New Apple MacBook Pro’s released – Beautiful thin but not innovative

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First, I must say that I use a MacBook Pro since years and I’m working currently with a mid 2012 model. These are the models with a DVD writer, SD card reader and one of the last where people can change the hard drive or the internal Rams. Apple released yesterday new MacBook Pro’s with new processors, an “innovative Touch-Bar” and other new features. But all this, doesn’t hype me to buy a new one. 


I must say that the new MacBooks looks great and they really thin but all this new technology has some very bitter aftertastes in my opinions. First, I through until yesterday, that computer hardware pieces are cheaper than never see before. We live currently in a world where computer components like hard drives and ram are really cheap. I can buy a 500 GB SSD for less than 150 Euro but yesterday Apple demonstrate well that hardware can go higher in price than before. If you want to buy the new MacBook Pro in the best configuration, you must pay much than the last model. I ask why? Is it only because they put a marketing apple on the body? I don’t really understand their price model. Sorry Apple !

What we can see, is that a lot of Smartphones from the higher domain, change their ports to USB-C. The new MacBook Pro’s now comes only with these new type of USB buses. In my opinion, It’s great to see that USB-C is now included in the new models but why they put only USB-C as communication system in this machines?. I see the main problem in our daily routine. Most of the people use the standard USB and micro USB cables for charging devices or transfer data. With the new MacBook Pro’s, we can’t use:

  • Classic 2.0 /3.0 USB sticks 
  • External hard drives with 2.0 / 3.0 USB 
  • Audio Interfaces 
  • USB Audio Keyboards 
  • Mouse and Keyboard 
  • ….
If you want to work with all this devices, you need something which constitute in my eyes the next reason why I don’t buy this machine: Adapters. Apple loves since years selling people overpriced adapters and now with this new machine, the flood of new additional adapters just started again. Some of my readers know this problem pretty well with their iPads. We need an extra camera connection kit for our music keyboards and so on. Now this dilemma slosh over to the MacBook Pro users. If you want to use now your USB Audio keyboard or a standard usb stick for some data exchange, you must buy an overpriced adapter or hub where you find finally some USB 3 ports.

To be honest, the thin MacBook Pro design is very nice and looks awesome but does it looks so nice when you have thousand of adapters on this thin devices? If you are iPhone user, you must even buy an Lightning to USB3 adapter for thirty dollar. No thanks for this armada of overpriced adapters. 

























Price politics, adapters, what I have forgotten in my reasons? Oh right, the new Touch Bar. This new feature really looks great but do you really need this new feature? I remember that I work fine now for years with my classic MacBook Pro without having thoughts what I missing. It’s possible that the Touch Bar really help if you work with Microsoft Word or so but in the music production, I pretty sure not because this can be to much. The mouse is still my best friend. If we want to change this in music production, please implement a full touch screen, this helps more than a Touch Bar. 

The last reason why I’m not the fan of the new MacBook Pro is that fact that users can’t replace a hard drive or ram’s. As I mention on the top, I use a mid 2012 model where I can still upgrade my hard drive and rams. The new “innovative” MacBook Pro’s doesn’t allow this to the users because all the components are on the Logicboard of the device. So you are can’t upgrade it. 

For my conclusion, the new Apple MacBook’s aren’t smart or innovative because there is a clever business model behind. Selling thousand of overpriced adapters (build for 1 € in China), make them so rich. I think they main problem for the music industry is: they must buy this new machine because there is one day where you MacBook won’t work. I’m pretty sure that near all of the musicians say: I must buy this machine because I doesn’t trust Microsoft Windows 10 for music productions (ASIO dilemma…) To be honest, I would be in the same situation and at the moment, I would try it with Windows because a new MacBook Pro I can’t afford it. Sorry… 

Beautiful thin machines but not innovative



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