I just know that if Steve Jobs was alive now, he would be appalled by the new laptops. He would never allow that to happen. He would definitely demand that only USB4 be used and nothing else to be more consistent with simplicity.
We’ll get used to the notch, same as we did on the iPhone, and others will follow. What was interesting was the width of the notch. Room for Face ID in the next iteration.
That’s exactly what I thought. I’m not super sold on the utility of Face ID on the Mac, but I can’t figure out why else they reserved that much space for the camera, unless there’s more hardware buried around it than I’m aware of.
Maybe they eventually add in macOS gesture controls like those that have been patented for years, Minority Report style.
I just know that if Steve Jobs was alive now, he would be appalled by the new laptops. He would never allow that to happen. He would definitely demand that only USB4 be used and nothing else to be more consistent with simplicity.
These are the pro laptops, not the consumer ones. Every MBP I've owned since it was first introduced has had a myriad of ports which allow them to be used for various purposes. The MBA is the model for minimalism/simplicity.
It's actually a big let down in terms of laptop design. Why are we bringing back HDMI when USB4 provides the same technology? I am ok with the SD slot but not ok with Magsafe and the HDMI port. They add more ugliness and waste to the laptop. They even said you can charge with USB-C so what's the point of MagSafe? I am glad they got rid of Touch Bar and the keyboard looks more functional and more comfortable.
A notch looks bad which is disappointing as it should be less obvious and seamlessly integrated into the menu bar but it totally "stands out" - but we will get used to it quickly.
Performance-wise, it sounds impressive though.
Honestly, Apple should just stick to USB4 and the SD slot and that's it. That way, TV and monitors will be forced to use USB4. And force people to move to USB4. Hopefully, in a couple of generations, Apple will get rid of all those ports.
They added magsafe because users have been asking for it and so the charger won't occupy any USB C ports which can be useful to the user while charging.
Wondering what their chip design will be for the Apple Silicon Mac Pro? Maybe another M series but with specific features that allow discrete (multiple) graphics cards and a lot more cores. And will that Mac Pro be this year or next year?
It still remains to be seen what they will do for the MacPro SOC - will they support socketed RAM and slots? 3rd party graphics cards? It depends on how close they get with the 32 core GPU in this chip. If they eat into all but the highest end nVidia or AMD cards with this chip like they did with cores to AMD/Intel then I don't know if I would count on them supporting third party GPUs for Apple Silicon.
RAM is a real tough one - if they wanted to support socketed RAM they would take a huge bandwidth and latency hit; and after heavily using an M1 Macbook Air for two weeks I can attest that integrated RAM contributes significantly to the snappiness and responsiveness of the machine.
Video card support is far easier - they just have to commit to porting AMD drivers to ARM. Heck AMD may already be working on it so it wouldn't be something Apple has to go their own way with. Again it will come down to the performance of the GPU in the M1 Max. I will find it's performance very interesting, especially since these are likely the A14 GPUs cores, not A15. It's going to be interesting indeed.
The notch isn't wasting screen real estate. Having it actually gives you more overall screen height since the aspect ratio can be taller. Without the notch the screen would sit below a ticker top bezel.
Adaptor exists for that purpose. I carry USB-C hub which serves for many devices. No professionals carry laptops without a bag for power and adaptors.
Wow - a dongletown apologist. Amazing. And with the battery life of these machines no, I will not be carrying around a power cord; it's not neccessary. And since it has useable ports I no longer need to carry around a bevy of dongles either. Imagine that! Not having to have a bunch of accessories in order to support basic functionality. How innovative!
\ I would also have been happier to have seen lower prices on storage upgrades, but it is what it is. (I just bought a 2TB Sandisk external SSD for $300).
Who wouldn't like to pay less for storage. I know for one thing - your external SSD won't hold a candle to the performance of the internal SSD Apple is providing, so there is at least that.
Still didn't make it any less painful clicking on the $400 upgrade from 1TB to 2TB
Some of you might know me as an Apple critic (because I’m a fan), but honestly I don’t understand the negativity expressed here. These laptops are very, very impressive.
It's actually a big let down in terms of laptop design. Why are we bringing back HDMI when USB4 provides the same technology? I am ok with the SD slot but not ok with Magsafe and the HDMI port. They add more ugliness and waste to the laptop. They even said you can charge with USB-C so what's the point of MagSafe? I am glad they got rid of Touch Bar and the keyboard looks more functional and more comfortable.
A notch looks bad which is disappointing as it should be less obvious and seamlessly integrated into the menu bar but it totally "stands out" - but we will get used to it quickly.
Performance-wise, it sounds impressive though.
Honestly, Apple should just stick to USB4 and the SD slot and that's it. That way, TV and monitors will be forced to use USB4. And force people to move to USB4. Hopefully, in a couple of generations, Apple will get rid of all those ports.
The casing looks just like my MBP from about 12 years ago.
Meh - how many different ways can you package laptop components? I am happy for once to see a "boring" yet eminently functional design.
I don't think they are saying it's a deal breaker. But this is a MacBook, not a ThinkPad. The last redesign (2016) moved the design forward, this seems to move it backwards. It wouldn't stop me buying the machine but it's a fair observation.
I just know that if Steve Jobs was alive now, he would be appalled by the new laptops. He would never allow that to happen. He would definitely demand that only USB4 be used and nothing else to be more consistent with simplicity.
That is one of the more ridiculous hot takes I've heard for some time - and I've heard some pretty bad ones. I would like to think that Steve would be just as willing to act on their customers feedback as the current management is.
Also there is nothing "simple" about removing stuff just for the sake of it. Especially when said stuff has huge value to the vast majority of users.
Next, but when? Hope they rollout 32” iMac before Xmas. No big production needed, just a press release would be fine.
I don't understand why they didn't just release an M1 32" iMac with the 24" - would be MORE than enough for most people. My mom's iMac is starting to get finicky; it would be really nice to replace it with a newer one. Hopefully they aren't running into issues sourcing the screens with all the ongoing supply chain BS.
At the VERY LEAST they need to add some M1 Pro and M1 Max options to the existing 24" lineup.
When I watched the beginning of the overall presentation, it got me pissed off. Maybe I'm just too old (I was around for the original Mac and the Apple ]['s before it), but I thought the music sucked; I'm not interested in Apple's earbuds because they don't fit my ears, I don't want Bluetooth in my head, I'm not buying earbuds that you throw away when the batteries can't be charged anymore and Apple's examples of playlists that you ask Siri for played music I would never want to hear. And I don't believe one can really do immersive audio in two channels, although that nonsense may be more in Dolby's corner than Apple's.
Then I got more pissed when I saw the HomePod Mini because I thought, "Apple's innovation is three more colors? They've completely run out of ideas."
I find it bizarre when people get angry about products they aren’t interested in. Why? Just ignore them.
You apparently don’t understand what spatial audio is.
Paradroid said: I don't think they are saying it's a deal breaker. But this is a MacBook, not a ThinkPad. The last redesign (2016) moved the design forward, this seems to move it backwards. It wouldn't stop me buying the machine but it's a fair observation.
How would you "move it forward" though? And if you think this design is in anyway comparable to a ThinkPad...
I love it when people say crap like this without providing any further context, especially about the much better design they obviously have in their heads
When I watched the beginning of the overall presentation, it got me pissed off. Maybe I'm just too old (I was around for the original Mac and the Apple ]['s before it), but I thought the music sucked; I'm not interested in Apple's earbuds because they don't fit my ears, I don't want Bluetooth in my head, I'm not buying earbuds that you throw away when the batteries can't be charged anymore and Apple's examples of playlists that you ask Siri for played music I would never want to hear. And I don't believe one can really do immersive audio in two channels, although that nonsense may be more in Dolby's corner than Apple's.
Then I got more pissed when I saw the HomePod Mini because I thought, "Apple's innovation is three more colors? They've completely run out of ideas."
I find it bizarre when people get angry about products they aren’t interested in. Why? Just ignore them.
You apparently don’t understand what spatial audio is.
Well, by doing so they are indicating how important they are, how much *more* important than we mere plebs, that they're so important we mere plebs are now better people by learning their dislikes, we commoners now experience at least some fulfilment in our lives through their greatness. It helps me by removing the need for me to form my own opinions and preferences, I just embrace theirs. It's a public service.
Thank god for inflated egos, protected by a cozy covering of narcissism, vanity and conceit, and for internet tech blogs for providing them a perfect nesting place.
williamlondon said Well, by doing so they are indicating how important they are, how much *more* important than we mere plebs, that they're so important we mere plebs are now better people by learning their dislikes, we commoners now experience at least some fulfilment in our lives through their greatness. It helps me by removing the need for me to form my own opinions and preferences, I just embrace theirs. It's a public service.
Dear lord - talk about over-analyzing things.
All they did was load the crap most people wouldn't stick around to see if they profiled the laptops first. That's all.
Comments
RAM is a real tough one - if they wanted to support socketed RAM they would take a huge bandwidth and latency hit; and after heavily using an M1 Macbook Air for two weeks I can attest that integrated RAM contributes significantly to the snappiness and responsiveness of the machine.
Video card support is far easier - they just have to commit to porting AMD drivers to ARM. Heck AMD may already be working on it so it wouldn't be something Apple has to go their own way with. Again it will come down to the performance of the GPU in the M1 Max. I will find it's performance very interesting, especially since these are likely the A14 GPUs cores, not A15. It's going to be interesting indeed.
And with the battery life of these machines no, I will not be carrying around a power cord; it's not neccessary. And since it has useable ports I no longer need to carry around a bevy of dongles either. Imagine that! Not having to have a bunch of accessories in order to support basic functionality. How innovative!
Still didn't make it any less painful clicking on the $400 upgrade from 1TB to 2TB
I don't think they are saying it's a deal breaker. But this is a MacBook, not a ThinkPad. The last redesign (2016) moved the design forward, this seems to move it backwards. It wouldn't stop me buying the machine but it's a fair observation.
Also there is nothing "simple" about removing stuff just for the sake of it. Especially when said stuff has huge value to the vast majority of users.
It's not Apple's problem but your problem
At the VERY LEAST they need to add some M1 Pro and M1 Max options to the existing 24" lineup.
I love it when people say crap like this without providing any further context, especially about the much better design they obviously have in their heads
Thank god for inflated egos, protected by a cozy covering of narcissism, vanity and conceit, and for internet tech blogs for providing them a perfect nesting place.
All they did was load the crap most people wouldn't stick around to see if they profiled the laptops first.
That's all.