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no1youknowz

As a developer, I really don't see a MacBook Pro any more. They should have really called it a MacBook Air Pro.

Also being a MBPr 2012 owner. When thinking about an upgrade, I was wanting MORE of the same but BETTER specifications.

This is what I am seeing, when I look at the MBP 2016.

- No magsafe

- No glowing apple logo

- No startup chime

- No SD card slot

- No HDMI

- No USB 2/3 ports

- No 32GB / DDR4 ram

- No Nvidia graphic card

- Reduced battery

- Reduced Keyboard travel

There is nothing that shows "Apple innovation" in this Macbook Pro 2016.

As such, no upgrade from me. I am more than happy to wait another 18 months for the next refresh. I really hope Apple takes on board why developers really loved the previous MBP line.

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I find it amusing that you list "no glowing apple logo" as a downside. That's pretty much the only good part about the new MacBook Pro in my book. Besides being obnoxious (which is admittedly subjective), it lets light through in both directions. So when you have a strong enough light source in front of you, you can see a ghostly Apple logo in the middle of your screen. Chime too, I had to manually disable it on the my old MBP, why would anyone want that is beyond me.

Getting rid of that dreaded chime and glowing logo are the actual Pro-moves :]

I'm sad to see the glowing logo go. That was a defining element of MacBooks for me. Visually speaking, nothing really differentiates MacBooks from their Samsung/Dell/etc clones anymore.

It was just visual pollution for the people not using the computer. A public disservice. Would you like it, if i walked around and shine a flashlight randomly into your face?

It however also was a good way to separate polite people from the more mindless ones, depending on wether or not they put a sticker or other obstruction on it.

Crikey, I never realised my glowing MacBook Air logo was visual pollution and by not covering it I was breaking an implied social contract with my fellow humans.

Good job I'm upgrading to the latest MBP and upon receipt will cease the ongoing infliction of my selfish ways on the general public.

Wow, I didn't realize others felt so strongly about this. Now I feel like a rebel for just not covering my glowing Apple logo. That's a good way to start the day.

After attending a hackathon yesterday, I was going to cover my Mac with the stickers I picked up. But just for you, I'm going to leave the logo uncovered.

No problem, if i would be in a situation where it's constantly in my peripheral view, i would talk to you.

Would you refuse, i would not start a fight, but just look for another place or another way to block the view for myself.

If i was Santa Claus, you would however get no gift.

>No problem, if i would be in a situation where it's constantly in my peripheral view, i would talk to you.

That sounds like a pretty heavy safe space invasion. I don't think I'd appreciate you talking to me about my hardware preferences.

A gently-glowing logo is far less disruptive or distracting than a flashlight shining in one's face.

If you expect people to cover the logo on their laptops, I can only assume you keep your phone on silent and never, ever, ever answer it in public, because a ringing phone is far more distracting as is a phone conversation. For that matter, so is in-person conversation, so I hope you never hold conversations in public either.

Or put another way, calling a glowing logo a public disservice is ridiculous and if you believe it you're either a recluse or a hypocrite.

You weren't replying to me, but I genuinely do keep my phone on silent (no, not vibrate) and will never answer it (both because it's rude and because I don't notice it).

But I do try to check it regularly whenever I get the chance.

It reminds me of when Microsoft removed Aero from Windows.

Initially I thought it was a step backwards, but now I don't miss it, and it helped to improve battery life on mobile devices too.

yes, removing that stupid mag lite on the backside is the best move apple ever made.

It was fantastic marketing imho, seeing a row of those in the window of a coffee shop is a fairly strong signal.

>It was fantastic marketing imho, seeing a row of those in the window of a coffee shop is a fairly strong signal.

Walking into a gathering with all those Apple logos lit while carrying a ThinkPad did make me feel like a bit of a rebel. Rather ironic.

I wish we could get reasonably priced and spec'd Thinkpads in India. Had to move on to an MBP last year after almost 8 years with a T60 and T410.

I still find it odd that people bring up Thinkpads in comparison with MacBook Pros. I have used Thinkpads for a while. Both my personal and business laptop are Thinkpads, and I'm unimpressed. The screens are low quality. The one on my personal device is utter trash. The trackpads are low quality mostly due to drivers. I won't buy another. They are better than some alternatives but I don't think they compare to MacBooks for finish or feel, and they cost about the same for similar specs.

A lot of the Thinkpad comparisons are based on nostalgia, IMO. I used to love Thinkpads, but ever since they went to Lenovo, they've been steadily going downhill.

I'd rather think different[ly].

Oddly enough, that idea is what makes me not want to use a mac.

http://vwordpress.stmarys-ca.edu/ame1ian/files/2014/03/think...

I want a machine that is customized to work the way I want it to work. I don't want a machine that is generalized to suit non-techs.

agree - I'm ready to let go of the chime and lit logo.

But the rest of the points the OP/article made are spot on; this isn't a Pro machine.

The glowing Apple logo was a great marketing move.

Just walk in to any conference and you could instantly assess the Mac's popularity among the group

You see it in movies too

In fact Inwatched a movie the other day with an iMac and no glowing logo and it looked weird

I had a few Powerbooks in the 90's. I can't remember which one it was (I think it was a Pismo) but I was working on the couch one day with the laptop on a small stool in front of me.

Someone knocked on the door and I got up, catching the power cord on my leg. The stool fell over and the screen shattered.

Magsafe is definitely a great feature on my MBPro 2012

USB-C is celebrated as the dock mode connector. Isn't a constant dock to all those great things you mentioned sufficient? Is it really necessary to have all those ports everywhere you go? Take HDMI for example: do you really need that everywhere such that an extension will not work? Or a graphics card: another one cannot be added via USB-C?

The rest of your points are pretty funny e.g. no glowing apple logo!

[edit] For comments to this post, I add Apple is known for eliminating clutter before the industry does, without regard to cost. By making every user specifically buy adapters if they need it, they are simplifying the product, conserving resources, and making money too. Win, win, win.

It's about convenience and servicing the greatest number of people. Some may need an SD slot often. Others may need to plug into an external display wherever they go. Maybe in five years C will be more universal, but now is not the time to remove them. They should have also left 1 or 2 USB-A ports. I don't have a single USB-C device.

having a laptop currently (Latitude 7370) which has only one "classic" usb slot...I'd kill for 2...so having none would be even harder. It comes down to doing the simple things like using USB flash drives quickly without immediately needing a dongle.

I agree that USB-C is awesome and is technically superior in every way. The problem is that right now very few things actually support being attached to a USB C host without some sort of adapter.

My biggest gripe, however, is the sudden loss of Magsafe in favor of USB-C charging only. This is a huge step backwards as Magsafe was developed to protect the computer and the charger from damage in case of a sudden, omni-directional tug. I can't imagine the internals of a USB-C connector holding up to that abuse. While they say you wont need to charge it as frequently, I don't buy that this will always be the case, not to mention it is very difficult to change user behavior and people will still attempt to charge it casually.

> I agree that USB-C is awesome and is technically superior in every way. The problem is that right now very few things actually support being attached to a USB C host without some sort of adapter.

In 3 years when you still own the machine and almost everything is USB-C, you'll probably feel differently about the ports.

> My biggest gripe, however, is the sudden loss of Magsafe in favor of USB-C charging only. This is a huge step backwards as Magsafe was developed to protect the computer and the charger from damage in case of a sudden, omni-directional tug.

This is my biggest gripe, too. Magsafe saved my ass more times than I want to think about.

I think you're really optimistic about how quickly everyone is going to switch to USB-C. Three years isn't enough time to have it be the standard for new devices, much less replace legacy stuff.

> I think you're really optimistic about how quickly everyone is going to switch to USB-C.

At this point, many new computers have USB-C, and a growing number of computers have only USB-C. So there's a market of people who need USB-C connectors, and untapped markets with a strong demand and a proven willingness to spend premium money attracts device manufacturers heavily. So maybe I'm being optimistic, but I don't think overwhelmingly so.

Buy the Griffin "MagSafe" USB-C cable. Problem solved!

I'm actually really surprised Apple didn't make it themselves.

> Isn't a constant dock to all those great things you mentioned sufficient?

Then why not include it in the box?

Apple increased the price and removed the mains extension cable, surely they could have done something to make the transition easier?

We've been told that early Thunderbolt 3 compatibility is not consistent. So at this stage it's probably safer to stick with Apple branded dongles and adapters.

Something as simple as connecting my existing monitor through Display Port now needs an adapter. £30 [1]

As it stands it's not even clear yet what will and won't work with the new machines.

E.g. do I need to buy another USB-c Superdrive for the 2 times a year I have to burn a DVD for someone? £79 [2]

The existing USB-A Superdrive won't even work through a generic USB hub, will it work through a USB-A to USB-C converter? £9 [3]

I don't use HDMI very often except when I'm doing presentations but that's another £49. [4]

Not to mention I now need to spend £19 to connect my iPhone and another £19 to replace the extension cord they were too cheap to include.

It all mounts up; nickels and dimes.

[edit] I should probably add that, yes, I can expense this stuff to my business but it's still, it's a pain on a such a high end product.

[1]: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MMEL2/thunderbolt-3-usb...

[2]: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MD564ZM/A/apple-usb-sup...

[3]: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MJ1M2/usb-c-to-usb-adap...

[4]: http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MJ1K2ZM/A/usb-c-digital...

Apple has a lot of developers. I wonder what they think about the new MBPs. There are so many complaints from developers that I cannot believe that all Apple engineers are happy with their new choices in MBPs. I wonder if a lot of displeased Apple engineers can change the direction the Pro stuff is headed.

Don't ever forget that you're listening to the loud echo-chamber noise of the internet, though!

People who don't think there isn't much wrong with the new MBPs aren't going to make a lot of noise about that fact.

Exactly. I work at my college's library and we lend out the top line 15" MBP complete with GPU and 16GB RAM which are almost always checked out.

Most of the patrons only use Word and Safari on them anyway.

For me the main issue is that the 4-port fully-spec'd-out version is just too expensive. If not for the price I could live with the choices.

I suspect Apple developers would be able to afford the beefiest model, assuming they don't get it for free. So there's that.

ok, but you are only seeing the downsides, let me add the benefits:

- more efficient CPU (less battery is possible without less battery runtime)

- better display (Display P3 color, more nits)

- better sound

- lighter

- better structural engineering (all metal, even the hinges) and therefor also no apple backlight (which makes the structural part better).

- Charging with normal smartphone battery packs is now possible.

You'll need dongles for 2 of the 6 positives you mentioned. :\

Sorry, but this is wrong.

"less battery is possible without less battery runtime" -> doesn't work with CPU bound software like Hangouts or external appliances that need to be powered. Fact is the battery is much smaller.

- Better display: granted

- Better sound: Nope, there's no substitute for bass response, all of which gets better the larger the speaker and enclosure is

- Lighter: Yes. This is a professional's priority number 2749 though.

- Structural engineering: It's half as thin. If you know mechanics, you'd need a material double as tough in order to make up for the loss in structural stability. Not gonna happen, maybe their most recent super duper aluminum alloy is 20-30% tougher. Overall, a thinner structure is ALWAYS more brittle.

All in all, OP is completely right: This simply isn't a professional machine.

This simply isn't a professional machine.

It's far from clear that this is 'simple'.

> Lighter: Yes. This is a professional's priority number 2749 though.

I use my laptop in a professional capacity and weight is a huge factor for me. I carry my laptop everywhere.

Incremental yearly changes in weight have generally not been that impressive but in aggregate the difference is huge. Go pick up a 10-year-old laptop and you'll probably agree.

> Structural engineering: It's half as thin. If you know mechanics, you'd need a material double as tough in order to make up for the loss in structural stability.

I'm no mechanical engineer, but I don't believe that's correct. There are a number of factors that impact the structural stability of an item. The internal structure has a huge impact, which is why I-beams exist.

It's also not as if the space saved is the result of just milling out half of the original aluminum. The actual metal case is probably the same thickness or close.

most developer(few thousand) in my company and most other I know of work for hours on desk in stretch, attend few meetings within office, use it some more in commute, back at home work/play some more on desk/bed. Once in few months travel to client/remote office/conference where they have to carry it for stretch. I expect same pattern from graphic/app designers, animators, video editor and PROfessionals in general. Sure marketing, consultant and similar profile move a lot but they don't need a pro level performance.

So a lightweight/reasonable performance Macbook line and a little heavier/high performance Macbook Pro makes so much more sense.

You're describing people who are picking up and carrying their laptops multiple times per day and carry it back and forth to work and home every day. These people seem like the target market for a lightweight laptop.

The scenarios you describe are not that bad. People are just fine carrying a few pounds around.

carrying but not for long, never seen a programmer wary of to carry their current Macbook Pro few floors down the lift and then walk to meeting room. If you start feeling the weight for this little, problem is not your laptop. And, I am all for lightweight if that does not include compromise in battery life and performance.

I don't think I said that people have trouble carrying their laptops. No one really had trouble carrying 10 lb laptops either but it's quite a bit nicer to carry a modern lighter laptop.

Forever people have said that they would prefer a heavier laptop with a bigger battery and for better or worse, companies have generally ignored that. I don't think it's really a "pro" issue either way.

I am a mechanical engineer. GP is correct: if the skin stays the same thickness, then halving the distance between the two skins halves the strength to resist bending. Central reinforcement, like an I beam, don't help with the bending force but rather stops the two skins from moving towards or away from each other, AKA buckling. The other way it helps is as a shear web, in that it stops the skins from sliding past each other.

But basically, for a laptop to be half the thickness and equivalently strong it will need the structure to be twice as heavy, as the skins and webbing need to be twice as thick. That leaves even less room for battery, quiet fans and replaceable components, a high price to pay for something which is labeled "Pro".

Well, I'm not a mechanical engineer, so I won't argue this further. Nonetheless, this discussion is irrelevant unless the new MacBook pros are too easy to bend, which I don't believe is a known issue. I've never heard of anyone having bending issues with MacBook Airs, so I don't see why it would be an issue here.

I also carry my laptop everywhere and have never felt the weight to be an issue. Perhaps you should go to the gym more. The last-gen laptops weigh less than a decent hardcover book. How is that too much to deal with?

> Charging with normal smartphone battery packs is now possible.

I was going to rebut this statement as useless (my instincts were telling me that it should be under 10% of the total built-in battery), then I did the math. Your typical high capacity charging pack providing 15,000 mAh actually has almost double the capacity of a built in battery for the 13" MBP.

15,000 mAh * 5V / 1000 = 75 watt-hours

Compared to ~50 watt-hours for the MBP

I'll say that again. A sub $50 battery pack provides almost double the battery life of the one built into a $1,500 laptop.

> 15,000 mAh * 5V / 1000 = 75 watt-hours

It would be less, given the (dis)charging efficiency. Quick look at search results suggests about 80% (so ~60Wh), which is still nice for that price though.

I'm curious about the lack of a hardware power button. I wonder how one forces one of these new Macs to shut down when it hangs?

As an owner of a mid-2014 Macbook Pro who is tired of the trackpad clicker clicking itself when the case is warped even a quarter of a millimeter (such as on my... lap... it's a laptop, after all), I appreciate the new solid-state trackpad taken from the Macbook.

Are you referring to the trackpad with the haptic feedback? That was on last year's models as well.

I'm in the same boat. I have a 2012 rMBP and I am sticking with it instead of getting one of these new machines. They bring nothing to the table I care about.

They have optimized for thinness and lightness where those should be nice bonuses on a machine focused on being a fantastic work machine for professional developers. Not a machine focused on being thin and light that developers can "make due" with.

At their rate of taking sane stuff away in the name of "design", their 2017 MacBook Pro and the 2017 iPad Pro will be the same device. Because by now, there's honestly not so much more to lose than 3 USB-C connectors and a keyboard.

Also............ no vim key. Kill me

The lower tier model does have an escape key. For Touch Bar machines, there will be an escape "key" on the touch bar, which I don't think will be much more inconvenient than reaching for the actual escape key. Lots of Vim users map that key to something else anyway — it's not well placed for such a commonly used key.

Ctrl-[ is a better Escape, though. (and is enabled by default in Vim, in your terminal, and Vim modes in other editors.) You don't even have to lift your fingers off the home row.

However it's a console escape key, which means it doesn't work in graphical applications (VS Code, Atom, IDEs, ...). You might also want vim mode there. Or want easy access to escape for other reasons (intellisense can sometimes be annoying, ...).

Sublime's Vim mode (https://www.sublimetext.com/docs/2/vintage.html)

> Vintage supports these ctrl key bindings:

  * Ctrl+[: Escape
  [... others]

Atom-vim-mode-plus has it by default. https://github.com/t9md/atom-vim-mode-plus/blob/master/keyma...

VSCodeVim doesn't have it by default, but it's an option. https://github.com/VSCodeVim/Vim#usectrlkeys

If you need Escape, there is always a way to get it. Whether you bind the touch bar top-left to Escape (which you should in an editing application basically and nowhere else) or you use the widely-held Ctrl-[ default bind from your favorite Vim mode. Plus, the agency of being able to dynamically rebind the rest of the keys or use it as a separate HUD could be seen as useful.

I agree the MacBookPro 2016 is bad. But this is a stupid reason to think it's bad.

I use that a lot but I like both depending on what I'm doing. It also kills command+F3 which I use constantly

Vim ... reimagined with a touch bar interface. Just wait.

It's easy to remap CapsLock (which is in a more convenient position than original Esc key IMO) or something to act as escape.

I think i would be bothered by missing F keys more…

What if there is no wifi ? It doesn't have an ethernet jack or at least a comm/serial port

You also forgot about the vga, mouse/kb ports, also no slot for CF cards :(

How am I supposed to connect to a printer with this pro machine? It has no printer port.

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