Emily Martin
Nov 14, 2023
In 2009, my journey with MacBooks began with the 13-inch white polycarbonate model. It quickly became my favourite laptop. Over time, I transitioned through different MacBook iterations, eventually landing in the world of MacBook Pros while pursuing a career in freelance journalism.
Fast forward to 2016 when Apple introduced the MacBook Pros with the Touch Bar — a turning point that shattered my decade-long loyalty to Apple laptops. The next five years saw me switch to Windows laptops due to the disappointing trajectory of Apple's laptop designs.
While some lament the disappearance of the MacBook Pro 13, I'm cheering for the end of what I consider the worst era in MacBook history.
The Butterfly keyboard: Introduced in 2015, the Butterfly keyboard was a design catastrophe plagued by constant failures. Despite Apple's repair programs, the keyboard issues were pervasive, leading to replacements for several MacBook Pros.
The troublesome touch bar: Apple's Touch Bar had promise but turned out to be unreliable. Across four MacBooks, I encountered persistent issues — crashes, unresponsive touch inputs, and lack of software support, which ultimately soured my MacBook experience.
Despite my past grievances, recent MacBook updates like the reintroduction of MagSafe, HDMI, and SD card slots, coupled with the shift to Apple Silicon, piqued my interest in giving Apple another chance.
However, I happily say goodbye to the Touch Bar MacBook and Apple's questionable design choices of the past decade. It's time for a new chapter, hoping for a rekindled love for MacBooks in the years to come.
