The MacBook Pro 2017 needs to showcase Apple's bleeding edge technology more than just a faster processor like the reported AMD Ryzen or more storage beyond current 16GB of RAM. Early this week, Tim Cook in a shareholders' meeting announced Apple's continuous commitment to the Pro line as one of their priorities albeit there may not be any evidence to show for it.
The latest report now suggests that Apple may be opting for AMD Ryzen particularly the top tier Ryzen 7 1800X, according to PC Advisor. The Cupertino giant is no longer using an ARM processor, which was also speculated to address battery draining issues on the laptop. It is apparent that the newest MacBook Pro 2017 will have the latest and fastest chipset to handle professional workloads demanded by its users. Moreover, the newest Pro laptop will also have a beefier storage far from its measly 16GB of RAM.
With huge specs bump, the MacBook Pro 2017 may have to compromise its current thin and lightweight configuration. Moreover, the Touch Bar will also get more support and not just relegated to a gimmicky move by Apple as it was once thought of during its introduction. The newest feature has actually been well-received by professional users, who clamor for more support, the latest of which will be the announced but not yet implemented Adobe Photoshop.
For many professional users, the MacBook Pro 2017 is long overdue, having had no refresh for quite some time now. The MacBook Pro 2016 was a huge disappointment and had been the recipient of heavy backlash from users, Droid Report has learned. For one its Intel Skylake was not powerful enough since there was no quad core chipset available at the time. When Kaby Lake arrived, there were heavy expectations that the newest iteration of the Pro laptop would finally arrive with the latest chipset from Intel until Ryzen came into the picture.
However, Apple needs to do more than just optimizing speed, memory, and storage for the MacBook Pro 2017 lineup to live up to its name. In the past, high-end devices always have its distinguishing mark that separates it from devices deemed just "good enough" like the GPS feature when it was first introduced. The MacBook Pro then had the extra technology which slowly moved downward to the non-Pro line. Now Pro consumers make do with the MacBook Air and new MacBook with Pro-like features that are already "good enough" as reported by Forbes.
Cook has been very vague about it although consumers have high hopes on his "do more in the Pro area" declaration. For sure, there will be more MacBooks that will continue to sell since Apple has been known for its build quality as well as solid after sales support. However, consumers deserve to have more than just the fastest chips and better storage on the new MacBook Pro 2017 particularly with the current pricing on the laptop. Pro users expect that Cook will deliver on his words and provide a good definition of what the Pro in 2017 will mean and this may most likely be announced during the Apple spring event in April.
