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"Hello Again" Apple holding mac-centric media event October 27th 10am PST

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C

Crazymoogle

Member
Zombie James said:
No, they just gimped the 13" Pro, raised the baseline price, and said it would be a good Air upgrade.
Click to expand...

???

MacBook Pro 13" (2016) $1299
MacBook Pro 13" (2015) $1299
MacBook Pro 13" (2014) $1299

It's $300 more to go from 2GHz to 2.9GHz, Touch Bar, and double the USB3/Thunderbolt ports, but the baseline usable system is right there. The model that dropped over the years was the Air, which at 13" was $1299 for the mid-2011 model, but fell down to $999 by 2014.

That's where their argument falls apart, because the Air was insanely successful and only became moreso as the price dropped. It's why Apple sold the 13" Pro with the HDD and non-retina display for years - because it fit a price point that otherwise wasn't available. So I totally agree that prices of Macs are going up, but it's not the pro. It's going up for the people who never owned one, because now you either go down in power - the MB Slim - or up, at a cost.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
Remember, the "base" non-touch bar 13" Pro:

1. Uses 15W Air-class CPUs, not the 28W other 13" Pros use.

2. Has a lower-end Iris GPU.

3. Has half the USB-C/TB3 ports.

4. Is generally a bad purchase, when last year's 13" Pro is still for sale for $200 less.

The touch-bar 13" Pro is the actual 13" Pro.
 
C

Crazymoogle

Member
Guess Who said:
Remember, the "base" non-touch bar 13" Pro:

1. Uses 15W Air-class CPUs, not the 28W other 13" Pros use.

2. Has a lower-end Iris GPU.

3. Has half the USB-C/TB3 ports.

4. Is generally a bad purchase, when last year's 13" Pro is still for sale for $200 less.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Those are good points, on the other hand. I don't think it's awful, but it's definitely a poor purchase. The Apple sweet spot for problematic goods used to be closer to $1000, so to spend a premium for compromised spec is a problem. I can't say I'd go back to last year's pro for whatever reason, but at least it's there.
 
L

Laekon

Member
Not sure why this didn't dawn on me earlier but I can't believe they got rid of MagSafe. I thought they would at least include some type of adapter that fit into the USB C port and had the magnetic connectors on the other side. You could just always leave it plugged in so you don't lose it.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Welp, I did it. I bought a new Laptop. Kind of.

Cv0lvuqWIAEZ0yz.jpg


Thanks for nothing, Apple!
 
S

Sir Abacus

Member
longdi said:
Going with AMD Polaris is mistake, no? Pascal more efficient and better perf/watt
Click to expand...

The 460 variant is 35W and has an extremely low z-height compared to the 10xx series. It's not about perf per watt but Pascal doesn't really have a TDP variant that will fit into the rMBP. The 1060 for instance is designed for being a drop-in 970M replacement with sub-100W TDPs and the 1050 parts aren't even available.
 
R

ROFISH

Neo Member
I was so excited to spend money and then now I'm not. All I wanted was 32GB of RAM, 5K display support, and cheaper SSD pricing.

I got 0.5/3: 5K support, but only on Thunderbolt. Which means I can't get a 5K display that will work with both the MBP and my (future) 1070GTX? I think? I could be wrong? Does that LG monitor work with nVidia cards?

5K support is super hacky right now with different cables or something and is so super confusing so all it does is make me not drop big bucks on laptops or GPUs or monitors for fear of getting something that won't work. :/

(And no 32GB RAM sucks and yow that pricing!)
 
C

Crazymoogle

Member
Radec said:
Is there a lightning to thunderbolt 3 adapter or cable?

You can't even connect your iphone on these pros easily.
Click to expand...

Any quality USB-C cable (meaning, USB3.1 rated) should carry a Thunderbolt signal. You need to use an active (powered) cable if you need a length of more than half a meter and want to maintain 40Gbps, but it will still work beyond that. For USB purposes no worries
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
The least Apple could do is offer a trade-in program for people with iPhones who get either a MacBook or a new MacBook Pro to give them a USB-C to Lightning cable in place of their normal USB cable for the people who only have iPhones, iPads and Macs and thus only need that one cable. I feel bad for anyone who doesn't know what they're in for who buys one, gets it home, and then needs to run back out to the store to get an adapter for their USB device.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Spork4000 said:
Why in the world did you do that?
Click to expand...

Because I need a laptop that:
1) Is smaller than 13 inches
2) Is more powerful than the 12 inch Macbook
3) Has a keyboard I can actually type on

And while not as absolutely necessary as the above three, I really like having actual USB ports.

I've been waiting FOREVER to upgrade my 11 inch Air, which I absolutely love. All I was waiting for were Skylake internals.

Instead, they killed the Air, because HEY GUYS, if you compare the SMALLEST Macbook Pro to the LARGEST Macbook Air, the pro is slightly smaller!

Rocky Raccoon said:
I would've gotten the Macbook Pro 13 2016 Base model for $1499. That Macbook Air is outdated.
Click to expand...
If it was 11 inches, I absolutely would have. But it's not.

I got the most powerful laptop Apple offers at the size I need. Because it looks like it's going to stay the most powerful laptop at that size for quite a while.
 
T

toohectic

Member
LyleLanley said:
It really seems stupid that the iPhone 7 doesn't use USB-C.
Click to expand...

People are freaking out about new cables for USB-C ports on a laptop that isn't even a fraction of the popularity of the iPhone. Imagine the outrage there when people would have to buy new charging cables.
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
The 12" could be amazing if it wasn't limited by its miniaturization and the single port. It's way too young to ever replace any model of Air. I was so sure it would get an update today that would give it a nice significant boost. But alas no.
 
B

bionic77

Member
LyleLanley said:
It really seems stupid that the iPhone 7 doesn't use USB-C.
Click to expand...
I agree 100%, but people who bought a lot of lightning accessories are going to be pissed when that happens to. And then they will need dongles to make them work.

Progress is a real bitch. Its a never ended cycle of dongles.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
The Real Abed said:
I was so sure it would get an update today that would give it a nice significant boost. But alas no.
Click to expand...

Because they can't. At the ridiculously extreme and unnecessary level of thinness of the 12-inch Macbook, it is not possible to use a half-decent processor, because there's no space for a freaking fan, which means you have to rely 100% on passive cooling. Which simply doesn't cut it, ESPECIALLY when the thing is also expected to somehow power a Retina screen.

I actually use my 11 inch air for Photoshop. It works quite well! Could I do that on the 12 inch Macbook? Heck no!
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Wowfunhappy said:
Because they can't. At the ridiculously extreme and unnecessary level of thinness of the 12-inch Macbook, it is not possible to use a half-decent processor, because there's no space for a freaking fan, which means you have to rely 100% on passive cooling. Which simply doesn't cut it, ESPECIALLY when the thing is also expected to somehow power a Retina screen.

I actually use my 11 inch air for Photoshop. It works quite well! Could I do that on the 12 inch Macbook? Heck no!
Click to expand...
Yeah, exactly. But I wasn't expecting a huge boost, but something at least. Sucks that they were so obsessed with thinness and no moving parts that they sacrifice the power. Especially at a time when Intel is struggling to get their processors out. Plus the Retina makes it worse because it needs more battery so they have to shrink it down to get that in there.

They're at a strange impasse right now.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
Wowfunhappy said:
Because they can't. At the ridiculously extreme and unnecessary level of thinness of the 12-inch Macbook, it is not possible to use a half-decent processor, because there's no space for a freaking fan, which means you have to rely 100% on passive cooling. Which simply doesn't cut it, ESPECIALLY when the thing is also expected to somehow power a Retina screen.

I actually use my 11 inch air for Photoshop. It works quite well! Could I do that on the 12 inch Macbook? Heck no!
Click to expand...

Sure you could, especially the m5 or m7 model... ?
 
P

Pops Maellard

Member
Wowfunhappy said:
Because I need a laptop that:
1) Is smaller than 13 inches
2) Is more powerful than the 12 inch Macbook
3) Has a keyboard I can actually type on

And while not as absolutely necessary as the above three, I really like having actual USB ports.

I've been waiting FOREVER to upgrade my 11 inch Air, which I absolutely love. All I was waiting for were Skylake internals.

Instead, they killed the Air, because HEY GUYS, if you compare the SMALLEST Macbook Pro to the LARGEST Macbook Air, the pro is slightly smaller!


If it was 11 inches, I absolutely would have. But it's not.

I got the most powerful laptop Apple offers at the size I need. Because it looks like it's going to stay the most powerful laptop at that size for quite a while.
Click to expand...

Absolute madness.

Edit: Also lol@ "could I use a 12 inch MacBook for photoshop? Heck no". I'm working on a poster in Illustrator on my 12" MacBook right now. It's fine.
 
T

toohectic

Member
ROFISH said:
I was so excited to spend money and then now I'm not. All I wanted was 32GB of RAM, 5K display support, and cheaper SSD pricing.

I got 0.5/3: 5K support, but only on Thunderbolt. Which means I can't get a 5K display that will work with both the MBP and my (future) 1070GTX? I think? I could be wrong? Does that LG monitor work with nVidia cards?

5K support is super hacky right now with different cables or something and is so super confusing so all it does is make me not drop big bucks on laptops or GPUs or monitors for fear of getting something that won't work. :/

(And no 32GB RAM sucks and yow that pricing!)
Click to expand...

I'm unclear on the 5K implementation. Is the signal just a display port standard sent over the USB-C connection? Or is the display connection really implemented using the Thunderbolt 3 protocol? If it's accomplished via display port, then I assume you shouldn't have an issue. Hopefully someone can clarify.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
I'm on an early 2011 MBP right now that has served me well for 5+ years, since I sprung for the GPU upgrade at the time. But it's high time for an upgrade.

I'm very torn on whether to just jump in now, or try and hold out for just one more revision, and hope prices drop $200 or so.

I'd probably get the base 15'' with the 512GB SSD upgrade and the Radeon 460 Upgrade. On the EDU store, which I can use via my wife, it comes to a borderline ludicrous $2,609, plus $228(!!!) in tax.

Man... I might have just answered my own question. $2840 is toooo much. Please Apple, introduce a reasonably-specced 15'' model for $2000-$2200 next year :(
 
P

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
I kept going back and forth but decided on the 13"

I have a mid-2009 15" but I think I want a bit more portability. This laptop does feel large these days. I guess I have 14 days to return/exchange if I don't like the smaller size.
 
B

bionic77

Member
GDJustin said:
I'm on an early 2011 MBP right now that has served me well for 5+ years, since I sprung for the GPU upgrade at the time. But it's high time for an upgrade.

I'm very torn on whether to just jump in now, or try and hold out for just one more revision, and hope prices drop $200 or so.

I'd probably get the base 15'' with the 512GB SSD upgrade and the Radeon 460 Upgrade. On the EDU store, which I can use via my wife, it comes to a borderline ludicrous $2,609, plus $228(!!!) in tax.

Man... I might have just answered my own question. $2840 is toooo much. Please Apple, introduce a reasonably-specced 15'' model for $2000-$2200 next year :(
Click to expand...
With Apple it always pays to wait for the 2nd version. If your computer can last another year I would say to wait.

It will be better and I bet it will be cheaper as well. You should not have to wait too long. Intel has to update their chips one of these days...
 
L

LumpOfCole

Member
Wowfunhappy said:
Welp, I did it. I bought a new Laptop. Kind of.

Cv0lvuqWIAEZ0yz.jpg


Thanks for nothing, Apple!
Click to expand...

Okay, for real, why an i7 on an 11-inch MBA? If anything it makes it worse because it's a higher battery drain than the i5, and I think it's safe to assume no one is going to be doing any video editing or 3D modeling on that thing.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
I wonder when and how the touch bar stuff will come to the iMac. Would Apple actually update the Magic Keyboard again that soon?

I imagine the T1 should make it possible, at least.
 
G

GamePnoy74

Member
I pulled the trigger on a 13" MBP touch for my wife.

I finally upgraded her Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows XP from 12+ years ago.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
LumpOfCole said:
Okay, for real, why an i7 on an 11-inch MBA? If anything it makes it worse because it's a higher battery drain than the i5, and I think it's safe to assume no one is going to be doing any video editing or 3D modeling on that thing.
Click to expand...

Gotta have all 7 i's for Photoshop, man.
 
H

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
The Real Abed said:
The 12" could be amazing if it wasn't limited by its miniaturization and the single port. It's way too young to ever replace any model of Air. I was so sure it would get an update today that would give it a nice significant boost. But alas no.
Click to expand...
I imagine that's due for a Spring update.
 
T

Terrell

Member
I only hope that the Touch Bar makes it to their standard keyboards, too. It's the only part of this hardware announcement that excited me.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
Terrell said:
I only hope that the Touch Bar makes it to their standard keyboards, too. It's the only part of this hardware announcement that excited me.
Click to expand...
The real trick of it is the TouchID part, I guess (secure enclave is probably different when it's another piece of hardware).
 
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