Reactions to today’s Apple Event

[Tim Wilson]

[Bret Williams] “But I guess touchscreen technology just isn’t there yet.”

Not for Apple, but it is for everyone else. HP’s is good, and both Dell and Microsoft have it working AMAZINGLY well.

We tell this tale around here a lot, don’t we? ? Well, here comes this year’s variation.

My year old Dell XPS 15 has a bigger, higher res display (4K) that covers a wider color space, is smaller (thanks to a nearly bezel-less design), is lighter, has more IO (including Tbolt 3), and yes, a crazy-smooth touch screen that has all the precision and responsiveness that you’d expect from any device that you regularly have your hands on.

And I got it for about the same price for a similar MBP…assuming that there actually WAS one… including a 2-year “if anything goes wrong, we’ll come get it and bring you a new one” warranty that includes spills and drops…which, uhm, is also not exactly similar to Apple’s warranty.

And the comfiest keyboard I use, a lovely rubberized handrest, top-notch aluminum body, etc etc etc.

I say this from experience with this as my daily driver for over a year, which I was motivated to do from envy over my wife’s XPS 15 from 2 years earlier — so for her, THREE years of compelling touchscreenery on her daily driver.

This is of course a laptop. I haven’t had a chance to take the Microsoft Surface Studio for a spin yet, but there’s a thread underway here with folks making similar observations for an iMacky variant, including Oliver Peters’ review of the TWO YEAR OLD HP Z1 “pro” iMac touchscreeen thing.

So this ain’t science fiction. It’s old news, and yet another round of Apple not even appearing to try to keep up on the basics.

The Mac OS is a pretty compelling reason to buy computers from Apple, but it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been able to come up with a single other reason. Apple DOES care about innovative computers, I KNOW they do.

I’m just looking forward to seeing some actual evidence. ?

?

[Oliver Peters]

I think it’s worth noting that you actually lost peripheral functionality with the new MBP. There are 4 ports, but one of these gets lost to power. So you can connect 3 devices. Obviously through daisy chaining and/or docks it could be more. But for sake of discussion, let’s say 3.

On the most recent MBP you have MagSafe power, 2x USB3, 2x TB2, HDMI plus a media card slot. Hmm…

Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[David Lawrence]

[Oliver Peters] “I think it’s worth noting that you actually lost peripheral functionality with the new MBP. There are 4 ports, but one of these gets lost to power. “

But Phil says if you buy the new LG 5K monitor, you can get power, display and three USB C ports all in one cable. So isn’t Apple actually giving you more ports now? lol! ?

Seriously though, I can’t tell you how many times MagSafe has kept me from disaster. Losing it is a big step backward.

_______________________
David Lawrence
art~media~design~research

linkedIn: https://lnkd.in/Cfz92F
vimeo: vimeo.com/album/2271696
web: propaganda.com
facebook: /dlawrence
twitter: @dhl

[Darren Roark]

[David Lawrence] “Seriously though, I can’t tell you how many times MagSafe has kept me from disaster. Losing it is a big step backward.”

I’m a bit nervous about that part too, I did some playing around with the MacBook and the amount of yank required to pull the cable out isn’t enough to pull the computer very far and they are really light. That said, the magsafe doesn’t allow for any.

Maybe someone will be allowed to make their own adapter?

[David Lawrence]

[Darren Roark] “Maybe someone will be allowed to make their own adapter?”

There are some third parties already working on it, for example:

https://9to5mac.com/2016/01/04/magsafe-adpater-12-inch-macbook/

But it’s not as good as built-in magsafe and I’d be leery of using it with a data connection.

_______________________
David Lawrence
art~media~design~research

linkedIn: https://lnkd.in/Cfz92F
vimeo: vimeo.com/album/2271696
web: propaganda.com
facebook: /dlawrence
twitter: @dhl

[Darren Roark]

[David Lawrence] “But it’s not as good as built-in magsafe and I’d be leery of using it with a data connection.”

Agreed.

I’m curious if they lifted their magsafe licensing ban now that they have discontinued it. The adapter isn’t terrible but could just be another thing to forget to pack or lose. I’d probably use it at home the most so I’m of two minds.

Overall though they seem like great machines and to be able to have more than two thunderbolt ports changes things for me.

[Tim Wilson]

So in the cool light of day, a full day later, have you had a chance to think about this some more?

Here are some small things that jumped out:

— There’s a headphone jack!!! A HEADPHONE JACK? What kind of backwards-looking bozo includes a headphone jack?!?!?

— Not only that, but this MBP doesn’t even support the new AirBuds?!?!?!

(Yes, I know that that’s not their name — but AirBuds is a much better name. And I know that a dongle surely WILL be invented….but there is not one now. The one that exists now appears to me to be exactly the opposite of what it needs to be.)

— Hey! Where the heck’r my AirBuds???

— There’s no “native” way to plug in an iPhone. I’m right, right? It looks like you have to buy a USB Type-C dongle or a Lightning-to-USB-C cable to connect your phone to this? Not that connecting an iPhone to a MBP is an everyday thing, but it’s a not inconsequential thing either.

Not huge, but it seems like there’d have been time to sort some of this out.

— No old-school USB? Srsly? So all those little thumb drives, nada? Although going forward, SanDisk has this crazy little fella that’s a reversible USB 3/USB-C drive….but at $28 for 32GB, we’re headed perilously close to “buck-a-gig” territory.

Still, it’s adorable. I might just buy one to wear as a locket. Or a cameo. Definitely a cameo.

— Am I the only photographer who’s already feeling exasperated by the missing SD card slot?

Not that there’s anything WRONG with any of this. Every one of these objections will have blown away into the mists of time, probably before the first spring thaw.

But TC’s intro of all the great innovations in Apple’s portables that later became industry standards — integrated wifi, aluminum unibody, etc — underscored to me that, you know what? The Magic Emoji Bar is probably not going to join that list.

I saw somebody compare it to the orange pointer nub in Lenovo Thinkpad laptops. I know people who love ’em. Maybe four or six people who love ’em. LOL And nobody really swooped in to do something similar.

I think this is where The Magic Emoji Bar winds up. Somewhere near the Magic Mouse, which some people loved, and were all so, so wrong. ?

I’m also thinking that the “nah, nobody wants touchscreens on their computer” objection sounds EXACTLY like how Steve Jobs ranted for YEARS that NOBODY wants a tablet computer. He openly mocked people who carried more than one device as clueless hipsters who only knew how to waste money — until he had more than one device to sell to these very same people.

This is while he was also mocking the idea that anybody would ever want a phone with a screen bigger than 3 inches.

So I’m watching their lips move, and I’m listening to the words — and I ain’t buyin’ it.

Related to that, my biggest issue with Apple TV is that it’s still less compelling than an iPhone or iPad running Chromecast. Apple CAN do app-based TV. They DO app-based TV just fine. Just not on Apple TV yet.

I have no idea why we have no poop emoji here, and I assure you that I will look into it — but yes, I know I’m mostly just stirring the {{{{poop emoji}}}} here….but I’ really struck by the contrast between this and the FCPX news.

The X news is straight legit, and I’m seeing lots of happy folks talking about it. The laptop is clearly not trashcan-Mac levels of triumph or tragedy, and I’d rather watch Apple TV than watch an Apple Watch….but Apple appears to be a lot more excited by the laptop and ATV news than any of you seem to be. Am I seeing all of your reactions (or the lack thereof) through my meh-colored glasses?

Enlighten me! En-happy me! Remind me that it’s Friday!

Oh wait – I’ll remind YOU!

Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!

This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.

THIS SONG IS TWENTY FOUR AND ONE HALF YEARS OLD

[Oliver Peters]

[Tim Wilson] ” Am I seeing all of your reactions (or the lack thereof) through my meh-colored glasses?”

I would suggest everyone go back and look at Microsoft’s full announcement video of the Surface Studio. Forget the technology for a moment and concentrate on the marketing and innovation side. A very stark different. Just the product video alone is more inspiring than the Jonny Ive fly-through of the new MBP.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Mark Suszko]

I’m almost as excited about lowly Apple Compressor getting some new DVD authoring functionality with menus, as I am for the FCPX refresh. I am a little ticked off Apple still hasn’t done anything more to integrate broadcast quality closed captioning into FCPX. Depending on how much captioning firepower you need, the costs for adding that from a third party provider are in the thousands.

[Oliver Peters]

Another curious question is why did the “X” moniker survive in the name? Seems a bit out of step with the rest of Apple’s current product naming approach.

Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com