The latest MacBook Pro introduced by Apple has many aspects that have been revamped to make the Mac user community happy. review the M2, I called the 13-inch MacBook Pro a “really satisfying laptop.”
I also commented that “this is a laptop that can now take the crown as the team of choice for professionals without a doubt.” And it’s probably one of the best teams Apple has made in the last 15 years.
But it’s been almost ten months since I wrote the review, and since then the shine of the team has faded in no time. While I still recommend it to users who demand the most from Macs, I can’t help but think about what I’d like to see updated by Apple.
So, I’m going to give you a list of features I’d like to see in the next MacBook Pro, in case there are any Apple spokespersons reading these lines and willing to consider them.
5G connectivity
I’ve been traveling a lot lately, staying in hotels, going through airports and finding myself in uncharted territory. One constant I’ve encountered throughout my travels is spotty Wi-Fi.
You simply cannot rely on public Wi-Fi wireless networks to be available at all times and provide a satisfactory connection. In addition, it is not always safe to connect to these access points.
A MacBook Pro with 5G would provide a real connectivity option when Wi-Fi isn’t entirely reliable outside of your home or office. Of course I could use my iPhone 13 Pro Max like an access point, but I’m using two batteries instead of just the laptop.
Clearly Apple doesn’t have to do this as part of the gear configurations Macbook Pro standard, but you can offer it as an additional option, as is already the case in another product range such as the iPad Pro.
Improved FaceTime camera
We’ve talked at length about Apple’s FaceTime cameras on its laptops, so I won’t go into detail about their flaws here. Essentially, its image quality and features are not worthy of a business laptop.
What we want to see in a new FaceTime camera is support for 4K video, better color quality, better clarity, better handling of low-light situations, and Center Stage. It’s not that much either.
The iPhone’s front camera is much better, and we’ve already suggested that Apple should just take that camera and put it inside the MacBook Pro. However, the current thinness of the cover may not make that possible.
Based on that, why not make the lid a little thicker? Apple’s way of solving the problem is with a new Camera Continuity feature in macOS Ventura and iOS 16, where you can use an iPhone as a Mac webcam.
But Continuity Camera isn’t really a solution, it’s a workaround. Upgrading the camera hardware is the real fix, and it would also get Apple ready to tackle the next feature on my list.
Face ID Security
Touch ID is fast and works well, and it’s way better than typing in passwords. But then I pick up my iPhone 13 Pro Max and see Face ID do its job whenever a passcode is required, and it’s an almost seamless experience. Based on that, I wonder what it would be like to have the same Face ID experience on the MacBook Pro?
Face ID doesn’t have to replace Touch ID, let’s have both! It might be overkill, but it might only be available on MacBook Pros as an extra.
Since the new passkey security feature in macOS Ventura’s Safari requires biometric authentication, you may have the option to enable some passkeys through Face ID only and others through Touch ID only. This would make it harder for hackers.
An even bigger trackpad
There’s really nothing wrong with the touch pads of Apple laptops. They feel good, are reliable and durable. But we agree on one problem with the MacBook Pro: it could be bigger.
And touchpad larger would make it easier to use when the display is set to higher resolutions or when you need to perform complex on-screen tasks, such as dragging and dropping in a media editing application, using a selection tool application, etc.
There’s enough room on the sides of the trackpad to expand it without encroaching on the space where your wrists rest for typing. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic increase, even a quarter inch total would make a big difference in ease of use.
Apple could do something similar to Dell’s XPS 13 Plus, which doesn’t have a touchpad visible under the screen. Imagine if 80% of the surface under the keyboard was a multi-touch surface?
The return of the Touch Bar
I mentioned earlier that I’m not a fan of the Touch Bar, but many igamesnews readers tell me that they are. It might be a very strong vocal minority, but there are fans of the Touch Bar and while I don’t like it, I understand how useful it can be.
So why not create a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar? Embrace it (up to a point) and make it part of the Pro line, and don’t leave it as a missing feature being phased out inside the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
A company like Apple must offer the user the possibility to choose between function keys or, at an additional cost, to opt for a touch bar. The Touch Bar comes in handy when it offers auto and predictive text options, similar to what you find when typing on the iPhone.
There is also a feature that makes the Touch Bar on MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inches is downright useful: the Touch Bar points to the Touch ID button when an app or macOS requests Touch ID. learn to drive Touch ID on Mac.
And while we’re at it: it would be great if Apple could find a way to illuminate the area around the Touch ID button as well, an effect we’ve already found on mobile that makes location tracking much easier in certain situations.
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