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Why the Macbook Pro 2016 failed esthetically , and it's not the ports

Q

questionwonder

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 6, 2013
182
34
After seeing a thread posted on the MR site yesterday about fingerprint tech and Apple working on their own proprietary implementation of it through glass, I came to a conclusion as to why I didn't buy the Macbook Pro 2016.

It's from looking at the touch bar and finger print sensor and seeing a small line between them.
They are two components!

Now while this may seem petty and trivial to most, it says 2 things to me.
1. They pushed a really good product, not a great product. If they spent a little more time developing the technology the touch bar and fingerprint sensor could have been one seamless glass panel. And seeing that they are two components it was an eye sore as soon as I looked at the machine for the first time. My conclusion Tim Cook is more worried about numbers and sales then waiting a little longer for the great product.
2. Johny Ive has given up or isn't as good as everyone thinks when it comes to "attention to detail" as he's always saying.

I'm sure they will do this in the next gen. with Kaby Lake or maybe when they hit the Cannon Lake model in 2018, but I can wait. My mid 2013 Air is plenty good for programming and development work.

It's funny how that little detail prevented me from getting a new computer.
 
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questionwonder said:
After seeing a thread posted on the MR site yesterday about fingerprint tech and Apple working on their own proprietary implementation of it through glass, I came to a conclusion as to why I didn't buy the Macbook Pro 2016.

It's from looking at the touch bar and finger print sensor and seeing a small line between them.
They are two components!

Now while this may seem petty and trivial to most, it says 2 things to me.
1. They pushed a really good product, not a great product. If they spent a little more time developing the technology the touch bar and fingerprint sensor could have been one seamless glass panel. And seeing that they are two components it was an eye sore as soon as I looked at the machine for the first time. My conclusion Tim Cook is more worried about numbers and sales then waiting a little longer for the great product.
2. Johny Ive has given up or isn't as good as everyone thinks when it comes to "attention to detail" as he's always saying.

I'm sure they will do this in the next gen. with Kaby Lake or maybe when they hit the Cannon Lake model in 2018, but I can wait. My mid 2013 Air is plenty good for programming and development work.

It's funny how that little detail prevented me from getting a new computer.
Click to expand...

You do understand the Touch ID is also a power button? Integrating this into the TB would require that it be hinged to allow for a mechanical press which would be a mess to implement effectively for the sake of removing a barely noticeable partition.
 
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questionwonder said:
After seeing a thread posted on the MR site yesterday about fingerprint tech and Apple working on their own proprietary implementation of it through glass, I came to a conclusion as to why I didn't buy the Macbook Pro 2016.

It's from looking at the touch bar and finger print sensor and seeing a small line between them.
They are two components!

Now while this may seem petty and trivial to most, it says 2 things to me.
1. They pushed a really good product, not a great product. If they spent a little more time developing the technology the touch bar and fingerprint sensor could have been one seamless glass panel. And seeing that they are two components it was an eye sore as soon as I looked at the machine for the first time. My conclusion Tim Cook is more worried about numbers and sales then waiting a little longer for the great product.
2. Johny Ive has given up or isn't as good as everyone thinks when it comes to "attention to detail" as he's always saying.

I'm sure they will do this in the next gen. with Kaby Lake or maybe when they hit the Cannon Lake model in 2018, but I can wait. My mid 2013 Air is plenty good for programming and development work.

It's funny how that little detail prevented me from getting a new computer.
Click to expand...

You're perfectly right with everything said, but admit it to yourself: you didn't buy it because of the trolls. Now when heads are cooler and logic sets in, we see these little problems (also the battery empty space)
 
Lol having a line between the touchbar and Touch ID does not mean this product was rushed. This has to be a joke lol.
 
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questionwonder said:
After seeing a thread posted on the MR site yesterday about fingerprint tech and Apple working on their own proprietary implementation of it through glass, I came to a conclusion as to why I didn't buy the Macbook Pro 2016.

It's from looking at the touch bar and finger print sensor and seeing a small line between them.
They are two components!

Now while this may seem petty and trivial to most, it says 2 things to me.
1. They pushed a really good product, not a great product. If they spent a little more time developing the technology the touch bar and fingerprint sensor could have been one seamless glass panel. And seeing that they are two components it was an eye sore as soon as I looked at the machine for the first time. My conclusion Tim Cook is more worried about numbers and sales then waiting a little longer for the great product.
2. Johny Ive has given up or isn't as good as everyone thinks when it comes to "attention to detail" as he's always saying.

I'm sure they will do this in the next gen. with Kaby Lake or maybe when they hit the Cannon Lake model in 2018, but I can wait. My mid 2013 Air is plenty good for programming and development work.

It's funny how that little detail prevented me from getting a new computer.
Click to expand...
I'm no engineer, but all electronic devices MUST have a physical power button. This allows resetting in case of crashes or other problems. I guess there are other ways to turn devices on, but needed for resets.
 
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Sure, because this looks fun...

macbook-pro-iphone-7-lighting-headphones-dongle-1.jpg

macbook-pro-iphone-7-lighting-headphones-dongle-3.jpg


F simplicity!

Just go back to the drawing board, Apple. Posters defending the lack of ports don't realize there are still people who want to use their MBP now! Not wait for the future until USB-C becomes the standard. There are still other industries that still uses USB-A which won't be extinct anytime soon the same way WiFi "n" is still fast enough for most people after nearly 9 years or 1080p is still good enough instead of 4K since most viewers are sitting about 8-12 ft away from their TV screen to really notice a difference. What a cluster**** to have to charge your iPhone 7 with the new MacBook Pro while also trying to listen to internal audio on it. You might as well listen to music on the MBP instead which is the least portable of the two. Just pretend 2016 never happened.

Dave Lee is my favorite YouTube reviewer when it comes to laptops...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Naimfan said:
So you buy a flagship laptop and a flagship phone from the same company and you then have to buy a separate cable to connect them? So much for the "It just works" ethos . . .
Click to expand...
Yep, that is stupid and illogical and inconsistent, no lightning jack either. But Apple is betting that people really don't plug in that often. Personally I do it every couple of months, requiring the use of an adapter... every couple of months. For those guys with 8gb iPhones, they probably plug in every day. It's a wireless world for the most part. Most people aren't plugging in at all.
 
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Naimfan said:
You might want to source that, as most claims of the sort are 100% made up. ;)
Click to expand...
Hey, I agreed with you. But since I'm too lazy to prove an internet point nor am aware if such data exists, I will redact and say "many"? Like I said, every couple months for me, my wife wouldn't back up at all if I didn't do it for her.
 
jerryk said:
I disagree with that. I was on some flights over the holidays, and out at the Tournament of Roses parade. Most people I saw on the flights or waiting for the parade with an iPhone had wired headphones. No idea how many where iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6, but most had wired headphone/earbuds.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I wasn't referring to headphones and iPhones. I do this too. I was referring specifically to laptops and their connections to iPhones or anything else for that matter. Just moving in that direction. I am partially converted to wireless, still have some hardwired peripherals though.
 
thesaint024 said:
Sorry, I wasn't referring to headphones and iPhones. I do this too. I was referring specifically to laptops and their connections to iPhones or anything else for that matter. Just moving in that direction. I am partially converted to wireless, still have some hardwired peripherals though.
Click to expand...

Yeah I re-read your post. Sorry for misunderstanding. I deleted my response.
 
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Naimfan said:
So you buy a flagship laptop and a flagship phone from the same company and you then have to buy a separate cable to connect them? So much for the "It just works" ethos . . .
Click to expand...
LOL

Just a few years ago, people were screaming at Apple because using an iOS device required that it be connected to a computer (at least once).

So Apple rejiggers the iOS process to where that's not required, and now they're being damned for not including a cable so people can do exactly that.

Jesus.
 
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58giIB2.png


Before - Beautiful!
macbookpro2015.jpg


After - Ewww!
C_hub_satechi003-780x577.jpg


37827959.jpg


I love when reviewers say how beautiful the 2016 MacBook Pro looks. I concur. It truly is a thing of beauty. But after honeymoon phase luster wears off is when some truly see its problems. Users will make it ugly by dongles and hubs that protrude from it. All Apple had to do was give us 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A, and leave the SD slot alone. But they went screw that and made connecting an iPhone 7 which needs a dongle itself to the MBP an even bigger hassle.

I am looking into the "12 MacBook. Waiting for its third gen. I think it is the most ideal footprint for me. But ironically the 2015 MacBook was already showing the beginning of the end for ports. If it isn't a MB, there is always an iMac or Razor Blade I can purchase...

60f93f924aaf327a3603f9cb421ab3d1.jpg
 
xmonkey said:
Sure, if you want to over-exaggerate some silly point, then that's what you'd try to present.

If you're not dumb, then this is the solution to hooking up an iPhone/iPad to the rMB/MBP: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m?fnode=8b
Click to expand...


Found on eBay for $6.99 shipped.


Naimfan said:
So you buy a flagship laptop and a flagship phone from the same company and you then have to buy a separate cable to connect them? So much for the "It just works" ethos . . .
Click to expand...

And then everyone with a regular USB would be pissed.

JC people. We're in transition here to USB-C. It's going to take a little while, like several years, and it's going to require some added cables.

You do also realize that most of these things can be done without a cable at all? Wifi and Bluetooth. You should go to this other new invention called the internet and look them up on this thing called Google. It's amazing!
 
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xmonkey said:
Sure, if you want to over-exaggerate some silly point, then that's what you'd try to present.

If you're not dumb, then this is the solution to hooking up an iPhone/iPad to the rMB/MBP: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m?fnode=8b
Click to expand...

thank you for the post and link - I am so over these stupid dongle comments. It't not that difficult to investigate a solution - its obvious what to do to those who would rather solve [move forward] than whinge.

My future 15" MBP will be sat right here next week, used in a "professional environment" i.e. my office earning me money and guess how many cables will come out of it...... yup 1 for the 27" LG monitor.

the current 15" 2014 model has exactly 3 cables coming out of it - 1 power, 1 for the thunderbolt display and 1 for the hard disk [as the tbd usb are broken].

So I am unsure why all the complaints as 1 is better than 3 right?

edit - I also haven't connected my phone to my computer in over 2 years - why do people need to do it exactly?
 
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richinaus said:
thank you for the post and link - I am so over these stupid dongle comments. It't not that difficult to investigate a solution - its obvious what to do to those who would rather solve [move forward] than whinge.

My future 15" MBP will be sat right here next week, used in a "professional environment" i.e. my office earning me money and guess how many cables will come out of it...... yup 1 for the 27" LG monitor.

the current 15" 2014 model has exactly 3 cables coming out of it - 1 power, 1 for the thunderbolt display and 1 for the hard disk [as the tbd usb are broken].

So I am unsure why all the complaints as 1 is better than 3 right?

edit - I also haven't connected my phone to my computer in over 2 years - why do people need to do it exactly?
Click to expand...
Know what you mean. Almost wishing for a new controversy for these guys on the sideline to find something else to bitch about.

Your math is correct: 1>3. Every day I keep thinking that this is the way a laptop is supposed to work. One plug, off and running.

Connecting the phone physically isn't even necessary. Not sure why I do it EVERY 2 MONTHS. Habit maybe. You can do everything over wifi that you can do with the cable as far as I know. I probably do it to keep it from syncing automatically, but that is preference, and I can turn that off with just a preference. Bottomline, no good reason to plug in.
 
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xmonkey said:
This is a joke thread, right?

If it's not... the TouchID part is a physical button. It depresses with a click. This is so in the event of a problem with the laptop you can still physically reset/reboot it like before.
Click to expand...
And that's what makes it esthetically unpleasing to me. Just my opinion...
 
thesaint024 said:
Know what you mean. Almost wishing for a new controversy for these guys on the sideline to find something else to bitch about.

Your math is correct: 1>3. Every day I keep thinking that this is the way a laptop is supposed to work. One plug, off and running.

Connecting the phone physically isn't even necessary. Not sure why I do it EVERY 2 MONTHS. Habit maybe. You can do everything over wifi that you can do with the cable as far as I know. I probably do it to keep it from syncing automatically, but that is preference, and I can turn that off with just a preference. Bottomline, no good reason to plug in.
Click to expand...

Just have to let people work it out for themselves. Really it is just progress and there is always a small hurdle when there is a change. Unfortunately a lot of people don't like change.

I am really looking forward to the one plug solution. Will look very neat and yes is the way a laptop is supposed to work.

That image of the gold MacBook is a total joke. People making problems where they don't really exist - don't buy the computer if you don't want to update your cables, quite simple really.
[doublepost=1483568354][/doublepost]
questionwonder said:
And that's what makes it esthetically unpleasing to me. Just my opinion...
Click to expand...

I agree on aesthetics arguments it is not the 'best' solution, however is totally fine and absolutely no reason not to buy this computer. It's certainly better than not having a fingerprint sensor.

Every other implementation I have seen of a finger print sensor in a computer has been ugly as hell - if you find a better solution let us know.
 
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