Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pros were met with a lot of criticism despite many positive reviews. Some people thought the price tag was way too high while others thought the performance and battery life were dismal. On December 22, Consumer Reports dealt what many thought would be the fatal blow for the new Pro series.
“Apple launched a new series of MacBook Pro laptops this fall, and Consumer Reports’ labs have just finished evaluating them. The laptops did very well in measures of display quality and performance, but in terms of battery life, we found that the models varied dramatically from one trial to another.”
Many have complained about the 2016 MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. [Image by Daryl Deino]
The article added that that tests revealed as little as 3.5 hours of battery life, and as a result, the new MacBook Pro series is the first not to receive recommended ratings from Consumer Reports. However, after many MacBook Pro owners and others said the tests could be inaccurate, the magazine did “another test” and finally gave the MacBook Pro series their approval.
“Consumer Reports has now finished retesting the battery life on Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops, and our results show that a software update released by Apple on January 9 fixed problems we’d encountered in earlier testing.”
As the article notes, with the updated software, the three MacBook Pros that were tested all ran well. One model even ran 18.75 hours on a charge. Many thought it was Consumer Reports who had it wrong in the first place, not Apple.
Still, that hasn’t stopped people wishing that the new MacBook Pros could feel like actual pros. However, according to Business Insider, their wishes may become true in 2017.
The 2017 MacBook Pro update will add Kaby Lake processors. [Image by Daryl Deino]
“Now it seems as if Apple is poised to correct many of the biggest complaints about the new MacBook Pro with new models expected to launch in 2017, according to a research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published on Friday and seen by Business Insider,” says columnist Kif Leswing.
It appears that Apple will use Intel’s latest Kaby Lake processors, which not only save battery life but boost performance as well. Apple is also expected to release a model that uses 32GB of RAM. After an article on Mac Rumors about the same topic, some commenters aren’t exactly thrilled.
“I have yet to utilize the full 16gb of RAM… Sure 32gb will be cool, more of a bragging right,” says BiteSizeThumb.
“Give me the option to get rid of the stupid touch bar, and make the keyboard better by increasing key travel, and I might consider it,” suggests Jameslmoser.
Despite the complaints, Apple’s new MacBook Pros are still selling very well. According to Cult of Mac, Apple is expected to ship 15 million MacBooks in 2017, and the new MacBook Pro is certainly helping.
“Last year’s big overhaul, which brought thinner and lighter designs and the exciting new Touch Bar, made the 2016 MacBook Pro Apple’s fastest-selling pro machine to date…This year’s MacBook Pro refresh could have an even greater impact, according to a report from China’s Economic Daily News.“
2017 could be a landmark year for Apple. Not only is the Cupertino company updating its MacBook Pro series, but it looks like the iPad Pro series could see a refresh as well. According to Forbes, both the 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch versions of the Pro will likely see updated processors, updated screens, and even an updated optional Apple Pencil, which many already see as the best digital stylus on the market. Then, there is the major iPhone 8 update, which will bring an OLED curved screen, wireless charging capabilities, and even something to do with augmented reality.
Which Apple product are you looking forward to the most in 2017? Let us know in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Daryl Deino]
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