Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Review
So yesterday, at the Apple event, they announced the new Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Model....with Touch bar. As a result music and video forums around the world seems to give a resounding 'really' is that it? Is that the announcement? No new iMacs and crucially no new Mac Pros? What are you doing Apple, you remember those guys who saved you in the 90's, the designers, the studios, the video guys....remember, the one's you thought it was 'cool and trendy' to be associated with. Well, I personally think you are starting to dump on them BIG style! For the biggest company in the world, is it too much to put some resource aside and keep us guys content? Is it really?
SO Thoughts.....
I have given this some thought since the announcement, and the one thing that really jumps out is how, given the immense computing power available to the world now, why Apple in particular, aren't making absolute beasts of machines for those working in especially media related fields (Audio, Video, Photography) etc. It seems there is a specification undercutting happening, perhaps the warning flag should have gone up when the iPod classic left the shelves. You know when real music lovers, who LOVED the fact they could have their entire library on a tiny portable device ,were told that this was not cool and you should either stream or die like a dinosaur, I mean I guess some people do only listen to 3 albums these days whilst permanently tethered to GOOD WIFI!!!There seems to be a complete disjunct between the needs of professional creators and the machines we have. Why are these MacBook Pros being shipped with a max of 16Gig of Ram? That is kind of pointless for many of us out there, not just in audio production and music, ESPECIALLY when you can't upgrade it. 256 Gig HD, yes cool it is SSD but that is like 1 and a 1/2 quality sample libraries and it is full, before you take in to consideration any applications, and let alone think about an ACTUALLY PROJECT FILES! But no Grandad, why aren't you uploading your project to the cloud? SO uncool Dude. Because I have GIGs of project files and yes Apple, you market saying...work any where, be a free spirit, travel, record indigenous tribes in their native home lands, but less an less giving us the tools to do that....wow cool I have a SUPER THIN SHINNY box, but that pretty much goes out the window when the rest of my bags is filled up with hard drives, power supplies, and now 4 more different adapters to connect to all the other adapters to make the gear I have invested thousands and thousands in actually work!! That is not cool Apple, it takes me 20 minutes to plug everything in.
Top of the pile??
Why oh why is it not possible to have a SOLID performing laptop (Which might be a bit thicker than some others used for web browsing and typing documents), with a powerful CPU, upgradable RAM, maybe....just maybe....two hard drives in it?? SHOCK, and yes why not have 3-4 USB ports, and SD card reader, and HDMI port and Two Thunderbolts all running down the side. I would be so proud to tell all my friends about a product like that, you know one where I could actually just take that to a gig, a forest, a tribe and DO EVERYTHING. THAT WOULD BE COOL APPLE.But NO, style over substance, form over function now from the INNOVATION CREATIVE FRUIT BASED COMPANY. Phones, watches, $$$$$$$$$s and watch the old guard take the lead and innovate. Who in a million years thought they would ever actually look up from their fruit based computing device and watch a Microsoft promo (firstly actually watch it!) and go....ooooh what's going on over there..........Peace, love and good happiness stuff!Neil