adonissmu

andrewj5790 said:

techprod1gy said:

I question the sources but some of this does not surprise me at all. While Apple still pushes out great products they lack excitement. Ask me how often I use the toucher on my new MacBookPro? Hardly at all. It is a gimmick. Truth hurts I know but let's call it like it is.

Ah, yes, the good ol' "because I don't use it, no one does, therefore it's junk" argument. Classic.

sumergo said:

zoetmb said:

slurpy said:

Awesome move by Apple. This SHOULD shut up most of the complaints, but of course it won't. 

It's not like Apple is selling $500 laptops.   There's two ways to look at this:  

Apple has lost it's way regarding usability - criticism is warranted.

Ive may or may not be a good industrial designer but he clearly doesn't know much about the main concepts of usability - the "look, feel & flow" of a hardware/software product.  We get the "look": but the "feel & flow"? - any sense of how it actually feels to use the product effectively day by day is missing from the designs.  As zoetmb notes, Apple doesn't appear to use the devices they produce any more.  We certainly don't see any pix of MBPs with cascades of dongles cluttering the user's desk.

It's not just my view - here are comments from a couple of the world's top UI/UX/Interaction designers who worked with Apple to create it's original world-class usability experience.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name

bwik said:

This whole thing is unbelievably pedantic on Apple's part.  Virtually none of the press release is even true.  "We realize.." No, you don't.

"legacy connectors" - No, professional, necessary connectors.

"a transition" - No, Apple, you will make the transition, not others.

It is astounding that a "computer" cannot interface with USB or with a disc anymore.  I am getting old!  These are not real computers.  They should cost $300 maximum.

I have superior equipment that is older (much of it Apple).  With things like replaceable hard drives, replaceable batteries and upgradeable RAM.  I am amazed that new equipment you buy today is inferior to what I have.  My MBP has Firewire, several USB ports, optical out (which I use)... etc.  And 1TB storage.  And it was cheap!  Rawr I am old, time for my nap.

wiggin said:

Rayz2016 said:

cali said:

If the Touchbar shipped on the cheaper/smaller MacBooks I could really see them shipping iPad numbers.

Funny they kept the headphone jack for "professional audio".  This was the same argument I had for the headphone jack and got bashed for it like crazy here on Apple Insider.
It's still confusing why they didn't include a lightning port for optional charging, headphones and headphone adapters. Makes Apple seem less confident in their choices.

If you have wired headphones, you're good.
If you have wireless headphones, you're good.

Which leaves the question, how many people charge gadgets through their laptops? I don't, but unlike the anti-Macbook Pro crowd, I'm not going to assume that everyone else is the same.

I do, all the time (for the record, 2011 17" MBP). When travelling I frequently have all three USB ports in use charging devices. That means a single charger (the MBP's) plugged into the wall will charge my laptop and any three USB devices at the same time (iPhone, iPad, wife's iPhone, wireless headphones, GPS watch, etc). This is very valuable in hotel rooms which typically have very few free outlets. Even more so when travelling internationally and you need adapters just to plug anything into the wall. I also make heavy use of the ExpressCard slot with an adapter (which inserts fully and flush so nothing is sticking out) to duplicate the recent MBP SD card slots.

To me, the definition of "Pro" is not just about raw power or the ability to drive multiple 5K monitors. Just how many MBP owners do you think ever really do that? How many ever even connect to a single external monitor, let alone two? "Pro" is also about being able to get things done with minimal fuss, which includes not being dependent on a bunch of adapters. It includes being practically anywhere in the world and being able to easily buy a cable if I should lose mine or if mine fails for any reason. Adapters can fail and often do not provide the same seamless experience as a native port. And they are much more difficult to replace when you are traveling or otherwise need one on short notice. I can step into any Walgreens or 7-11 in the country at 10 PM and get any cord I'd currently ever need. The same simply is not true of USB C cords/adapters and won't be for quite some time.

The new MBPs are fine machines, but probably more so if yours spends more time sitting on a desk at home or in the office connected to a dock or via adapters to various motionless devices. Less so if your needs are more mobile. The power it provides is fantastic (for my needs, others have more demanding needs) and I think I would really like the new screen tech (the monitor, I don't care either way about the Touch Bar); but it comes with compromises with regards to other "pro" requirements I have. In a few years when USB C is more common place, the situation will be different. But that doesn't address my requirements today. 

I was finally prepared to give up my 17" screen and upgrade my aging MBP. I was looking forward to Apple's MBP update this Fall and was planning on upgrading, but now I've determined that it will not be a 2016 model. I'll look for a 2015 model, hopefully at a discounted price. In 3-5 years the USB C story will be different. It's unfortunate (in my mind) that Apple couldn't have provided a transition model like they have with every past MBP port migration which would allow me to start purchasing USB C and Thunderbolt 3 devices and be in a better position for going all-C with my next laptop purchase.

You are correct that we shouldn't assume that everyone's requirements are the same as ours, but that also means understanding that thinness and raw power are perhaps not the only requirements for a "pro" machine.

You also have to admit that there are far, far more negative comments and upset folks with this upgrade than there has been for any Apple release in recent memory...perhaps ever. There are always going to be at least some number of people who are upset/disappointed, but the sheer volume of complaints this time around should perhaps give you a little pause to ask yourself if this is really just the same ranting that always accompanies an Apple announcement? Or perhaps, just perhaps, there might me a bit more legitimacy to the complaints this time around.

lorin schultz said:

spheric said:

DESKTOP RAM.

Not applicable.

As the user of the system, do I care? Battery life will obviously not be as good, but if I accept that compromise, is there any reason I would care whether the RAM was designed for a desktop computer?

Serious question, not a snark.