MacBook Pro has gotten boring

[TechnoMonk]

View attachment 2369533 This is entirely subjective, but I think the 2019 MacBook Pro is the best looking laptop I've ever seen, and I wish Apple kept that design and just changed the internals to add Apple Silicon.

Worst Mac but empty looks. Got hot, throttled noisy. I appreciate extra ports, Mag safe and better cooling. MBA is great if you want looks.

 

[Coreymac84]

Let me preface this by saying I understand that the notebook market is fully mature product and we should expect amazing innovations year after year but it still seems like the MacBook Pro has gotten very boring and changed very little.
My first MacBook Pro was a maxed out 2012 MacBook Pro, the first with retina screen and it just seems like not much at all has changed in the 12 years since its release. The current 16" MacBook Pro is almost exactly the same in form factor, size, materials, port selection as the 2012 model. Sure USB-A ports have been replaced by USB-C, the screen is Mini-LED, and components have incrementally gotten better but the only real innovation has been the addition of Touch-ID for authentication. I'm sure everyone will point out the transition from Intel to ARM chips but honestly that change is transparent doesn't really change the use case for the machine. My 2012 MacBook Pro could run all my workflows the same was the M3 model.
Every other PC manufacturer have introduced touch screens, different form factors, facial recognition, etc. but Apple has stubbornly stuck with the same design and have gotten well, boring.
Maybe foldable designs rumored to be coming in a few years will change this.

The current MacBook Pro is hands down the best laptop I have ever used. Show me an innovative laptop that has a better keyboard/trackpad combo than the MacBook Pro. The sound is crisp, the display is beautiful. The power per watt destroys other laptops. Fan noise is minimal, MagSafe is convenient. I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for....but for me a touch screen laptop is not something I desire. FaceID I'd welcome, but not at the expense of a thicker top lid.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

First of all, if you want mechanical switches, you'd have to ditch the scissors keys in favor of mechanical keys. Second, Apple would have to increase both the thickness and weight of the MBP to accommodate said switches.

This isn't entirely true - there's a million ways to build a scissor switch or other ultra-thin switches. See the ill-fated butterfly switch, or Cherry's ULP. Ultimately, the switch type doesn't matter, the feel does.

Unless you're selling massively overpriced gaming laptops, the market is not going to jump all over big and bulky notebooks just for a mechanical keyboard.

That's why I mentioned it would be nice for the configurator, which most of the market also does not touch. Keep the classic scissors on the stocking models, and give the option for something different in the configurator (for a pretty penny, of course).

 

[dwnz]

Surely this is like a builder complaining that their hammer has gotten boring? It's a tool at the end of the day. I'm forced to use a Surface laptop at my day job, it's pain - runs hot, it's slow and the trackpad is rubbish. All my Apple gear I use for my side gig? It just gets on with the job of making me money whilst being fast, quiet, good on battery and lasts a long time (got 5 years out of my previous MBP - awesome ROI on a 5k investment into the machine)

 

[ascender]

There was a time not that long ago with intel chips, butterfly keyboards and minimal ports where most of us were just wishing for a time where we'd go back to having reliable laptops with a variety of ports which saw regular spec bumps.

 

[6749974]

I think the spirit of this post is valid...

But MacBook Pros are workhorses; and workhorses should focus on maximizing performance, color accuracy, and port technology standards and versatility. Workhorses are not for experimenting, at least not wildly just for the sake of novelty.

In 2016, Apple radically experimented with the MacBook Pro, making it thinner, with less battery capacity, Butterfly keyboard, dropped HDMI/SD card, and added a friggin' TouchBar...with lazeeerrrsss.

Nobody was bored in 2016 and it was a disaster.

Instead, Apple should experiment with other product lines but leave the MacBook Pros to be boring workhorses that focus on performance. Yes, innovate, but incrementally and with confidence, because multiple industries are depending on them.

 

[FNH15]

The Porsche Design Principle.

This works on multiple levels. We might say the 2016-2019 models were the 996. Which means we’re in the 997-era, a good place to be indeed.
(I love the 996, that cute egg-yolk, IMS eating child)

 

[mac38728]

Something to consider is how many customers want a boring laptop. Microsoft, who pushed this whole "Convertible" thing to begin with, had to introduce a traditional form factor Surface Laptop.

Other laptop makers do interesting things, sure. Surfaces are convertible, Asus, Dell and Samsung brought OLED, Razer and gaming contemporaries brought performance, LG usually brings battery life. But none of them bring all of that (or most of it) in a single package like an MBP.

I'm one of those customers shopping for a boring laptop. I'm probably going to go with a MacBook Pro because it has everything I want - power, battery, great screen, and boring. A computer doesn't need to be interesting to be good.

Well said, Apple found a design that works and they’ve stuck on it. Every year they refine it and it gets just a bit better, it works exceptionally well already. I do think they need to get rid of the notch or do something with it that utilizes all of it - otherwise it’s a bit unnecessary but I do think they have something planned for it if they initially designed it like that.

 

[mac38728]

What is that creation? That would drive me nuts....

Way to many points of failure and I feel like I’d get pissed off just by using it day to day

 

[barkomatic]

I think the MacBook Pros are meant to be workhorses, but I'd really appreciate it if Apple worked harder to bring more streaming apps to Macs (so that I can download content and stream it in locations without an internet location). A much better approach to gaming on Macs would also be great.

Aside from the iPhone and maybe the iPad, none of Apple's products lean heavy into entertainment/fun. That's a problem I think.

 

[scrapesleon]

they added a notch in the MacBook with no Face ID idk who came up with that useless design

 

[AlexESP]

I'm not sure what Apple would do to change things, except to have a gaming line of machines.

My ASUS ZenBook Pro is fairly similar to my MacBook Air. ASUS has a gaming line or three and it's a big part of their business. Apple could do more to offer a whole line.

Apple rely too much on their services group and not enough on making Macs more appealing. Their pushback on the EU's DMA shows that. It's good to have a company that isn't going out of business any minute now (as in the mid-1990s) but it would be good if they took some tangible risks with Macs.

This popular belief (Apple doesn’t take risks) seems funny to me. I don’t think creating weird form factors in your lineup with dozens of products is a risk. Moving ALL your computers to a new chip architecture is a big risk.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Every other PC manufacturer have introduced touch screens, different form factors, facial recognition, etc. but Apple has stubbornly stuck with the same design and have gotten well, boring.
Maybe foldable designs rumored to be coming in a few years will change this.

Sadly, laptops have gotten boring over the years.
Touch screens: This is a solution looking for a problem.

Different form factors: I'm not sure what you mean? If it's those "tent-like" computers, they are cool but extremely niche. If it's the "breakaway", where you can separate the keyboard from the display allowing the computer to become a tablet, Apple makes that already - an iPad.

Facial recognition: That is the low hanging fruit that's remaining (M4 series maybe?), and should be easy for Apple to implement. However, how would that make a computer "exciting"? I'm not seeing it.

"etc": I've seen laptops with dual or triple displays. I've seen laptops with Touch Bars replacing the function keys (sound familiar..). I've seen computers with built-in privacy screens. But they all seem to be either be extremely niche (built in privacy screens, shutters for the cameras, etc) or simply for attention (triple displays! Touch Bars! A track pad with a ten-key pad next to it!!"). Apple doesn't do either.

Laptop computers are boring because they are tools to complete a job.

 

[sc00ba]

So not to much different from your maxed out 2012 MacBook Pro hey? I dare you to go back to that machine for a day if you could, then return to whatever machine you got to see you eat your words.

Sounds like you've got a bit to much money laying around mate, I guess if you were hungry you'd appreciate the upgrades of the MacBook Pro over the years, a little more.

Also, "gotten" isn't a real word in the real world.

 

[mectojic]

The MacBook Pro hasn't gotten boring. Threads like this make Macrumors boring 🥱

 

[star-affinity]

And the feet ...

Ugh.

The modern MacBooks look like they are wearing dorky "clogs"

I think the modern MacBook looks fine design wise. I think my main gripe is the small arrow keys on the keyboard which is hard to get used to when you also use an external full size keyboard.

 

[bousozoku]

This popular belief (Apple doesn’t take risks) seems funny to me. I don’t think creating weird form factors in your lineup with dozens of products is a risk. Moving ALL your computers to a new chip architecture is a big risk.

If Apple created a proper cooling system and stopped worrying about thin and light for one line, put more GPU cores into the line, and sold them as gaming machines, that would be the biggest risk Apple has really taken. It would change their image. They usually just sit back and watch everyone else and then, put something more refined into the market place.

For a company that started out as one of two desktop computer makers in the 1970s, they're definitely not pushing themselves any longer.

 

[Arctic Moose]

they added a notch in the MacBook with no Face ID idk who came up with that useless design

I do. The guy who wanted more screen space without increasing the footprint, while also adding a better camera than the one everyone was complaining about. You can just turn the notch off if you do not like it and have less screen space instead, what are you so worked up about?

 

[dizmonk]

I've owned at least one of every iteration of Mac portable since the PowerBook 100. My conclusion is that today's machines are capable. In a word, they do the work you need them to do when you need it done. Perhaps more to the point, I don't waste time screwing around with my MacBook Pro as do my Windows-toting friends.

I guess I'm pragmatic enough to be thankful that something is capable and competent for the tasks I need performed. At the end of the day, 'amazing innovations' don't matter nearly as much to me now as they did in, say, 2002 or so.

I'm with you. I don't underestimate the impact of Apple Silicon. I very distinctly remember having Intel MBP that lasted two hours on battery. Now I can go two days without charging if needed. That single change makes the experience much different to me.

 

[chevyboy60013]

I don't waste time screwing around with my MacBook Pro as do my Windows-toting friends.


And that says it all. I know I can open my MacBook Pro and know it is ready to do what I need it to do without fussing with it, and gets around 8-10 hours of battery life even with a battery that has 787 cycles on it.

 

[cuhulin]

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Otherwise everyone ends up with this stupid ****

Hey, the Zephyrus Duo was meaningful innovation from a company that has enough different lines that having one more model that is different simply provides options, and interesting options at that!

It would not hurt Apple to add some of those options as added models, while keeping the current ones. They do that with other products - HomePod anyone? The MacBooks don't get that treatment. In fact, the numbers of differing models have declined. No 12" MacBook, for example.

The bright colors of the translucent IMacs have been reduced to barely different pastels. The MBA line is the closest Apple gets to consumer or student laptops. There is a real need to expand back into non-business markets.

With regard to the MacBooks themselves, the notch really should be replaced by an under-display camera, users should have at least the option for a touch-screen, and the current ladder for ram and storage should , at the very least, be updated into the 2020's - the system ram is on the chip, for heavens' sake. Does it cost Apple or TSMC one mil more to make a processor with 16GB or 24GB than it does to make one with 8GB?

Look at the picture again. That touchpad can be turned into a numeric keypad with a simple software switch. It does have some lighting that is not in the MacBook to make that work, but a model with that could be a separate model with a higher cost.

Personally, I would like to bring back the logo too, but that's just cosmetics, although I do like space black.,

 

[AZhappyjack]

It would not hurt Apple to add some of those options as added models, while keeping the current ones. They do that with other products - HomePod anyone? The MacBooks don't get that treatment. In fact, the numbers of differing models have declined. No 12" MacBook, for example.

It would cost Apple to do R&D, and more to actually produce and manufacture this "side line". It would also cause extra headaches for retailers to stock/sell these one-offs. Doubt there's much of a market for them, anyway. It's definitely not a road that Tim Cook will travel.

 

[macfacts]

Welcome to physics.

Astoundingly thin laptop means limited battery life and poor cooling. And in the extreme case, if it gets too thin and you pick it up from the corner the case will bend.

Google made thin laptop, pixel book, doesn't bend nor overheat.

 

[StrollerEd]

... MacBook Pros are workhorses; and workhorses should focus on maximizing performance, color accuracy, and port technology standards and versatility. Workhorses are not for experimenting, at least not wildly just for the sake of novelty.

<snip>

... Apple should experiment with other product lines but leave the MacBook Pros to be boring workhorses that focus on performance.

The M series MBPs are a class bit of kit, powerful, efficient and elegant.

OK, the notch could go to complete that last quality. Improvements to battery always welcome.

And if we all start to use AI on the client side, then M4/M5 boosts to power probably the next 'must have'.

Other than that, 100% agree with quoted text - unless and until something new needs to be addressed.

[I have that MBA for portability, 'cos the MBP16 is a tad heavy for lugging about on a daily basis.]

 

[jlc1978]

Yeah I get it, there are people, like yourself, out there, who could care less for design.. but I would say , most of us, do care. Looking around at the PC books out there, I would say there is a hell of a lot that can be done..

The thing about design is it's highly subjective as to what constitutes good design. For me, form following function is what makes a design good, and the MacBooks follow that dictum.

Apple was not known to be anything less than THINK DIFFERENT

Different isn't always better.

I recommend giving HiddenBar (US AppStore Link) a try.

Bartender is another great option.

Ive probably wasted more time on Mac than on Windows... I find Windows a much more productivity friendly device.

I suspect much productivity comes with familiarity with one system over the other. Having used both for a long time, I prefer Mac OS but Windows gets the job done sa swell. Biggest challenge is the difference in key combinations for vairous actions.

Your preferences should not steal that extra screen from the rest of us, and our preferences need not affect you one bit.

Steal? Apple moves the menubar up, giving you more screen space if you wanted it.

Touch ID slows down laptop usage, it asks for password every five minutes,

I'm not sure why yours asks for a password every 5 minutes unless you have set it to so do, mine never asks me unless I let it sleep for a while.

The issue of touch screens has been talked about in many other places on MacRumors and elsewhere. I actually started feeling like having a touch screen would really spiff up my workflow and make me ultra-productive and give me so many more options... so I tried out a Surface Pro some time ago. (Ever tried a PC with touch or pen-based input?) I found that actually, I really never used touch much, since I was so used to the trackpad and mouse. Other people's mileage will certainly vary.

Having observed various people with touch screen Windows devices such as Dells and the Surface, 90%+ of the use of the touch screen was to scroll the screen in a browser.

When I gave a family member an M1 Air to replace their work Dell at home, the one thing they found themselves doing was touching the screen to try to scroll rather than using the touch pad.

Maybe Apple should just build in a sensor in the bezel to allow touch scrolling.