Don't forget that the Touch Bar costs an additional $400 for consumers. The 2015 model was the best MacBook Pro. Perhaps the best laptop yet.
2011 model was the best. I upgraded the RAM and hard drive myself over the years
16-inch MacBook Pro
351–360 of 1001 posts
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#352Would it materially harm a company with a trillion dollar market cap to offer a version of this without the touchbar (thus yielding a lower price), so people can afford to upgrade the soldered memory and NVMe drive? Would it also harm them to make a version that didn't have soldered memory/NVMe drive? Ultimately, this is why I switched to a Dell Latitude. Being user hostile to basic memory/disk replacement doesn't fl…
One way Apple has become a trillion dollar company is by minimizing skus. Options mean inventory, development and test costs etc... and can be sources of quality problems triggering warranty repairs or replacements. Doing few things allows one to streamline both product development and manufacturing.
Apple's product line is "simple" for marketing reasons. It's easier for customers to understand what product is right for them, then funnel them into configuration option trees. While limiting SKUs is still good retail practice (especially if you primarily sell through indirect channels), the ability for customers to easily understand your product portfolio is what's really important.
I do agree that they have slipped in this area, though I think it's an inevitable consequence of being a trillion dollar company. Apple was only able to become a trillion dollar company because their marketing and operations were easier to manage, and companies in a market-leading position typically grow until the point their size overwhelms their ability to steer the ship.
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#353It's amazing to see such a positive response to such weak sauce with the touchbar. Our expectations really have fallen through the floor. There is no reason the escape key needs to be physical that doesn't also apply to the function keys. So why has Apple admitted the touchbar doesn't work, but still forces you to use it for F keys. With this form factor it wouldn't have been difficult to have function keys as well a…
> There is no reason the escape key needs to be physical that doesn't also apply to the function keys.
IMO, those are completely different.
The sscape key provides access to a fundamental concept, "go back, undo, I didn't mean it, no!". This even goes beyond humans. E.g, my dogs have the same concept.
Function keys are abstract in a distended way... they mean, generally, some function specific to a certain context that doesn't fit into the general patterns, but is maybe pretty commonly needed in that context.
IMO, the Touch Bar, with text and graphical cues, is better suited. Of course, various software has been written to the F1-12 abstraction, and physical keys are nicer to type on, so it's not all good. But I think this is a case of one step back, two steps forward.
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#354Can someone explain to me how Apple can justify only including a 720p FaceTime HD camera into the "the world’s best pro notebook"? The last iPhone that had this FaceTime camera was the 6S, released in 2015. Since the iPhone 7 (2016) the phones have had at least a 1080p FaceTime camera. Given that FaceTime / Skype calls are such a common use case and rarely anyones uses external webcams anymore, why doesn't Apple use…
It makes no sense. I use a $100 Logitech Webcam and _regularly_ get comments about how sharp and clear the video is, using Zoom. There's value in a better camera, even in laptops.
Is there value beyond the compliments you receive?
(I apologize for this sounding snarky - I am genuinely curious)
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#355The best escape key ever!
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#356Would it materially harm a company with a trillion dollar market cap to offer a version of this without the touchbar (thus yielding a lower price), so people can afford to upgrade the soldered memory and NVMe drive? Would it also harm them to make a version that didn't have soldered memory/NVMe drive? Ultimately, this is why I switched to a Dell Latitude. Being user hostile to basic memory/disk replacement doesn't fl…
Apparently RAM and SSD are no longer soldered. https://twitter.com/axi0mX/status/1194621631856967688 Edit: Tweet deleted, info is most likely wrong.
One only needs to take a look at the press images to see that they remain soldered on - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/product/mac/standard/A... for example, there's just no space for SODIMM's to fit.
Really annoying they continue to do this, especially given they charge excessive markup on memory upgrades (2x32GB DDR4 SODIMMS average $250-300, Apple charges you $800 for 64GB of memory).
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#357Why has Apple gone with Touch ID on Macs, while moving to Face ID on iOS devices?
Is there some technical reason why Face ID isn't a good fit? I can't see cost being an issue, nor physical space for the sensor.
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#358Great, now I hope they make a 13-inch version. There's no reason to sacrifice mobility in a pro laptop.
Dear god, if Apple ever made a 14 inch (in 13 inch body) with a dedicated GPU, even if it was thicker to keep the same size battery, take my money.
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#359People make a lot of noise about the missing function keys. But the keys that I miss the most on my 2018 Macbook Pro are the "E" and "SHIFT" keys.
Is this a broken keyboard joke?
Re: 16-inch MacBook Pro
#360Can't wait for the 2021 MBP where the keys are even higher in action akin to the 2011 MBPs, and the full Function Key row is restored.