Much has been written, tweeted and complained about the new MacBook Pros released by Apple last week. Complaints about the 16GB limit, all-in switch to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), the removal of the SD-card and MagSafe, the new keyboard, the aged CPUs, the slow GPU, dongles, that they are not “Pro” level machines, and more. More and more influential folks are writing that Apple has forgotten the Mac, that the Mac is doomed or dead.
They are probably right. The new MacBook Pros are not ideal, nor for them.
I believe the real issue for these folks is not what Apple did not do, but that there is no viable alternative product out there for them that has the one feature they need and all the benefits of the Mac.
Linux on the Desktop is getting better, even Windows is improving, but it’s not macOS. The applications professional-level users prefer run better in the Apple ecosystem. Several only exist in the Apple ecosystem. And even if the primary applications are cross-platform, the tools, utilities, and productivity applications we use are not available elsewhere.
If there were a better alternative to Apple’s ecosystem, professional users and developers like myself would have already switched.
In the mean time, Apple released new MacBook Pros that are according to Apple’s base, horrendously compromised ones.
Its all kremlinology whether this was intentional on Apple’s behalf.
Some believe Apple compromised now because the line was aging, they needed to do something and Intel was falling too far behind. But then Microsoft released Surface the day before and it was the same platform, nothing newer inside (except for a better GPU in a thicker, heavier body).
Some believe Apple intentionally made the shift to a new design and ports now, just as they did with USB, floppies and CDs before. Their first machines with the new ports were always compromised, but they got better.
And some believe Apple simply does not care about the Mac. That one does not compute with me. The new design, the new touch-bar, the effort that went in to the look, weight and feel of the device proves otherwise.
I am a professional programmer, writing multithreaded, complex, big-data applications. I should be using a Mac Pro at work (and another at home and in the coffee shop) with maximum cores and RAM in order to compile and run my code and maximize my productivity. But I am also a graphics and print designer, a web developer, a writer, an amateur-photographer and a productivity nut. The MacBook Pro, as imagined by the complainers, should be the perfect machine for me.
The reality is that the perfect machine does not exist for professional you or professional me, it never has and never will. I have always wanted a UNIX-based operating system with a GUI, more cores, more RAM, faster storage, better battery life, a better screen and a thin and light laptop because I walk and work everywhere. You may need a machine with certain ports, more RAM, longer battery life, bigger screen, whatever. Our needs are mostly the same, but differ in significant areas.
I have tried Dell Windows, MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, MacBook Airs, Lenovo’s running Linux and combinations thereof, and the one computer that has met the most of my needs – but never all of them – has been the MacBook Pro. I am writing this on my maxed-out trusty 15-inch Mid-2014 MacBook Pro. The cores have been plenty fast, the RAM sufficient, the SSD good enough, the display great, the battery life the best ever, the ports just fine. But it never was my ideal computer. It was and remains the best I could get to meet the most of my needs at the time.
I have ordered the new 15-inch MacBook Pro, with upgraded CPUs, faster GPU, new larger SSD and the same, but faster, RAM. I do not expect the new laptop to be perfect, none ever has, but I do expect a reasonable performance improvement in compile times and database reads, way better color on my display and a lighter load when walking. It may not sound like a lot, but these small improvements when added up over days and weeks turn into major productivity gains.
What I will not be doing is giving up on the stuff that already makes me so productive. The operating system that I love, the tools that I know and love, and the processes and workflows and muscle memories that help me fly. I see nothing else on the market right now that I can change to that can help me perform better.
I also think that Apple, Microsoft and Google are all being frustrated by Intel, who in turn is being frustrated by their issues with their latest process. Knowing Intel, we know they will solve this. Sooner than later. And so I do expect next year for all of Apple’s, Microsoft’s and Googles PCs to move to the next generation of Intel chip-ware that will meet more of professional users needs.
Until then, I intend to enjoy the beautiful new MacBook Pro and its productivity improvements when it arrives, and use a few adapters to replace the ports I need to keep going. But I also will look closely at the 2017 MacBook Pros when they come out. And keep an eye on the pro-level iOS/Pencil/Keyboard solution in case it becomes part of a better solution for my needs.
Follow the author as @hiltmon on Twitter.