Back in 2007, Steve Jobs re-surfaced an old Wayne Gretzky quote “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.”
Maybe he referred to the iPhone, but you can apply that to most of the products they have released in the past decade and a half. I believe the new MacBook Pro makes no exception and it is just the beginning of a new line of products in Apple’s history.
The shape of the new MacBook Pro
Apple’s motto for the MacBook is “Light. Years ahead”. A play on words that defines their theory of a laptop computer. It needs to be light and be ahead of their competition. Yes, I know the MacPro, Mac mini and other desktop computers have not been updated in years and there is no hope for a new Apple Cinema Display or an AirPort Express Wifi Router. Apple is making their line-up slimmer when it comes to computers.
We may have a new MacPro. The TouchBar at the top of the MacBook Pro Keyboard has to come out as a stand-alone keyboard because new apps will seem impaired without it. However, the company’s new focus is on their line of laptops.
Taking cues from the 2-year-old MacBook, the new computer is a lot thinner. This shaved a big part off of the battery of the device, but Apple’s “10-hour” rule is still in place.
The Touch Bar
We are pretty sure companies like Google, Microsoft, Dell or Samsung cannot copy the Touch Bar. Any attempt will be immediately sanctions as a poor-man’s copy.
Microsoft had tried to come out with touch-screen computers and even a touch screen desktop, but its limitation make it just a “cool gadget” that a limited set of people, like drawing artists, may use.
I still believe the Touch Bar is going to take the place of the TrackPad in just a few years. People need to have a multi-touch surface at their finger tips, but that surface should be horizontal, not vertical. Having a screen that is touch sensitive is not ergonomic and may lead to Carpal Tunnel problems. On the other hand, if the touch-sensitive surface is below the keyboard and it has the size of the current TrackPad then you can use it for a plethora of app functions.
Apple could have done it now, but the technology was not ready for it. Sure they can embed an iPhone 7 Plus display below the keyboard, but that will only increase the thickness of the MacBook Pro and sky-rocket its already high price.
Getting people used to the advantages of a thin OLED screen on a horizontal plane, just above the keyboard is just the first step to a multi-display MacBook Pro.
The USB-C ports
Oh, doesn’t this look like a half baked decision? Everyone using a MacBook Pro can honestly say so.
Why would you take out a great innovation like the MagSafe. Ever since it came out, back in 2006, the MagSafe was an awesome little thing that no other computer manufacturer was able to come out just as good. Starting from Apple’s commercials for it and going to all the windows computers that were flying of the desk when someone would trip on their power cord, the MagSafe was the best thing a company like Apple could come out with.
Ten years later it is gone! Not only it is gone, but Apple has no plans of bringing it back. All their new computers are equipped with USB-C ports.
Sure enough, you can now charge your computer using any USB-C cable and on any of the ports. If you connect an external monitor to your Mac you can charge it in the same time using the same cable and that is pretty useful. However, nothing can replace the MagSafe’s genius.
Where is the SD Card Slot and how can a “Pro User”, like a photographer can go by without it? This sucks for someone who wants to download a couple of Gigs of photos and video files. Using a cable to connect to the computer or a dongle makes it even worse. Does the USB-C port make it better? Not in any way, shape or form!
So how does Apple skate where the puck will be with the USB-C ports? Well, this is the way of the future. Having the same non-proprietary port, that any computer manufacturer can embrace is the best way they can go right now.
Someone said that “The light bulb wasn’t invented by continuously improving the candle”. There is no way to force the printer manufacturers to switch from USB-A, a 20-years-old standard, to the new, high speed, slim, USB-C. And this is just one example.
Apple is forcing the computer industry and accessory makers to switch to a new standard. Sure, this will take at least 2-3 years of using expensive dongles and adapter or hubs, but this is where the puck is going to be.
Just judge the new MacBook Pro just as you did with the first iPhone. There was no front camera, no Apps, no video, no AppStore, but only a large screen and the idea that could change the phone industry forever. And they did change it for good.
Give the new MacBook Pro a chance to do the same. In the meantime, don’t forget to buy some dongles. There’s a sale going on for that…
