I don't think the new MB is intended as a primary device for most users. I'm going to buy one once they're in store becuase I need a very light and portable device for use while I'm travelling. The MB would seem to fit the bill perfectly. I like the new colours as I've never been a fan of the silver. I don't need the extra ports as I'm not planning to weigh myself down with lots of peripherals.
I feel sorry for Neil. He has given an honest review from the point of view of someone trying to do an active real-life task with the new Macbook and found that it isn't well suited to what he was trying to do. I think he was trying to make a point that for people who need to connect stuff to a computer physically, this machine isn't the best one to choose from those that Apple make.
I feel badly that the tone of some of the posts here have been very personal, that's not right, he didn't deserve that at all.
My problem is that there are too many reviewers simply not understanding what this machine is all about and criticising it unfairly, by either pandering to the negative (click bait) or paying homage to the "power user" (you know, the spec whore or techie who adds MHz and numbers of ports to the size of his penis!). The review started on such a negative tone and stayed negative through most of the review because of a use case not at all suited to the target market of this machine and so antithetical to whatthe machine is all about, and that really stuck in my craw.
I'd have preferred for him to say, "look I've got a camera with a standard SD card (non-wifi), and here's how I easily handled it - I realise the vast majority or all of the target users of this machine won't have this issue and mine was such an easy work around if you actually do have something like this, you can do xxx or xxx or xxx or xxx, don't let that get in the way of what this machine is all about." The criticism was akin to reviewing an MBA when it was first released and saying how the reviewer had no problems with the fact that it didn't have an optical drive, but knocking the MBA because it had a USB port and not a SCSI port and he didn't have a SCSI to USB cable which was required to connect his external CD drive he needed to install some old software drivers he needed to finish his review.
The review misunderstands the purpose of the machine, it's not "the future" or "aspirational," it addresses beautifully use cases people (so many people that Apple is 4-6 weeks behind in meeting demand for this machine) have today. This machine is beautiful and marks a milestone in portability, something which users like me *crave* in devices. The whole tone of the review was so negative, while completely ignoring what the machine does do and what use cases the machine is perfect for, and being dinged majorly for a use case not typical but even worse, so easily managed with such an easy work around, well, that's my problem.
As for Neil, I have no problem with him, and as I said I feel badly some comments have been so personal.
Who uses a camera anymore? Why not take the pictures with your phone?
There is simply no substitute for a good DSLR for an avid photographer. A full suite of interchangeable lenses? Check. Optical viewfinder visible in bright sunlight? Check. Dedicated, tactile buttons for most features? Check. Adjustable aperature? Check. Fast and responsive performance, low shutter lag, fast autofocus, and high frame rates? Won't find those on a cell phone camera or most compact cameras.
A lot of professional photographers even use compact flash cards. The Canon EOS 5DS released this year even supports them.
I am a photographer and when I travel, I use a micro four third camera as it is small and almost as good as a full frame. I have a MacBook Air 11" to transfer my photos and start to work on them in lightroom. Sorry the new Photos app doesn't cut it; Aperture did; not the new app. I would have loved to work on a retina display, however the lack of real world connectivity is a no go for me. They should have managed to put another USB A port or include with the machine the dongles to connect your hard drive, camera or whatever else you need to connect.
Photos "doesn't cut it" in what way, exactly? And the machine is a "no go" because they didn't bundle the $19 dongle with it? Are you serious?
This truly is a fairly lame review. Bring back DED.
I think he was spot on. I for one was glad this was not a DED article. It would've been filled with other unrelated drivel and would have been 7 times as long.
If you have a Sony digital camera, try the Sony Play Memories app on your Mac for wireless transfer of photos (assuming your camera model supports it).
There is simply no substitute for a good DSLR for an avid photographer. A full suite of interchangeable lenses? Check. Optical viewfinder visible in bright sunlight? Check. Dedicated, tactile buttons for most features? Check. Adjustable aperature? Check. Fast and responsive performance, low shutter lag, fast autofocus, and high frame rates? Won't find those on a cell phone camera or most compact cameras.
A lot of professional photographers even use compact flash cards. The Canon EOS 5DS released this year even supports them.
I'm using Eyefi Pro cards at the moment and fairly happy with them.
An EyeFI wireless SD card would have easily solved this "roadblock."
Something that fancy isn't even necessary. The author is really odd about his critiques. A regular user of this product is not going to carry around a dedicated camera, and certainly not something (imho) archaic Sony camera. Chances are the user of the Macbook will also have a very capable iPhone.
Forget EyeFi SD Cards, forget iCloud. Those require a network connection somewhere. If that's not available, I use AirDrop. Works like a charm, and does not need an internet connection of any kind, or a WiFi connection.
Honestly, the author is off on some tangent with this. His critique on about file transfers is just off-the-wall strange.
Hmm, what an unusual review to see on this site. My cameras have wifi built in so this wouldn't have been an issue for me. And, as with any new tech, the first accessories you buy would be the ones you need to make the product useful. Just like buying a case for your MacBook pro with an adapter for connecting to displays etc. Seems like this was your first use case rather than a "harsh reality." Although i will concede that it would be very nice if AAPL shipped this with a USB-C to A adapter in the box since that would make all of your other gadgets work with this. Some clever company like griffin should make a USB-c accessory with a slot for power, one USB-A port and a card reader. That would get most folks by with just one dongle.
so many negative reviews, complain that this machine doesn't meet their particular needs - you would think they would be selling cheap with Groupon, but NO, 512 versions are actually selling >$500 over list on eBay, and 4 to 6 weeks from Apple.
The writer of the article knew in advance that the MacBook did not have an SD slot, so I think it is unfair to judge the usefulness of the MacBook based on the lack of one. As previous posters have mentioned there are ways around this "problem" and it is up to the user to determine if this device fits their needs. A small adapter is not a a horrible compromise, nor does it take up that much space in their bag if they need it. People go overboard when it comes to adapters. They are small and if many are needed then the MacBook is the wrong product for them. Plus a second USB-C port would not lessen the need for such an adapter, so that is a moot point where this complaint is concerned.
Forget EyeFi SD Cards, forget iCloud. Those require a network connection somewhere. If that's not available, I use AirDrop. Works like a charm, and does not need an internet connection of any kind, or a WiFi connection.
Do you realize that using the EyeFi in conjunction with its camera and a laptop that has WiFi requires no other equipment? The EyeFi is actually an access point that the PC/Mac/whatever can connect to and then download the data. You could transfer your photos of your yacht sinking from your life raft in the middle of the Pacific if the equipment is charged and working -- no internet or other connection is required. AirDrop does use a network connection in a similar manner.
The writer of the article knew in advance that the MacBook did not have an SD slot, so I think it is unfair to judge the usefulness of the MacBook based on the lack of one.
When a product is lacking in features (especially ones a buyer is used to), it's something that frustrates buyers so it's worth pointing out. In much the same way a lack of an optical drive was a talking point with the original Air. Having to carry around adaptors or external drives can really annoy some people and make or break a purchase. There is a USB C SD card reader here:
Someone who would use an SD reader all the time might just get a computer with one built in to save having to keep plugging something like that in and out every single day.
I actually haven't found the bundled Apple SD readers to be very good. I've seen USB 3 readers perform much faster than the internal one, to the point that the internal wasn't usable for me. It was the difference between <5MB/s and ~15MB/s and the USB 3 was taking 30 minutes and the internal over 1.5 hours. The USB 3 adaptor makes the card hotter though.
Do you realize that using the EyeFi in conjunction with its camera and a laptop that has WiFi requires no other equipment? The EyeFi is actually an access point that the PC/Mac/whatever can connect to and then download the data. You could transfer your photos of your yacht sinking from your life raft in the middle of the Pacific if the equipment is charged and working -- no internet or other connection is required. AirDrop does use a network connection in a similar manner.
It's a fine product, though I don't have the latest version.
Then, of course, there are many cameras of all flavors that include WiFi.
As an aside, I often wonder how the human species, noted for its adaptability, has such difficulty dealing with trivial transitions to its workflow. Fortunately, transition does occur albeit after a certain hysteria, establishes a new standard of workflow, setting itself up for the next transition outrage.
Comments
Which ones don't?
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/dslr-cameras/D4S.html
D4 and D4S offer CompactFlash and XQD; no SD.
The D810 offers CompactFlash and SD
I don't follow Canon that closely, so I don't know about them.
The point is that not all pros use SD.
http://www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_us/xqd/
I feel sorry for Neil. He has given an honest review from the point of view of someone trying to do an active real-life task with the new Macbook and found that it isn't well suited to what he was trying to do. I think he was trying to make a point that for people who need to connect stuff to a computer physically, this machine isn't the best one to choose from those that Apple make.
I feel badly that the tone of some of the posts here have been very personal, that's not right, he didn't deserve that at all.
My problem is that there are too many reviewers simply not understanding what this machine is all about and criticising it unfairly, by either pandering to the negative (click bait) or paying homage to the "power user" (you know, the spec whore or techie who adds MHz and numbers of ports to the size of his penis!). The review started on such a negative tone and stayed negative through most of the review because of a use case not at all suited to the target market of this machine and so antithetical to what the machine is all about, and that really stuck in my craw.
I'd have preferred for him to say, "look I've got a camera with a standard SD card (non-wifi), and here's how I easily handled it - I realise the vast majority or all of the target users of this machine won't have this issue and mine was such an easy work around if you actually do have something like this, you can do xxx or xxx or xxx or xxx, don't let that get in the way of what this machine is all about." The criticism was akin to reviewing an MBA when it was first released and saying how the reviewer had no problems with the fact that it didn't have an optical drive, but knocking the MBA because it had a USB port and not a SCSI port and he didn't have a SCSI to USB cable which was required to connect his external CD drive he needed to install some old software drivers he needed to finish his review.
The review misunderstands the purpose of the machine, it's not "the future" or "aspirational," it addresses beautifully use cases people (so many people that Apple is 4-6 weeks behind in meeting demand for this machine) have today. This machine is beautiful and marks a milestone in portability, something which users like me *crave* in devices. The whole tone of the review was so negative, while completely ignoring what the machine does do and what use cases the machine is perfect for, and being dinged majorly for a use case not typical but even worse, so easily managed with such an easy work around, well, that's my problem.
As for Neil, I have no problem with him, and as I said I feel badly some comments have been so personal.
Who uses a camera anymore? Why not take the pictures with your phone?
There is simply no substitute for a good DSLR for an avid photographer. A full suite of interchangeable lenses? Check. Optical viewfinder visible in bright sunlight? Check. Dedicated, tactile buttons for most features? Check. Adjustable aperature? Check. Fast and responsive performance, low shutter lag, fast autofocus, and high frame rates? Won't find those on a cell phone camera or most compact cameras.
A lot of professional photographers even use compact flash cards. The Canon EOS 5DS released this year even supports them.
I'm a Mac believer, but on this rendition they missed the boat.
The boat just hasn't arrived yet. It's still in the future, boarding.
Photos "doesn't cut it" in what way, exactly? And the machine is a "no go" because they didn't bundle the $19 dongle with it? Are you serious?
I think he was spot on. I for one was glad this was not a DED article. It would've been filled with other unrelated drivel and would have been 7 times as long.
Thanks for the review. I nearly got sucked in. This Mac is a couple of ports away from happiness. I already have an iPad. I'll pass.
An EyeFI wireless SD card would have easily solved this "roadblock."
Something that fancy isn't even necessary. The author is really odd about his critiques. A regular user of this product is not going to carry around a dedicated camera, and certainly not something (imho) archaic Sony camera. Chances are the user of the Macbook will also have a very capable iPhone.
Forget EyeFi SD Cards, forget iCloud. Those require a network connection somewhere. If that's not available, I use AirDrop. Works like a charm, and does not need an internet connection of any kind, or a WiFi connection.
Honestly, the author is off on some tangent with this. His critique on about file transfers is just off-the-wall strange.
so many negative reviews, complain that this machine doesn't meet their particular needs - you would think they would be selling cheap with Groupon, but NO, 512 versions are actually selling >$500 over list on eBay, and 4 to 6 weeks from Apple.
Forget EyeFi SD Cards, forget iCloud. Those require a network connection somewhere. If that's not available, I use AirDrop. Works like a charm, and does not need an internet connection of any kind, or a WiFi connection.
Do you realize that using the EyeFi in conjunction with its camera and a laptop that has WiFi requires no other equipment? The EyeFi is actually an access point that the PC/Mac/whatever can connect to and then download the data. You could transfer your photos of your yacht sinking from your life raft in the middle of the Pacific if the equipment is charged and working -- no internet or other connection is required. AirDrop does use a network connection in a similar manner.
Ryan Smith from Anandtech wrote a balanced review on the Macbook.
When a product is lacking in features (especially ones a buyer is used to), it's something that frustrates buyers so it's worth pointing out. In much the same way a lack of an optical drive was a talking point with the original Air. Having to carry around adaptors or external drives can really annoy some people and make or break a purchase. There is a USB C SD card reader here:
http://www.amazon.com/quality-Macbook-Chromebook-supportted-devices/dp/B00WQHHHV0
Someone who would use an SD reader all the time might just get a computer with one built in to save having to keep plugging something like that in and out every single day.
I actually haven't found the bundled Apple SD readers to be very good. I've seen USB 3 readers perform much faster than the internal one, to the point that the internal wasn't usable for me. It was the difference between <5MB/s and ~15MB/s and the USB 3 was taking 30 minutes and the internal over 1.5 hours. The USB 3 adaptor makes the card hotter though.
Do you realize that using the EyeFi in conjunction with its camera and a laptop that has WiFi requires no other equipment? The EyeFi is actually an access point that the PC/Mac/whatever can connect to and then download the data. You could transfer your photos of your yacht sinking from your life raft in the middle of the Pacific if the equipment is charged and working -- no internet or other connection is required. AirDrop does use a network connection in a similar manner.
It's a fine product, though I don't have the latest version.
Then, of course, there are many cameras of all flavors that include WiFi.
As an aside, I often wonder how the human species, noted for its adaptability, has such difficulty dealing with trivial transitions to its workflow. Fortunately, transition does occur albeit after a certain hysteria, establishes a new standard of workflow, setting itself up for the next transition outrage.