Apple has unveiled a new set of Macbooks that are incredibly thin, come in three different metallic colors, but also only sport a single USB-C port that acts as a dual conduit for data and charging. Here’s a few reasons why DJs eyeing a Mac should hold out for upgrades to the Macbook Pro line and avoid this flashy line of notebooks altogether:
SINGLE PORT FOR EVERYTHING – INCLUDING CHARGING
Welcome to the single port life. Apple has merged all the I/O on the computer into one single USB-C port, which many tech blogs are claiming will become as ubiquitous as the current generation of USB is in the next few years. This port includes power to the laptop itself, so without an $80 dongle (more on that below) you’re limited to one hardware peripheral at a time. Also no USB Type A port (what most computers currently have) means that all of your USB DJ devices and flash drives will require an adapter just to get connected.
NO REDUNDANCY: DONGLES FAIL + GET LOST
Here’s the $79 adapter dongle that you’ll need to buy if you want to split the single USB-C port into more usable subdivisions – USB-C for power, HDMI for external monitors, and a single USB 3.0 port for everything else. So for typical digital DJ, this will mean at least one more layer before plugging into soundcards and controllers – a USB hub. This turns a beautiful laptop into a machine with a mess of dongles and hubs connected to one side – not appealing especially in a DJ booth situation.
This also means there’s zero redundancy – something that no digital DJ should ever want. This style of dongles (specifically DisplayPort and Thunderbolt adapters) is notorious for fraying and eventually failing entirely under normal use. What happens if your only connection to controllers and audio is severed in one swoop, or you leave your dongle at the hotel? There’s no way to even just make do with a single USB 3.0 slot, because there isn’t one. The dongle is not a professional solution and feels fraught with danger for performers.
STORAGE LIMITATIONS
The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any external drive will have to go through the same dongle adapter situation. The default Macbook will come with just 256 GB of storage, upgradable to 512 GB – which are PCIe based and flash, so it’ll be snappy, but anyone with a large DJ library will rapidly find themselves running out of space quickly.
THUNDERBOLT: MISSING IN ACTION
It seems relatively recently that we saw the introduction of Thunderbolt on Apple computers (we first saw it in 2011), but it hasn’t been until the last year or two that hardware manufacturers in the music industry have actually started incorporating the technology into production tools. If this is the sign of things to come, Thunderbolt might become the next Firewire – a technology of the past that almost never had a chance to take off in our industry.
Note that there’s also no Thunderbolt on the adapter dongle – Apple opts for HDMI and USB 3.0 instead.
SKIP THIS ROUND
So the basic conclusion here is that despite the amazing battery life and great design on these new Apple machines, they’re just not suitable for DJ use. It seems like the Pro line will continue to be the best solution for most DJs and producers, which isn’t especially great considering the increased price points of that line. Apple certainly isn’t abandoning their Pro users, but it seems like they’ve figured out where they can make the most money: prosumer Macbooks.
smh.. guess u missed the Sanyo Hyperdrive that turns 1 port into like 5 ports: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=CjwKCAjwoNrMBRB4EiwA_ODYv8Ycq45tcPFOHgUpLAHDCZiieevhlhH_Av818zARM4np4f0yh6-A5BoCHKYQAvD_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1254100
true innovation lol. now I see why the used mb’s go for so much now
apple lol
I have a 12″ Mackbook. Will it work with Serato DJ properly? At the moment sounds keep dropping out. any solution?
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New MacBook […]
Apple’s products are beautiful and the OS is great, that’s about it. But Microsoft are killing it with their new surface devices, and if NI decide to touch-enable Traktor the Surface Pro 4 is IMO a winner. I am going to be getting one as soon as I can to replace my battered 6-year-old laptop.
Honestly don’t see what the fuss is regarding this. I love the look of it, it runs Serato flawlessly, and I’ve gotten totally used to the single port. Sure, I’ll admit a second one would have been handy, but hey, it takes seconds to connect the adapter
I’m quite tempted by own. Of course it’s not the most powerful solution in the studio but it’s still nearly double the performance of what i’m using now according to geekbench. I just would have liked to see 3 usb c ports or 2 the very minimum. When apple puts skylake into these machines I wonder if it will need to include thunderbolt for driving all those 4k displays.
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – DJ TechTools The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – DJ TechTools The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
I’ve done allele research and looks like there will soon be A VERY simple solution for this see link : https://eshop.macsales.com/preorder/OWC-USB-C-Dock/
Disclaimer : I do not work for nor am I affiliated with OWC, on any way. Just fellow Dj and Mac geek.
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – DJ TechTools The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library … […]
[…] DJTechTools & […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – DJ TechTools The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – DJ TechTools The largest community for DJ and producer techniques, tutorials, and tips. Traktor secrets, controller reviews, a massive MIDI mapping library … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – None of the review items seem all that crucial. I use an iMac to produce and an MBAir (replaced MBP to loghten load) to DJ, which seem to fall on the upper … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The New … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
Hey guys so has anyone got themselves the new MacBooks yet?
I am really considering getting one… I mostly play off Rekordbox flash drives in clubs and I own a Nexus setup. I only do a few weddings every now and then via Serato and my DDJ-S1.
Even the 1.1 Ghz MacBook is superior in nearly every performance aspect compared to my 2010 MacBook Pro (i7, SSD, 8Gb Ram…) (Geekbench) and I never have had any problems or anything. I understand the mission of dongles for the USB-C but it is really not the end of the world.
I am going for the 1.2Ghz 512Gb 12″ MacBook
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Why You Won’t Be DJing With The … – The new Apple Macbook also has limited onboard flash storage – and since there likely won’t be USB-C drives out of the gate, we can assume that any … […]
[…] Before going any further it’s important to clarify what MacBook and MacBook Pro models this tutorial applies to. This tutorial applies to 2008 – 2012 MacBook/MacBook Pro models that are using a hard disk drive. These instructions do not apply to the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with Retina Displays. These models by default ship with an SSD, which can be upgraded for more storage but DJs with these models are already benefitting from the performance benefits of an SSD. This tutorial definitely doesn’t apply to the new MacBook that’s not very DJ friendly. […]
[…] Before going any further it’s important to clarify what MacBook and MacBook Pro models this tutorial applies to. This tutorial applies to 2008 – 2012 MacBook/MacBook Pro models that are using a hard disk drive. These instructions do not apply to the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with Retina Displays. These models by default ship with an SSD, which can be upgraded for more storage but DJs with these models are already benefitting from the performance benefits of an SSD. This tutorial definitely doesn’t apply to the new MacBook that’s not very DJ friendly. […]
[…] ???????? ?????? […]
You people don’t get it. It doesn’t matter what Apple does. I mean, iPhone got away w/o having expandable memory or an exchangeable battery for so long that phones that did have the cheap memory expansion option, removed it. Android had Google Pay for a while. Only when Apple Pay comes out, do stores rush to equip themselves.
I would like 3 usbs, 1 firewire 800, 1 HDMI, 1 Ethernet, 1 minijack audio In, 1 minijack audio Out, 1 Power plug
Well, this does not make sense. I don’t like the Retina MacBook, but I dislike this more than that. I prefer to use Windows-based PCs. The MacBook Pros before the Retina came out are much better and have upgradable memory and hard disks. For me, an optical drive is a must.
Apple simply has started to be the same as BEFORE Intel processors.
Nothing less, nothing more.
THIS is the REAL Apple, NOT the Apple that permit to change RAM, HDD and more.
This is the REAL difference about Mac AND PC.
That’s all, folks.
[…] Read the article here HERE […]
C’mon guys… we live in an age of wireless connectivity. You wouldn’t believe the setup I’ve got with my pro.
You cannot charge the battery and plug a USB at the same time……… UOU
one or the other.
This is apples version of the netbook…. This isn’t designed for anything more than a beginner level computer user or someone on the go who doesn’t need anything extra. It’s a good way to keep people from abusing work computers. Cannot knock apple for it as long as the price tag isn’t outrageous.
In a nutshell.
I use a relatively good laptop but the true gem of my OS is Faronics Deepfreeze. After almost 3 years my startup is as it was the first day. Every program opens in a blink and if I get any virus or whatever, I just shut down and startup again, clean…:)
Unbelievable bullshit. This was never meant to be a pro laptop! Yes, not for DJs, designers, architects, musicians. Get a MBP for all the ports and pro needs. Jesus, people whats wrong with you? Are you complaining about iPad not having 5 USB ports as well?
Not so much ports and storage but that CPU.
[…] Repost: djtechtools […]
What if this is just an update to the old MacBook line (previously white macbooks) and a new pro will be coming out soon? PS, I don’t have the latest Pro but I have been able to change my battery, install 2 drives and max out the RAM with no issue whatsoever. Granted you can’t upgrade the RAM so easily on the latest model.
Hello, it seems that everything I read here is not so right. I’m really not a windows user, too bad experiences but Linux and Mac user ????
They only reintroduce Mac book model stopped few year ago.
So we need a professional machine then still on MBP or MBA with two sub ports and a power port… Not yet modified.
I’m also agree with users who spoke about Linux machine… It could be great to get great software and drivers for those machine.
Bye
It’s sort of funny since few people jumped on the FireWire 400 bandwagon, even fewer onto FireWire 800 and it seems even less for thunderbolt.
Now yet another form factor plug?
FireWire 400 at least fit in the slot firmly and you could visually see the orientation even in dim light less so for USB and FireWire 800.
At least lightning allows for easy insertion , but I ahve seeno the tips snap off of those ridiculously easily, making it IMHO. A poor connector.
Angelina Jolie is too thin, frankly everything in the apple product line is also pushing the limit of unhealthy thinness. My iPhone 6 plus bends, my iPad air 2 bent, and I can assure you that the new Macbook screen will also bend
So I had to t a thick protective hidden credit card holder case on my iPhone 6 plus before bent it. Adding thickness and bulk. I will use the new CENTRANCE SKYN which can even do double rate DSD AND ALL HIGH Rez files…and I think that might be a reasonable alternative to USB for music as you can share your library’s across devices..
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hifi-skyn-iphone-case-made-for-music/a2b2/9530840
It also doubles my battery life and makes it less likely to damage.
You could also share files through your iPad and use the camera connection kit to attach a separate drive. You can also use a Seagate golflex wifi drive and share files. As for me…I’m sticking with my 15 inch retina Macbook pro..though I do miss my old 17″ MacBook pro with the anti reflective screen… Sigh.. It’s like a technology tax time…. I mean, no one running a Urei1620 and a set of technics has to replace anything other than carts every so often. I am getting sick of having to shell out so much cash just to stay. Current. Analog DJs who bought 1200 s and a decent mixer could spend everything on more PA gear.
The thing everyone seems to be missing: next gen mixers/other audio hardware will charge your laptop while it is plugged in—using only one cable!
None of the review items seem all that crucial. I use an iMac to produce and an MBAir (replaced MBP to loghten load) to DJ, which seem to fall on the upper and lower end of the specs for the new MacBook. Aside from the dongle, which really isn’t so bad considering I’ve never have enough ports on any laptop anyway (maybe you found the 6 port jammie;). I don’t love everything Apple has done, happy they forced me out of logic and on to ableton…but I’d have to disagree with the “not for djs” and wait on pricing to see if it fits in my workflow for the price…etc. You know it will be tuff as nails, reliable, crisp, and fast, compatible with lots of stuff…sooooo….jury’s out I suppose;)
windows 8.1 isn’t bad for djing, I used windows 8.1 for djing on my radio show and it never gave me problems. Also ubuntu with mixxx is quite a stable djing system considering it’s an open source. The only few things mixxx have is that you need to map manually the device if it is not supported and it lacks from effects because there is only a flanger. In such case I suggest the use an external sound card in conjunction with a mixer that have send and return. Apple by time is getting worst. So I don’t suggest to stick with apple.
[…] As a result a lot of people will not be buying this laptop, especially DJs. […]
they still make the Pro in 13 and 15 and are planning to make a new model, the current one had 2 usb and 2 thunderbolt ports, so thats pretty good. Apple is a company that has always catered to the common businessman and industry professionals alike. Read this article. http://djworx.com/no-apple-did-not-just-turn-its-back-on-djs/
They did the same thing with the iMac, but it was a success. See computers are not about tech anymore, they are about Fashin Fads. An overall estrogen and gay men run industry. Tim Cook and Steve Jobs. Going at it.
This about sums it up… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHZ8ek-6ccc
[…] ???????????????????????????????????DJ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????8??????????????MacBook?????????????????????????????? […]
[…] ???????????????????????????????????DJ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????8??????????????MacBook?????????????????????????????? […]
Meh.. Still happy with my Mac Mini 2012… Specwise just as good if not better than MBPs.
This looks like apple’s answer to the Microsoft surface. Small and portable without many ports. Like typical apple, they restrict more things than Microsoft, and put their own spin on things. I’m kind of disappointed, because I was hoping for a tablet that ran OSX, but I also knew it was a pipe dream.
[…] una buena experiencia de Apple en una computadora muy liviana y portable, pero al parecer, Apple no tiene pensado cuál es el público que compra sus […]
https://youtu.be/KHZ8ek-6ccc
I’m tempted to get one of the new uprated 13″ Macbook Airs (now 1.6ghz) even though they don’t have the retina display. I’d much prefer this to the extra weight of a Pro, but are they ok for DJing with ?
Ok, hold on a second. This description of “the new MacBook” is for the (bottom of the product line) MacBook, not the MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro. How hard is it for people to go to Apple.com to look at the new models?
Just so you guys and gals know, the USB 3.1 spec will not allow you to charge the laptop while having other devices connected by dongle.
So… get a more expensive model?
You forgot to mention an important feature :the Apple logo is not enlightened anymore … which is not practical for showing off.
[…] ??:DJTECHTOOLS […]
That war PC-Mac is just ridiculous, So much disinformation here. You get what you pay for. I have both A good PC laptop is 2 grand, so is a Mac, A good XEON based multicore work station is 5 grand regardless if it’s apple or PC anybody that tells you that he can built it for half the price is lying. I use both, they’re the same price. I like both for different reasons. Of course you can get a pc for 400$ but it’s worth exactly that.
[…] DJ Tech Tools (FYI, DJ Tech Tools is a blog about tech tools for DJs) brought up a very good point about […]
[…] [Via DJ Tech Tools] […]
imo the mac book was always a consumer model, this IS a mac book. i feel like everyone is over looking that. if you want to do the big boy shit get a macbook pro.
Or you can buy the macbook pro, that are still Available, or do you use a macbook air for djing?
I don’t have a dog in in this fight (being a Windows user) but the New 13″ MBP is the machine to go for if you want lightweight portability, Power, Speed , Etc. and still be usable for Music. It’s in the same price range as the the Netboo..MacBook. The new Golden Netboo..MacBook is for people who have a lot of disposable income who want the rock solid design and build that Apple is known for. They may only use Office occasionally and mostly use it for Mail and Netflix but Oh lord they want it to be lightweight and hassle free, and with non detachable keyboard, (because that really is what you are paying for). Sure the $227.00 HP Stream 13 will do ALL that and looks super-cute (So says my 13 year old Daughter) and is light too. Frankly I think Apple will sell a ton of them. Just not to Music/Video Production Types…
P.S. OK couldn’t resist but yeah a MS Surface STILL blows it and the AIR away. But if you are shopping for Apple then Whelp, this is what you get.
I agree with everything but the storage issue. I’ve found that unless downloading a ton of movies, 500gb is more than adequate. even if not, you don’t need your whole collection to dj. everyone is reaching a point where they are leaving the laptop for USB solutions anyway. so maybe this is what’s needed for Engine and Rekorderbox to get their crap together
Gotta love Pioneer. They solved the laptop debate for all DJs with the new XDJ-RX. No computer required. Bye Apple.
Until yours rekordbox nightmares start coming true;). In good fun…Rekordbox, WOW;)
Agree with the article although it has some facts wrong – the 13? pro were also updated and LaCie have announced a line of USB-C hard drives.
Cool, not like I need a new one, but I use LaCie raids, so when all the lines use this C port, good to know ill likely keep Rollin…
I use an old FW800 sound card, so have to use a dongle on my rMBP anyway. Probably not the best setup but I haven’t suffered a failure yet.
I am glad that apple is still smart enough to sell macbook pros
The main reason why I don’t have anything apple; It’s impossible to upgrade the hardware.
Apple brags about how the macbook has the latest wireless and bluetooth, well i have wireless AC dual band bluetooth. On my three year old pc laptop, and it only cost $30 and a trip to a computer store.
Macbook has no cd drive. I don’t either, but I have two hard drives, and one of them is a ssd. A little bit over a terabyte.
My computer came with 4gb of RAM, but since it’s a pc it comes with two slots. now it’s 8gb, exactly the same as the new macbook.
What I’m trying to say is that to me, living in a pc world, computers are great because they can be upgraded and MADE current instead of having to buy a whole new one every year or two to get all the new hardware. Plus I’ve spent about $1,300 total on my PC and it runs great even after 3 years. At least for me apple products are way too expensive for how little they can be upgraded.
In conclusion, PC good, Mac good, but way too limiting and expensive.
I don’t know about DJs, but Apples haven’t been for musicians in ages. I quit using them years ago when I got sick and tired of everything I bought becoming obsolete and unusable in 6 months. Not to mention the completely locked down ecosystem that gives you no freedom whatsoever, far far less software options, far less plugin support, far less graphics options, and 2 to 3 times more expensive than PCs with equal or better system specs. I think many people buy macs these days because they are more of a status symbol, and they want to sit at their local coffee shop sporting the glowing apple like a designer handbag.
[…] instance, I think DJ Tech Tools is way off the mark at least in regards to Thunderbolt. (I agree with everything else Dan White says – there are […]
I don’t see the issue here, why would you even want to DJ with that? do they have to do all their laptops with dj in mind? They still sell other laptops don’t they?
[…] Con información de djtechtools.com […]
Why does this have to bring back the age old Mac vs PC argument xD. They both work its just one requires a little more time and effort. Inside the computers they are both the same hardware. A CPU, motherboard and screen. Its the way you use the OS and software that makes the DJ. Ive DJ’d with both and they both work fine. Mac is just a little simpler to use but definitely not faster. Its the same just looks better. Its for people who have money to burn and dont mind spending an extra grand on a computer. The fact of the matter is that they both work the same. Deal with it Mac lovers and PC lovers. You guys are the same computers xD
oh god, do yourself a favor and get out of the writing business. This is the most ridiculous, superficial criticism I’ve seen of the new MacBook Pro yet. You’re biggest concern is that you might forget the dongle in your hotel. Well you also might forget your charger. Professional photographers and videographers may be unable to take operate their cameras if they forget their memory cards. The “pro” in professional means you don’t forget your dongle.
>So for typical digital DJ, this will mean at least one more layer before plugging into soundcards and controllers – a USB hub.
So what?
>This turns a beautiful laptop into a machine with a mess of dongles and hubs connected
Oh, OK. Aesthetic reasons. Not exactly a show stopper.
I predict you are wrong and countless DJs, who are more resilient than you, will learn to adapt.
This is just the MacBook, not the Air or Pro models.
thanks, but the new MacBook Pro 13″ is so thin huh? wonder why they didn’t just replace with the MacAir with this new MacBook
I think the air has slightly less specs…but I use and MBA all the time to run Serato, works like a charm…so if you get past the dongle my guess is this is just fine if you like the Mac os etc…
Good points Dan. But damn does that thing look sexy. Apple’s design team are still the best in the world after all these years. One day they will lose their crown, but not today.
DING! DING!
Mac vs PC
FIGHT!!!
I’m so happy to be a PC. Everyone, including my friends and own brother, always tell me that Apple is the great power elite that can do no wrong. They tell me they are the best and when I say “Why?” The answer is usually… “They just are.”
Oh and “They don’t get viruses.”
Why last year i had to be able to Dj with a Traktor S4 and an “only one port” Ipad, and this year i cant with an a one port Macbook?
Sorry Mac, you just aren’t worth the money.
Q: You know what’s the difference between mac and pc?
A: About 1000 bucks XD
at least they were nice enough to include a headphone jack bwahaha. It doesn’t even have touchscreen, what a joke.
I am a Windows user, but Apple is a think tank of technoconsumerism(my word patent pending).
Apple gives people the finished result, but not at a low price and with a locked (sandboxed) system. Although certain applications are making things easier.
Windows could do the same but chooses to give an option of less at a more reasonable introduction. And more comes at sometimes even higher prices than Apple. Not to mention business networking and other solutions (linux for example).
Get what suits you, if all you need is a one port stylish Mac, cool.
But don’t forget there is a price and a use for all the many types of computers and devices out there.
The person who buys this new Mac (my guess) probably has a computer just as good or better. Otherwise it will be a choice of price and they will get a cheaper intro pc.
I believe that in very short order, hubs will appear that provide power, plus have a bunch of older style connectors. I do not believe that the port will become unusable due to wear and tear because this is the port that delivers power to the computer and Apple will have certainly done their testing and due diligence to ensure that it will last through daily use. Redundancy can be established with more hubs. I do agree that the lack of thunderbolt, a technology that Apple brought to us, is missing, but it’s not the first time this has happened. When you consider a design for the future, you have to take away all preconceptions and reimagine what will be important and what won’t be. Perhaps we will start seeing wireless controllers connected via bluetooth.
Pff, this again. this is not a post about “Windows vs. Apple”. Remember the day when they released the MBA, NOBODY would every buy it because it had no dvd drive. Same thing. Now the majority has a macbook air. I hate usb ports. They have never been stable for me on sound cards. Firewire and Thunderbolt cards are the way to go. Buy what fits your needs. This Macbook does not fit the dj-business. However, a fanless computer with no moving parts is something I’d want in my recording studio. However my retina mbp almost never hits the fans while recording eighter.
You forgot to mention the terrible 1.2Ghz dual-core CPU…
Wait!!!! there is no comparison between Apple & Windows operating system (Macbook Pro) !!!! The Macbook pro Laptop is the best for audio and video applications also works better for day to day handling and virus free (to an extent) there is to much going on with windows and it’s virus, spyware, etc problems! those who say windows is better clearly are not on the norm of technology or afraid to try a Macbook pro!!!. it’s features are smooth, quick and simple. Try it for a change as i have both systems and clearly the Macbook Pro and OS X is the best!!!.
In 20 years of using PC, only a minor problem with a virus. The Mac also have virus. There is no foolproof system. All computers have their ups and downs.
Except my Studio Machine built myself, has twice the specs, cost half the price as the top Mac Desktop…
I dont have issues with viruses, I dont have blue screens, I take care of my equipment.
OSX is clearly there for people who don’t know how to take care of their crap, be mindful of what you download etc etc
Why dont apple users have to many issues with viruses? Because you are the minority, and hackers dont find it fun to mess with the minority of computer users, that serves no purposes for themselves.
But you know, it does run on *nix and when they do feel you guys are taking up a larger share of the market, they are going to be able to bork your OS much harder than Windows.
But keep on safely viewing your porn and downloading torrents as some kind of measuring stick of how much better that platform is… regardless if everything of theirs costs 1 to 7 thousand dollars more (Yes their Desktop Pro cost 7 grand more than the desktop I built… even though it has less cores, less ram, less storage etc etc etc)
I still use my Macbook Pro 17″ for both SeratoDJ, Traktor, and many other apps. I love my screen real estate. I don’t think I would want to go smaller or at least not smaller than 15″ – for that just juice up the iPad and make it 12″ and I’ll use it.
Guys give Apple a chance, they are the best at what they do and maybe they might make a laptop specifically designed for the dj!!!
My thing with Apple and why I love their products is that they all integrate unbelievably well and are guaranteed to have a solid build quality and will last for a VERY long time. I have several friends who have 5-10 year old MacBooks that still run great! Now that being said, I think this new one is a poorly designed product, and seems to be more like an iPad with lots of memory. The colors are sick as you-know-what though!
[…] instance, I think DJ Tech Tools is way off the mark. “Thunderbolt might become the next Firewire” – wait a minute. FireWire’s […]
This is the Apple equivalent of a Netbook….. and those were never meant for heavy duty tasks. Portable browsing, that is about it. Who would want a 12″ display while DJing?
Sources please?! This article has to be fake this is the most stupjd thing I’ve ever read about Apple.
https://www.apple.com/macbook/
Good, so there will be less iCunts and more DJ’s 🙂
I believe that Apple has never designed a laptop specifically for music, remember that 15-20 years ago when more of them was designed for of design industry and video editing. May be they already want to reinvent the usb at will … Because they know that everyone wants a Mac and if they reinvent usb all the companies can be affected by others from a simple usb flash drive even the most sophisticated system dj. For example every one how have a Mac they need to change the printer… if u have a dj controller u need to change for the new one… at the end… its all about the money…!!!
Let’s just wait for the next Macbook Pro, I’m sure it’ll have a few more ports, even if they are all USB-C. And I bet new USB-C accessories will be much more affordable than Thunderbolt currently is, so that’s a good thing too.
Go to GNU/Linux – a freed OS – as free as in freedom. Not jailed to any hardware.
well, at least now NI, akai, pioneer, etc, have a good reason to start to work on portable all-in-one solutions that don’t require laptops.
stand-alone maschine, traktor, etc…. we have the technology (those can run on cheap smartphone hardware), and why not… maybe we’ll have standalone hardware for full live sets (like it actually existed in the 90S and early 00s)
seems to me even the current generation of macbook pro, arent really geared towards professionals since they only include 2 usb ports. they are gearing more towards professional facebookers than artists…
It’s a great fortune for new brands …
But seriously, why do u need a laptop if u are on CDJs?
This one’s best, u can use the wheel for scratching and jogging directly, LOL!
Just get a Lenovo thinkpad, it works great, is even more solid build than a macbook, and is not that heavy and bulky anymore. I got an S440 wich works great, has 2 usb ports (one for the hd, one for the controller) and it’s rock solid. Also, windows 7 or 8 are very stable with serato in my experience (i used to work on a lenovo T520 before, also with no problems)
Never mind the fact they also only have a dual core processor that runs at speeds slower than my girlfriends MacBook air.
Well for me going for Mac when producing music was the ease of getting zero-latency playback straight out of the box. And Logic which was made Apple exclusive. For a student it was an easy decision, so I got a basic setup with a laptop and a midi-keyboard. Got bored of trying to use ASIO wannabe-drivers from some russian guy. (worked well at the time though. props for that dude)
lol you guys started a war hahahaha
[…] —->CLICK <—-WHY YOU WON’T BE DJING W/The New MACBOOK […]
right, for all those on opposite sides of the fence. the reality is, i don’t want a fucking adapter just so i can plug in my stuff. a laptop is usually praised for its connectivity, yet here we are debating whether we should praise a complete lack of it, just because its apple.
What happens when your stupid adapter gets lost or broken? or worse, your overused usb c port gets worn out?
then what?
This ^
i just don`t get it , I play with windows HP Laptop for years , and I mean , like every weekend as i have residency and playing in various clubs , with traktor timecode / cds and vinyl , sometimes only with 2X kontrol x1 and it works every time , and guess what ? i7m using that computer for every day computing , i was about to get a mac, but than i said to myself … why ?
[…] 54 Comments […]
list of things that are not suitable for making music as a DJ:
-calculator
-tea kettle
-car keys
Bla bla bla… It’s MacBook. Last time I hear they still sell MacBook Pros. You want a Mac on Gold? Is that it? Get a gold cover! By the way, the multiport adapter allows you to connect to a USB device while also being connected to a SUB-C power adapter. So are are getting power to the MacBook while being connected to a USB-A device. I don’t see wha the fuzz is about. 90% of Djs use only one USB port to dj and those who use a lot of MIDI controllers have some kind of hub already. Is the ideal Macbook for dis? Not really. Can it be use for Djing? Absolutely!
There are workarounds for sure, but this is a clear oversight of a product if it’s meant to replace the Pro line. It’s more a replacement for the Air, which is fair – this IS absolutely a netbook, little more. The specs on a lot of PHONES these days are much better than this, except internal storage.
To respond to other comments below about the USB port, I use one with mostly success, but there are quirks, and the point is that it’s an extra piece of gear, plus a dongle, that you now have to carry, so that negates and millimeter of a benefit of storage.
I’ve found, in general, Apple to be making some pretty short-sighted moves in terms of adding a TINY bit of form/sleekness at HUGE cost of functionality. How hard would it have been to include 1-2 USB ports in addition to the USB-C? Is there a single person in the world who would not buy it that way, compared with it’s current version? Anyone who would seriously take .01 millimeter thinness over that functionality?
This matter would have been over, and all of us a lot more quiet, if this had been billed as the Air replacement, even though it’s not even good at that.
[…] DJTechTools & […]
How are we going to run Tracktor on 1 USB port? Prob jump to rekord box
Play vinyl like a real dj
Ride a horse like a real pioneer, the truth is there is no false DJ’s only different ways to DJ,although some DJ’s are better no matters the gear, like some people are better then others at riding horses, Only thing I might be good a riding is something that rims with horse.
So basically it’s a Google Chromebook, for 7 times the price. It may be suitable for “normal” people that are always connected to wifi and have never plugged anything into USB like a thumb drive or external hard drive.
Apple downgraded the performance considerably compared to the macbook air in order to lose the cooling fans. The processor clocks at 1.1 GHz, compared to 1.6 on the air and 2.7 on the pro.
This article very accurately identifies the fact that Apple dongles are useless garbage. Even if you did bring a pile of adapters and USB hubs with you and it somehow all plugged in and worked for a while, you would have latency issues.
Moral of the story: Buy an HP chromebook, put an apple sticker on it, and save $1,100. This computer is just as useless as the new Apple watch.
Not vouching for Apple, but lots of people get all bent about processors these days and are mistakenly wrong about the power these days behind Intel’s latest generation of processing technology. Don’t be confused about the processor initial speed. That 1.1ghz Intel Core M can clock up to 2.4GHZ, but only when need which causes a less battery consuming and more efficient processor.
Being able to run UP TO 2.4 in Turbo Boost and consistently being ablet o run at 2.4 are two very different things.
and yet core audio is still suppierior to ASIO in many ways and in reality you don’t need much to power to play audio files. a dual core 2 duo is more than sufficient to play back and filter multiple audio files. DJ in PC , it’s cheaper, and who stick to the core when processing large audio/video files. the right tool for the job. my hands down reliable dj machine is over 15 years old and gets the job done every time. In the studio mac still wins every time
also. cheap consumer shit is not intended for pros. just saying, if you make a living, or are even getting paid then don’t buy toys
“and yet core audio is still suppierior to ASIO in many ways”
What ways are those? Just curious.
Aggregate Devices.
Apple abandoned their pro users years ago when they dropped the 17″ laptop, made the battery inaccessible, soldered the memory to the motherboard, and made the hard drives hard to swap out or upgrade (not to mention actually abandoning their “Pro” line of applications).
exactly
what blows my mind entirely is that any other company taking such crappy commercial decissions would go almost bankrupt in short time.. Apple seems to get away with any kind of shit they come up with..
Because the blind fanboys believe anything they say, eventually people will wake up and this crap won’t fly anymore. I haven’t bought a Mac for 4 years and I’d like to still keep a MBP next to my PCs but they keep taking away things instead of adding, so I don’t see another mac in my future because of it unless they change.
Apple laptops WORK. Recent Consumers Report survey found that Apple laptops had 3% that needed to go in for repairs in the first year, compared to as much as a 16% failure rate for several other brands.
3% at less than 10% of the market. That 3% would go up with a larger market share. It is proven the only 5% to 10% of people will take the time to complain or review a product. I have both Mac and PCs. Macs have failed just as much as PCs.
Wrong.
Learn how 6th grade math works. The percentages don’t change.
They’re only succeeding right now because windows has always been so terrible and 95% of PCs are plastic pieces of garbage. If someone would make a nice interface on top of Linux and put it into a well built box they could easily give apple some competition. Then maybe we would see a lowering in price rather than a bunch of change that no one but apple wants.
If only the linux issue was so easy… The problem is certainly not stability, as 80% of linux servers on the internet demostrate everyday, nor usability (many modern linux distributions are really usable).
The main problem is with the software. Big companies won’t even dream of porting their main apps to a market which they perceive won’t give any money back.. certainly not the case with me, I would gladly pay for audio software ported to linux if it does the job professionally (and if I can afford it, of course..). And I believe the same would be true for many audio/video pros & enthusiasts..
don’t forget Android. my guess is that it will take the jump upwards to directly compete with Windows and Mac OS very soon…Linux will be left in the dust. and look at all the apps for Android already.
FYI: Android runs on the Linux Kernel.
Linux is not a competitor in the desktop OS market (speaking as a system software engineer who develops for Linux) – it’s far too fragmented and complicated for the average user.
But it doesn’t matter, it was never meant to be an off the shelf desktop OS. It’s built for servers and workstations, and it’s been the most successful open source project ever in those regards.
GNU has always been meant to be a general-purpose OS. How well it succeeds is another question.
What is android? Isn’t it a distro of linux. Google does not want that to be publize.
The only time I use anything except linux is when I absolutely have to because of software or hardware.
Agreed. I’m hoping that Valve’s adoption of Linux for their Steam Machine brings its usage to a critical mass. With Bitwig and Reaper being released for Linux, hardware driver support is the only barrier for me moving over.
Decent DJ software for GNU/Linux already exists. It’s called Mixxx: http://mixxx.org/ Admittedly it doesn’t have everything that Traktor and Serato have, but because it is free (as in freedom) software it lacks the arbitrary limitations that those have (like refusing to work with unofficial hardware).
I have had a mostly trouble free life with PCs. Only when going cheap or used have I had an issue. Even then I could solve most problems myself.
Same here. I’ve always had Windows PCs/Notebooks since 1999 and never had any serious issues. The only problems were due to the fact that I bought really cheap, plasticky computers because I thought I could “save some money” (which on the contrary I had to put in even more money to get everything back to work). I really don’t understand how Apple could even consider releasing such a piece of garbage. As always, they will get away with it and people will still buy it, but it’s a shame how this company sacrifices some basic user’s needs just for the looks. Also, who in their right mind would spend such a sh*t load of money for it???
It’s a DESIGNER product, just like you get sneaker shoes from Prada, at 800 $. And yes, there is a crowd to buy that… See their digital watch ?
Same. I build my PCs so, they’re definitely NOT, pieces of plastic garbage.
The problem is that many DJ/producers might also want to produce in between shows, and might not immediately jump to bitwig. I like logic, so apple has kind of trapped me
I just published the first version of a GNU/Linux distro for DJs to put on USB drives called Crossfade. Get it here:
http://mixxx.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7031http://mixxx.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7031
Plug a USB drive with it into OS X or Windows and it will look just like a normal USB drive that you can put music on. When you shut down then boot from the USB drive, that music will automatically show up in Mixxx. It is mainly intended as a backup system that can be used on any computer, but it is also a great way for anyone to try Mixxx on GNU/Linux without having to mess with their own computer.
Sure, Mixxx doesn’t have feature parity with Traktor or Serato yet, but it’s free (as in freedom) software. Something like Crossfade would be pretty much impossible with proprietary software.
i’m a windows guy through and through, but this.if only linux had the right programs available on it, and a unified installer. linux would be a far better solution for pro audio, the os could be designed specifically for midi and audio real time ness. it would be awesome
Yes. But I bet both Mac and Microsoft got OS that serve as spies, for the USA, OF COURSE… Hence, even a decent OS under Linux would work perfect, you can’t enter the pit without been granted by the Pentagon…
Coming to a store new you in the near future.
There is a new Daw almost like ableton live called Bitwig Studio developing for Linux, windows and osx. They have seen the potential of linux which will be the future of computing.
A lot so schools are moving towards linux. All France schools are now running linux. Can’t beat free if it is better than the paid one.
And now they’re going to sue you.
that’s because they are not really crappy decisions. Trying to please everyone is a crappy strategy. Strategy is as much about what you don’t do as it is about what you choose to do.
You don’t have to “please” everyone. What you should do is keep what works and either improve on it or, leave it as is. As the saying goes, “Don’t fix what ain’t broke.”
That philosophy is the exact opposite of what Apple does. They try to be “cutting” edge but alienate their users that KNOW what they can do with a Mac. Apple has gone main stream leaving people in the dust who loved and really knew how to use a Mac to it’s fullest, for the majority of sheeple, posers and those who have drank the kool aide and have no idea why they should actually own a Mac except for the status of “owning a Mac.”
Al off that sir, is a poor business decision.
Read “Understanding Michael Porter*. Apple could also make super computers. Why not? There is some demand for them. They could also make pressure sensitive tablets for artists? Why not, some there is a market for them. They could also make controllers for DJs, audio interfaces, game controllers. There are all sorts of things they could make, but each of those would take focus away from other business opportunities. Cray Research makes super computers. They don’t make mini-computers, workstations or mobile computers because they would take focus away from making the best super computers they can make.
You do realize that you are criticizing the business decisions of the most valuable company in the world? They seem to be doing something right. How many billions of wealth have you generated with your armchair strategic advice?
I’m not even sure why any of that matters in regards to what I mentioned. And my net worth is not what’s being discussed.
As for your examples, those are all niche market pieces.
Apple doesn’t make DJ controllers because they make Computer hardware and other tech devices. That’s their business.
Cray doesn’t make supercomputers for the masses because, they aren’t needed by the “masses”. The masses barely understand how to even USE 90% of the devices out on the market. Hence the need for helpdesk personnel and IT people.
And I criticized a valid portion of their (Apple) business strategy because well, that’s what this discussion is about. It’s not about what they SHOULD do it’s what they didn’t do and what they did do incorrectly. And that opinion, is voiced pretty well not only by me and the author but, by those in this thread who seem to also question,why Apple made a poor design decision. Again, they alienated a portion of their market sales.
If you can’t at least agree that the decision was poor to yet again, design something they find to be a new design choice, then I can’t and won’t be able to show you why. You have to see that for yourself. And while Apple may be worth $700 Billion, that doesn’t mean they have sold products that have equated to that worth. It means they have NOT only sold X number of products but they have invested and yes sued their way to worth. And that sir, is just business. And not sure if you’re old enough to remember but, there was a time where Apple almost disappeared from the world of selling or designing anything. That down fall was because they made poor decisions in their designs and products.
At the end of the day, why are DJs alienated? because they have to buy a dongle? The biggest criticism written here was that “you might forget the dongle in your hotel” and “the dongle might break”–which is true for controllers and cables too.
Apple is betting that most users would prefer to save 0.6 kilograms of weight for the inconvenience of using a dongle sometimes. It shouldn’t really impact DJs in a big way at all. And it would be dumb for Apple to prioritize product design for the convenience of 99% as they have done.
It won’t just affect 1%, Max. Others will complain just like they have before with similar choices Apple has made. It may not affect the majority of Apple fans but, it will still piss of others that aren’t DJs.
It’s okay. You love it. You have no qualms with any thing Apple has ever done so … Was a pleasure talking at you.
Actually most users aren’t really so bothered about about a millimeter shaved off here and a gram or two less there if it means having to carry a bulkier piece of kit around to accommodate all the parts that used to be conveniently inside. Not to mention the clutter of cables. My MBP with two hard drives in it is far more ergonomic for many on location purposes than a laptop that needs various ext HDs attached to it.
There’s a point where smaller is better becomes smaller is less functional. And making something smaller by ripping its functional inside out is not clever/good design its marketing led nonsense.
if you need something bigger than 15″, you don’t need a laptop. You need a desktop. Soldering memory and storage saves space and allows for consistency in manufacturing. External storage is always an option and the ports are fast enough to accommodate that.
^ Lol that’s ridiculous, a 17″ is perfectly viable. Stop trying to white knight horrible decisions by Apple you’re only hurting yourself and the consumer who would like to continue buying their products.
The truth is Andrew is right and Apple is making really bad decisions for the last couple years. A lot of their success is because of Microsoft’s failures (Vista, Win8 before 8.1) etc. When Microsoft is doing things right, Apple starts to fall because people are less incline to justify their bs.
The best thing that could happen for consumers would be for OSX to be available on any PC because the truth is the majority of people would drop Apple Hardware like a bad habit, so it won’t happen.
apple is making good decisions for themselves. they are making laptops disposable. that’s what you dont understand. you still live in a pc world and you fail to realize what is happening around you. it’s a sad world but its the reality. apple is making a killing and microsoft is playing catch-up. osx on a pc would be apple suicide. because people like you would never upgrade your hardware and sit there and complain on the internet how osx sucks.
Yes Apple is making good decisions for themselves, but not necessarily for the user.
depending on the the type of user and where your perspective is. apple is future forward. it’s envisioning what you will be using in the future and delivering it to you. that might not work for certain people right now or ever, but they think it will for most in the future. and so far they’ve been pretty good at predicting the future or at least controlling it. just like when the iphone had no keyboard and everyone was pissed. now every smartphone is the same. Im not a fanboy. i like pc and apple. i’m just telling it how it is.
I think we are saying the same thing: Apple is attempting to drive the bus, — but whether not everyone can afford or would choose to ride a disposable gleaming white bus with a limited set of destinations is debatable. Actually, it’s not debatable. Apple caters to a niche market, and their business model depends on this — as they “streamline” they cut out gamers, dj’s and anyone else who is not willing to sacrifice function for form or status. But there will always be users who do not want to be bothered with customization and are willing to pay extra for the status and required updates/replacements and the ability to post photos directly the world iphone gallery.
What are you saying? Apple Hardware is massively popular among DJs. Releasing one product that doesn’t cater perfectly to DJ’s doesn’t mean the rest of their lineup has ceased to exist.
The only comment in support of Apple I can actually agree with. Well said.
disposable sucks hard
First, the best decision any company can make is to make their customers happy. The build quality on all apple laptops is unsurpassed and their customer satisfaction index is 99%. I don’t think you can get much higher. The computers they build get tons more use than the acerage Windows computer. I have clients using 15 year old Macs perfectly well right now using OSX snow leopard. Apple currently supports hardware as old as 10 years with their latest OS. How many 15 year old PCs are out there that can run Windows 7? I know this seems like I’m working for Apple, but the hating is amazing. Here’s an easy solution… Don’t buy a Mac.
How many of those 15 year old Macs can run the lates version of iTunes? O.o
I’ll stop the suspense for those who don’t know. Zero. You know why? I own a Mac that is 10-11 years old, prior to when they started using Intel CPUs because Apple just couldn’t compete with intel. And that Mac will not run any version of iTunes after 10 because it’s not compatible with the old CPU architecture. lol So, they may run OSX Snow Leopard but, it won’t run Apple’s own music app. LOL
First, Apple ran Motorola processors. Motorola could not keep up with Intel despite promises, so they adopted the Intel cpu. This brought unique features including being able to natively run Windows. Second, Apple stopped supporting those processors 7 years after they adopted Intel. That’s quite a long support cycle. Third, even given they can’t run iTunes 10, they can still run tons of other software and for certain tasks, it’s fine. The OS is still rock solid and the hardware doesn’t die.
And I have a 14 year old PC that can still run windows. No, maybe not Win 7 but, it can still run XP. And it runs other software just as well. And that was the point I was making. Just like you mentioned those Macs running Snow leopard. That is not Apple’s latest and greatest OS 😉
If you know how to take care of your machine, regardless of the manufacturer, it will run forever. Period.
“because people like you would never upgrade your hardware and sit there and complain on the internet how osx sucks.”
What? What does that even imply?
For one, Apple hardware is over priced out dated crap. The ONLY thing Apple has that M$ doesn’t, is a solid OS. And even that can be debated and has been debated to DEATH!
Disposable 2-3k Laptops? That’s an absolutely awesome idea. /sarcasm It’s stupid. People who have disposable income like that, also don’t give a damn about anything else but the fact they own a status device. They barely know 90% of the 2-3k device they have purchased. They still use that Mac the same as a 700 dollar Dell POS is used. For shopping and the internet. So what makes Apple’s 2-3k LT any better for those people than a 700 dollar ? Nothing.
So they pack in a crap ton of pixels into their devices and people go, ” Ohhh wow! It looks amazing!” Yeah? Okay. It does. But the GPU running those graphics can also be found in any slightly high end to high end PC branded LT. You can get a crappy GPU and get a monitor that’s 3 times the size with the same pixel density and have it ALSO look just as amazing for 1/3 of the price of their machine. It’s not the GPU that’s awesome, it’s the pixel density. It’s basically an illusion. That GPU chip they have is no different than an Intel HD 6000 that my kids have on their PC MOBO. It’s not dedicated. It runs a crappy 64 or 128 bit bandwidth which is CRAP if you plan to do anything else besides, stream movies and maybe do some Photo shopping with it. You won’t run any high end games, if you so desire, for 2 reasons. 1) it will run on possibly medium to high settings at BEST. 2) because the CPU they’re using is also only a dual core i5. Really?! An i5 dual core?! Shoot. My kids have quad core i5s in the PCs I helped them build. lol
So my suggestion? Before you come in here touting Apple’s awesomeness, you should really do some research.
The saying, “You get what you pay for.” is a joke with Apple. After 3 years they stop supporting their “epic” machines and basically force you to A) learn to support it yourself (hahahaha Apple fans won’t do that) or B) spend another 2-3k for another one of their outdated, over priced machines.
Only apple knows the answer to the BIGGER question – how many they sold vs the 15/13
Agree though that there should have been at least one USB port on the new machines though – I don’t know a single person (professional/student/businessman/housewife) who does not use some kind of USB peripheral device on an almost daily basis and even then almost always when then computer is plugged in.
I’ve used each laptop form factor. The 17, the 15, and now, I’m perfectly happy on a MacBook Air at 13.3. I’m not trying to white knight anything. I’m expressing an opinion. I have to say that the Air is the most satisfying computing experience I’ve ever had… And I’ve had every type of desktop/laptop there was right from the very first Mac. I currently own decked out iMac 27″ and a MacBook Air 13. I use the air much more.
totally agree, the 17″ were huge, way too big for a laptop
Obviously not way too big for those of us who prefer the 17″ laptop.
then if you like tiny shit you buy tiny apple, if you like a big turd, you would buy a big 17″ laptop…man I liked that 17″ shit, so awsome
Except they weren’t.
I loved my 17″ Macbook pro. Tho my new 15″ has the same resolution and is much faster I still use my 17″ all the time because I prefer the larger screen. I held off for a long time on getting a new laptop because of the lack of the 17″ screen. I would rather have the old 17″ screen than the 15″ retina.
It seems that apple has decided to go to designing their laptops to look cool, rather than to be practical. There were several disappointments for me with my current generation macbook pro, the lack of firewire port, meaning I need an adapter to thunderbolt, ok, but lame. The power adapter not being the same as previous generation, so the 3 other power adapters I have at my house don’t work with this one laptop, inconvenient. I did like the addition of a second thunderbolt port, the card slot, and to have USB on both sides of the laptop. Don’t miss the CD drive at all, the external is fine, tho the short cord and the fact that I can’t plug it into my powered USB hub, ridiculous. However, to take away all that and give a single port that you have to adapt to everything you need?! That’s just dumb. Adapters break. It’s gonna bottleneck if I’m running external hard drive, audio interface, wireless keyboard, and external display all through one single interface, even if it is super fast. Also, I don’t need my laptop to be any thinner. They seem obsessed with thin. At this point if you want to make it thinner, just take away the keyboard, give me all the ports on the monitor (3 USB, 2 thunderbolt, power, HDMI, card slot, headphone), make it a big tablet just like Windows has done, and make your super thin keyboard an external peripheral.
That’s weird, since I’ve programmed and analyzed data for years, first on a 15″ and now on a 17″, and I greatly prefer the 17″ over both the 15″ (more screen space) and a desktop (more portable).
>if you need something bigger than 15″, you don’t need a laptop.
actually there is a port on the side of all mac notebooks which allows you to connect an external display! that way you don’t need to carry around a 27″ notebook! You can buy a small notebook and connect it to a 27″ display at your home or office. Amazing technology.
but if i want to go inside the forest to create some beats…. i really need that 17” machine! please!!!
-_- ‘ As an architect I prefer a 15″+ laptop which can run 3dMax,AutoCad,AI and PS and Lenovo provided me that.
Mc user some how have no idea how powerful a PC laptop can be with half the budget. (I love how Mac look and once try to buy a MacPro bit it come with integrate graphic card …man a pro model with integrate graphic card)
Nonsense, my 17″ is much better for location work as a photographer/film maker than a smaller compromised 15″ screen. It’s fairly well travelled too and does not need hard drives dangling off the side other than when backing up data to a third HD. Being able to upgrade my MBP has made it viable for much longer and far more useful in the process, not to mention much more affordable at the outset.
you’re totally right, one of the worst decisions Apple has done since Steve Jobs is dead was stopping the 17″ Macbook Pro production, which, for its screen size, amount of usb ports and expresscard port (for adding more usb ports without the need of a usb hub) was the perfect choice for Controllerists (whether Djs or Producers).
I’m happy I bought the last one ever here in Mexico City.
Didn’t realize you could add USB to the express port, that makes that slot seem cooler. I just adapted mine to an SD card and never used it for anything else.
Just because you are a pro in the audio/video industry does not mean you need to take your machine apart (unless you are a professional in IT and take apart machines as your job).
Theres plenty of Retina 15′ appearing on Film Sets, and tons of 13′ and 11′ (gasp) being used by audio professionals around the world, theres also probably 100 business professionals for every one Multimedia Professional who edit spreadsheets and give presentations for their wage.
Internal Drives should never be primary anyhow in a professional setting anyhow, just a “bounce” drive.
I’d hardly call the recent FCP and Logic updates abandoning – made easier, sure, and not everyone likes the interface because it doesn’t feel “pro” (read:complicated) Yes there was features lost during the transition to a completely different, more efficient code base which are being re-introduced (slowly) – if they didn’t release something completely new they were completely damned. If they did release something new they took a hit, so they took the hit. We still have no idea what “Photos” is really about yet and if it will be a patch on aperture, guess we’ll see.
My take on this is that for computers today, the hardware that is included in the stock configurations (RAM, storage, video cards) is sufficient to last the life of the generation of that architecture (CPU, chipset). If you purchase a Retina MBP with 8GB of RAM, 512GB SSD today, that is enough to last you the lifetime of that machine (before the CPU is too slow, or new components that come out aren’t supported on the machines chipset).
This used to not be the case. You would buy what you could afford for a disk and RAM, and upgrade later. Now, it’s not really an issue unless you purchase the lowest end configuration of some machine.
A laptops usable life is around 3-5 years. I usually offload mine around 3, and get quite a bit of my money back because resale on the Apple products is pretty good.
17″ isn’t exactly mobile friendly. I have one. It’s huge. Hasn’t left my home in years. They probably didn’t sell many. A smaller notebook is more portable, and you can hook it up to a monitor at home or in the office. Can’t see the reason for a huge, heavy notebook. The inability to upgrade the RAM is a bummer, I agree.
just ask how money people pay now for a 21″ alienware… there is still many people like me how would preffer big laptops with big screens man, apple should have never ditch the 17″ screens that was so stupid
Dell’s notebooks make up less than 20% of market share. That includes Inspirion, XPS, Latitude, rugged, Precision, and Alienware models. Thus Alienware 21″ notebooks probably make up about 1% of the market. Is that something Apple should chase? Strategy and focus is as much about what you don’t do as it is about what you do. Strategy is about making hard decisions and choosing to make some customers unhappy, not being all things to all customers.
Ugghhh. Alienware caters primarily, to gamers. Not everyday consumers. You have this propensity Max, to pick out things about one product and try to apply it to everything.
Apple’s machines used to also do that. Back in the early 80s, Macs were only purchased by advertising and marketing companies. DOS machines ran the world at that time. It wasn’t until the mid to very late 90s, almost the early 2000s, Steve Jobs decided to expand and make a machine for … “the people.” It worked. And here they are today, 700 billions dollars in net worth.
You’re speaking about the Retina models. Also, I use MacBook Pros in Pro Video, the HDMI port (the pro-sumer option), is more than enough to push an image through a professional projector. Just how big do you want your image?
They the same thing with the iMac, but it was a success. See computers are not about tech anymore, they are about Fashin Fads. An overall estrogen and gay men run industry. Tim Cook and Steve Jobs. Going at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHZ8ek-6ccc seriously, u gotta laff
who need 17″ computer for dj-ing? ..17″ is to big for everything you do outside your home…why do you want swap or upgrade hardrive,you cant play all the music you can store on them at one gig anyway …what application do you talk about?
except this would STILL work with rekordbox and a full NEXUS setup, becuase NXS is the only Hardware platform that can use WiFi…
You gonna play Coachella over wifi? Good luck Tiesto.
If an artist wrote in the rider that he needed wi-fi, he’d probably get it. At least someone worthy of playing Coachella would.
Spoken like a true Fuckboy. Put that on your rider Fuckboy. Be sure to tell the promoter if the WiFi goes down, your whole set is fucked. Are you mental? Try sending a text at Coachella and see what happens. It doesn’t happen, cause there are 100,000 rich kids texting their blow dealers simultaneously. But I’m sure the wifi would be sweet. Fuckboy.
I really enjoy reading your comments
As do I and here I am again RooK
Not that Im a huge fan of this but if your argument is hd space limitations yet there’s 512gb version and the lack of more than 1 usb port yet there’s thing’s called usb hubs I’m not so sure there’s much to this article except for click bait and SEO purposes…
I guess you don’t produce much music. I have single projects that have over 1GB in samples and loops. Not to mention the final output clocking in at several hundred MBs – and I have hundreds of projects. In addition to that, I DJ several different themed nights that require a variety of music to be housed on a single drive. Also, most PROFESSIONAL DJs have things called midi controllers that require the use of a USB port to work. You gonna play your set off batteries and hope that it lasts 4 hours and doesn’t die in the packed club? You sir, are an idiot. Get off the internet and go back to trimming your unibrow. Fucking tool.
Sorry Tony, but i had to reply this…
If you call yourself professional e use de same laptop for producing and djing, you are one hell of a poor DJ/producer! which means you are failing, perhaps its time to change your career.
Seriously? you have projects with 1Gb in samples and loops? so you don`t produce a single thing, you are only cutting, copying and pasting samples from real producers… good on you, that make us go back to the first thing i`ve mentioned here.
ALSO MOST PROFESSIONAL DJs I know, have things called USB Flash Drive, which you can fit up to 128gb of tunes from any genre. and play in almost every club with a standard Pioneer Cdj Set up!
Ohhhhhh, I got it, you can`t beat match, its fine, a trained pig can do that, take your time, have a go you might get to learn any time soon…
NOW YOU sir, are an FULL TIME idiot. Get off the internet and and learn to beat match!
Beat match? He needs to get off the internet and learn some proper manners.
I agree
Actually fuckboy, my samples are usually taken from original vinyl pressings at extremely high quality, so they are large. As you add layers of effects and processing – the file size of the final production balloons. Most of the talented and prolific producers and DJs that I run with tour extensively and as such, prefer to travel with a setup that can accomodate playing out and doing work at the hotel. We don’t play on CDJs typically, because our sets typically involve scratching, juggling and other elements of turtablism that I’m sure you wouldn’t understand, being the fuckboy that you are. Perhaps you assumed my midi controller is my rig you sync button loser? Leave the DJing and production comments to people who actually get paid to do this shit. Now get to bed son, I’m sure your shift at Subway starts real early tomorrow…
You should also check into what goes into making modern music. SAMPLES. Sure, there is still an impressive amount of original music being made, but guess what Fuckboy? You have to record it. Where should you record it I wonder? And if you think that today’s biggest artists aren’t bringing laptops to the studio and plugging it into the huge mixing board to do real work, you’re mistaken again.
I recently laugh my arse off cause of you two idiots :D:D
I perform on a Nexus set up, scratching, juggling and other turntablism elements, I usually get to play at least 4 hours from house/techno to RnB, Nu Jazz, Funk, Soul, Samba, Latin music and beyond !! had use a few times only the computer set up, and i think it sucks the fact that you have to set up while other dj ins doing his work.
really, so you have 1 gb in samples in one tune?
which means you making a hour long tunes??
16 bit, 44.1KHz1,411.2 Kbps
10.584 MB per minute635.04 MB hour
Have you learned how to bounce every single track on your project for CPU / processing saving?
I do many tours with many different artists from different styles!
so yeah dude, i know my shit right!
now get back to your parents house to learn to behave well.
Oh yeah, tomorrow morning i have a shift, not at subway, but at my music agency!
Weird, everyone I know produces at 32 bit. Also don;t bounce shit I’m working on. Project size is what it is. Sorry, you’re not a Fuckboy, you’re just a plain old idiot. Anyway, I’ll have the Classic Italian BMT. Parmesan Oregano bread. Toasted.
I think you are missing his point. He is saying that you can get a USB hub that plugs into wall power and then have as many USB ports as you like. In exchange for the new macbook’s light design, you now have to carry around a USB hub. I would still get a macbook pro due to this, but he is saying that an external harddrive, midi controllers, etc, will not be stopped just because it only has power enough for one external device.
So once my USB hub is plugged in and I’m running 2 power-draining devices, what would you suggest I do once the little battery indicator starts flashing? Stop the music, unplug everything and ask the crowd to chill while I charge? I’ve used USB hubs, and they can have all kinds of issues, especially with Serato. This is a good article and it highlights the uselessness of new Macbooks/Macbook Air type devices for DJing. I may be an Asshole, but I’m no Luddite.
You’ve somehow mastered the art of pissing on everything that resembles common sense, what a complete idiot you are, you shouldn’t be allowed internet access.
What’s your problem? Why would you attack someone like that just because you don’t agree with their opinion?
Do you need to carry your projects with you on your notebook? Like, all of them? I save most of my projects with Splice so that I can download them if I need them, but don’t carry , I don’t need a hundred different project files on my DJ notebook.
I also keep most of my music for DJing on an external drive and on cloud storage services, and download the music I need for a specific event. Keeping hundreds of gigabytes of music locally on the computer isn’t a very safe storage solution in my opinion.
Most professional club DJs use whatever gear handy at the club, usually a full Pioneer Nexus set. However, I gather that you’re probably not that kind of DJ, so that doesn’t apply to you, does it? And by that logic, the comment you responded doesn’t really apply to you either.
Why would someone attack a reasonable article calling it “click-bait” and SEO? I have 7 gigs this week. You think I have time to hit my cloud every day? GTFO bitch. I spin vinyl via Serato like any real DJ, so take your CDJ Nexus Rekordbox BS and shove it down your clickhole.
wow, the only DJs i know doing 7 gigs a week are the wedding/pub/bar mitzvah djs!
any big, professional DJ perform max 3 to 4 gigs a week. as they get enough money to have a life too!
seems you really need a second job to make ends meet!
have a good one Tony,
you gonna have a brilliant career with your positive attitude !
You sure are an expert pal. Anyway, not too much Mustard on my Sub bitch. Extra pickles bitch.
yeah serato is more “real” than CDJ, usually its fucking morons making the opposite argument
i thought the real djs just use two turntables, maybe 2 cdjs, a mixer and no computers at all?
Yeah uh, I actually mostly use Traktor, but whatever. Clickbait is what DJTT has become. A bullshit tabloid blog with little-to-no moderation of the comment section. Do you even know what SEO is? You spend much time blogging in between all your gigs? You don’t even have time to “hit da cloud, biatch” right?
yeah, i’d love to upload 500gb of sample and stuff to the cloud, that wouldnt take years or anything
usb ports are shit! you have to use one usb port for the sound card exlusively if you want to work it propperly . if you only have one overused port it wear out soon. adapters get lost. why do i have to put a shity adapter in my expensive laptop when i only want to put a simple usb stick in it? apple is bad for users.. but it looks good looool.
Serato SL5 Box with Bluetooth Connectivity?
Is that wishful thinking, or is that actually a think? I’m entirely too lazy to search myself, and I’d like you to feel the joy of either pointing out that I’m and idiot, or delivering the fantastic news that such a thing exist.
Lolz. Apple blows.
You can get a Macbook Pro for the same price or less with more power and ports. This isn’t aimed at the Digital DJ/Producer, more the business professional.
ding ding ding. we have ourselves a winner!
Can’t believe so much butthurt over this laptop
i think the butthurt stems from the idiots who lap this stuff up. its gotten so bad that now when i see a DJ with a mac, i automatically think “idiot” “beginner” “no idea about hardware” “buys anything” “probably uses Beats headphones” “probably thinks pioneer is the best thing ever”
Well that’s a rather presumptuous and elitist attitude. Even now, you just interrupted a logical and factually correct comment thread to hate on people. It’s OK if you don’t want a Mac. But the guy commenting is correct, buying this Mac is a bad idea when it’s not designed for DJing and an actual Macbook Pro would be a lot better suited.
This article I suppose is informative and correct as well, though I would hope the reasons not to use this laptop for DJing are obvious.
I don’t know. I thumbed up your comment simply because I get what you’re saying but, I’ll honestly say this, I’m no pro DJ here and I don’t think what he said is really “elitist”. Maybe Noxxi was or is but, I have scoured these forums, NI’s website. Read tons of info about other Professional DJs/Musicians etc to find what was for ME, the best I could afford for a hobby.
Beats are overrated in my opinion. Tried them and hated them. I had a pair of crappy 20$ Sony headphones for awhile that i think were better. Now, I have a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones. I got them for a steal because I wasn’t going to pay 200 bucks for a hobby set of headphones but still .. xD
Pioneer stuff is what it seems most pro DJs etc use but again, I couldn’t afford that type of separate equipment. So I have an S4. And I use a PC I built which has MORE then enough power to out run a Mac of any type. And I have no problems with it running Traktor or my CS5 Master Collection which has some pretty decent studio software. Yeah. I’ve thought about getting a Mac LT because it seems to be what most of you all are using but, that price. And their lack of support after X time and the sub par hardware; I just can’t quantify purchasing one. *shrug*
Only idiots/beginners have macs? ha Think that through.
Yes a comparably priced Windows PC will be substantially more powerful than the mac equivalent but it comes at the price of needing considerable configuration tweeks to run smoothly. For me its one less thing to worry about when I plug in but if you have the knowledge then more power to ya.
i use windwos laptops for producing and deejaying . no tweaks needed!
Something to be said there…
Maybe you should try a tweek or two.
that would be because most people buy windows laptops. about 99% of those hits came up because of the word “windows” so its not really a point at all
i get what your saying, and its maybe because i know how to use windows, but the whole ” it just works” thing is old hat now, if you have a decent and current laptop, then a mac is just gratuitous, your getting it for the sake of style
Not sure if this is true anymore, but I switched to Mac because Scratch Live ran worlds better on OS X than Windows (Even on the same hardware specs)… Still have a windows desktop PC for gaming and work of course
P.S… Pioneer IS the best thing ever if you’re talking about the PLXs
The made in China Pioneer turntable you mean ? Better buying a second hand sl1200 technics pair for the same price as one new bullshit Pioneer PLX. About dj mixing consoles like DJM series (especially starting at 700), Pioneer is as well controversial.
“”P.S… Pioneer IS the best thing ever if you’re talking about the PLXs””….puhlease tell us you were being sarcastic…
Something tells me you haven’t seen that article on how the PLXs compare to 1200s on the subject of platter feedback.
The PLXs unfortunately suck.. A LOT.
Well thanks for branding me an iDiot / beginner / no ideao about hardware / buys anything and presume I’m using beats 😉
Just a week ago I finaly had enough money to buy a mac.
Reasons why:
1. stability
2. build
3. fast
those are the only things I bought it for.
I am nothing near an apple lover i particularly hate apple for how they manage things and price their products but I can’t denie that the build quality is really good and the software runs a lot more stable then most programs on windows.
I have a Pioneer DDJ-SZ and a HDJ2000 headphone with a shure sm58 mic.
Yes I know about my hardware 😉
I want quality and although yes I am a beginner I do my research.
But i do agree with the article, if you have a single point of failure on your dongles then skip this cause I would not want 1 dongle to fail and not be able to do anything anymore.
msconfig and two minutes of your time and windows 8 is completely solid and stable. in fact, in all the pcs I manage, the most common problems occur immediately after iTunes and and it’s 9 other crapware, get installed
exactly! the only thing a mac can do better is a few midi routing things, and aggregate sound devices, which asio can do anyway.
i guess i got the beginner bit right then 😛 haha! i’m kidding, i understand what your saying, but to pay so much extra for the 1 feature that you have ever so slightly better midi handling capabilities is null for me, i’d take the repairability and easily sourced parts of a dell any day. dells professional line is easily as good in terms of build quality as any mac, only dell build for reliability, mac build for looks.
WEll thats what I think.. ::shrug:: You bought an overpriced Laptop because its what everyone else uses and you wanted to use OSX.
Coulda bought it cheaper, faster and still put OSX on it, without the apple logo.
Thats why people look at Apple Brand buyers that way.
It’s the reverse for me.
are you saying that someone looks more pro if they have all the gear? guessing you have a mac then? do you have beats?
No.
Yes, a Macbook air which is a great relief from shitty Windows, and yes i know how to optimize them for audio.
No, AIAIAI cans.
those AIAIAI headphones are probably the cooles looking headphones ive ever seen, even more so the gold edition. ive got superlux 631s there pretty decent, but the havent got a patch on the tma 1 for looks.
And anyway, windows isnt shitty, ive thought about this a bit over the last few days, my conclusion is that each have their strengths and weaknesses, macs handle midi better in my opinion, and with asio, id say it was about equal to windows in audio handling.
for me, i know windows, i know laptops, and i know what to do if it breaks. i’d feel like owning a mac would be a ticking time bomb, like, what if you forget your charger to a gig, or what if it breaks the day of the gig. i’d know what to do if it were a laptop, and there would be more options available to me in an emergency than with a mac.
i feel you mayne, in Sweden & northern Europe i haven’t seen a computer running windows in DJ circles maybe more than two or three times which also contributes to my bias.
i get you, for you its the same as for me but with macs. i do think macs are pretty cool, the os is nice, but when it comes down to it, i’m just a windows guy! 😀
“nail” —>”on head” perfectly said sir!
“Probably uses Beats Headphones”, damn that cracked me up! ????
Hell im still not sure why people even buy these overpriced things simply for a frigged Operating system
This isn’t aimed at the business professional, it’s for a housewife.
Sexist piece of shit
Haha, didn’t even realize we weren’t looking at the MB Pro. Lol. What’s the point of this article. I guess it is good to warn people off of a computer that won’t work for them… I’m done here.
You can get a Mac Mini for even cheaper and spend the remaining money on ram and ssd upgrade and whatever monitor suits your style.
If you think about it most technology will be going away from cables in the future so if you want ports you should just not buy a new computer and stick with your old soon to be obsolete one.
jaja I am happy for all those people who have the strange idea that only the “Mac” is to make music. That just shows a lack of technical knowledge.
I don’t think very many people believe this anymore. Though the MacBook Pro does have very good build quality and a nice touch pad. When Serato first came out, it was more stable on Mac OS than Windows. So I think that had a lot to do with many DJs using Macs as well.
Naa these is only ignorance towards fashion and technology. The “Mac” is status. I do not say that Mac are bad at all, in fact I like a lot but it is overvalued by most people. I’ve played all kinds of machines in any type of situation. Minis, Mac, PC, Linux, Tracktor, Serato, VDJ, Decadance, bla bla bla. If you really are a musician DJ, really they are just tools.
Best regards.
I have both a Windows and OSX machine. I had a Surface for a very long while, although it was kinda odd to DJ with on Traktor. I wouldn’t mind getting a PC laptop if nearly every manufacturer didn’t make them so incredibly fugly.
Jaja. You have a point. I will not lie, the design of the Mac, it’s beautiful, I love it.
as a PC user.. i wouldn’t trust any windows laptop for DJing.. also not very many windows laptops with good build quality.. some of the old dell latitudes were cool and rugged however
Well, I can say I’ve played hundreds of hours on my laptop PC at $ 600 USD for a few years and delivers a great performance. Yes, its have broken me a few times, EQUAL to the Mac, I have many friends with Mac and are not infalibels. I not only play music, I also do music which still demand more resources … and 3D games on the same machine Acer $ 600 Dollars. I play from the first versions of softwares DJ over 10 years ago, when everyone was saying that it was not playing (haha) and I did in machines they had much, much less capacity than computers now. And yet I also played for years without any problems. No machines, otherwise, the people who make things.
Best regards.
This was the main reason I bought a MBP, Didn’t feel safe performing live on a Windows machine but that feeling is starting to change. Win7 has been solid and Windows 10 is looking beautiful. I’d still like to use both Mac and PC but I’m not going to sit here and buy their bs products with how proprietary things have become. And the price.. It keeps getting worse, they’re going to end up driving themselves into a hole once people get tired of it.
Apple has fallen before, it can happen again.
Only fools like you would say that, I have been djing digitally
without any macs for some time now using Traktor Pro 2.
It only ever crashed once which was down to the firmware on
my Denon controller once I upgraded that, it has never crash since.
I’m still using my 5 yr old HP probook I3 processor and it
runs flawlessly where as I have seen with my own eyes where others have had
issues with the mac, just check out the traktor and Serato forums if you don’t believe.
I have now recently bought a pioneer DDJ SX2 which I use
with the same HP probook and it has not crash once, runs effortlessly, so you
crap about PC base laptop is pure hogwash drivel
I always found apple to be shotty lol. so many restrictions and locks soldered ram/hard drives etc… i will stick to my pc’s
Stick to your viruses, hardware compatibility issues, blue screens of death, oh and installing ridiculous system updates daily. Cheers!
Every cliche in the book. Spoken like someone who hasn’t used a pc in ten years or just a straight up Apple fanboi.
I’m typing on a mac and have a PC right in front of me.
Only thing I literally use the PC for is business documents.
I enjoy the personalization that you can have with a PC along with the customizations, however; Tim is right that there are more inherent issues with PCs than Mac, regardless of fanboii status.
My mac never freezes up even when I have Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Cinema 4d open/running at the same time. Which happens quite often since I just bounce from project to project.
I’ve had more hardware issues with my mac than with the PC, so not sure the accuracy of that statement. Honestly I’ve had the experience of just being able to plug anything into my PC and drivers are good to go. Mac, not so much, especially with my cellphones, which I find weird. Maybe since their Android…lol
System updates are optional…
Viruses, well, most come from user error…sooooo take that L Tim.
The hardware on a Mac. I’m not really concerned about, I’ve moved over to external drives anyways for ease of mobility.
Soldered RAM…Well, don’t be cheap on the front end, buy more RAM
Restrictions? As in hardware or software? The hardware is arguable to an extent. The software, most of the stuff Apple doesn’t use is shit anyways.
My studio computer outspecs the current Mac Desktop and cost me half the price to build with water cooling and good looks to boot.
Hasnt failed on me, a competent person wont “Blue screen of death” anymore than a Mac user would crash their system.
Shrug.. TO each their own. You pay for brand I pay for performance gains. Only difference.
You pay for industrial design, aesthetic design and out-of-the-box experience with Apple. With PCs you can pay for whatever, but not those three (granted that you like many others don’t find many PC designs attractive). The reason I don’t buy pc is simply because A: I don’t have any use for a desktop. B: PC laptops usually come with bloatware and you’d usually have to wipe and re-install before using. C: PC laptops are generally big, heavy and ugly. If u want remotely nice designs then you need to pay higher premium than apple for specs or lower your spec expectations. D: I still can’t bear using Windows for a prolonged period of time. Whether 7 8 or 10. Why? It’s ugly, clunky and hard to organize. Multiple desktops only came in 10, about time. E: I’m not installing a linux distro that’s like shootoing yourself in the leg when it comes to software compatibility.
I agree with the bloatware. That’s always been a downside. but, being in IT, just blow it away and reimage the machine. As for big and ugly, and I’m NO DELL fan. I actually hate them but, you should look at this in regards to the weight issue you mentioned. 😉 It’s not perfect by ANY means but still… the new Dell 13″ XPS, could give Apple a run for it’s money. In some regards.
http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/dell-xps-13-2015-1279013/review
Now you can install a GNU/Linux distro made specifically for DJing to a USB drive and store music on the same drive 🙂 Get it here:
http://mixxx.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7031
From OS X, you’ll need to install VirtualBox to install the bootable OS to the USB drive, but after that you don’t need to do anything to your computer. Just reboot from the USB drive and you’ll be back to your normal OS X.
The limitations on upgrading sucks for sure. I used to buy my Macs with lower RAM and HDD specs then upgrade them myself for a hell of a lot cheaper. I hate when you can’t modify your own hardware. But, they have a decent reason for it, space savings to make thinner laptops. Having chip sockets take up room.
I have had my Mac freeze up on me. But I tend to push computer hardware to its limits. As someone who uses Windows, Mac OS and Linux… I think it all comes down to personal preference. They all have their ups and downs.
As a Mac user and Yahoo! employee… Macs can get viruses too. Personally I prefer a Mac for other reasons Unix based OS and hardware build quality being a couple. BSoDs on Windows are pretty rare too these days. Though patch Tuesday is still there.
you should stick to your mac, since your obviously computer illiterate. you are apples target market after all. “hur dur, it just wurks, hur hur” (translation: i have no fucking idea how to turn a computer on, so i’m glad it just works)
…whereas you’re just the bog standard type of illiterate.
touché
yes, because apparently i cant read, yet i can type a comment out
haha you are so right.
hells yea, let ’em know, speakin the truth !
bought my grandma a MacBook air, cause she can’t use a real computer, and good lord has that thing been a headache…
no virus’s no hardware issues no system updates, and no bsod… linux baby 😀 i do have win 7 for production/djing, but no internet or network drivers, nothing really… just my audio gear drivers.
What year you come from?
So, what year you come from?
you like fairytales? i dont have any issues with pc and windows . producing and deejaying on laptops since 2001. apple advertising worked great for you.
hahahaha, what year do you think this is. I recently had to re-install the os on a MacBook because my grandma tried to connect it to her tv with a different resolution than the MacBook wanted. there was no other way to reset it. you think that’s a great computer huh, ha
I still have a hand built PC from 2001 that STILL doesn’t have any of the issues you just mentioned. it’s not the PC or it’s hardware or software that cause those problems 90% of the time. it’s the person using them.
Macs USED TO BE virus free because they were a 1% of the world wide market. Now that they are more popular, they are just as prone to the same virus issues pf any Windows machine.
Don’t be an idiot with what you download or surf and make sure you do everything with any common sense, and you won’t have problems on EITHER platform.
Not to be an Apple fanboy but this does seem a bit overreactive.
A lot of DJs are running off a single cable, whether a controller with a built in soundcard like a Kontrol S2/4/8 or just their Serato soundcard into turntables or whatever…
Same issue if someone yanks your regular USB/you’ve only got one cable along.
And the jack is just the new standard version of USB. There’s no way you’ll need to buy the $80 Apple version to get a couple extra/old style ports by the time this is out.
Heck they’ll probably be chroma type 3 cables in the djtt store soon enough.
Obviously it won’t make sense for everyone, but if you’re highly mobile playing more focused sets that don’t need a huge back library this could be a good fit.
(Btw what does Thunderbolt have to do with DJ gear??)
Video mixing
If you’re video mixing I think the mobile grade processor and integrated graphics card are going to be more of an issue than the ports… Definitely not the laptop for that kind of DJ
How are you going to power your laptop and plug in your controller, if you don’t buy the dongle?
Well, when the drop hits, the laptop will slowly start receiving a trickle charge from all of the hype in the audience.
I have read all these comments only to end up at this one and feel like maybe the last 20 minutes of my life havent been a total fucking waist of time
The jack is another example of how they are forcing people into multiple purchases.
I shouldn’t have to spend an additional $80 on top of the $1100 just to be able to charge the shit and have a flashdrive in…really basic set up.
Unless they can charge it in 5min from 0 to 100%..
This is how Apple has always functioned. Notice the universal charging adapter on EVERY PHONE EXCEPT APPLE.
Yes thunderbolt is a random bit of this article since the main focus is for DJs, but the point of it is showing that they are neglecting their own technologies along with everything else
I think it’s just another “leg” in the Apple notebooks line, they will keep the Air and Pro models for a long time, I belive.
I have a feeling once production goes up and MFG costs on the custom parts go down this will replace the air. The Air already uses more expensive components for much cheaper.
Apple usually waits for the stock to drop on old products before pulling them (well Mac products anyways)
no mention made at all about the technology in the box, sound card, etc…? so do you not know or just don’t care? if the before mentioned impediments are enough to deep six it i guess why look further?
Noone who is remotely serious about their work uses the build-in sound-card of any laptop in a performance or production setting – whether you’re running Mac or Windows.
But yeah, against impedients like that, it simply doesn’t matter.
unbelievable that they seem to have ignored the functionality provided by having ports for countless pre existing external gear hard wired into the computer itself without the need for a fiddly, easy to lose, dongle. i’ll definitely be skipping this macbook. Fur king idiots!
Errr, no they just have a different laptop line that caters for that.
is that their useful line?
No, it is their line marketed towards home use. Not traveling business.
This laptop will be perfect for a businessman at the airport or just needing to do simple daily tasks, without the need for extra peripherals
Just because its not useful to you, doesn’t mean it isn’t to others. Super lightweight, thin and all day battery is perfect for writers who get inspired to work elsewhere. Ditto developers, coders, website designers, general office work. Some people don’t need ports. It’s no meant to be a DJ tool. I’ve got a Macbook Pro for that, I might pick one of these up for day to day work, its not going to be any good for deployments for me either as I need Thunderbolt for that but i’m not idiotic enough to write “fur king idiots aren’t making something EXACTLY FOR ME!!”
I really believe it’s a market appeal play – and that most people who really need external gear hardwired are already focusing on / considering buying the Pro.
100% market driven product here. They know exactly who they are appealing to, and, like usual, they’ll succeed
with all the fuss being made online i misunderstood and thought they had replaced the pro with that, thankfully they haven’t. if someone wants to spend a fortune on a tablet with a keyboard good luck to them. i’d never have dj’d with the macbook air anyway as it doesn’t have specs i’d be prepared to rely on
great article! published at the right time