

Dongles don't bother me. I'd rather have USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 and deal with dongles. What really bothered me was the extra $400 compared to previous models. I definitely don't think the touchbar which I barely use was worth an extra $400.

Same with me. Waited for long and had to buy. It's not the lack of ports that is a problem. I was expecting super fast performance and was disappointed. The Touch ID is definitely a good addition. The touch bar without the premium price would have been good.

 

[otternonsense]

.
So many people here getting frothed up and with a major case of the shakes because the 2016 MBP is a success and that's at odds with their anti-Apple narrative.

How adorable!

Corrected version: so many people are getting frothed up because only a dip in sales could point out to Tim & Jony & co how flawed of a release this was. It's a very pro-Apple narrative in fact, of expecting our (once) beloved vendor to release the best products in the market (again).

I used to have absolute confidence that buying the Apple version of whatever gave me an acceptable balance of value, quality and utility. It also saved a lot of time by not having to think about everything else on the market.

Not anymore.

 

[Mefisto]

[...] I know it was a poor attempt at humor.

Compared to many of the posts in this thread, yours was incredibly well executed, so kudos!

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I'm happy with the MBP 16. The trackpad could have been a slight small and not so close to the edge though.

 

[magicschoolbus]

fake news. new MBP is a crippled machine in a new chassis.

 

[intz2nu]

I seriously sometimes wonder if Tim Cook comes out with these numbers from thin air or if Apple tries to manipulate the markets with some of the reports that have been getting shared here about growth, record sales, MacBooks and iPads, and whatever else Apple has soared and outsold this or that cause when I look around at the Innovation by a bunch of other tech companies and the things their making and releasing I have a really hard time believing a lot of these recent posts about Apple doing so well.

 

[citysnaps]

Corrected version: so many people are getting frothed up because only a dip in sales could point out to Tim & Jony & co how flawed of a release this was. It's a very pro-Apple narrative in fact, of expecting our (once) favorite vendor to release the best products in the market.

I used to have absolute confidence that buying the Apple version of whatever gave me an acceptable balance of value, quality and utility. It also saved a lot of time by not having to think about everything else on the market.

Not anymore.

Based on your posting history your story isn't convincing. I get it. You hate Apple and Cook. That I believe.

 

[winston1236]

Even the 2016 MacBook Pro faced its fair share of criticism when it launched. Some professional users were disappointed about the removal of all but two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports, while others faced battery life concerns and graphics issues that were eventually addressed with software updates.

Fortunately, updates are on the horizon. Last month, Apple made the rare move of pre-announcing that it's working on new pro-focused iMac models that will launch later this year. It's also working on a new Mac Pro that will feature a "modular" design, after admitting the 2013 model has thermal constraints.

Yes I'm sure that the laptop users are super excited about two new desktop models...

 

[otternonsense]

Based on your posting history your story isn't convincing. I get it. You hate Apple and Cook. That I believe.

Let me fix that for you: I hate Cook's version of Apple.
And you can quote me and my posting history on that all you want.

 

[Minxy]

Some people love the MacBook Pro. I had been waiting for the redesign for years... but found it overpriced and underpowered. I love the screen but regrettably I find myself considering a laptop PC (Gigabyte Aero 15 & new Dell 15") which offers me a faster processor, a much better graphics card and RAM expandability, all ports, for a price that is at least £500 less.

 

[Unami]

I'm still sceptical - maybe they want to soften the bad publicity they got - but on the other hand: who cares? if it isn't as they say, we'll see adjustments in the line-up. i'd be more interested in whether they saw as much demand as they expected for the first new mbp-design in years, or if they are just seeing all of the people who didn't want to wait any more, but missing the other half that wanted to buy a new one but were disappointed and put the money somewhere else (like me).

personally i don't like the price hike, don't need the touch bar and loathe the new keyboard (probably the biggest deciding factor why I haven't bought one yet). anecdotally I've seen one person interested in the non-touchbar model as a replacement for a macbook air, a few people buying 2015 models, and one buying a windows laptop with better specs instead.