Apple MacBook Pro: Innovation, beauty and a ‘nice finger job’

Apple has finally upgraded the **MacBook Pro** . It’s happened after close to 5 years. At the onset, let me place this on record. I consider it a brilliant piece of innovation. As is the case with a lot of Apple products in the past, many would go on to say how this isn’t innovation at all. All because the concept has existed in some form or the other in the past. But those concepts were visible and available for the whole wide world to explore, try and incorporate into several products. Time to move beyond legacy In a way, I was surprised because I was blind to the function keys on my computer as well. As I said here , my awareness of the technology world was conceived by Microsoft and what Windows had to offer. Yet, Apple comes along. Does something remarkable. The world cringes at having to spend extra for a connector, cable or adapter. And soon enough, everyone’s looking up to Apple. I’ve seen it over and over again. Year after year after year. Talking about the function keys, I was reminded of it obviously from the talk on stage by Phil Schiller – and his narration of the IBM mainframes. We’ve clearly come a long way since the days of multiple racks and mainframes. [caption id=“attachment_344245” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  A guest points to a new MacBook Pro during an Apple media event in Cupertino, California, U.S. October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach - RTX2QRFM[/caption] It’s about the Apple energy For 25 years, Apple has had a cult following. It’s come across as a non-conformist. A maverick. Yes. That’s the word I was looking for. I’m not surprised it named its desktop operating system Mavericks in the past. Think different. Be a maverick. All the same thing. When you’re filled with passion and enthusiasm to soar ahead, you need to be different. And different, Apple is. Apple was the different thing when Microsoft Windows was proliferating. But today, Apple has immense visibility. It has a community of its own that’s very sizeable. Time for change. Yet again. If you followed the demo of the new MacBook Pro, you’d notice the emphasis on the touchbar on the new computer from Apple. And between Craig Federighi and Phil Schiller, they seemed to have a nice time. While taking stage from Schiller, Federighi said, ‘Nice finger job, Phil!’ Yes, that’s what he said. Essentially, there’s a lot you could do with the new touchbar on the MacBook Pro. If you’re a designer who works on Adobe Photoshop, you could now work on fullscreen mode using the touchbar for all controls you’d ever need. That’s what we saw from the demo on stage. A DJ also got the crowd to groove to some catchy beats. All said and done, those were specialists. What about folks like us who sit and browse and type text all day long? For one, Microsoft is set to implement Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as Skype with added functions available on the touchbar. If you use iMessage a lot, then smileys and emoticons will be available to you right from the touchbar. [caption id=“attachment_344243” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, speaks under a graphic of the new MacBook Pro (R) during an Apple media event in Cupertino, California, U.S. October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach - RTX2QR6B[/caption] Then you drool Yes, Apple is an expert at conditioning you into appreciating its product line. It invests time, attention, and emotion in the smallest detail. All those jokes and willingness to sell kidneys to get hold of a device highlights the affinity consumers have for its iconic products. Then you’re hit with reality I think this is the most discomforting part of the whole event. After you’ve read, and have pretty much made a decision to go for it, you hear the price. It’ll cost you over a lakh. That’s always been the case with a MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air which has been a favourite for a long time finds itself on a path to oblivion. Sure, the new products are better, more powerful, slimmer and all that. But the price point at which the MacBook Air was available is now left vacant. Or at least seems to be. Apple purists wouldn’t have a problem with it. But for the rest of the world, that’d mean a lot. That’s how Apple manages to prove – beauty comes with a price.