Mac

Jason Snell, writing for Six Colors:

My first impression of the Touch Bar is that the “keys” looked… like keys. It didn’t feel like I was looking at a screen, but at an extension of the keyboard. That was an intentional choice on Apple’s part. Unlike the display and the keyboard, the Touch Bar’s brightness is not manually adjustable.

Instead, the Touch Bar’s brightness varies based on lighting conditions, using the light sensor. I wasn’t able to try and trick it or confuse it, but the entire time I was using it—in a dark room and in a much more brightly lit one—it seemed to match the keyboard well. This is not a bright, glowing screen above a dark keyboard—it’s an extension of the keyboard.

And:

The trackpad on the 13-inch model is more than half again as big as on its predecessor, and on the 15-inch model it’s doubled in size. As Phil Schiller said on stage Thursday, Apple can make the Trackpad bigger now that it’s a Magic Trackpad rather than an older hinged model because even at large sizes the entire surface is clickable.

And (this next one answered a big question for me):

The trackpads are large enough that Apple has had to build in more palm-rejection intelligence, because when you’re typing on these things, you’re going to inevitably slide your palms across them. In my experience writing this article on a 13-inch MacBook Pro, the palm rejection worked well—I never felt that I had to change my typing approach just to avoid weird mouse movements.

And:

Well, it’s my sad duty to report that the MacBook Pro keyboard has the same key travel as the MacBook. Apple says the stainless steel dome switch beneath each key has been honed to give you a more responsive feel, but to me it feels just like the MacBook’s keyboard.

Plenty of divisiveness on the keyboard feel. Many people like it, many don’t. Your mileage may vary.

Lots more chewy goodness in Jason’s review. Read it.

Thoughts on the MacBook Pro rollout, along with links to some of the early reviews.

This long form piece by Shara Tibken and Connie Guglielmo, for CNET, wraps a sit-down with Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi in an exploration of the history and future of the Mac, sprinkled with observations from other Apple and industry folk.

There’s a lot to absorb here, but it’s well worth the time. It helps that the story design is nicely laid out, a pleasure to explore.

Well done.

Mike Wuerthele, writing for Apple Insider:

Rumors have been flying that Apple is considering teaming up with a company building customizable keyboards with individual E-ink keys, but the claims, including alleged “confirmations,” appear to spring from a single report that may be little more than self-promotion of an upcoming product.

This is in response to an article that appeared in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal.

It’s all rumors until Apple actually announces it. But this October 27th Apple Mac event, that’s got to be real. It’s just got to be (I’ve got my sights set on a new MacBook Pro, that’s why).

Ina Fried, writing for Recode:

Apple is planning to introduce new Macs at an Oct. 27 event, sources confirmed to Recode.

The move had long been expected, given that the company released MacOS Sierra last month but had yet to introduce any new computer models sporting the software. It also comes just in time for Apple to have the new products on sale for the full holiday season.

And:

The Mac event is expected to take place at or near Apple’s Cupertino campus rather than in San Francisco, where the company held many recent events, including the iPhone 7 announcement.

And, finally:

Apple declined to comment.

This was widely rumored, widely expected. It will be interesting to see if the new MacBook Pro ships without a headphone jack.

I suspect Apple will ship a lot of these.

Flash? Rings a bell. Something something, malware, blah-blah-blah.

If you still have Flash on your machine, grab the update.

Mike Wuerthele, writing for Apple Insider:

Purgeable space is data on the drive that Sierra has determined is superfluous, and not necessary to be stored on the drive. Examples are files in the trash, videos that have already been watched, music downloaded from Apple Music (but not rips from CD), and other data synchronized with iCloud.

In a nutshell, if you run out of space, purgeable space is the set of files that are backed up in the cloud and can be safely deleted. This post takes you through the basics of enabling this feature and doing the initial setup. If you are running macOS Sierra, it’s worth a read.

Theoretically, sometime later today, Apple will officially release macOS Sierra. One way to tell is to fire up the Mac App Store. I suspect Apple will make it big and obvious, with macOS Sierra presence right there on the front page. You can also type macOS Sierra in the search field or tap on the Updates tab to see what’s new.

[Read the main post for thoughts on getting ready…]

Juli Clover, writing for MacRumors:

In recent weeks, Apple has been sending out surveys to users asking about MacBook Pro features, most notably the headphone jack. A survey question shared by MacRumors reader Blake asks “Do you ever use the headphone port on your MacBook Pro with Retina display?”

There are several other reports on Twitter from users who have been asked similar questions about the headphone jack, suggesting Apple is exploring the removal of the headphone jack in a future version of the MacBook Pro.

If there is a MacBook Pro update coming this year, I suspect it will have a headphone jack. This sort of market research would typically be done during the design phase, not in preparation for product rollout. I suspect the headphone jack will, ultimately, go away, as wireless becomes the standard. On the iPhone 7, waterproofing and case real estate are often quoted as two driving reasons for the removal of the headphone jack. Neither of these is a big issue for the MacBook Pro.

Mark Gurman, Jungah Lee, writing for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is developing new features for the iPad to cater to professional users, along with new Mac laptops and desktops, according to people familiar with the matter.

Upcoming software upgrades for the iPad include wider operating-system support for Apple’s stylus accessory, while hardware performance improvements are also in development, according to the people. The refreshed Mac hardware line includes new versions of the iMac desktop, MacBook Air laptop, and a 5K standalone monitor in collaboration with LG Electronics Inc., in addition to a thinner MacBook Pro laptop.

The company hopes to ship the updated iPad software next year, while the Macs are expected as soon as late 2016, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced products. Apple has not updated any Macs, besides the 12-inch MacBook, since last year. The company declined to comment.

This can’t come soon enough for me. I’ve long wanted a more powerful MacBook Pro, thought I wouldn’t care about thinner. But then I spent some quality time with the new MacBook. Thinness and lightness matter.

That said, I would sacrifice that thinness for power and, more importantly, for availability.

Mark Gurman:

The updated notebooks will be thinner, include a touch screen strip for function keys, and will be offered with more powerful and efficient graphics processors for expert users such as video gamers, said the people, who asked not to be named.

The new computers have been in advanced testing within Apple since earlier this year, said one of the people, who didn’t want to be identified discussing products before their release. The MacBook Pros aren’t likely to debut at an event currently scheduled for Sept. 7 to introduce next-generation versions of the iPhone, according to one of the people.

And:

The most significant addition to the new MacBook Pro is a secondary display above the keyboard that replaces the standard function key row. Instead of physical keys, a strip-like screen will present functions on an as-needed basis that fit the current task or application. The smaller display will use Organic Light-Emitting Diodes, a thinner, lighter and sharper screen technology, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier this year.

Apple’s goal with the dedicated function display is to simplify keyboard shortcuts traditionally used by experienced users. The panel will theoretically display media playback controls when iTunes is open, while it could display editing commands like cut and paste during word processing tasks, the people said. The display also allows Apple to add new buttons via software updates rather than through more expensive, slower hardware refreshes.

You had me at new MacBook Pro.

Want a Mac Pro? Michael Simon, writing for Macworld, lays out the basic problem:

In the first six months of 2016 we’ve seen new models of both the iPhone and iPad Pro, but the lone Mac to get any love is the newest member of the family. In April, the year-old MacBook received the kind of update MacBook Pro users have been waiting some 14 months for, with improved specs across the board: Speedier Skylake processors and graphics, an extra hour of battery life, faster SSD drives, and a new Rose Gold color option.

It’s worse on the desktop. While the iMac was refreshed in October 2015 to bring more pixels and processing power, the lowly Mac mini hasn’t had an upgrade since October 2014. And the Mac Pro has never been updated. The models on sale today have the exact same specs as the very first ones that rolled off the Texas assembly line back in December 2013. And if you’re looking for a display to go with it, good luck finding one made by Apple.

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