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# Why PRO-MacbookPro Users Don’t Mind A Thicker Laptop—Perspectives
- URL: https://therobexperiment.com/blog/why-pro-macbookpro-users-dont-mind-a-thicker-laptop-perspectives/
- Published: 2021-02-09T04:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-02-25T06:37:16.000Z
- Description: The Macbook Pro designs had evolved into a thinner form factor in recent years & massively discounted critical hardware features that had been a keystone in the previous professional line-up. But how far will Apple go before they will actually, really, listen to their users once again?
- Author: TheRobExperiment
- Tags: Perspectives, Product-Perspectives, Product, Apple, Hardware, Laptops, Macbook Pro, PRO Users, Professionals, Thicker Laptop, Thoughts, Users, What Users Want, #Import 2026-08-19 13:32

I have longed planned to do a personal opinion piece about my prior complaints of Apple’s ever-lengthening consistency in delivering a “*nearly-flawed*” system *time-after-time* since *post-2014* when the *newer MacbookPro* was rolled out.

Coupled with the constantly slimming profile, disappearing I/O options and the *widely infamous* [butterfly keyboard](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/butterfly-keyboard-issues/?ref=therobexperiment.com), across recent MacbookPro generations since 2015, the “*one-laptop-setup-for-*macOS-*pro-users”* now seemed like a wilting dream of the past.

Thankfully, Apple realigned itself in Dec 2019 and chose to both: 

1. [Swap out the faulty keyboard design](https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design?ref=therobexperiment.com), and
2. Revamp a new [MacbookPro 16″ (Late-2019)](https://www.apple.com/sg/newsroom/2019/11/apple-introduces-16-inch-macbook-pro-the-worlds-best-pro-notebook/?ref=therobexperiment.com) range to cater to the needs of pro-users like myself.

• • •

## My Little Mac Journey

Being a *self-confessed* Apple fan since I got my first [MacbookPro (Late-2008)](https://www.engadget.com/products/apple/macbook-pro/15-inch/late-2008/?ref=therobexperiment.com) back in Mid-2009, I have grown more attached to Apple’s simple yet highly effective operating system, the macOS (*Previously MacOSX*), as compared to my Windows or Linux experiences.

Since 2009, I have weathered through three [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com) (*Late-2008 / Early-2011 / Mid-2014*) bodies, where each lasted roughly 2–3 years on average, given my constant 24/7 heavy daily use of multiple processor-intensive and RAM-hungry applications.

This, interestingly enough, is significantly-better statistics when compared to my older Windows-alternative laptops, which only lasted a baseline of 1–1½ years each, based on my “*extreme usage*”.

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sgrobert/ghost-therobexperiment-assets/main/2021/04/20200608-Why.PRO-MacBookPro.Users_.Dont_.Mind_.A.Thicker.Laptop-My.Little.Mac_.Journey-01.jpeg)

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sgrobert/ghost-therobexperiment-assets/main/2021/04/20200608-Why.PRO-MacBookPro.Users_.Dont_.Mind_.A.Thicker.Laptop-My.Little.Mac_.Journey-02.jpeg)

****Photo from Google Images**—Macbook Pro 15″ (Late-2008) — My First Setup. Bulky and heavy but covers all the needs of a pro-user.

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sgrobert/ghost-therobexperiment-assets/main/2021/04/20200608-Why.PRO-MacBookPro.Users_.Dont_.Mind_.A.Thicker.Laptop-My.Little.Mac_.Journey-03.jpeg)

****Photo from Google Images**—I can even change my laptop battery, hard-disk, memory sticks or faulty parts myself when necessary.

• • •

## Preview My Recent Fix

Watch as I recently repair my own MacbookPro 15″ Late-2008 broken screen frame in May 2020.

• • •

## Perks Of The Classic Beast

![Colorful MacBook keyboard](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1468436139062-f60a71c5c892?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDkxfHxhcHBsZSUyMGxhcHRvcHxlbnwwfHx8fDE2MTc0MTI3NDY&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Wesson Wang](https://unsplash.com/@wesson?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

For those who did not own [MacbookPros 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com) pre-dating early-2010s, these were *fully-fledged powerhouses* that were **heavier in weight**, **bulky in form-factor,** and were considered *all-rounder-workhorses* that catered to any *work-situational-need* at any one given time.

Here listed below, are some of my current, sorely-missed *signature-features* that were unique and highly-acclaimed to the then [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com), which may have *mostly gone extinct* in 2020:

1. **“*All-In-One*” I/O Connectivity (*Reduced*)** — We once had the ability to connect to generally all standardized I/O peripheral-connectors of its time, such as USB-A ports, Thunderbolt ports, Audio-jacks, an SD-Card slot, and even a Gigabit-Ethernet port amongst others, without a need for any additional dongle or 3rd-party solutions.
2. **MagSafe 2 Innovation (*Expired*)** — Perfectly-designed was the MagSafe 2 port that saved my [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com) from countless accidents flying across the floor and trashing it. This technology relied on a “*subtle-disconnect*” functionality which safely “*breaks-away*” the power-cable when tripped by a passing individual.
3. **Physical Top-Row Media Keys (*Expired*)** — Having the *Mac-only* additional row of shortcut-media keys just made our daily workflows that much faster! — From controlling our screen brightness to managing our media-controls is just simply a *one-tap* away.
4. **“*Anytime*” Battery Indicator (*Expired*)** — An invention that was super-revolutionary at its time, the 8-pin-sized LED battery indicator, coupled with a simple button unit was built physically into the exterior of the laptop and provided an immediate indication to the user on how much remaining charge was left, without a need to boot up the software to do a check.
5. **DIY Repairs Were Possible (*Expired*)** — The [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com) was once a *fully-repairable* machine, where a simple unlatch of an innovative *latch-release*, we could easily access the inner hard-disk or removable battery compartments, and easily swap them out when faulty. Other repairable changes including the RAM memory or other laptop parts were also made possible, as such parts were not welded permanently together back then.

• • •

## Pro-Users = Function > Aesthetics

![JavaScript in progress](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1517694712202-14dd9538aa97?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDc1fHxhcHBsZSUyMGxhcHRvcHxlbnwwfHx8fDE2MTc0MTI3MzU&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Clément Hélardot](https://unsplash.com/@clemhlrdt?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

Pro-users like myself readily-value how much more we can accomplish with lesser input with our hefty [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com). Given that 80–90% of the time, our laptops are typically immobile while we worked, we’ll definitely value how much more time and trouble we’ll save to complete a task than how beautiful our machine looks.

Being honest and practical, the [MacbookPro 15″](https://amzn.to/2T0V1S0?ref=therobexperiment.com) *price tag still surfaces a primary concern* when it comes to our new system purchases, and Apple will **neither win the awards for (A) Most-Value-for-Money-Device nor (B) Most-Affordable-Device**.

However, we do know *definitely-for-sure* that **the build quality is there** and these well-built-systems **usually last beyond years** and outweigh their initial *over-the-top* costs.

Take my current [MacbookPro 15″ (Mid-2014)](https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-retina-15-2014?ref=therobexperiment.com) rig, for example, she’s being *active-non-stop* since the day she was out of her packaging. Still going strong while hitting her 6th-year birthday mark this year in 2020, she is by far, probably my **Last-Best-MacBookPro-Ever-Built** *pre-2015.*

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sgrobert/ghost-therobexperiment-assets/main/2021/04/20200608-Why.PRO-MacBookPro.Users_.Dont_.Mind_.A.Thicker.Laptop-Pro-Users.Function-01.jpeg)

![](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sgrobert/ghost-therobexperiment-assets/main/2021/04/20200608-Why.PRO-MacBookPro.Users_.Dont_.Mind_.A.Thicker.Laptop-Pro-Users.Function-02.png)

****Photo from Google Images**— MacbookPro 15″ (Mid-2014) — My Current Model. Probably one of the better all-rounder I/O-config setups for MacBookPro to date.

• • •

## Moving Forward

![Zebras in the Wild](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1472047773266-19708174ed3a?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fGFuaW1hbHMlMjBtb3Zpbmd8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjE3NDEzMDc4&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Jordi Fernandez](https://unsplash.com/@tambuzi?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

I do believe that many existing MacbookPro pro-users are now breathing a sigh of relief as [Apple finally came around](https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-macbook-pro-16-inch-laptop-bye-bye-butterfly-keyboard/?ref=therobexperiment.com) and released their newly revamped [MacbookPro 16″](https://amzn.to/3h66h9Z?ref=therobexperiment.com) in Dec 2019\. This move has even made many of those who have switched out of the Mac ecosystem previously reconsidered (*Primarily due to the* [*butterfly keyboard*](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/butterfly-keyboard-issues/?ref=therobexperiment.com) *issue*) or have switched back entirely in more recent months, given the more powerful system overhaul.

> There were expectedly slight weight and size gains with the [MacbookPro 16″](https://amzn.to/3h66h9Z?ref=therobexperiment.com), but I personally believe these are minor concerns as compared to the renewed hardware benefits.

No doubt, though things may have changed for the better in 2020, I personally do hope that Apple will continue to “*listen to what their users actually want*” and maintain their current trajectory going forward.

Secretly, I believe many others who are like me, would still wish Apple may re-consider these “*minor upgrades*”, for their near-future version-iterations for the top-end [MacbookPro 16″](https://amzn.to/3h66h9Z?ref=therobexperiment.com):

- **Stop Over-Focusing on Slim-Form-Factor / Weight-Savings** — As mentioned previously, a major bulk of the time, the laptop will highly-likely be sitting by the desk as we deal with our work. Critically, we just want our high-end [MacbookPro 16″](https://amzn.to/3h66h9Z?ref=therobexperiment.com) to be the “*jack-of-all-trades”* for all our daily grind — Either connecting easily to various cable-connections or media-storages or easily crunching off high-intense processing or graphics-heavy processes.
- **Replace the TouchBar with Physical Keys** — The TouchBar simply drains more power and most of us just don’t see a feasible usage of a “*small TouchBar*” — *We would rather you give us a full-sized Touchscreen but we now know that will never be possible*. Bringing back the original physical media keys will just help simplify our experiences, as controlling our media-playback can then be just a simple *one-tap-action* rather than *multiple 2–4 gesturing taps*.
- **Include back the SD-Card Slot** — As more and more portable capturing devices utilize the SD-Card format as memory storage, it would be useful for many of us to carry one lesser dongle to do our media transfers to our [MacbookPro 16″](https://amzn.to/3h66h9Z?ref=therobexperiment.com). Moreover, having an inbuilt SD-Card that is directly linked to the motherboard will inevitably transfer faster as compared to an *external-dongle-device* connection.

• • •

## Wishful Thinking Maybe.

I sincerely hope my wishful-thinking may one-day turn into reality.

Thank you for reading my personal opinion piece and I would love to hear your views if you do share similar views as me!

Cheers! 😉

---

##### This article first appeared in ANDWHATITHINK.COM, named "WHY PRO-MacBookPro Users Don’t Mind A Thicker Laptop" published on 8 Jun 2020, written by Robert Chai. It was reproduced with permission by Robert Chai to his extended coverage view regarding the Apple hardware issue. The article is refreshed with updated links and typo mistakes.