Last Updated on 07/31/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
Apple appears to be getting ready to release a new 16-inch MacBook Pro, but photographers and media creators probably expect more than a little extra screen space. (Images used with Creative Commons permission)
Apple MacBook Pro fans may well be in for a treat in the last few months of the year. It appears that the Cupertino based company has placed orders with screen manufacturers for a new 16-inch retina display for what could be a new 16 inch MacBook Pro. While the extra bump in screen size will be helpful, photographers are hoping that a refreshed MacBook Pro will come with a little more than just a thinner bezel. Join us after the break to see what we think a MacBook Pro will need for it to be a photographer and photo editor dream machine.
“I think all MacBook users (not just photographers) can agree that the horrible butterfly styled keyboard needs to be ripped out and set on fire.”
One of the stand-out features of the MacBook Pro is the gorgeous Retina display. It is one of the best screens in the business thanks to its wide color gamut. An article on Digital Trends says that the 16 inch MacBook Pro will feature a slightly larger display, but still have the same overall dimensions of the current MacBook Pro. This means that, for the first time, a MacBook will feature an almost bezel-free design. While this is excellent news, we hope Apple addresses a few other things that photographers and media creators have been crying out for.
Uhhhh, an SD Card Reader?
The most obvious thing we need is more connectivity! Why Apple continues to think it’s okay to give a bare minimum amount of ways to connect devices is beyond me. Please, for the love of Pete, include more USB 3.1 ports, an SD Card reader, and perhaps a few less Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. Yes we know you love Thunderbolt, but come on, most accessories on the market require USB 3.1! MacBook users are tired of having to use hubs, so please include more standard connections on the 16 inch MacBook Pro.
“…using anything other then ultra-fast M.2 MVMe SSDs would be criminal…”
We Need to Talk about That Keyboard
I think all MacBook users (not just photographers) can agree that the horrible butterfly styled keyboard needs to be ripped out and set on fire. Apparently, the new MacBook Pro will see the return of the more traditional scissor-style keyboard. Hallelujah! We also hope Apple decides to ditch the ridiculously slow SSDs that were used in the previous models. Yes, the SSDs were faster than traditional hard drives, but using anything other then ultra-fast M.2 MVMe SSDs would be criminal. These super speedy drives are small (Apple likes to keep things on the svelt side of the line), cheap, and ultra-reliable. We need to move around large amounts of data as photographers, and programs like Lightroom can use any advantage they can get to operate faster.
The GPU
“Apple, please ditch the power-hungry Radeon GPU chipsets that run at stupidly high-temperatures.”
A generous bump in GPU power wouldn’t go amiss either. Apple, please ditch the power-hungry Radeon GPU chipsets that run at stupidly high-temperatures. Yes, AMD Radeon GPU’s are okay, but switching to more power-efficient, NVIDIA based GTX/RTX chipsets with GDDR6 RAM would do wonders for rendering. It would also help increase battery life. There is no doubt that if the Apple 16 inch MacBook Pro is indeed real, it will delight its users. With upgrades like the ones listed above, Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One Pro 12 will sing a beautiful song, and post-processing will become a pleasant, lag-free, stress-free, uplifting experience.