{"id":38426,"date":"2016-10-28T11:19:27","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T16:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=38426"},"modified":"2016-11-02T16:58:43","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T21:58:43","slug":"commentary-a-closer-look-at-the-new-macbook-pro-and-what-it-means-for-creative-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/38426-commentary-a-closer-look-at-the-new-macbook-pro-and-what-it-means-for-creative-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary: A Closer Look at the New MacBook Pro and What It Means For Creative Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday\u2019s Apple \u201cHello Again\u201d Event<\/a> was highly anticipated for many reasons, most of all because of the tantalizing prospect of a new design for the MacBook Pro. The flagship laptop was indeed the star of the show, but there were some things that were either introduced or not mentioned that also deserve attention. In this deep dive into Thursday\u2019s event, I\u2019ll take a look at the importance of what was said as well as the impact of what was left unsaid.<\/p>\n

\"Apple
Apple Senior VP of World Marketing Phil Schiller introduces the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MacBook Pro<\/strong>
\nThree models of the new MacBook Pro were introduced; two (13-inch from $1,799 and 15-inch from $2,399) are outfitted with the slick new Touch Bar user interface device that sits where the function key row used to reside on the keyboard. The other 13-inch model has traditional function keys and a lower price tag starting at $1,499.<\/p>\n

The Touch Bar, Touch ID, and a much larger trackpad make for a more multi-touch friendly laptop than we\u2019ve ever seen before. During yesterday\u2019s demonstrations, it was fascinating to watch Adobe presenter Bradee Evans use one hand on the trackpad and one on the Touch Bar to fine-tune adjustments to an image with Photoshop. I find myself hoping that the next-generation Apple Magic Keyboard comes with the Touch Bar built in, as it really seems to provide a way to take formerly trackpad- or mouse-intensive actions that required removing a hand from the keyboard, and putting them right at your fingertips.<\/p>\n

Touch ID on the MacBook Pro may even become more popular than it is on the iPhone and iPad. Being able to unlock a Mac with the tap of a finger seems magical (except to those of us who use an Apple Watch for unlocking), and a demonstration of how Touch ID can be used for fast user switching on shared MacBook Pros with a tap.<\/p>\n

The new MacBook Pros are all equipped with Intel\u2019s 6th-generation Core i7 \u201cSkylake\u201d quad core processors as expected, providing a nice speed bump. Apple has added AMD Radeon Pro Polaris GPUs to the devices, providing up to 130% faster 3D graphics and 60% faster gaming.<\/p>\n

But to my estimation, the most significant change on the new MacBook Pro models is the removal of all of the old ports and replacement with four (or two on the non-Touch Bar models) Thunderbolt 3 ports.\u00a0This change has brought a lot of criticism from people who wrongly say that they won\u2019t be able to use their old peripherals. You will \u2014 but you will need to buy inexpensive adapters to do so. (For more on Thunderbolt 3, check out this Rocket Yard article<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"Phil
Phil Schiller shows 15-inch MacBook Pro driving twin LG UltraFine 5K Displays<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apple really pointed out just how versatile the 15-inch MacBook Pro could be by showing the device driving not one, but TWO 27-inch 5K displays, connecting to a pair of Thunderbolt 3 RAID arrays, and driving some speakers \u2014 yes, there\u2019s a real-live 3.5mm headphone jack \u2014 at the same time (see image above)<\/p>\n

MacBook Air<\/strong>
\nAlthough none of the Apple presenters came right out and said so during the presentation, it appears that the MacBook Air will be leaving the Apple laptop lineup as soon as current stocks are sold out.<\/p>\n

Why? Apple pointed out the 13-inch MacBook Pro is a much more powerful machine, and it\u2019s actually thinner than the 13-inch MacBook Air. Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller made a point of pointing out just how much smaller it was, and it appears that the 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar is the replacement for the same-sized MacBook Air. The 11-inch MacBook Air no longer exists.<\/p>\n

You might be asking \u201cBut what about the low end of the market? Is Apple abandoning it?\u201d Remember, there\u2019s still the 12-inch Retina MacBook, which has a display that puts any of the MacBook Air models to shame. It\u2019s available for as little as $1,299, and that\u2019s with double the flash storage (256GB) and RAM (8GB) that the old entry-level MacBook had.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s still my opinion \u2014 and that and five bucks will buy you a grande latte at Starbucks \u2014 that Apple is looking at the iPad Pro models as replacements at the low end of the \u201claptop\u201d market. A 9.7-inch Wi-Fi-only iPad Pro with 128GB of storage can be had for $699, with the corresponding Smart Keyboard adding $149 to the price tag. At $850, that\u2019s quite a nice little \u201claptop\u201d.<\/p>\n

LG UltraFine 5K and 4K Displays<\/strong>
\nEarlier I mentioned the MacBook Pro driving a pair of 27-inch 5K monitors, and although they\u2019re being sold by Apple, they are actually built by LG. The LG UltraFine 5K 27-inch and 4K 21.5-inch displays connect via USB-C (MacBook) or Thunderbolt 3 (MacBook Pro) with the ability to not only charge the notebook, but three other USB-C devices.<\/p>\n

But the image quality is the big thing with the LG UltraFine displays; each uses an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, features a P3 wide color gamut, and incredible brightness. The display also has built-in stereo speakers, a camera, and a microphone, providing all the features of the old Apple Thunderbolt Display with much better specifications at a much lower price.<\/p>\n

I think it was smart of Apple to leave the standalone monitor design and manufacturing to a third party; monitors are traditionally a low-margin accessory, and Apple enjoys much higher profit margins on most of its product lines.<\/p>\n

App Updates<\/strong>
\nOf course, the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pros is software-driven, so unless apps are updated to take advantage of its flexibility, it\u2019s essentially a glorified function key row. Fortunately Apple and several well-known software developers have already announced upcoming updates that will power the Touch Bar.<\/p>\n

Apple has revised Final Cut Pro X, including a way to switch between between editing tools with a tap, adjust audio levels by dragging a finger, and activating other trimming or playback tools with a touch. Final Cut Pro X can even display a color-coded overview of an entire video timeline for navigation to a particular point in a project with a tap.<\/p>\n

Likewise, both Motion and Compressor have also been updated to provide tasks like setting up batches or adding markers using the Touch Bar.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to be a creative professional to take advantage of the Touch Bar, as Apple has posted new versions of iMovie, Pages, Garage Band, Keynote, Numbers and Xcode with Touch Bar compatibility.<\/p>\n

\"Adobe's
Adobe’s Bradee Evans demonstrates an upcoming version of Photoshop that takes advantage of the Touch Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outside of Apple, Adobe is planning to revise its lineup of creative pro tools to take advantage of the new Touch Bar. As you can see in the image above, Adobe’s presentation of the upcoming update to Photoshop demonstrated how both the Touch Bar and trackpad can be used in tandem for a true multi-touch experience. Microsoft expects updates to Microsoft Office and Skype to appear later this year, and other companies like Algoriddim (day Pro) and Pixelmator have also announced upcoming updates.<\/p>\n

\"SadWhat About The iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Pro?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s desktop line was completely ignored during yesterday\u2019s event, which begs the question \u2014 is the company planning on dropping desktop machines?<\/p>\n

Many pundits think that Apple\u2019s focus on creative pro apps during the event was an indication that the company is trying to influence those who work with those apps to move away from desktop Macs like the iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini. I\u2019m hopeful that we\u2019ll see an early 2017 event at which those computers receive updates\u2026but if Apple is truly moving away from the desktop lines, that may be a false hope.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, the MacBook Pro line maxes out at 16GB of RAM. For many creatives, that\u2019s simply not enough RAM to get the job done. The late 2015 iMac can be bumped to 32GB of RAM, or even to 64GB with upgrades from MacSales.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ignoring the Mac Pro yet again is somewhat of a slap to the face of the creative market, and one that\u2019s just completely mind-boggling. The Mac Pro hasn\u2019t been updated at all since being introduced in 2013.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong>\u00a0Commentary: Apple Should Renew Focus on Mac Users, Pros<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps Apple is looking toward third-party Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion chassis as being the thing that will bring creative pros to the MacBook Pro. These could allow the MacBook Pro to be externally connected to more powerful graphics cards,<\/p>\n

The timing of Apple\u2019s seeming dismissal of the desktop could not have come at a worse time, one day after Microsoft showed off the 28-inch Surface Studio. That machine is specifically targeted at the creative pro market, and its ability to be used as a large tablet as well as a desktop computer is compelling. Microsoft even came out with a new interface device called the Surface Dial that can be placed on the screen and used in a number of ways to fine-tune adjustments.<\/p>\n

How Close Were Our Predictions?<\/strong>
\nBack on October 19, I wrote an article with my predictions<\/a> for the event. How far off was I? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n