Guys & gals, I often see comments to the point of MBP no longer being "Pro" machines. Rarely, if ever, is this followed up by anything very tangible. Yes it's often followed up by some wish list for better specs, but it's rarely clear how those extra specs translate into something more "Pro". I may be borderline crazy for appealing to a forum for actual information, but I'm genuinely curious how far off the current gen MBP actually is. For me as a programmer the MBP easily meets what I need, with the possible exception of the keyboard/touch bar thing. But I'm probably also not the norm.
What are these "Pro" features?
I'm assuming "Pro" means using the MBP to generate your main income. So it would be nice if you'd all tell your story how a different spec MBP would either increase your revenue, or increase the work you can do in a day.
Or do you more value reliability, robustness, data security, service/repair times, and so on. And how does the MBP meet these?
Very difficult question to answer generically as each and everyone has unique needs and workflows:
Scalability:
All Mac's now seriously lack scalability, with near zero upgrade path. For some 16Gb of RAM is more than enough, others simply need more for a multitude or reasons, same applies to storage. Personally I wouldn't drop back down to 16Gb on a 15" class notebook, having 32Gb allows me to run more applications across multiple desktops, ultimately being more productive. Same applies for storage, I can expand in both performance and size, with multiple drives, Pro's like scalability.
Ports:
USB C is simply not ubiquitous nor does Apple provide a realistic docking solution, rather leaving third parties to fill the void with whatever. Dongle's and adaptor's are just a necessary evil, nor guaranteed to work 100% of the time. USB C simply allows Apple to exercise it's design language "thinner to the cost of everything else" little else, and arguably another revenue stream.
Battery:
For a 15" notebook battery capacity should be maximal, reducing the capacity purely for aesthetic purpose ultimately speaks volumes for Apple's path with the MBP. No matter how people "spin" it 25% less capacity is 25% less runtime under any given load, period.
GPU:
Many would prefer a stronger dGPU in a $3K notebook, equally never has been, and never will be the MBP's strongpoint. Now with USB C powertrain will never happen, due the limited power delivery of 100W, so mediocre GPU's will remain. eGPU is a solution and made sense once, however with mobile GPU's now close to their desktop counterparts performance not so much now. I rather think that having a performant GPU in the notebook is vastly preferential to an external box, given notebooks are designed to be portable.
Reliability:
Speaks for itself, new Keyboard is a disaster, adding insult to injury that it could have been easily avoided had Apple not been so absolutely fixated on just making a thinner notebook. Another factor is the turnaround time and recidivism, failing is one thing, same failure post repair simply points to design flaws.
The MBP was once a very balanced notebook, hence it's popularity with "professional's", however the balance has firmly shifted to a for more "throwaway" consumer orientated product. The obsession with being thinner now significantly impacting both usability and reliability. Arguably the MBP remains the choice for many, equally many are also leaving the platform for the above reasons. People who purchase their own hardware for work purpose tend to be more focussed on the value the machine offers and this is where the MBP now really lacks being a far more time limited, narrower focused product.
Q-6
