Who else doesn't like working on the 2017 macbook pro?

I'm not hating on apple, I am definitely deep in the ecosystem, but at my latest job, I've got a 2017 macbook pro, and as a creative professional - it's just not ideal. Nothing about what differentiates it from the previous models, differentiates it in a useful way for someone like me.

1. The control strip - As a professional, I look at the keyboard almost never. Kb shortcuts are in muscle memory and most of my work is done with quick glance. The control strip tries to be contextual, and provide me options like color swatches in Sketch, or font stylings like bold and text alignment. I would literally have to look away from my screen and my work flow, peer over my finger tips and try to decipher what apple has decided should be my top 6-7 buttons that I'd likely want to press. I never use it. It's easier to just use the contextual UI of whatever program i was using. Worst of all, the buttons I use very often, such as brightness, volume, play, pause, I have to now search for, with a minimum of two gestures, just to adjust my volume, or a clumsy hold and drag that seems to be an afterthought. If I want to quickly pause a tune, I need to expand the digital control buttons and then push. It's just entirely too much work for something that was perfectly easy before. And the escape key, now a touch area, has none of that satisfying smash, where you could easily smash it and switch functions in any creative program. Drawing with a pen tool? Boom, smash the escape. Transform tool? Smash the escape. Using a text box? Smash that escape... except - not anymore. It's more of a dull glassy, padded boop. Also, it has a completely potato resolution relative to every single other apple display. Especially when next to the amazingly crisp and vibrant main display - The lower res makes it look 5-7 years dated. Also - when you dim the keyboard lights - guess what stays lit up. The control strip is a waste of my time and a gimmick at best - belongs on the macbook air, and is definitely not a pro feature. And to boot, pressing the delete key accidentally activates siri far too many times for my comfort.

2. The port situation: 4 USB-C ports. 1 headphone jack. a headphone jack. So if you literally cannot use the same headphones on your iPhone that you use on your computer without an adaptor. Unless they're bluetooth, but that definitely requires some interaction to switch back and forth. Let's see - I can't use any of my old chargers, I can't use any other devices, I can't load an SD card, I can't hook up an HDMI cable - I mean what the hell? I had to drop $79 on a connector that sticks out from the side just so I can use my peripherals. Sure, they're thinking ahead - but I think being too far ahead of the gang is exactly the same as being too far behind. I mean I'd have the same problems if I had a computer that only used serial ports, as I do with this computer that only uses usb-c.

3. Force touch. GAH what a weird and annoying trackpad. I'm drawing stuff, in an app, sketch for instance. I accidentally press too hard, I get a force touch, second click in the track pad - my object stops dragging. Literally ALL. THE. TIME.

4. The new keys. OK admittedly, they're ok when you get into blazing speed typing, but when you're just tapping away at the keys, I miss them, or my fingers slide off, or I end up just having a slippery, error prone experience from the low profile. Sure the click feels nice, but it's not as solid, or pro feeling as my 2016 mbp.

5. Fingerprint Scanner - The one good thing to come out of all of this, I love that thing, I don't have to enter passwords anymore on my computer (except for the first after a shutdown). I love it love it love it. It actually improves my work flow and makes me more efficient.

Nothing about the other things they did makes me better at my job though and that's why I think it does not deserve to be called a macbook pro. I do not think this device is worthy of the "Pro" title except its performance is lightning quick, and it's a beast when I'm hooked up to dual external monitors with my magic mouse (1st gen, the one I don't have to flip upside down to charge, btw), and my keyboard. Also - I love the space gray color of it. So there's that.

I want to request an older laptop from my company and give this one to the new guy coming in. Does anyone else feel this way or have similar experience?

Great design resource

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter) Submitted March 08, 2018 at 05:55AM by sachio222 http://ift.tt/2Fxn1aq