Let me start with the MacBook Pro. I love the look, feel, battery life, and power of the new MacBook Pros. The unibody design makes it more rugged than the MacBook Pro from the previous era on which I type now. It’s solid, it’s fast, it’s got 8 hours or so of battery life. That’s all great!
But, Apple did something when they went to the unibody design that REALLY ticked me off. They dropped the Express/34 slot off all models but the 17” and replaced it with an SD card slot.
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SAY WHAT?!?
As a professional in the field of film and video I have NEVER used an SD card. I have on occasion used an SD Card reader for my personal camera. But never in my professional field of work with my laptop have I even considered the need for an SD Card reader. I do however, use the Express/34 card slot every day to connect eSATA drives to my laptop. It is a professional laptop, being a MacBook Pro and all. The MacBook Pro does not have eSATA ports, as most laptops do not. But with that wonderful standard called the Express/34 slot, I can use any number of adapters to connect all manner of gadgets, hard drives etc (including by the way, SD Card reader adapters). I would not be able to use my laptop in this professional setting very well without the Express/34 card slot.
The real kicker here is that putting an SD Card reader on the consumer MacBooks makes sense. But to replace a real professional standard multi purpose slot with an SD Card reader that only serves the one purpose is just a low blow to Apple’s loyal professional users! The position from Apple seems to be, “if you need a Express/34 Card slot, get the 17” MacBook Pro. Well I happen to be a fan of the 15” considering the 17” just too big. One of my colleagues had a 17” for some time. It’s just too darn big. My 15” is perfect and has served me well. I don’t want to be forced to buy the big bulky 17” but that is exactly what I would have to do if I upgraded right now.
Let me now move to the Pro Apps. Apple’s Pro Apps still don’t run in 64 bit. We Pro Apps users are still living in the 32 bit, access to only 4 gigs of RAM past. And the key application, Final Cut Pro, is STILL a mostly carbon app, not Cocoa (the OS X API of choice).
And now today I am seeing disturbing reports from Apple Insider, and Mac Rumors that Apple is planning to scale it’s Pro Apps to fit into a more prosumer model.
Hello? Final Cut PRO!
Does the use of the word “Pro” in these names Apple has bestowed on these products now mean nothing? There is no doubt that I have lots of things I would like to see happen to Final Cut Pro, and it’s bundled apps. I believe there is a number of ways they could be improved and would love to consult with Apple (I’m only slightly kidding, I have lots of ideas I wish Apple would ask me about), but the words “scaling Final Cut Studio apps to fit prosumers” frightens me. If that means what I think it means, then I’ll be needing to learn to use other editing software soon.
So Apple, I’m pleading with you, remember your Pro users and don’t spit in their collective faces please! Your Pro Apps and Pro computers have been a wonderful thing in my life, but now I’m very worried!
I know I’m just one person, but I have a lot of Professional Apple using friends that feel the same way. Don’t drive us out of the camp!