Apple announced new MacBook Pros last week. The new models are caused quite a stir in the tech community. While Pros feel abandoned by the new MacBook, Apple is saying they have record pre-orders.
The must-read review, in my opinion, is by Owen Williams: "Apple just told the world it has no idea who the Mac is for". Most of my complaints fall right in line with Owens.
Touchbar
Yea, I get that it's a 'cute' addition, but did you see the UX of using it? Here let me hunch over my computer staring at a little strip of light below the screen. It's 2016 and the best Apple can do is a small strip of screen interaction? There have been touchscreen Windows models for a few years and this is all Apple add to 'revolutionize' the new MacBook?
How is it possible to ship something like that without a few Apple developers mentioning how shitty it is to lose the hardware escape key?
They did keep a model that retains the hardware escape key and function keys. So at least there is that. Most Pro's I know will likely go with that option. So the revolutionary 'touchbar' is just not in line with what MacBook Pro users really need.
Cables, Adapters, and Ports
Apple is right, USB-C is likely the future. The only problem is, the future isn't now. No, people do not want to shell out $300 bucks for a pile of adapters they have to carry around!
I'll use myself as an example, when working I have the following plugged into my MacBook: 2 Display Port displays, MagSafe Charger, USB Display, USB iPhone connection and my headphone jack is plugged into my office speakers. Let's price these adapters out.
- 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter $70.00
- USB-C to Lightning Cable (1 m) $25.00
- USB-C to USB Adapter $10.00
- USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter $59.00
That gives me the 5 adapters I need for my office, and an AV Multiport adapter to carry around. Since adding a goddamn HDMI port wasn't in Apple's design plans.
Don't even get me started on how the hell the MacBook Pro got a headphone jack, while the device designed to play music is without one! I'm glad they included one. I'm only angry since no headphone jack is one of the number one reasons I've skipped the iPhone seven. I guess if I'm already trucking around my 5 MacBook adapters one more for any iPhone isn't that much extra.
Why?
Why this is happening is pretty obvious if you ask me. The Mac product line use to fall into 3 categories for 3 distinct types of users.
MacBook Air: Light and sexy with enough power for a basic user's needs. This is what your mom or that guy in marketing needs. Enough to check your emails and update spreadsheets and documents.
MacBook: The laptop for the 'normals'. The amateur hobbyists. They might write a little code, they might do photography or video on the side. They need a bit more power than the Air, but since they don't do their day to day work on this computer they don't need to upgrade to the Pro.
MacBook Pro: The machine for the makers. The coders, the photographers, the video editors. Those who use their machine to create and make new things. They need high powered machines to get shit done.
With the new MacBook Apple has one and only one idea in mind. "How can we get people who use to buy our $1,500 laptop to buy a $2,000 laptop?". This is why sales numbers are up. However, in doing so they have abandoned their previous core audience.