Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

The MacBook Pro people are whining about is already Apple’s fastest-selling pro laptop ever

Published Nov 2nd, 2016 11:23AM EDT
MacBook Pro 2016 SD Slot Headphone Jack

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

Well, that didn’t take long. Apple unveiled its new 2016 MacBook Pro lineup just last week, and the company is already boasting about record numbers. Apple wouldn’t say exactly how many new MacBook Pros the company has sold so far, of course. But the response has apparently been phenomenal, in spite of the many quirks of the new machine that have received plenty of negative coverage around the web.

DON’T MISS: New evidence shines light on a big advantage Galaxy S8 may have over iPhone 8

“There has certainly been a lot of passionate dialogue and debate about the new MacBook Pro! Many things have impressed people about it, and some have caused some controversy,” Apple’s Phil Schiller told The Independent in an interview. “I hope everyone gets a chance to try it for themselves and see how great the MacBook Pro is. It is a really big step forward and an example of how much we continue to invest in the Mac. We love the Mac and are as committed to it, in both desktops and notebooks, as we ever have been.”

Schiller continued, “And we are proud to tell you that so far our online store has had more orders for the new MacBook Pro than any other pro notebook before. So there certainly are a lot of people as excited as we are about it.”

The top Apple exec also explained some of Apple’s more controversial decisions surrounding the design of the new MacBook Pro.

On the removal of the SD slot

There’s no SD slot on the MacBook Pro “because of a couple of things.”

“One, it’s a bit of a cumbersome slot. You’ve got this thing sticking halfway out. Then there are very fine and fast USB card readers, and then you can use CompactFlash as well as SD. So we could never really resolve this – we picked SD because more consumer cameras have SD, but you can only pick one,” Schiller said. “So, that was a bit of a trade-off. And then more and more cameras are starting to build wireless transfer into the camera. That’s proving very useful. So we think there’s a path forward where you can use a physical adapter if you want, or do wireless transfer.”

On keeping the standard 3.5mm audio jack

When asked whether it’s inconsistent for Apple to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack on the MacBook Pro but remove it from the latest iPhone, Schiller said it makes perfect sense.

“These are pro machines,” he said. “If it was just about headphones then it doesn’t need to be there, we believe that wireless is a great solution for headphones. But many users have setups with studio monitors, amps, and other pro audio gear that do not have wireless solutions and need the 3.5mm jack.”

There you have it. This is Apple’s logic, straight from the horse’s mouth, behind killing one feature many people use while keeping another feature that even more people need. Schiller’s full interview is available right here.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.