Nothing About The Bakken -- Apple: The New MacBook Pro -- November 2, 2016

Updates

November 4, 2016: now that I've had 48 hours to think about it and several lengthy bike rides during which to think about it, my thoughts on the new MacBook Pro:

• these thoughts pertain only to the new MacBook Pro 13-inch model without the Touch Bar; the 13-inch model with the Touch Bar and the 15-inch model (which comes in just one configuration -- with the Touch Bar) are not yet available to the general public to even see in Apple Stores; they won't ship until the end of November
• the 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar will be a phenomenal flop
• the 13-inch MacBook Pro will not attract high-end users (less than 5% of the laptop market)
• the only target audience for the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the new college student
• Apple released the new Pro five months late; for this year's freshman college student it needed to be released by July, 2016; it was not widely available until well into November
• the low end laptop user (95% of the laptop market) will get as much power and a much better user "experience" -- as the Apple folks say -- with the MacBook Air for half the cost. Again, that's half the cost
• the MacBook Air has multiple ports, all of which are tried, true, and tested, and work with all the peripherals the low-end user (95% of the laptop market) already has
• the MacBook Air has the incredibly wonderful and highly sought-after SD disk for 35-mm cameras; incredibly, despite more than enough room in the MacBook Pro, Apple chose not to include this slot
• and, that's about all low-end users (95% of the laptop market) look at: price; USB slots; total slots; number of slots; the 3.5 mm headphone jack (which the 13-inch model retained); and, the SD slot
• the "guts" of the computer are beyond anyone's understanding any more -- and the user experience on an old public library model and a new 13-inch MacBook Pro is negligible -- for what 95% of laptop users use the computer for -- mostly surfing the net

Regular readers know that I am a huge Apple fan; I've never owned a PC; I grew up with Apple computers; I am Apply Fanboy #3 (which I probably share with a thousand others).

By the way, many, many folks are going to be really turned off by the fact that the Touch Bar was hyped to the degree it was, only to find that it is not available on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro that is now being shown in Apple Stores. I was incredulous -- that after that lengthy presentation -- all about the Touch Bar -- that when I went to the Apple Store more than a week later -- after the crowds had died down -- I was incredulous that the computers with the Touch Bar were not yet available, even in the Apple Stores. And the 13-inch model? They had only one grey one and one slate black to test. I'm not even sure they had any for sale. I did not ask. They were so unimpressive.

Later, 2:49 p.m. Central Time: I stopped by the Apple Store on the way home. Observations and comments:

• Apple released these three new MacBook Pro models before they were ready
• the Apple Store only had the 13-inch model with NO Touch Bar
• the Apple Store did not have the 13-inch or the 15-inch with the Touch Bar
• they only had a grey and a slate black MacBook Pro available for testing (one of each)
• the track pad is huge, but not an issue (my palm never rested on it), but it seemed more sluggish than my MacBook Air track pad (I'm sure I am wrong on that)
• the keys are flat keys (I forget the technical name); different from the keys on the MacBook Air; I prefer the MacBook Air keys but that's just from habit/use/familiarity; over time I would get used to the MacBook Pro keys but that doesn't mean I prefer the Pro keys; I don't think I ever would
• if you are already using a retina display, I doubt you could see any difference from your MacBook Air and the new 13-inch MacBook Pro
• the MacBook Pro, 13-inch, had three ports; two USB-C ports on the left side; and, a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the right side
• the MacBook Pro footprint is almost the same size as the MacBook Air; the Pro really is thinner than the Air; hard to believe; both weigh the same, I believe
• I can't imagine anyone who has a "current" MacBook Air would "upgrade" to the new 13-inch Pro
• current MacBook Pro owners might want to upgrade to the new Pro, but for the money and the SD slot, I would recommend the MacBook Air over the 13-inch MacBook Pro

So, having said that, the question has to be asked. What is the target audience Apple was trying to reach with the new MacBook Pros? Some comments and observations:

• Apple has always focused on students; first with college students and then into the kindergarten and elementary students, and then to high school students
• get the students "hooked" on the Apple ecosystem and you have users for life
• Apple needs to keep the "experts", the "nerds", the "geeks" happy but at the end of the day, the big market is not nerds and geeks: the big market is college students. Every college student will have a computer; it's just a question which one/which brand; hook students as early as possible with Apple, and they will have an Apple in college
• when they leave college, they will take their Apple experience with them (which has been an unqualified success; IBM employees have migrated to Apple at the workplace, for example)
• Apple was under a lot of pressure to introduce a new model for the upcoming school year; it had been a long time since the last upgrade
• with the exception of the few high school seniors who already have a "new" computer, every high school senior going to college will buy a new laptop
• in most cases, the computer will be bought by the parents who will still be in shell-shock when they see the first tuition bill
• those parents will set a $2,500 limit on any new computer. Why? Because the students will want the new MacBook Pro
• that's why Apple kept the 3.5 mm headphone jack; if the parents, under duress, agreed to a $2,500 computer, they would put their foot down at $300 wireless Beats headphones; the kids can use their current headphones for now
• college students will come in two flavors but most new college students won't know which flavor they are in until after their first year
• the two flavors: high-end users; and, low-end users
• the low-end users (which will represent 95% of new college students) will only need the MacBook Air -- and that's what I would strongly recommend for every new college student; if I'm wrong, the student can upgrade to the MacBook Pro when they discover they are in the second flavored group, the high-end users -- which probably won't be an issue until their second or third year in college anyway
• the high-end users could probably do just fine with the MacBook Air, but by definition, "high-end" users need to have "Pro" in the name of the computer they use
• the big question is this: if the target audience is the college student, and 95% of college students will do just fine with the MacBook Air, why did Apple make such a big deal about the need for a MacBook Pro upgrade? Great question. I think it gets back to marketing, pure and simple -- they had not upgraded their MacBook line in a long, long time. MacBook Air can be upgraded marginally, and only marginally; the MacBook Pro offered more opportunities for upgrade
• Apple had to have a "wow" factor for its new "Pro" computer so Apple would have something for the critics and professionals, but the 13-inch is clearly not enough to impress those Apple users who are content / happy with their current Pro or Air; I don't know about the 13-inch / 15-inch with Touch Bar because I haven't seen it yet, but my hunch the same holds true: the Touch Bar is not enough to get someone to buy the new Pro if he/she is already content/happy with the computer he/she is using 

Original Post

 

This is really quite interesting for those following the Apple MacBook Pro story.

These things are expensive.

The "experts" are not impressed with the MacBook Pro story. They can point out so many flaws, regardless of the price. MacRumors reports that the professional Mac users' complaints list is growing after the "disappointing" Apple event.

Before the presentation began, Apple said there would be a one-two week wait for folks who order the new MacBook Pro. Before the day was out, the wait went to three to four weeks. Shipping is now estimated to be four to five weeks.

Today, this at Macrumors: Apple has received more online orders for new MacBook Pro than any previous generation. Of course, no one believes that, but if it is true, it's because this is the first update in a gazillion years.

Be that as it may, some observations and comments.

It appears that the biggest complaint from the "experts" is that Apple gives up a lot in its quest to make its products ever thinner. The "experts" and the "geeks" like thick laptops: allows for more "stuff" to be "stuffed" into the box, including more battery.

My comments:

• the new MacBook Pro has only four slots/ports, and they are all USB-C ports, and for some reason, the 3.5 mm headphone jack (that will go away with the next iteration); in this day and age, there is no reason for wired headphones (though that's what I still use, but I've been looking at the new wireless headphones)
• the new MacBook Pro is said to "last" ten hours before re-charging is required; ten hours for a laptop seems adequate
• once one gets used to the lack of ports, one begins to go wireless: today at the library I saw an "expert" with his non-Apple computer: wow, talk about a lot of cords -- power cord; wired headphones; smart phone to computer cord; extension cord; he looked like an electrician; I'm on my old MacBook Air, no cords, no power cords; no nothing
• I miss the SD slot; the SD slot makes it so easy to download photos from my camera(s), but I will get use to the lack of this slot, also; my wife already has: she transfers all her photos wirelessly
• the SanDisk (and other camera disks) are not part of the Apple ecosystem
• Apple has always been against disks; removing the SD slot is simply a continuation of that theme
• thinness: I  have a MacBook Pro at home; I never use it. It's heavy; it's a brick. The MacBook Air, by comparison, is wafer thin. But now, the new MacBook Pro is even thinner: and I will soon find the MacBook Air feels thick, feels like a brick compared to the Pro
• after thinness, the biggest complaint seems to be the 16GB RAM; the "experts" and the "geeks" need 32GB RAM; I'm beginning to think "experts" and "geeks" are confusing laptops with desktops. If they need 32GB, they can buy the desktop model and upgrade to 32GB, but it will cost an additional $600

I'm not sure yet what to make of the Touch Bar. After I leave the library in a few minutes, I'm going to stop by the Apple Store about a block from here and see if they have a new MacBook Pro on display.

Maybe more later. I'm off to the Apple Store.