Apple is making a serious blunder in its MacBook 2016 refresh. It is as if the company is choosing profits from accessory sales over user needs. This is a dangerous strategy to take to prop up profits. Sometimes, not listening to the customers will work when pushing innovative ideas that make their lives easier. Apple’s removal of HDMI, USB-C, and the SD card reader is taking features away from users. It is becoming less functional but to Apple’s credit, more aesthetically pleasing.
Apple’s past MacBook releases chose looks and small size over good specifications. Its impact to sales is likely negative despite fans buying the MacBook for the looks. The 2016 MacBook Pro will turn off the photographer community. Shiller’s interview regarding photographers being okay without an SD port is out of touch. He said an SD port sticks out and those photographers should use wifi to copy SD data to the computer. This argument does not make sense. The dongle sticks out, too. It is an extra, accessory that a user may lose.
Pro photographers still use multiple SD storage units on wedding photoshoots and other events. Journalists use MacBooks to complement their photo transferring needs. If sales weaken for Apple, blame taking out an SD reader feature, charging significantly more for it as an unviable upgrade path for most.
MacBook fans and enterprises should wait out this upgrade cycle.
Hardware limits
Limiting memory to 16GB, when PC laptops are capable of 32GB, does not make practical sense either. Fortunately, Apple users do not often run virtualized copies of Microsoft Windows 10, edit videos, and post-process photos at the same time. That is, Apple is deciding this represents the customer base.
MacBook unfit for enterprise
Apple gives enterprises too many reasons for not buying the latest MacBook.
Making technology investments in existing technologies obsolete is an insult for companies. It would cost millions just to upgrade hundreds of conference rooms, graphic designer’s computers, and mobile workers. Each unit would need multiple dongles for each computer unit.
Sales teams using a MacBook may fail with connecting at a customer site due to missing dongles. Sales teams would lose millions of dollars because they are unable to deliver the pitch.
IT will have a hard time getting the manager to sign off on buying a laptop that costs four times the competition and twice that of Microsoft’s Surface. The upgrade path for MacBooks is not existent. IT departments cannot add memory or space since the parts are soldered on the board.
Apple’s response
Apple is responding to criticism by cutting the prices for the USB-C adaptor, up until the end of this year. It is putting a time limit on the cheaper upgrade path by spurring users to upgrade now or miss out on the five dollars of savings or more.
Price according to TheVerge:
- USB-C to traditional USB adapter from $19 to $9
- Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter from $49 to $29
- USB-C to Lightning cable (1 meter) from $25 to $19
- USB-C to Lightning cable (2 meters) from $35 to $29
- Multiport adapter with HDMI, USB, and USB-C from $69 to $49
- Multiport adapter with VGA, USB, and USB-C from $69 to $49
Enterprises should wait out this upgrade cycle and give the latest MacBook a ‘pass.’ Wait for Apple making a revision in late-2017. That assumes that sales disappoint and Apple loses face by bringing back those features.
