Is the Mac still the pro’s choice?

There’s been a lot of talk recently about Apple losing their way at the pro end of the market. Yes, we have new MacBooks, but there have been no new iMacs this year, and the Mac Mini and Mac Pro haven’t been updated since 2014 and 2013 respectively.

What’s more, not all elements of the new MacBooks have been welcomed with open arms. They’re more powerful, but the fact that they only come with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C

ports means that owners will almost certainly have to buy adaptors/hubs so that they can plug in their existing peripherals, and many are wondering if the new Touch Bar – which replaces the top row of function keys on the keyboard – will actually be that useful. Also, the new machines are pricey, particularly in the UK.

So, does this mean that there’ll be a stampede of pros switching to Windows? Microsoft certainly seem to be making an effort at the top end of the market; their new Surface Studio – a touchscreen computer that can be used in an iMac-like fashion but also tilted so that it can act like a massive tablet – feels like the kind of innovative product that Apple are renowned for. However, it seems to be targeted mainly at designers at this stage.

We do get the sense that more pros are starting to use Windows, but we also suspect that it’ll take a lot to convince Mac diehards to switch to Microsoft’s OS, even if they do have reservations about Apple’s current strategy. However, it may be the case that the next generation of pros no longer feel that the Mac is the way to go, and so a gradual shift towards Microsoft’s OS isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.