Dont you guys see the REAL reason behind the MBP, Name says it, Its a portable Mac Pro. 16 gigs ram? Possible with MBP. Retina? coming soon. Good processor? IS I7 NOT GOOD ENOUGH?!? Large screen? Ever heard of Thunderbolt?
I don't understand the purpose of this post. It's a bit confrontational about a really broad, generalized premise. So is she (as Cindori speculated out) trolling, or attempting to gather more information?
So, an attempt to answer the actual questions (and perhaps a few more):
1) 16GB RAM is not good enough for running multiple virtual machines, heavy 3D/video/multi-channel audio editing in real time, etc. Not to mention many use the Pros as servers.
2) Retina is of value to only certain people. In the aforementioned server example (especially if it's headless), it is literally a useless feature.
3) 4-Core i7 with 8 threads is not enough in many case. Multiple professional applications scale well beyond 8 cores, so every additional core/thread is precious seconds, minutes, or even hours saved (which reall can add up over the lifetime of a professional machine). On top of that, the maximum CPU speed for the MBP right now (quad-core) is 2.2GHz, and a 6-core Mac Pro can get to 3.33GHz (supported).
4) Thunderbolt serves to externally connect peripherals - often in less fast, powerful, or efficient ways than proper internal connectors. It has real potential, but ultimately you're always considering an external option to an internal one (and that's just scratching the surface).
5) Cooling - which I believe has been touched upon before - is much better in a desktop than a laptop. Particularly when the laptop is tasked with intensive workloads. MBPs have been known to get very hot with even reasonable tasks.
6) Graphics power is important to many people. Digital artists, anyone utilizing GPU-acceleration, gamers, etc. Most even mid-range desktop graphics solutions trump the best mobile options available to MBPs, and that's again not even considering the heat.
7) Future-proofing. This is limited for Mac Pros in their own way, but Mac Pros offer a longevity that most mobile computers simply can not, especially if you move up from a base model. 8 slots for RAM, 2 slots for CPUs, 4 PCIE slots... expecting a Mac Pro to be powerful and relevant for 5+ years worth of software advancements and requirements is a given; the same is not true for any mobile computer.
I am not bashing MacBook Pros. I love them, and have owned a half-dozen in my time. But they fill their niche as the Mac Pros fill their own.
