I cannot believe it, Apple listened!

[EnderTW]

I just purchased the M1 Max 16 inch 2 TB SSD 64 GB RAM, Apple has finally listened. The ports, the power, the display, the keyboard, the battery life, everything is oozing that this is the best product line that they released since Steve Jobs passed.

Bravo Apple, bravo!

 

[Gnattu]

Except the notch though.
But I can live with it, it does not even show up in full-screen apps, which is the mode I use most often.

The new lineup is phenomenal. If Steve could see this, he will be proud.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Yeah great.
Add an extra power port, which is redundant, as all TB ports are power ports. Add an HDMI port, which is available via a TB port.
Add an SD slot, which is available via a TB port, and is pretty niche and that’s coming from a professional photographer. Did I demand a CF port? No.
Lose a versatile multiple purpose TB 4 port in exchange.
How is any of that good? We have lost functionality and gone back in time to single use ports.
Terrible backwards step by Apple.

 

[Gnattu]

is pretty niche and that’s coming from a professional photographer

How is any of that good? We have lost functionality and gone back in time to single use ports.

Emmm, because this is the product designed for those niche users?

 

[CalMin]

I think they're great, but they have lost some of the panache that they had with the notch, the ports, the thickness and the extra weight. Form definitely follows function with this generation but they are not the elegant, svelte devices that we all loved to hate and bought anyway.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Emmm, because this is the product designed for those niche users?

SD cards are one of many sorts of cards in use. Most professional cameras use CF cards or a combo of the two. Most consumer cameras use SD cards.
CF cards are faster. Adding the SD card slot whilst losing a TB slot is not ‘niche’ in a way that particularly helps professional image creators, 99% of whom attach one or more card readers instead for ingesting their images.
Photographers point of view: we have lost a multipurpose port which supported this input anyway, and gained a slot which will just pick up dust.

 

[cupcakes2000]

If Steve could see this, he will be proud.

You should read up more about Steve Jobs. If he had his way he would have a completely sealed unit with no ports at all. This is backwards to his vision in comparison with the previous port selection.

 

[Jorbanead]

Yeah great.
Add an extra power port, which is redundant, as all TB ports are power ports. Add an HDMI port, which is available via a TB port.
Add an SD slot, which is available via a TB port, and is pretty niche and that’s coming from a professional photographer. Did I demand a CF port? No.
Lose a versatile multiple purpose TB 4 port in exchange.
How is any of that good? We have lost functionality and gone back in time to single use ports.
Terrible backwards step by Apple.

People don’t want dongles. Having dedicated HDMI, power, and SD slots are extremely appreciated by thousands of users. You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but this product was made for all types of people - not just you and your needs. Apple likely has mountains of demographic data to show the majority of their users wanted these ports back. So be it. You lost one port (which likely would have been used for power half the time anyways, and gained valuable ports back).

 

[cupcakes2000]

People don’t want dongles. Having dedicated HDMI, power, and SD slots are extremely appreciated by thousands of users. You’re obviously entitled to your opinion but this product was made for all types of people - not just you and your needs. Apple likely has mountains of demographic data to show the majority of their users wanted these ports back. So be it. You lost one port (which likely would have been used for power half the time anyways, and gained valuable ports back).

You don’t need dongles. You need wires. USBc - HDMI.
USBc - power cable.
Wires.
Not.
Dongles.
We gained nothing, we just lost a multipurpose port, and now need to revert back to a second separate power cable.

 

[Jorbanead]

You don’t need dongles. You need wires. USBc - HDMI.
USBc - power cable.
Wires.
Not.
Dongles.
We gained nothing, we just lost a multipurpose port, and now need to revert back to a second separate power cable.

Yeah and people don’t want to get specialized cables either. Look I’m with you - I personally don’t mind USB c myself but I’m not ignorant to the millions of Mac users who have bemoaned the ports for years. Apple clearly has statistics on what ports users want and clearly there was a big enough impact.

 

[Sullivan0930]

You don’t need dongles. You need wires. USBc - HDMI.
USBc - power cable.
Wires.
Not.
Dongles.
We gained nothing, we just lost a multipurpose port, and now need to revert back to a second separate power cable.

you
dont
undesrtand
what
a
dongle
is

 

[ian87w]

Yeah great.
Add an extra power port, which is redundant, as all TB ports are power ports. Add an HDMI port, which is available via a TB port.
Add an SD slot, which is available via a TB port, and is pretty niche and that’s coming from a professional photographer. Did I demand a CF port? No.
Lose a versatile multiple purpose TB 4 port in exchange.
How is any of that good? We have lost functionality and gone back in time to single use ports.
Terrible backwards step by Apple.

Apple seems to gear this towards youtubers, as they are the loud ones asking for those things (for their own workflow, that is). I can actually understand an SD card slot, but HDMI? You are correct that all you need is a cable. And on the 16", I'd wish they put an extra TB4 port. I mean plenty of space there. Apple is just being cheap, using the same components as the 14".

But I don't think this is that terrible. Plenty of other great things on the plate, like Pro Motion, the M1 Pro/Max itself, magsafe, etc. Sure, I'd rather have an extra TB4 port. But what's done is done. I'm just glad Apple made 16GB RAM as base config. That way, it is the first time Apple Silicon Macs with more than 8GB of RAM will be available in non-BTO countries like mine.

 

[cupcakes2000]

you
dont
undesrtand
what
a
dongle
is

Weird thing to suggest. A dongle is what used to be called an ‘adapter’, before all the craziness started. It’s adapts something to make it compatible with another standard.
In some cases, as with USBc and thunderbolt in particular, an adapter isn’t necessary for some standards, including HDMI. You only need a cable.

Someone’s circumstance may actually require an adaptor, due to using a fixed cable in a venue, for example, but this doesn’t mean “everyone needs a dongle”.

Besides which, a tiny rectangles piece of plastic in your laptop bag is no big deal.

Removing a multi use / universal port and swapping it with a single use port however? That’s an irreplaceable change.

I’m surprised how on these forums, full of ‘techies’ and ‘pros’ - people can’t see the trees through the woods on this matter.

 

[JouniS]

From my point of view, the HDMI port exists for one reason. When you enter a random conference room, there is usually a HDMI cable waiting. You are expected to plug your laptop in and start presenting without wasting everyone else's time.

In my experience, ~2/3 of Mac users do that, because they carry the necessary dongles with them. The rest either forgot it or rely on finding one in the conference room or borrowing it from someone else. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Because too many Mac users behave badly and thus damage Apple's brand value, the HDMI port is necessary.

Also, it looks like the new MBP has 3 Thunderbolt controllers, while the old Intel models had 2. Because it's always possible to add new ports with dongles, we actually got a 50% increase in USB-C/Thunderbolt connectivity.

 

[gigapocket1]

Deleted

 

[kirkster501]

I deal with Apple a bit in my job and have met some of their SE's. The Enterprise market was a rounding error to them at one point. Now it isn't, it is big bucks and many business people have a MAC. It is a PITA to have to carry dongles around all the time in order to use a HDMI projector or external display, you /DO/ forget it. We - and may others - fed that back to them.

It is a PITA to run stuff on a MAC that you need on a larger screen as well for residential use. For example, I use a cycling turbo trainer a lot with Zwift and run the app on my MAC and project onto a 65" Samsung screen. I am forever misplacing the dongle. The HDMI port is very welcome. I three months ago refreshed my MAC though so dongles still for me for another three years.

 

[Acronyc]

I like the HDMI and MagSafe but don't really care about the SD card slot as I never use it. I ordered a 14" and am looking forward to it but my biggest complaint is how much they are charging for RAM. $400 extra for 16GB to go to 32 from 16 is just too much.

 

[Serban55]

Except the notch though.
But I can live with it, it does not even show up in full-screen apps, which is the mode I use most often.

The new lineup is phenomenal. If Steve could see this, he will be proud.

why? since the macOS place the menu bar with the notch..and under the menu bar you are left with the exact 16:10 aspect ratio...while until now the full 16:10 was with the menu bar on top included

 

[Serban55]

I like the HDMI and MagSafe but don't really care about the SD card slot as I never use it. I ordered a 14" and am looking forward to it but my biggest complaint is how much they are charging for RAM. $400 extra for 16GB to go to 32 from 16 is just too much.

it was the same as always...Apple for 8gb ram $200 and for 16 $400
Im glad that they kept the prices the same...and no inflation made Apple to charge more

 

[Gnattu]

why? since the macOS place the menu bar with the notch..and under the menu bar you are left with the exact 16:10 aspect ratio...while until now the full 16:10 was with the menu bar on top included

Now I'm happy. macOS 12 does have a compatibility mode which avoids the notch as active screen space, which would essentially mean to 'hide the notch'

Refer: https://developer.apple.com/documen...ist/nsprefersdisplaysafeareacompatibilitymode

It seems like it is not a system-wide setting, but can be easily done by explicitly set an app to request that mode. So problem solved. The folks can live with the notch can enjoy their larger space, and the folks cannot can simply enable this mode to hide the notch and have a larger bezel.

 

[Serban55]

Now I'm happy. macOS 12 does have a compatibility mode which avoids the notch as active screen space, which would essentially mean to 'hide the notch'

Refer: https://developer.apple.com/documen...ist/nsprefersdisplaysafeareacompatibilitymode

It seems like it is not a system-wide setting, but can be easily done by explicitly set an app to request that mode. So problem solved. The folks can live with the notch can enjoy their larger space, and the folks cannot can simply enable this mode to hide the notch and have a larger bezel.

exactly, its like the bar on the ios devices to swipe..but here, being a macOS you can have the choice

 

[DMG35]

I was super pleased with what they released yesterday. This new MacBook Pro reminds me more of the 2015 version of the device which was my favorite Apple Laptop of all time.

 

[Serban55]

So, to put the M1 max in perspective, like somebody else said it... M1 Max is more of a GPU with an integrated CPU than a SoC in traditional term of the world. It's literally an PS5 level

 

[matrix07]

Add an SD slot, which is available via a TB port, and is pretty niche and that’s coming from a professional photographer.

Huh I just watched MKBHD video about the event and he said pretty much everyone he knew using some kind of SD card.

 

[Serban55]

Huh I just watched MKBHD video about the event and he said pretty much everyone he knew using some kind of SD card.

yes, kind of farewell dongle life, i think thats what apple heard from professionals...not that TB is a bad and cant do everything...but the fact that you need an adapter/dongle for anything that is not usbC
Again, 1 usbC now in these new MBP was replaced by magsafe + hdmi + sdcard