New MacBook Pros (2016)
Oct 27, 2016, 8:01 pm
#16
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Frequently through their student portal they do. Usually $150-200 off, though lately it has been off just the MacBook.
Oct 27, 2016, 8:01 pm
#17
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Always , not. Some variations of it do not prohibit Apple products. Either the movers coupon or the student coupon I don't remember but I've used it multiple times on Macs. A quick search of Google doesn't show any current 10% coupons though, Apple or not :-/
Oct 27, 2016, 8:02 pm
#18
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Oct 27, 2016, 8:07 pm
#19
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I'm on a 2012 11" MBA with 1,800 cycles it is perfectly fine as the day i picked it up but i think i will pick one of the newer ones that launched today. Not sure which one,we'll see. But yep, i'm thinking about upgrading. Have been waiting this time since about 2 years ago but still we'll think about it as this machine works perfectly fine and meets my needs, upgrading would be just spoiling myself for the sake of it.
It will be nice if I can charge the macbook via any of the 2-4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Benson Leung and Nathan K both do independent testing on USB-C chargers and cables
https://plus.google.com/collection/EKnov
https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378
Kind of a pain to research safe cables but it will be nice to have airdrop and continuity fully working.
Monoprice has some good options for USB-C, though do check which are safe for charging since most haven't certified them USB-IF compliant, yet
http://www.monoprice.com/pages/usb_31_type_c
http://www.usb.org/press/USB-IF_Pres...2016_FINAL.pdf
There's an aftermarket magnetic USB-C charging cable
https://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Break.../dp/B01CQTK6GU
But it might overload things. Might want to wait a while until it gets thoroughly broken down and tested.
https://plus.google.com/+BensonLeung/posts/CoP8yj7m2Qr
For the prices Apple is charging on some of the new cables, I'd probably just get a few small adapters and use my existing USB 2.0/3.0 cables.
https://www.amazon.com/nonda-Adapter...8ZY6WRR7RR951B
There is a USB-C to lightning cable to bypass dongle, if you want. My cable is 98% used for charging only though USB-C to lightning would charge/transfer more quickly than USB-A 2.0 to lightning. I'm guessing lighting cable + USB-C charger will be included in the next iPhone.
Engadget put together a chart with some Windows alternatives
https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/27/...e-competition/
https://www.engadget.com/2016/10/27/...re-than-touch/
Oct 27, 2016, 9:04 pm
#20
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Running a Mid-2009 15" MBP. 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD. I was waiting to see which direction Apple was going to go...and they've gone the wrong direction for my liking.
I really don't understand what they're thinking out in Cupertino. Any extra kit I have to carry (dongles, special power adapters, etc.) is very unwanted. It's one more thing for me to lose on the road. I also don't want "standards" which aren't common. Remember Apple's insistence that Firewire was superior to USB and Firewire was the future? Yeah...about that...
So, it looks like a Lenovo P, X, or T something will be replacing it. Or maybe somethings, as I almost impulse-bought a Lenovo 11" Yoga laptop tonight at Costco for the quick trips when I'm packing light. 15% thinner, 22% lighter, 38% higher resolution screen than the closest MB Air. It's about as thick/heavy as a regular tablet and is a full computer. And at $500, it's almost disposable.
Back when I bought my MBP, it was actually cheaper than the Lenovos my office was issuing. Now, the MBPs are far more expensive, almost 2x.
Not worth it. ESPECIALLY with the lack of on-site same/next day support. Not that I've needed it with our Lenovos, but I remember how nice it was with our Dell Latitudes.
I really don't understand what they're thinking out in Cupertino. Any extra kit I have to carry (dongles, special power adapters, etc.) is very unwanted. It's one more thing for me to lose on the road. I also don't want "standards" which aren't common. Remember Apple's insistence that Firewire was superior to USB and Firewire was the future? Yeah...about that...
So, it looks like a Lenovo P, X, or T something will be replacing it. Or maybe somethings, as I almost impulse-bought a Lenovo 11" Yoga laptop tonight at Costco for the quick trips when I'm packing light. 15% thinner, 22% lighter, 38% higher resolution screen than the closest MB Air. It's about as thick/heavy as a regular tablet and is a full computer. And at $500, it's almost disposable.
Back when I bought my MBP, it was actually cheaper than the Lenovos my office was issuing. Now, the MBPs are far more expensive, almost 2x.
Not worth it. ESPECIALLY with the lack of on-site same/next day support. Not that I've needed it with our Lenovos, but I remember how nice it was with our Dell Latitudes.
Oct 27, 2016, 9:27 pm
#21
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Haven't seen exactly which processor is in the 13" -- but they're now specifying that it's dual core, and thus a U-series processor; I really don't get why they didn't use Kaby Lake.
I'm glad my present employer still has a PC option. I see some very happy, and some very unhappy engineers when they come up for refresh at my company, in large part based on how much people use IDEs which are tied to the function keys.
Also haven't seen any sign of a 32GB config of the 15" -- I had assumed it would be an option. In my line of work (heavy duty Java development) 16GB barely cuts it anymore, and going to 32GB on my personal and work laptops (luckily a cheap upgrade on the PC side!) has been a huge advantage. Since the processors support it, I'm amazed Apple didn't decide to make it an option -- especially given their usual markups!
Painful in the short term, but a good idea in the longer term.
TB3 is electrically compatible with USB-C and with Displayport 1.2, so inexpensive passive adapters shouldn't be too hard to get or use.
This kills the machine (at least in the shorter term until software catches up) for a lot of software developers and people in other forms of engineering; a LOT of software uses the function keys, and a lot of us have deep muscle memory of using them.
Lenovo tried something similar (but less ambitious) with the Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd-gen and backtracked to real function keys in the 3rd generation model.
I don't understand why they couldn't just put this as a new row above the real keyboard, or why manufacturers (not just Apple!) seem to be monkeying with keyboards when the basic "good layout" has been a solved problem for long enough to have ANSI (US) and ISO (non-US) standards.
PCs have had fingerprint readers for at least a decade; good to see Apple get on board.
While I'm not an iOS user, going to USB-C (no real sense in going all the way to TB) on the next iPhone/iPad would make a lot of sense. Given the recent headphone move, I don't see it happening.
For the 13", definitely; 49Wh on the Touch Strip one is really small. 76Wh on the 15" is pretty competitive, although some competing windows laptops are in the 90+ Wh range.
I'm glad my present employer still has a PC option. I see some very happy, and some very unhappy engineers when they come up for refresh at my company, in large part based on how much people use IDEs which are tied to the function keys.
Also haven't seen any sign of a 32GB config of the 15" -- I had assumed it would be an option. In my line of work (heavy duty Java development) 16GB barely cuts it anymore, and going to 32GB on my personal and work laptops (luckily a cheap upgrade on the PC side!) has been a huge advantage. Since the processors support it, I'm amazed Apple didn't decide to make it an option -- especially given their usual markups!
TB3 is electrically compatible with USB-C and with Displayport 1.2, so inexpensive passive adapters shouldn't be too hard to get or use.
[*]Physical function keys replaced with LCD touch bar
Lenovo tried something similar (but less ambitious) with the Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd-gen and backtracked to real function keys in the 3rd generation model.
I don't understand why they couldn't just put this as a new row above the real keyboard, or why manufacturers (not just Apple!) seem to be monkeying with keyboards when the basic "good layout" has been a solved problem for long enough to have ANSI (US) and ISO (non-US) standards.
[*]inclusion of Touch-ID security
Stick with lightning for everything, or at at minimum have USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 on the new iPhone in fall, and future iPads.
For the 13", definitely; 49Wh on the Touch Strip one is really small. 76Wh on the 15" is pretty competitive, although some competing windows laptops are in the 90+ Wh range.
Last edited by nkedel; Oct 28, 2016 at 12:43 pm
Oct 27, 2016, 10:40 pm
#22
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I get the sense that Apple has really lost focus - Tim Cook is a horrible leader and has failed to chart any new path, so now their product development just thrashes around, annoying lots of people and exciting nobody. This is not the Steve Jobs Apple that sold people things they never imagined could exist. I could well imagine a phone without a headphone jack, but would not want one.
So here I am with my soon to be 6 year old 17" MBP, which in itself is a testament to the old Apple, as any Windows machine would have died long ago. It hums along just fine, but weighs about 10lbs, is really getting too big and the battery life is horrible (I'm lucky to crack an hour). With that in mind, I think it's time to refresh, yet I see absolutely nothing technically compelling with the new MBP aside from better graphics/color rendering and it's smaller/thinner/lighter. Everything else is nonsense, maybe aside from the new touch bar which could be useful depending on how software companies utilize it. I would prefer to use the strip to do basic things and keep my hands on the keyboard vs needing to reach for the mouse or memorize complex key combinations....and where is the 1TB hard drive? Although my other half has ordered me to buy the cheaper 256GB 15" model and clear the junk from my laptop to save $400.
So, that being said, and with $2,200 of unused tech refresh credits from an old job, now sitting as Apple Gift Cards, we will make the trek to tax-free Oregon after Thanksgiving and the usual fanboy panic subsides to embrace our new "not-so-new" Macbook Pros. I am pretty sure I can sell my old 17" on Ebay for about $500 (there is a market for these with graphics folks), and maybe we can get $300-400 for the other half's old 13" Air along with the tax-free purchase to numb the price shock.
So here I am with my soon to be 6 year old 17" MBP, which in itself is a testament to the old Apple, as any Windows machine would have died long ago. It hums along just fine, but weighs about 10lbs, is really getting too big and the battery life is horrible (I'm lucky to crack an hour). With that in mind, I think it's time to refresh, yet I see absolutely nothing technically compelling with the new MBP aside from better graphics/color rendering and it's smaller/thinner/lighter. Everything else is nonsense, maybe aside from the new touch bar which could be useful depending on how software companies utilize it. I would prefer to use the strip to do basic things and keep my hands on the keyboard vs needing to reach for the mouse or memorize complex key combinations....and where is the 1TB hard drive? Although my other half has ordered me to buy the cheaper 256GB 15" model and clear the junk from my laptop to save $400.
So, that being said, and with $2,200 of unused tech refresh credits from an old job, now sitting as Apple Gift Cards, we will make the trek to tax-free Oregon after Thanksgiving and the usual fanboy panic subsides to embrace our new "not-so-new" Macbook Pros. I am pretty sure I can sell my old 17" on Ebay for about $500 (there is a market for these with graphics folks), and maybe we can get $300-400 for the other half's old 13" Air along with the tax-free purchase to numb the price shock.
Oct 27, 2016, 11:21 pm
#23
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I guess we should’ve seen this coming when Apple stopped calling themselves “Apple Computer.” All they care about now is making money off the walled garden, and their devices are shaped entirely toward that end. I’ve used Macs all my life but I’m at the point where I wish I’d bitten the bullet and jumped ship last year.
Oct 27, 2016, 11:46 pm
#24
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I am a 100% working/traveling professional photographer and...
Color me a bit disappointed in the new MacBook Pro. I love my Mid 2012 Retina and was waiting on the new MBP to make a decision on the next laptop but it seems there were major departures made from the core idea of the "Pro" line up. I think a 2015 model might be a good choice but I need to go actually try the keyboard first and actually use one. On paper though they seemed to have made some odd choices and not really an 'upgrade', if not a downgrade, in some places.
The new touch bar could be a great feature to a lot of users so I'll give them some credit there. I'd rather have a physical power button for some situations. Everyone's software isn't perfect so a dedicated and physical 'force restart' button would be nice. Interested to see how that works if the OS locks up.
Now to the real issues. Why is the SD Card deleted on what is arguably the 'creative professional' laptop of choice? Cool adopt USB-C and make up your own name. I like the idea of USB-C but no USB 3.0 or a single thunderbolt connection? Guess buy adapters to plug into adapters.
A major question mark for me though is the choice in GPU. A major departure IMO. The 44X-46X graphics cards are a 100-150 dollar GPU. It's the new 'thinnest' GPU but a 2000-4000+ dollar laptop with a 150 dollar GPU installed? And nVidia is optimized for a LOT of the 'creative professional' software.
I see they kept the headphone jack which after deleting on the iPhone seems odd. Be nice to have an adapter to use your lightning headphones plugged into another adapter into the headphone jack. That is if you use their crappy headphones. Not really an issue for me personally but an odd choice.
And finally a lot of people use their iPhone and iTunes to listen to music. You have to buy a cable or buy an adapter to do this. Or to do a backup/restore if you have phone issues. Not sure the thought process on that front.
Why is everything Apple does about making everything 'thinner'. No one with a PROFESSIONAL laptop says 'wish this was 3mm thinner and 1/2 a pound less weight. I'd gladly lose ports and usability for this'. Keep it at the current size and PACK SOME USABLE stuff in it. Like more batteries. Love battery life on a MBP and even more would be that much better.
And no magsafe... why?
On paper this looks like, simply put, a downgrade. A 'cash in' on people buying them to buy them. I am not sure this is actually "better' than my Mid 2012 Retina.
Color me a bit disappointed in the new MacBook Pro. I love my Mid 2012 Retina and was waiting on the new MBP to make a decision on the next laptop but it seems there were major departures made from the core idea of the "Pro" line up. I think a 2015 model might be a good choice but I need to go actually try the keyboard first and actually use one. On paper though they seemed to have made some odd choices and not really an 'upgrade', if not a downgrade, in some places.
The new touch bar could be a great feature to a lot of users so I'll give them some credit there. I'd rather have a physical power button for some situations. Everyone's software isn't perfect so a dedicated and physical 'force restart' button would be nice. Interested to see how that works if the OS locks up.
Now to the real issues. Why is the SD Card deleted on what is arguably the 'creative professional' laptop of choice? Cool adopt USB-C and make up your own name. I like the idea of USB-C but no USB 3.0 or a single thunderbolt connection? Guess buy adapters to plug into adapters.
A major question mark for me though is the choice in GPU. A major departure IMO. The 44X-46X graphics cards are a 100-150 dollar GPU. It's the new 'thinnest' GPU but a 2000-4000+ dollar laptop with a 150 dollar GPU installed? And nVidia is optimized for a LOT of the 'creative professional' software.
I see they kept the headphone jack which after deleting on the iPhone seems odd. Be nice to have an adapter to use your lightning headphones plugged into another adapter into the headphone jack. That is if you use their crappy headphones. Not really an issue for me personally but an odd choice.
And finally a lot of people use their iPhone and iTunes to listen to music. You have to buy a cable or buy an adapter to do this. Or to do a backup/restore if you have phone issues. Not sure the thought process on that front.
Why is everything Apple does about making everything 'thinner'. No one with a PROFESSIONAL laptop says 'wish this was 3mm thinner and 1/2 a pound less weight. I'd gladly lose ports and usability for this'. Keep it at the current size and PACK SOME USABLE stuff in it. Like more batteries. Love battery life on a MBP and even more would be that much better.
And no magsafe... why?
On paper this looks like, simply put, a downgrade. A 'cash in' on people buying them to buy them. I am not sure this is actually "better' than my Mid 2012 Retina.
Oct 28, 2016, 1:19 am
#25
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Oct 28, 2016, 2:01 am
#26
Join Date: Oct 2003
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This kills the machine (at least in the shorter term until software catches up) for a lot of software developers and people in other forms of engineering; a LOT of software uses the function keys, and a lot of us have deep muscle memory of using them.
Lenovo tried something similar (but less ambitious) with the Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd-gen and backtracked to real function keys in the 3rd generation model.
I don't understand why they couldn't just put this as a new row above the real keyboard, or why manufacturers (not just Apple!) seem to be monkeying with keyboards when the basic "good layout" has been a solved problem for long enough to have ANSI (US) and ISO (non-US) standards.
Lenovo tried something similar (but less ambitious) with the Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd-gen and backtracked to real function keys in the 3rd generation model.
I don't understand why they couldn't just put this as a new row above the real keyboard, or why manufacturers (not just Apple!) seem to be monkeying with keyboards when the basic "good layout" has been a solved problem for long enough to have ANSI (US) and ISO (non-US) standards.
I could see Apple thinking devs might dock their laptops at their desks and use a Bluetooth/usb keyboard. I usually do for extra screen real estate and more ergo options. Some people leave their MacBooks on but shut so the virtual keys wouldn't be accessible.
The 13" base model with function keys, +1 level cpu upgrade, 16 GB RAM, & 512 GB ssd prices up equal to the 13" virtual keys, same RAM & storage, except the premium model still has a faster cpu.
Last edited by freecia; Oct 28, 2016 at 2:19 am
Oct 28, 2016, 2:51 am
#27
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My biggest gripe with the Macbook line is that they're not repairable...even by Apple themselves. Any repairs at the local Apple shop have to be sent out. No thank you! Fortunately my MBP is old enough that I could still replace the battery 2x, replace the fan, replace a dead HDD, upgrade both the RAM & HDD. The new MBPs are disposable in Apple's mind. When you're charging me $3,200 for a laptop, that's NOT disposable!
@Bocasteven: The real problem is that Apple only sells two products now: iPhones & iTunes. At this point, the only reason Macs exist is to drive people to buy more iCrap from Apple. They stopped their Mac server lineup awhile back. The new beer-can Mac Pro is a joke, no serious expandability and terribly overpriced.
Of course they have their variants:
iPhone with a phone: iPhone
iPhone with a larger screen & phone: iPhone # Plus
iPhone without a phone: iPod
iPhone, larger screen without a phone: iPad
@dinanm3atl: EVERYONE I work with has the "thinness" complaints that you do -- screw how thin it is -- we want a real battery! It doesn't matter how svelte / anorexic the phone is -- once it's taken out of the box it's going to get slapped into an OtterBox or similarly chunky case to make up for the fact that the manufacturer didn't bother to protect the glass or corners of their phone. If someone ever decides to make a mobile phone with a real, user-replaceable battery, I'm in for at least a dozen of them for our office, sight-unseen.
@Bocasteven: The real problem is that Apple only sells two products now: iPhones & iTunes. At this point, the only reason Macs exist is to drive people to buy more iCrap from Apple. They stopped their Mac server lineup awhile back. The new beer-can Mac Pro is a joke, no serious expandability and terribly overpriced.
Of course they have their variants:
iPhone with a phone: iPhone
iPhone with a larger screen & phone: iPhone # Plus
iPhone without a phone: iPod
iPhone, larger screen without a phone: iPad
@dinanm3atl: EVERYONE I work with has the "thinness" complaints that you do -- screw how thin it is -- we want a real battery! It doesn't matter how svelte / anorexic the phone is -- once it's taken out of the box it's going to get slapped into an OtterBox or similarly chunky case to make up for the fact that the manufacturer didn't bother to protect the glass or corners of their phone. If someone ever decides to make a mobile phone with a real, user-replaceable battery, I'm in for at least a dozen of them for our office, sight-unseen.
Oct 28, 2016, 3:39 am
#28
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Oct 28, 2016, 5:16 am
#29
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I have a couple 11's and my main laptop is a MBA 13" and both USB's work perfectly. I pretty much only use Office apps and Chrome. I don't need a ton of horsepower so the MBA is fine with me. I'm not sure why I'd buy this new MacBook?
Oct 28, 2016, 6:34 am
#30
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I think its a kittle late for Apple to throw its weight around and believe whatever they put out the "followers" will keep buying ,
if you see other posters they are running 3-5 years old Macs , and unless they break will probably not upgrade and need to buy all new accessories ,
I like Apple stuff but wonder where they go in the Future ,
Would you buy Apple Stock to hold for 5 years ?
if you see other posters they are running 3-5 years old Macs , and unless they break will probably not upgrade and need to buy all new accessories ,
I like Apple stuff but wonder where they go in the Future ,
Would you buy Apple Stock to hold for 5 years ?
I am currently in the market for a new laptop and I waited to see what Apple would offer. From what I have seen so far, the new Pro's are less than impressive. For now, I use an 11in Air and have for years because it is light, easy to travel with, usually syncs flawlessly with other devices and has never failed to do what I need it to for work.
The touch bar seems like a gimmick to me. How much will that decrease battery performance too? Also, several others have already mentioned the port situation as well as the removal of the mag safe power adapter. The bottom line is that I did not see anything that would persuade me to spend an extra 500 on something that says Apple instead of something that says HP or Dell.