The updated line of MacBook Pro models which Apple recently unveiled featured a lot of new additions and improvements, making the computers definite powerhouses. However, it has received criticism from power users such as creative professionals, largely on certain omissions made on the new laptops.
In an interview with The Independent, Apple SVP for worldwide marketing Philip Schiller discussed some of the decisions made by the company regarding the new MacBook Pro.
According to Schiller, the new MacBook Pro received a level of engineering that was not possible in the past to hurdle the technical challenges presented by its design. In addition, he noted the Touch Bar as the product of Apple's thoughts on what to do next with the notebook.
In one of the more important parts of the interview, Schiller defended Apple's decision to remove the SD card slot for a camera memory card on the new MacBook Pro. He said that the card slot is "cumbersome," and it was a compromise because it forced owners of high-end cameras with XQD cards or CompactFlash to acquire an external reader.
In addition, with many new camera models coming with built-in wireless transfer technology, this method of transferring files is presenting itself as an option.
Photographers might not like Schiller's explanation, particularly because while SD cards are not at all recent technology, they still simply work well. Wireless transfers are not yet at the point of being called reliable or quick, and leading camera companies such as Nikon and Sony will likely not be making quick improvements to the technology just to appease owners of the new MacBook Pro.
Perhaps further infuriating photographers who were looking forward to the new MacBook Pro is that Apple decided to keep the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, which was famously removed from the iPhone 7, as it is important for professionals in the audio field.
When Schiller was asked to describe the response of the public to the new MacBook Pro, he stated that he hopes everyone gets their chance to try the computer for themselves.
"It is a really big step forward and an example of how much we continue to invest in the Mac. We love the Mac and are as committed to it, in both desktops and notebooks, as we ever have been," Schiller said.
It has been said that perhaps the new MacBook Pro would be better received if it was instead named the new MacBook Air, as the computers are both thinner MacBook Pro and faster MacBook Air models.
