MacBook Pro With Touch Bar: Still Controversial Three Months Later
It has been three months since both the 15-inch and 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar devices hit stores. Needless to say, the new MacBook Pro has become Apple’s most polarizing device in years.
That’s not to say that both devices are without love. Tech Radar gave the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar four-and-a-half stars.
“Apple’s back with a bang. The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar comes close to computing perfection,” claims critic Michael Passingham, who especially praises the high-quality screen and great performance.
CNET gives the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch bar four stars.
“With a slim bezel around its 15-inch screen and a thinner, lighter body, the top-end MacBook Pro packs a real visual punch. But if you miss the traditional HDMI and USB ports, consider the older 2015 model that Apple still sells.”
However, there have been problems over the past few months in regard to both MacBook Pro units. On December 22, Consumer Reports unleashed an anti-Christmas gift for Apple.
“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.”
The article added that tests revealed as little as 3.5 hours of battery life, and as a result, the new MacBook Pro series became the first not to receive recommended ratings from Consumer Reports. However, after complaints from actual MacBook Pro owners who called foul play on the tests, the magazine claimed it had reversed its “ruling” and can now recommend the new MacBook Pros after Apple released a software fix.
Still, there are many who think that both the 13-inch and the 15-inch MacBook Pros have sacrificed quality for portability. Many have even suggested that the 13-inch Pro should have been called the “MacBook Air with Touch Bar.” People are still upset about the lack of ports and the fact that 16GB RAM is the max the Pros can handle.
However, there is some good news for disappointed MacBook Pro with Touch Bar users. BGR reports that after the backlash, Tim Cook has promised that Apple won’t forget about its Pro users.
“Tim Cook earlier today addressed growing concerns that Apple is no longer interested in catering to creative professionals. During a Q&A session at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting, Cook said that Apple remains committed to the Pro market and that the company has no plans to abandon that specific user demographic,” according to BGR‘s Yoni Heisler.
“You will see us do more in the pro area. The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular,” Cook said in response to a question about the future of the MacBook Pro.
As BGR notes, 2017 is shaping up to be a big year for Apple hardware. In addition to the rumored MacBook Pro update, the iMac will receive a big update as well. Besides the Mac devices, Apple is also planning on upgrading the iPad Pro and the iPhone.
The iPhone 8 is what’s causing the biggest amount of excitement for Apple. According to Fox News, Apple may be planning on killing the Lightning jack (they killed the headphone jack last year) and even the Home button. However, they are allegedly adding an edge-to-edge OLED screen, wireless charging capabilities, augmented reality features, and much more.
Which Apple product are you the most excited about? Please let us know in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Daryl Deino]
