But its clunky multitasking and lack of a genuine file system makes it difficult to treat the iPad Pro as a genuine notebook replacement. The company's mobile OS was just fine when the iPad was being positioned as more of a consumption device. While there's an aesthetic simplicity to sticking with USB-C, is that really worth making life more difficult for a large segment of your customers?Īpple's emphasis on design over usefulness is exemplified by the iPad Pro, one of the most attractive devices the company has ever made, but also one that's been held back severely by iOS. Meanwhile, Windows PC makers like Dell and Lenovo are crafting sleek machines that somehow manage to fit in those ports. Apple expects you to rely on dongles entirely. There aren't any memory card slots that pro users actually need, and you can forget about HDMI and Ethernet. Instead of making things easier, the Touch Bar is just a constant source of friction.Īnd even though the MacBook Pro is Apple's premium notebook line, the only ports you'll find on it are USB-C and a headphone jack. I'm always double-checking the Touch Bar to make sure I'm hitting the right button there's no way to build up muscle memory like you would with normal keys. Sure, there's potential for a dynamic and contextual menu bar, but in my experience, it only leads to hesitation.

Four years after Apple replaced its function keys with the touchscreen Touch Bar, it still feels like a half-brained feature. And it continues a trend we're seeing from Apple recently: trying to upsell attractive tech that ultimately doesn't do much for users.Ĭonsider the MacBook Pro. From my perspective, as someone who spends way too much time thinking about the relative value of electronics, it seems like a raw deal. It has the sort of elegant modernist design you'd expect from Apple it can smoothly tilt up to 25 degrees, while also holding everything firmly in place and it can even be nudged into portrait mode. Here's the thing: The Pro Display XDR stand seems nice.

Apple pro display xdr stand