Earlier this week, Apple updated their MacBook Pro line of laptops with faster processors containing more cores. But the new gear is the same size, it has the same limited ports, the same potential issues with heat dissipation, and a new and “allegedly-improved” butterfly keyboard.
A keyboard that’s been a problem for three years. As a good friend sent me in an email last night: “Oh, sure,” he writes, “like it’s really fixed this time? I’ll believe it when Casey Johnson and Joanna Stern say it’s fixed.”
The only reason this butterfly keyboard exists at all is that Apple believes that Pro laptops are thin laptops. Which is both arrogant… and misguided.
When I do video production or video editing or audio editing on location – tasks which are considered pro functions – these new machines require I also travel with a 20 pound bag of dongles. Production today requires USB, HDMI, audio out and a Micro SD slot. None of which Apple considers Pro anymore.
ASIDE: When was the last time you went on a job saying, “If my laptop isn’t thin, I can’t use it?” Or, was it more likely you said: “DARN! I hope I remembered to bring all my stupid connectors?”
Every year, I promise myself that I’ll buy a new Apple laptop. I have the money – it’s in the bank. Yet, every year, when Apple updates their laptops. they don’t fix the keyboard, don’t fix the heat issues, don’t add more ports; and constrain GPU power. So, I’m still traveling with a 2013 MacBook Pro which has a slower CPU but plenty of ports and a keyboard that has never failed.
Increasingly, as media software continues to evolve, GPU speed and storage bandwidth take center stage while CPU speed diminishes in importance, especially for higher-resolution formats. But these new Pro units boost the CPU not GPU.
Still, they are thin.
ASIDE: When was the last time you said: “Wow, my extra-thin laptop sure looks sexy sitting on the corner of the craft table.” Or, did you say, “I wish this color grading would render faster?”
As you know, Apple does not share its hardware plans with the public, so I have no inside knowledge. But it is my hope that these units are a placeholder for a complete system redesign coming in the next year.
A pro laptop that is thicker, that includes a better, more reliable keyboard. More ports. Faster GPUs. And a heat sink big enough to cool Cleveland. And if they need to slow the CPU down a bit to accommodate that, that’s a good trade-off.
ASIDE: Hands, please. How many people want a laptop that’s really, really thin, overheats under load and has a problematic keyboard? OK. How many people want a computer that isn’t quite so thin, better cooling, faster GPU, more ports and a reliable keyboard?
I’m happy that consumers like thin. I think thin is cute. But, excuse me, I need to grab my traveling kit of dongles and docks. It’s time to get work done.
THINKING FURTHER
I have no objection to thin laptops. Not everyone who needs a laptop needs all the horse-power of a video editor. The MacBook Air is a delightful machine; and very thin.
My objection is that systems which are marketed as high-power, professional systems should focus on goals other than simply seeing how thin they can be made.
36 Responses to Dear Apple: Thin Is Not Pro
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Kit Laughlin says:
May 27, 2019 at 4:27 am
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Malcolm McKinnon says:
May 27, 2019 at 4:33 am
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Jim McQuaid says:
May 27, 2019 at 4:42 am
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Jay McAlevy says:
May 27, 2019 at 4:51 am
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Martijn Hisschemoller says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:00 am
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Billy Walker says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:27 am
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Ted says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:47 am
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Carey N Dissmore says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:32 am
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John A Rusyniak says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:34 am
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Alec says:
May 27, 2019 at 5:52 am
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Hanno Hart says:
May 27, 2019 at 6:48 am
Newer Comments →Larry wrote:
“Every year, I promise myself that I’ll buy a new Apple laptop. I have the money – it’s in the bank. Yet, every year, when Apple updates their laptops. they don’t fix the keyboard, don’t fix the heat issues, don’t add more ports; and constrain GPU power. So, I’m still traveling with a 2013 MacBook Pro which has a slower CPU but plenty of ports and a keyboard that has never failed.”
Same here. I have a quad-core late 2013 rMBP that features all the ports I need and a decent keyboard… when this changes for the better and the Touch Bar disappears, then I might upgrade. I need a machine with power, decent keyboard, and the capacity to connect with needed peripherals. Is this complicated—I don’t think so.
Thin? Bah!
Yes. Agreed. And, personally, I miss the 17″ model MacBook Pro too.
You are 100% dead on! I’ve been a Mac user since 1984 and editing video since 1999.
Amen, that is why i put a 2TB SSD in my mid 2012 pro and travel and use it. Has all i need.
Hear hear!!!
Hear hear!!!
At the beginning of 2017, I bought a 2016 MacBook Pro. I had no choice; My good old late 2008 laptop died in the harsh tropical conditions in which I live. For me, my new beautiful slim laptop is the most expensive MAC I have ever purchased and the by far worst.
Steve Jobs always told us that design is an essential part of the functionality, and that’s very true. But nowadays Jonathan Ives tried to convince us that design is more important than the functionality and that is very untrue. I’m an editor, and I need power, not a fancy look. I’m afraid that my next computer will be a windows machine. (for the first time ever)
Larry, everything you say is self-evident truth. Surely Apple is aware of all this. Obviously they no longer care to any degree. Further evidence is the Mac Pro. What kind of serious professional would not agree with your comments?
My suggestion? Apple, if you wish to remain a serious contender for pro dollar’s, why not increase the size of the Air and provide the larger unit as an option, and get back to providing MacBook Pro’s in a professional format?
Is Apple of the belief there are not enough professional buyers out there to make it worthwhile? That can be offset by appropriate profit margins to justify manufacturing and marketing Pro units. But how high can you go with incredibly high profit margins already in existence?
I was convinced for years I would never return to Windows products. Lately, I’m beginning to wonder whether Apple is the train I want to be on once again. The upcoming Mac Pro will probably be the decision maker. Hopefully it becomes worth the long wait.
Ditto, sadly:-(!
Spot on Larry. More of the same from Apple, and more YEARS (like more than half a decade> of promises. An awful lot of production users have already bailed, some are holding on to really old gear. The relationship some of these users have with Apple has taken on many of the hallmarks of an abusive relationship. Oh really, I promise it’ll be different next time. I love the Mac OS…but I have real work to get done. So I also have PCs. I don’t like having to make that choice but it’s better than my business suffering under the double whammy of low performance and extreme high cost. I was once one of the staunchest defenders of Apple for post. Nope. Not anymore. It has been “put up or shut up” time with me and Apple for quite a few rounds of their products at this point. I’m still waiting, but the PC count here at my shop continues to increase as the Macs are finding their sunset. The bottom line—post doesn’t stop, and it will find the gear it needs to grind on. Brand loyalty just isn’t that strong.
Oh no, my new MacBook Pro was just ordered. Did I make a mistake and should have kept my old one for another year? I hear the magnetic charger is gone too. 🙁
I couldn’t agree more. It’s aggravating to continually search for ways to import SD cards…footage. As a daily editor it’s EXTREMELY inconvenient. I give two sh%#s about having thinner flimsy laptops. I emailed Craig Federhini at Apple imploring him to provide PRO machines. Give back SD card readers, HDMI, mini display, regular USB. And DVD. Countless times I’m on the road and someone has digital media I wish to import. With increasing frequency, I make content decisions limiting good content…because I don’t have a way to import it. Carrying endless ports is not the answer. It’s a hassle. I think it’s a sign of a deeper problem at Apple—too many cooks in the kitchen…who’ve never cooked…telling others how to cook. C’mon Tim….
You are very, very right, Larry. I grab my MBP Retina SSD early 2013 tighter, when I walk down the stairs. I stay with FCP7 and, of course, Sierra. So. The next step will be PC and DaVinci Resolve, no? Will You offer Resolve training for slow people like me?
Yours!