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Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

engadget.com

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Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#141

Post by module0000 »

I got a touchbar model immediately when it was released from my job. It arrived shipped next-day-air in the morning, and by lunch, I gave it to another employee who wanted an upgrade. Haven't touched another Mac since then, and this reinforces(to me) that I made the right decision. I don't know any of you work with those things... That design decision solidified for me that Apple wasn't interested in my demographic(sysop/programmer/etc) using their laptops.

That said, I did get a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" from other employees coming to look at it. Those went away when I'd open vim and ask them to take it for a test drive.

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#142

Post by saagarjha »

mirthflat83 wrote: post #126
notafraudster wrote: post #39

To me the bigger news here is killing the MacBook. It's a weird product -- crazy overpriced, and with a bunch of concessions in terms of the design, but I like that it's extremely light (33% lighter than a MacBook Air) and has no fan. I had hoped never to buy another laptop with a fan again. Yes, I know performance sucks, which is why I run most of my code on a server instead of locally on my computer. I think really…

The writing was on the wall. I doubt anyone was buying the Macbook. Still, the 12 inch Macbook is one of my favorite devices that Apple has ever made. It’s unbelievably light and portable and people will have no idea what this means until they actually hold it because no other laptop has this kind of lightness/portability. This and the fanless part are the major reasons I bought it and I think the price is justified…

> I doubt anyone was buying the Macbook.

Only because it was out of date, probably. Aside from its specs it served the market of "thin and light computers that are easy to take around" just fine.

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#144

Post by gist »

docker_up wrote: post #9

I will never ever buy a MacBook Pro if they don't get rid of the TouchBar. The sheer arrogance of Apple to think they know better than their customers infuriates me. I only use a 2018 MacBook Pro because work supplied it, and because my 2015 MacBook battery was dying and the only option the IT department gave me was to upgrade to the 2018 model. I may simply go back to Windows at home if that's the case, and will use…

> The sheer arrogance of Apple to think they know better than their customers

Nobody gets it right all the time but Apple has a history with this type of behavior of being correct.

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#146

Post by BonesJustice »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #24

This thread is going to dissolve into a pile-up on the Touch Bar, so I wanna jump in front of this. Readers of this site are mostly “hackers,” however mutated or dumbed-down that term has become over the years, correct? Everyone here has their windows and spaces just so, a full complement of shortcuts and trackpad gestures, and if they're serious about the Macintosh tools like TextExpander. As standard as GUIs are, w…

I think the Touch Bar is an interesting tool with plenty of potential. My objection is that I'm forced to forego physical function keys to get it. When I'm stepping through code, I want physical keys with tactile feedback.

I would be thrilled if Apple offered an alternate "developer's configuration" with a row of physical function keys and a Touch Bar above it. There is plenty if room; they'd only need to shrink the almost comically oversized touchpad (which would still be plenty large).

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#147

Post by owenwil »

I dunno...the story is that Apple killed two machines today: - The non-touchbar MacBook Pro (RIP, function row)

- The 12" "MacBook" (which I adored, largely because it was so tiny)

What's strange is that it appears that this was a streamlining effort—but if you get into the weeds and look at the "base" model 13" MacBook Pro, it's not the same machine: it has two Thunderbolt ports, rather than four, despite sharing the same moniker as the higher-end MacBook Pro. Go up a model, and you get four for more money along with the better processor, which isn't immediately clear, either.

That means it's got fewer thunderbolt lanes, as well, which is a classic nickel and dime move that's going to make it even more confusing given most people just buy the base model.

Now, my question is: are they clearing the decks at the low-end 12" for a clamshell/ARM laptop? It seems incredibly obvious that it'll start at the bottom to avoid disrupting the pros.

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#148

Post by saagarjha »

Lowkeyloki wrote: post #11

One step forward, two steps back. They're finally getting rid of the horrible butterfly keyboard in favor of a more traditional scissor switch, but they're gonna make damn sure you have a touch bar.

I'm pretty sure the keyboard mechanism has not changed in this revision.

Re: Apple kills the non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro

#150

Post by basch »

lloeki wrote: post #61

I am a developer. The Touch Bar is useless to me. I remapped Caps lock to Esc expecting to be annoyed, but still hit Esc nonetheless because it works. And I deftly adjust volume using the Touch Bar slider using press-and-slide (not tap then pick-and-slide), relying on the += key for tactile positioning (but the position itself is largely muscle memory by now) I am also a musician. The Touch Bar is fantastic to adjust…

> I am a developer.

Ill bet you 99% of mac sales are NOT to developers.

Despite them arguably wanting to court developers to write swift programs, their hardware sales team doesnt seem to care about developer prosumers.

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