The new MacBook Pro's release has stirred the Internet with a mix of positive and negative reactions. We've seen praising and hating. We've seen reviews claiming faulty ports, cables, and adaptors. We've seen the fancy videos. However, there are still few real-life experience reviews from working pros. Here's one of them. It's quite intriguing.
Thomas Grove Carter, from video cutting studio Trim Editing, had a chance to work with the new MacBook Pro on high-resolution footage. Like many of us, he's been skeptical about the Touch Bar, USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, and other new features. Still, he decided to give it a try in his daily workflow.
The Setup
Although the exact specs of the MacBook Pro are not mentioned, Carter says he's cutting 5K ProRes videos with Final Cut Pro X. He has external Samsung T3 SSDs attached via USB-C and also two 5K external displays. While other users claim the MacBook Pro suffers from Wi-Fi and performance issues, he says working on the machine is "buttery smooth."
He's even incorporated the Touch Bar into his workflow, replacing some keyboard shortcuts, and says the new toy could be very productive. Examples of usage he gives are trimming shortcuts when in the appropriate context and changing between font or color options, etc.
What About the Newest Windows Machines?
Carter claims there's something extraordinary in the software plus hardware combination in the new MacBook Pros, that it completely tear strips off the currently superior spec'd Windows machines. His points out that old software may not utilize the new hardware which may lead to not-so-great performance results.
Conclusion
Honestly, I've been quite disappointed from the new MacBook Pros, but having more reviews from working pros could be of great help to make the right purchase decision. Although the review sounds optimistic, it doesn't give answers as to whether or not other setups would give the same or even better performance. What about other attached devices such as graphic tablets, NAS devices, and different external displays? Using Apple's Final Cut Pro X obviously helped utilize the new hardware to its fullest potential, but what if we use other available video editing applications? Are there issues with Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, or Capture One? What about tethering?
Although I am not yet fully convinced, this review made me slightly more optimistic, and I'm looking forward to more reviews like this one.
[via Huffington Post UK]
Depends on what type of editing they do. I edit video on a laptop but I can't do complex compositing there. So knowing these limitations, one can build a business making videos their laptop can handle.
It's the final product that matters after all.
I do. 99% of my spots are cut and finished on a MBP and/or a iMac.
iMac bought as a temporary stopgap because I wanted a new Mac Pro tower (multiple hard drive bays is ideal for me)... alas, I'm still waiting.
I'm really disapponted in the RAM limit and lack of at least ONE USB-A port. I can get over not having magsafe... and I don't really care about the SD card slot (Cfast 2 would be nice for me!).
I also wonder what's the deal with the lack of a magsafe. Old backup power adapters?
Yes, RAM limit is kind of disappointing.
I wonder how it will work with legacy devices such as USB 3 NAS devices, Wacom tablets, external hard drives, and especially tethering.
Magsafe port was unbreakable.
USB-A and even FW800 was pretty damage-resistant.
All these new, tiny connectors are prone to damage.
Here's what I've damaged (ports and/or cables) in the past few years (mostly from normal use):
- mini displayport/thunderbolt
- USB3 Micro-B (honestly, glad to see this go)
- micro-USB2
- lightning
I'm using a 3rd MagSafe power adaptor now. Guess why.
I meant the magsafe port... I've only had the cables wear out.
Yes, that's true.
I'm a pro photographer and the MBP is my workhorse, second to my camera.
For me this 2016 MacBook Pro is a disaster and this review is a moot point. I had no doubt that it was going to work well with Final Cut. It will probably well work well with Adobe too.
Apple can't dictate to me how I work and what I need.
1.Magsafe was a life saver, and is now gone.
2.The missing physical function keys where great because I could use them without taking my eyes off the screen. The Emoji bar is a gimmick that I have to refocus from screen to keyboard every time I have to use it - does anyone type on iPhone without looking?
3. No SD Card Slot means I have to carry an extra accessory which can get lost, pulled while downloading and corrupt data, etc. Very dumb to exclude it.
4. Same with the extra dongles that I need. If a client gives me a common thumbdrive I have to find a dongle to use it. More things that can get lost, broken stolen. More things I have to buy multiple items of - on the old MBP if a USB port fails, there is another. Now if you loose/forget/ a dongle - you're stuffed.
5. Battery life is not improved as Apple prefers an anorexic fashion laptop instead.
6. The new keyboard with shallow keys (like the MacBook's) is another compromise I don't have to have on my workhorse laptop.
Switching platforms after 20 years is a painful and very reluctant move. But the direction Apple is taking is clear. I have a year to work out a transition, and I just started by switching Apple only software to multi platform ones, and cancelling (the awful anyway) iTunes Match subscription.
I'm not a fanboy anymore and at the end I just need my work done on whatever computer platform can give me the best result for my needs.
It's sad.
I agree with most of your comments even some of them are not issues for me (like the functional keys, SD cards slot, battery life).
I still need to see more real-life reviews as, like you, I'm also considering switching to a different platform.
Function keys are still present on the Touchbar. Just press Fn and they appear like before.
SD Cards are (hate to say it), a thing of the past. Most professional cameras use XQD or CF Cards. Either way you'll need an adapter/reader.
Unless you carry your laptop in hand everywhere you go, then your laptop case will have 1) a charger, 2) an ethernet adapter 3) any of the various, aforementioned dongles needed. You can't expect Apple to fulfill every medium ever made. You know just as well as I do that these guys think ahead, not behind. Need I remind you of the Dell laptops with blinking LEDs all around, and ports galore (parallel, serial, USB, ethernet, etc.).
Not to play devil's advocate here, but I think you'll be just as productive and efficient with this MBP as you've always been. People are naturally resistant to change. This really isn't a big deal until you make it.
Maybe you did not read what I've written.
Re-read my point 2.
SD Cards thing of the past? Just bought a 5D MkIV which will last me 4-5 years. It has an SD card slot. CF Cards I hate because I had bent pins before.
I just am not going to be a blind apologist Apple anymore. This "People are naturally resistant to change." rubs me the wrong way. I don't change for the sake of change and restrict my workflow because some some recluse in Apple's labs decides what the future is.
If I resist change, I won't be changing platforms mate.
Uhmmm... I think CF card are the actual things of the past, not SD. Though CF are usually faster and chunkier in storage (I don't know why are they still trying to improve the big and old CF), SD cards cater more cameras, from entry-level to some professional cameras.
I partly agree with Michael although there are points of disagreement too.
Tino C wanted physical functional keys as it's easy to sense if you've pressed the right one when it goes down. Otherwise you have to take your eyes off the screen and look at the Touch Bar every time you press the "key" there.
Whether CF or SD cards are from the past, iti doesn't matter as we still use relatively modern cameras that use both. I'm used to using a CF card reader, and that's why I agree with Michael's points as it's not a big deal for me.
The bigger deal is the USB legacy devices such as tethering cables, external hard drives, graphic tablets, etc, which all have to come with their own (expensive and bulky) adapter. Of course manufacturers will eventually start making their devices with USB-C cables and people will be forced to buy the new gadget. This makes the purchase of such a machine way too expensive in the near future. I'm OK for the USB-C cables but they could leave 2 legacy USB ones just so that manufacturers could catch up. This would also make their Apple fans happier and make them gladly purchase their new machine. Now the purchase is kind of risky.
case for CF & SD - Last time i have 7d then 5dmk3 and use CF card. i have to carry USB 3 card reader with me. Then a7mk2 with SD card together with rMBP. I'm no longer need to carry usb3 cable + reader anymore.
Just slot in to my rMBP.
btw CF is definitely things of the past. things are going smaller. not bigger.
With New MBP you have to carry card reader DAMN!!
USB type C is another problem for maybe 2 more years. coz no one use it yet.
there are limited C port usb drive and usage on PC yet. just wait for the time when computer have a default C type port.
i think they are just like iPhone, apple dont want to pay any royalty fees to 3.5mm jack and SD reader. thats all about it in the end.
"software plus hardware combination in the new MacBook Pros, that it completely tear strips off the currently superior spec'd Windows machines." sad to say the writer is quite delusional. I have been editing 4.6k DNG raw videos on my 2 year old HP zbook that makes even a mac pro cringe for even simple reasons due to samba limitations.
We need to compare the process on relatively "equal" grounds which could mean, all flies should be on a local hard drive. As I said, I've never touched the new MBP and I'm curious to see more real reviews from actual working pros to be sure if the machine is not fast at all or is really as fast as advertised.
And yes, older MBP's are slower in terms of dolar to performance ratio.
I think we are to selfish in the reviews of PC's, there are other users of computers other than Photographers and Video editors, perhaps this new Mac book is aimed at them.
Yes, it's true. We just want to know if it may get the job done for us :)
And there's nothing wrong about that. They aimed to the pros in the past. Pros expect the same from the new model.
Anyone who uses Final Cut Pro X to edit video is not a pro and is not to be taken seriously. Period.
Yeah, cause the tools you use, and not the end result, is what decides if you should be taken serious or not 🙄
Although you make a good point (the end result IS what counts) FCP X is simply not used a lot, and a majority of professionals considered it a flawed version of FCP 7, and have since moved to Adobe or AVID. Therefore to me this review does not nake a whole lot of sense.
Let's say the guy has been producing lots of low quality videos for a whole week on the new MBP with FCP X.
But hey, that's 2 5K monitors and 5K ProRes footage. Low quality or not he says the performance was excellent.
both of you guys are right. FCP X is not used by any of the working editors in LA right now. But if you can get great results with it, then you deserve respect, like someone who can create amazing photos with low end cameras.
I would agree FCP X is not pro if someone shows me all videos made with FCP X look unprofessional even in the hands of a professional.
I'm sorry for not being elaborate enough in my previous comment, but most professionals agree that Final Cut X is not suitable for professional use. If it suits anyone's purposes I am fine with that, but I think a "hands on" review should reflect a more common "pro workflow", and generally that doesn't have FCP X at it's core. FCP X is generally speaking not used by professionals (whereas FCP 7 was a pro standard, and is still preferred over FCP X by many professionals, which tells you something...), and most pros these days use something other than FCP X. Mostly Adobe Premiere, I guess, when editing on a laptop. So in my opinion a a review with this MacBook Pro and Adobe Premiere would mak a whole lot more sense.
They say they are a professional cutting studio. I guess FCP X works quite well for cutting. They don't mention VFX or sort of. So I think we have to be aware of the details and wait for the next real reviews... I don't doubt this one may be true. However I need more... That's why in the article I wondered what would happen if they use other pieces of software, not just FCP X.
Tthe first machines have to be in the hands of their owners in the next 24 hours.
I use both Premiere and FCPX. I actually really like Final Cut's interface and capabilities. It looks much more consumer friendly, but it has a very modernized workflow. It also runs much smoother on both my machines (Mac Pro and 15"MBP) than Premiere does. That said, most of my workflow is Adobe, so I mainly edit in Premiere.
Well, I'm pretty sure I'm feeding a troll (Simon de Winter has only ever posted this single comment) but just to be clear: Thomas Grove Carters clients are HBO (a Game Of Thrones trailer), Honda, BMW, Audi and Canon, as well as music videos for Jessie J and Major Lazer.
He is a pro.
You guys need to quit your bitching. If you are really a professional then you know that you need to buy extra gear to get your work done and you know you are gonna have a bag with you that holds that gear. I can't believe people are this upset about using some damn adapters.. Seriously. USB-C is the future of all ports and Apple just forced it into the present. It's nothing new. They've done it before. Quit whining and go buy your adapters, then get back to work. It's not the end of the world. Don't like it? Go buy a Windows machine. You will be giving up the fastest SSD speeds on the market, but the choice is always yours.
The onlly problem with adapters for me is the possibility of damaging the machine if the adapter is faulty (as I've read some news about that). The smaller issue is when the adapter or the connected device causes WiFi to stop or the whole machine to lag (also there was news about that). If the machine works fine, I don't really care if I carry an extra adapter. The laptop will start to look like a cinema camera with all those gadgets attached to it. Maybe that's the future of "looking professional" :)
Ugh, (((facepalm)))... The reason people are so furious with Apple is that we used to pay the "Apple Tax" because we needed stuff that "just worked". We would gladly pay extra for something we could just sit down and get our work done on without adapters, virus software, etc.
More and more, Apple stuff doesn't do what we need it to do, but it's still insanely expensive.
But it looks nice
I'm not a professional photographer or videographer, but I can't image using Premiere Pro on a 13 or 15 inch display. I make videos, just amateur stuff, and I have a really big screen to edit from (40 inch 4k).
I just can't imagine anyone editing videos on a 13 inch screen. Are threre really people who use a laptop to edit professional grade videos? Or do they use an external screen?
Just another question, if a lot op people are so disgusted with Apple, why don't you switch to a Windows machine?
Yes, there are professionals that edit on laptops. Nothing wrong with that.
I also have clients who have more expensive cameras than me. Non-professionals very often buy more expensive gear than professionals.
And yes, many consider switching to a Windows machine unless the software they're using is only for Mac. Imagine a Final Cut Pro professional who has all their projects edited there. If they want to go back to an old project they need to run it on the old machine while they're already using something else on Windows.
I am both, though much more heavily a videographer. I use a 15" MBP for editing at home or on the go, but I'm use a Mac Pro with a 27" display at my office. Both have their place. It's a matter of workflow. You can't expect the same experience on a smaller screen, but you can absolutely still edit with it.
I know somebody who doesn't have these kind of problems 😂 he is Lee Morris!
Yeah :)
But on a serious note, the main problem is MBPs are produced just by a single company while Windows laptops are produced by many companies and people have more options. I'm sure we can grab the latest laptop from brand X and say bad things about it. Why almost nobody does this? Because they simply turn to another brand. Unfortunately it's not the case for MBPs...
Yeah I agree and we can say much more bad things about this brand X than a MBP though the lasts windows laptops are getting better and better. This is positive for us because we have much more choice than in the past :)
I'm a pro editor and I edit on a laptop. MBP in the field, desktop PC at at the office. Resolve, Avid, Premiere, AE. Have been needing to upgrade, but will be switching my field laptop to a PC, better RAM and graphics card options...latest MBP offering is overpriced for what you get, and not as good/current as what you can get. I love Apple, been a fanboy for years, but they're driving me to switch. Was on the fence at first too, because I'm not a Windows fan, but I'll still have my old MBP set up at the office/home that I can use for the things that Windows doesn't cover. Mulling a choice between Alienware 15, Razer Blade Pro, or MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro.