
Ask HN: What do you want to see most in the next iteration of the Macbook Pro? - ng-user
Apart from the obvious 32GB ram, what else would you like to see in the next generation Macbook Pro?<p>I think it will be the first Macbook Pro I purchase and I really hope it lives up to expectations.<p>I really like the idea of Touch ID, I hope it&#x27;s not replaced with Face ID. High Sierra should be interesting too.<p>Anyway, what would you personally like to see in the next Macbook Pro?
======
clra
This will sound trite, but I'm completely serious. The number one thing I want
to see in the next MacBook Pro is the abandonment of the Touch Bar. Make it a
row on the keyboard again.

I didn't think that the Touch Bar was useful when I first saw it, and now, six
months later, I haven't found one more reason that I'd want ever want it. I
don't want haptic feedback or any other kind of improvement. Apple made a
mistake and should own up to it. Just throw it out.

Aside from that, I'd love to see a little better battery life and would have
no problem whatsoever trading away a few more millimeters of thinness if I
could get it. The MBP is thinner than I need already.

~~~
kogir
I also hate the touch bar, but far worse is how they ruined all the other keys
with the new, super loud low travel design.

I want the keyboard from my 2013 model back. It was nearly perfect.

~~~
jsjohnst
While I agree the Touchbar is a crappy gimmick (albeit I don’t hate it, I
think it’s a useless feature), I have to disagree on the keyboard. I hate
typing on my personal 2015 MBP keyboard now and have to use an Apple Magic
Keyboard 2 with it.

------
DanHulton
I know you say "apart from the obvious 32 GB ram", but I'm gonna say it
anyway. On the off chance anyone from Apple reads this, I want to signal boost
that as much as I can. It gets in the way daily, and as more places adopt
docker (and Mac not having a native docker layer worth using), the RAM limit
is _stifling_.

A keyboard nobody complains about again.

Better battery life.

A return to Magsafe.

~~~
Bud
It is not, and was never Apple's choice to limit the MB Pro to 16 GB.

Educate yourself:

[https://macdaddy.io/macbook-pro-limited-16gb-
ram/](https://macdaddy.io/macbook-pro-limited-16gb-ram/)

~~~
smt88
"Educate yourself" is not a constructive way to disagree with someone.

Also, it's absurd to suggest that Apple could do absolutely nothing about this
Intel limitation if they wanted to.

I'm sure it would cost them more time/energy than they'd be willing to spend
on the MB Pro, but that's been the problem for Pro users for a while, hasn't
it? Apple doesn't care as much about it as its users do.

------
taylodl
The MacBook Pro should be Apple's tank. It should be able to handle the most
arduous, demanding tasks and still go 8-10 hours on its battery. Sorry if
that's adds a little more weight, it's a _pro_ machine - if you want something
ultraportable, svelte and light then you should get a MacBook Air.

As far as ports are concerned USB-C is great, however a USB 3.0 port and an SD
card reader would be super handy for a pro machine. Seriously, people are
making a living using these machines and it needs to be a little more
convenient to transfer data using different media which happen to be extremely
common.

I've found the new keyboard usable once you get the hang of it, though I
prefer the older keyboards with a little more travel. The trackpad though - it
needs to be shrunk back down in size. It registers too many false inputs and
its really annoying especially since the trackpad is hands-down one of the
best features of the entire MacBook product line.

~~~
ajeet_dhaliwal
_people are making a living using these machines_

I think that cuts to the heart of the matter. They have forgotten who the
customers are. Everything is designed for sleekness and entertainment.

------
phoobahr
Differentiation.

I don’t like the touch bar but I like that they tried. Now please take it a
little further and clean up the line-up.

I want all the weird future bits to go in a ‘modern’ ultra portable. Take the
12” macbook and put an A11 or theoretical A12 in it. If there’s a non keyboard
touch input in the macbook line try it there.

Take the macbook pro and stuff it full of ports. And shit on intel until they
produce an appropriate chipset that’ll support more than 16gb. Or at least
threaten them with the above mentioned ultraportable until they get off the
pot and get it done. Ports, ram, a small concession on form factor & weight so
a 13-14ish inch model can be useful for 8 hours on a train. Oh and more ports.

Everything else tht’s a little more mass market, a little more beige, that can
go in the macbook air line. Set a reasonable price point and sell little-
better-than-entry-level spec’ed machine with modern components to every Tom,
Dick & Harry who gives them money for the current air but really shouldn’t.

Have courage Apple, take a little risk, leverage some branding to make a
statement and let the pro moniker mean something.

------
mstaoru
I have top of the line late-2013 model, i7 with 1T SSD and 16G RAM. There was
no reason to upgrade whatsoever so far, and current MacBooks are not appealing
to me at all. Mostly I would like them to return good things back and
introduce new things they implemented in other products.

Absolutely NO WAY to the Touch Bar. As long as it's there, I'm not even
looking further. It can have 512GB RAM or all-gold unibody or whatever, Touch
Bar = no buy.

One thing I use extensively is the Toslink digital out, I love music and being
able to connect portable DACs over Toslink is (was) beautiful.

I'm sure the sound system could be improved. It's nice to watch a movie in bed
sometimes, but the sound is bad on 2013 model and somehow even worse (very
synthetic?) on 2017.

It would be nice to have a screen that doesn't have all your keyboard
imprinted all over it in a year or so.

A way to disable Apple logo glowing.

32G RAM goes without saying. I'm a developer and even without 1-2 VMs I
sometimes run out of memory.

To conclude, we need faster horses, Mr Ford.

~~~
rayj
I have the 2015 model, and basically the same. (1) No touchbar. (2) intel GPU
on the 15inch models. I don't like switching gpu. (2) True 4k display with
wide color like the 4k imac. (3) Fanless if possible. The fan went out on my
current MBP and if thing is going to last me until 2022 hopefully the next one
will have less moving parts.

------
jseliger
I'm surprised no one has mentioned an OLED screen yet. Lenovo has been making
some laptops with them:
[https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/133452/lenovo-
th...](https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/133452/lenovo-
thinkpad-x1-yoga-2017-oled-first-impressions). Still, Apple ships so many
units and has likely locked up so much capacity for the iPhone X that I
suspect we're unlikely to see OLED displays in their laptops this year.

------
graeme
More ports. The new version only has four, and one is for power. My 2015 model
has power, two thunderbolt, two usb, hdmi, sd card, audio in. I use all of
them most days.

I'd also want an option with the higher travel keyboard and function keys. I
use those frequently. I tried the lower travel keyboard on a macbook, and it
hurt my arms.

~~~
stephenr
The whole point of USB-C is that a single port can do multiple things at once.
What four devices are you plugging in that none of them can also supply
charge?

~~~
graeme
Sorry, missed replying to this earlier:

    
    
      *Audiobox and powered USB Hub, into the two USB Ports
      *Often an ethernet cable with adaptor into the thunderbolt port
      *Magsafe adaptor
      * HDMI cable to external monitor
      * Line in audio for speakers
      * SD Card into SD card slot
      * The USB Hub has: lightning cable for ios device, external keyboard, wacom tablet, usb mouse
    

I haven't yet familiarized myself USB C. Would they solve this issue? I think
I would need a lot more hubs, since I count 9-10 connections on a typical day.

------
thijsvandien
For the MBP as we know it, I'd love to get a 15" model without the Touch Bar /
Touch ID. To me, it's a deal breaker. The 13" looks nice, but it's just too
small. I'm not sure what to make of the gigant trackpad – not putting it under
your palms is just so much more sensible than palm detection. (For the same
reason I'm not fond of edge to edge phone displays.) Sad to see MagSafe go, as
well as many other connectors. The previous model was pretty great and it's
unfortunate it can't be bought (new) anymore with decent graphics.

32GB of RAM is welcome, as well as some more screen estate. I'd now probably
get a 17" model if I could, but lacking that, thinner screen edges. If it can
be done on the Dell XPS (and the iPhone X), so can it on the MBP.

The MBP doesn't feel all that pro anymore, though. When the MBPr was first
released, it truly set itself apart from the MBP at the time. It was an insta-
buy and I'm still using it for the lack of better options. Now that the
consumer line has caught up, what I'd really like to see is the introduction
of a legitimate mobile workstation with similarly sized innovations at a
similarly reasonable price. Where is my Xeon with ECC?

Completely in vain, I'll close by stating that a bit of water/dirt-proofing
would be great, but I don't expect to ever see that happen.

~~~
grzm
What are the last two laptops you've owned? When are you planning to replace
your current laptop? What will the next one be if the next MBP includes Touch
Bar and Touch ID? If not a Mac, what OS will you run?

~~~
thijsvandien
This MBPr 2012 made me move back from MBA + iMac to just a laptop. Before
that, MBP. Right now I'm trying to find a lightly used MBP 2015 with R9 and ~2
years of AppleCare left, to buy myself some time to either migrate away from
Apple or be positively surprised with a new product that convinces me to stick
with them longer. Been a Mac user for well over 10 years now, so the final
decision won't be taken lightly.

I keep a list of candidates to try, including the Dell Precision 5520 and some
Lenovo models. Still I'm bitter about it. As far as I can tell, nothing else I
can buy at this moment will match the build quality I've come accustomed to.
The user experience of (now) macOS is steadily declining too, but not to the
point yet that Linux looks like an improvement. I'd fancy BSD more, but that
limits the hardware options even further.

~~~
grzm
Cheers.

------
trizic
Quadcore with HT 13inch. With Intel 8th generation CPUs, i5 and i7 will become
quadcore. Now the question is will Apple use i3 or older generation CPUs for
the 13inch or give the 13inch quadcore+ht like the current 15inch.

~~~
thinkythought
I would honestly switch back to a 13 if i could get a real quad core in it.
All my work is purely CPU stuff, so all the GPU does is cook my legs and waste
battery(and some apps that absolutely have no business switching on the dGPU
still do, even years in, and the tray apps that let you restrict this are long
since broken... grrr)

I'm still plugging away on a 2012 rMBP, so i'm a prime customer to pitch this
hypothetical quad 13in model too. I like the size! I don't need the big
screen! I would bite even if this was a BTO or higher end model!

------
billconan
External gpu support for Nvidia

[https://developer.apple.com/development-kit/external-
graphic...](https://developer.apple.com/development-kit/external-graphics/)

Boot camp dual boot option for Linux

Official command line package manager

~~~
kogir
You can already dual boot Linux. Just hold alt when turning on the computer
and select the installation media, set it up to boot with EFI, and use the
same alt trick to select your Linux partition on boot.

~~~
billconan
I have done this myself too. but it's kinda hacky.

For example, linux might not recognize 3 finger gestures. I also don't recall
how it handled the apple/command keys. There might need to be some better
driver support.

------
jbl
I'd really like to see the inverted-T cursor block back... I can almost live
with the low-travel keyboard and actually kind of like the Touch Bar
(especially with iTerm2 support now).

The arrow keys, however, I just can't get used to.

------
cjcampbell
Except for some hardware issues (stuck on my 2013 MBA for 3-5 days), I have
been generally happy with my 2016 MBP. Performance is solid, even for
processor and memory intensive tasks. I attribute this in part to the memory
management improvements to macOS in the past 5 years (without which, 16GB
would be quite horrid). Battery life is generally acceptable as long as I
reboot occasionally. The keyboard is a bit louder than my prior Macbook's, but
I find that I type more accurately. The 15" screen is beautiful, especially
given that I won't need to break my back to lug it around.

32GB RAM option (at price point of current 16GB configuration) Face ID (in
addition to retaining Touch ID) Integrated FIDO U2F Upgradeable SSD (or M.2
expansion slot) Improve battery life by 30 - 40% Don't be cheap ... put the
wall cord back in the box High-speed SD slot

In terms of the Touch Bar, I'm fine with it as long as I have a way to pad
some dead space in the top right (where Siri is by default).

I have a couple of software quibbles as well, including:

Bring back Ctrl-Shift-Power shortcut Enable U2F support in Safari Disable
Touch ID for unlock while continuing to use it for authorizing privileged
actions Integrated Touch ID for sudo

------
kevinherron
\- A slight increase in resolution so that the defaults are once again pixel-
doubled.

\- FaceID

\- 32gb ram, I guess. I'd buy it if available, but if not... meh.

I like the new keyboard. I don't care one way or the other about the touch
bar.

------
QML
After some research for my next anticipated laptop, a lot of people in the Mac
community seem to want a 14" MacBook Pro that combines the portability of the
13" with the power of the 15". Personally, I would like Apple to match the
amount of ports in the lower spec MacBooks as there are in higher spec ones;
seriously, why do the non-touch bar 13" MacBooks have only two thunderbolt
ports while the touch bar model has four!?

~~~
jsjohnst
Because each of those Thunderbolt 3 ports adds significant cost. I guess they
could’ve added two USB-C ports, but that likely would’ve caused major
confusion for customers (the confusion is already bad enough in the USB-C port
form factor imho).

------
subinsebastien
To conclude all

\- Magnetic-USB-C OR Magsafe power connector on both sides

\- Remove touch bar

\- A lot more battery life, even if the MBP is a little more thicker

\- A cutting edge silicon lottery intel processor, ideally Xeon

\- Face ID

\- Super Retina OLED Display

\- Inverted T cursor block (arrow keys)

\- A powerful GPU

\- Multi-boot support for Linux also

\- At least 32GB Ram

\- Fast charging

People like us makes a living out of these machines. We are not here to
"getting used to" all the shit Apple produces.

------
mamcx
The one thing I want from any mac is ALL SSD. And >512GB.

This is the thing that make me consider using a hackintosh. I totally will not
buy a mac without a decently sized _SSD_ disk, hopefully _starting_ at 1TB. I
can live with the rest....

and for the keyboard? I have _never like_ the modern mac keyboard (never used
the old ALPS) so I use a external one.

However, how about put a mechanical at least for the iMac/MacPro?

~~~
twobyfour
The iMac and Mac Pro you're going to be using with an external keyboard
regardless, so you can just swap in whatever keyboard suits you. I for one
don't mind shallow travel keyboards but people who complain about the
keyboards on laptops do so because most of us don't lug an external keyboard
with us to the proverbial coffee shop.

~~~
mamcx
Thats clear, and I agree. But if that is the common case why not build a
better keyboard? Apple take a lot of pride in the interfacing of the
technology, and certainly keyboards and mouses is not part of that vision,
sadly...

------
quantumhobbit
Headphone jack. Escape key. MagSafe charger.

~~~
jacknews
The proprietary chargers were expensive and disintegrate within a couple of
years. Also scavenging the office for someone with the right version, and
wattage of charger when you left yours at home.

No thanks.

USB-C should become a standard, so they'll be ubiquitous, cheap, etc.

If you need a safe cable you can get magnetically-connected USB-C cables.

~~~
apple4ever
No they didn't. I have MagSafe chargers nearly a decade old, and they work
fine still.

Magnetically connected USB-C cables are a poor solution. A dedicated port for
power is still the best option.

------
ashildr
Keep the FN-Keyboard-Version, add Force-Feedback to the Touchbar.

------
aphextron
17 inch >4k retina display (>300PPI) with GTX1070m or better.

------
thecolorblue
User replaceable parts. I had a 2011 MBP that lasted 5 years after a hard
drive upgrade and increased ram. Without this, any MBP life span is limited to
a couple years.

------
twobyfour
A real function key row on the high end models. I'm very hesitant to buy at
all without one.

That and the aforementioned 32GB. Other than that I'm more than happy with my
2012 model.

Edited to add: oh and bring MagSafe back. I forgot about that. Can't count the
number of times it's saved my computer. On the lookout for third party
adapters....

------
dagw
Decent Nvidia GPU (GTX 10xx or equiv.). I want/need to be able to write CUDA
code on my main work machine. I'm also not buying a machine with less than 64
GB of RAM as my main work machine any more.

Without that I cannot justify the price of a MBP, since I'll have to buy a
second machine to complement it.

~~~
aphextron
>I'm also not buying a machine with less than 64 GB of RAM as my main work
machine any more.

Who is offering 64GB laptops right now?

~~~
dagw
Certainly Lenovo, HP and Dell are. Asus and Acer probably have something as
well. Even Clevo/Sager offer some 64GB laptops so everybody who resells Clevo
machines can also offer 64 GB of RAM

------
Jayakumark
Lower end i5 model starting at $999

Higher end model with Option to have OLED display with almost no bezel design
kind of like iPhone X

------
tenzero
Discard the touchbar. Keep the fingerprint reader.

Give a better quality keyboard. Give back a proper escape key.

Quad Core cpu in the 13” model and ideally an actual GPU.

10-20% thicker body for more battery. It’s already thinner than actually adds
value.

Sim slot/radios for LTE data like the iPad.

A mechanical switch/shutter to physically block & electrically disconnect the
camera.

------
lj3
With all of this kvetching over the keyboard, what I'd like to see in the next
version of the Macbook Pro is no keyboard at all. Go the way of Microsoft
Surface Pro and make it a tablet with a full OS, great screen, battery life
and let everybody use the keyboard of their choice.

~~~
twobyfour
Ugh, no. Do that with the MacBook ultraportable, which is basically a
glorified tablet anyway. But not with a workhorse machine for keyboard-driven
occupations like programming.

~~~
lj3
Nope.

~~~
twobyfour
You never take your laptop away from your desk? Why not just use a desktop
computer, then?

And as a programmer, what the heck would you use a touch screen for?

------
qw
I'd like all keys to be a small OLED screen or something similar. This would
make it much easier to customise keyboards, avoid language issues and would
also help with learning shortcuts. (pressing command, would change "C" to a
copy symbol for example)

------
zmmmmm
32GB RAM - absolute must

Standard, full size HDMI - main factor making me hang onto my current one now
is actually this!

------
aeroevan
Coreboot and better Linux support.

I can dream, right?

------
shardinator
Finder app that actually finds stuff

~~~
CharlesW
> _Finder app that actually finds stuff_

I find stuff with Finder. Mind elaborating? (Now I'm paranoid that I'm finding
wrong…)

------
mtw
Nvidia graphic cards

------
juancn
32GB of RAM, an F-function row below the touch bar and a mag safe port next to
the USB-C

------
firelemissiles
Magsafe, my new MacBook have been on the floor already because someone stepped
in the charger.

Fortunately it landed flat down on the bottom, so no damage was done, but I
got a heart attack when it happened..

------
seanwilson
Waterproofing! Drinks near my laptop terrify me. A drop of water in the wrong
place means your expensive work critical computer get its warranty voided and
needs an immediate replacement.

------
NotSammyHagar
These are all obvious fixes. 1\. 32+gb ram, don't be stupid 2\. 2+ usb-c, plus
at least one legacy usb-a 3\. hdmi 4\. either drop touch bar or make it easily
support normal top row buttons

~~~
jsjohnst
Re: #1

Go rant to Intel. It’s their fault they don’t support LP-DDR4 or DDR4L.

~~~
NotSammyHagar
on the ram limitation, other laptops have more than 16 gig, like the lenovo
laptops my company uses for ubuntu dev with 32 gig. so apple could make other
choices. these other laptops work just fine.

------
itake
Water resistance. It would help with cleaning and spills.

------
aklemm
Touch and stylus! I want to be able to touch the screen I do real work on.
Then my tablet can be consume/entertain only.

------
locusm
The 2013 MBP was perfect, regret selling it when thinking the new 16 model
would be reasonably priced.

------
peki
Would like Apple to adopt an OLED screen and use two of the next A11x CPUs in
the macbook pro

------
tmarman
32-64gb RAM. That alone is why I haven't upgraded my now 5+ yr old MacBook
Pro.

------
synicalx
As everyone else has said - ditch the Touch Bar, double the RAM.

Also, crazy suggestion but I think it's a much better solution than jumping on
board the bizarre "everything needs a touchscreen and 48 hinges" bandwagon;
make the trackpad even bigger AND also make it something comparable to a Wacom
tablet - stylus and all.

------
faramarz
Touch screen? I don't have any complaints.

actually, easier way of switching between screen resolutions. I find night
time with my contact on, the highest resolution on my 15" is very hard to
navigate and read; I'd like instant resolution switch-ups or downs

------
apple4ever
MagSafe! Its the biggest reason I haven't upgraded.

------
rand77763
More ram.

------
sliken
Magsafe power cord.

USB and USB-c.

At least a 32GB ram option.

------
nether
nvidia gpu for ML training

