I left Apple years ago because of this. Extremes are never good. Hardware was getting thin and UI flat for the sake of looking pretty to the masses. And from what I see things got a bit worse.
I actually prefer the aesthetics of early MacBook / MacBook Pro unibody and iPhone SE. And they were a pleasure to use. Good key travel and easy to hold with one hand, respectively.
I hope there is a bit of function re-introduced into the design equation, so that products become more balanced.
I have nothing but pure unadulterated love for my iPhone SE. I can’t imagine myself with a bigger phone and I’m just waiting for them to make a similar new model. Sometimes I wonder if they will though.
I feel the same way about pre Touch Bar MacBooks - not that I have anything against Touch Bar (I think it’s fine and should probably be a lot more hackable) but the new keyboard just causes me cramps and finger pain after very little time. The old keyboards were so so good. Tactile, clicky and solid.
My next Mac after my 2013 MacBook Pro finally kicks it will probably be a 2014-2015 MacBook Pro if I can find one. I was issued a brand new MacBook Pro for work and I hate it. Hate the Touch Bar and keyboard and only liked using it docked to a keyboard and external displays.
I went 2011 to 2015 last year. Turns out it was really easy to find a 2015 refurb on Apple's store. But you should probably do it sooner than later, as they will get more rare the further out we get from 2015.
What will you do when your 2015 MBP gets too old? Are you hopeful that they'll get back to a more developer friendly laptop with functioning keyboard, etc?
I ask because I'm encountering the same conundrum and wondering if I should just force myself to make the switch to a different OS and way of working now.
I had company over last night, and brought out my iPhone 4S. I have my current 128GB SE, and we compared them to the iPhone 8 (which the owner’s children referred to as a small phone).
4S was the pinnacle of miniaturization tech. The SE screensize would fit in the 4S form-factor.
Most popular comment was “I can fit this in my pocket.”
I actually prefer the aesthetics of early MacBook / MacBook Pro unibody and iPhone SE. And they were a pleasure to use. Good key travel and easy to hold with one hand, respectively.
I hope there is a bit of function re-introduced into the design equation, so that products become more balanced.