Everything we wanted from Apple’s MacBook Pro event but got denied

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You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest laptop in the world ... MacBook Pro!
You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest laptop in the world ... MacBook Pro!
Photo: Apple

Anybody watching Apple’s “Hello Again” event probably suspected we’d get “one more thing” in addition to the long-rumored Touch Bar and the recently leaked TV app. Or maybe a couple more things.

Instead we got … a Final Cut Pro update and a new accessibility website?

Underwhelming! And cruelly disappointing to all the Apple faithful hoping against hope for new hardware. Here are all the other things we wanted — but got so viciously denied — during Apple’s MacBook Pro event today.

New Mac Pro and 5K Cinema Display

Tim Cook started off mentioning how creatives “move the world forward” using Macs as to power their work. Most creatives I know, including myself, prefer a desktop over a laptop any day. The Mac Pro makes a great choice, especially if you use Final Cut Pro X, but Apple’s high-end desktop machine saw its last update in December 2013.

While it’s still pretty darn quick today, improvements could be made. In addition, would it really have been that hard for Apple to throw the iMac’s 5K display into a Cinema Display housing? It’s great that Apple teamed up with LG for a new UltraFine 5K Display, but it still doesn’t look anywhere near as pretty as something Jony Ive might cook up. — Ste Smith

MagSafe for USB-C

The new MacBook Pros’ four USB-C ports deliver plenty of functionality — now you can power your laptop from whichever side you like, as Apple pointed out. Which also means you can trip over the cable and trash your shiny new MacBook from either side. Why, oh why, didn’t Apple come up with an innovative way to mimic the clever, magnetic, Mac-saving MagSafe functionality for its USB-C ports? If Griffin can do it, surely Cupertino can too. — Lewis Wallace

Updated Mac mini

Today’s keynote proved one thing: Apple does not care about poor people. I was hoping to make a cheap Mac station at my place with a new Mac mini. Now that the hardware inside the tiny Apple computer is over two years old, it makes more sense to just build my own Hackintosh with better specs at the same price. — Buster Hein

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AirPods for our ears

Admittedly, this dream got dashed early — Apple said Wednesday that its wireless earbuds won’t ship this month as originally planned. Still, I count this as a true disappointment. I can’t wait to try AirPods and see how they compare to Bluetooth headphones like Jaybird’s excellent new X3 model. — Lewis Wallace

Updated MacBook Air

Even though the MacBook Air is long in the tooth, it is still one the of the best MacBooks. It’s light and easily portable, yet the screen and keyboard are both full-size. It’s also well-priced at $999. If Apple had updated the Air and added the Touch Bar, I’d be outside the Apple Store right now to buy one. — Leander Kahney

Affordable new MacBook Pro

We knew the Touch Bar would bring strange new superpowers to Apple’s updated MacBook Pros, but the demo effectively showed off just how magical this new interface will be. The pricing — which starts at $1,799 for the “cheapest” 13-inch model with a Touch Bar — unfortunately, puts the new Apple laptops out of reach for many users. And Apple is taking a beating on Twitter and Reddit over the high price points.

Adding the Touch Bar-free “MacBook Semi-Pro” with a $1,499 price tag just adds insult to injury. Look, we know the MacBook Pro is Apple’s high-end, high-performance showcase for what a laptop can deliver. But if the Touch Bar is going to take off, Apple is going to need to make it accessible to more people. — Lewis Wallace

What did you want from Apple event?

That’s what we wanted to see at today’s “Hello Again” event. What were you waiting for? Let us know in the comments below.

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