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

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mrklaw

MrArseFace
For those wondering how it compares to the 2015, 2014, and 2013 13" MacBook's with i5. Just note the 2015 Benchmark was with 16GB RAM.

2016 13" MacBook Pro with i5: Single Core 3457 and Multicore 6896.
http://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/873092
2015 13" MacBook Pro Retina with i5: Single Core 3860 and Multicore 7287.
https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/872594
2014 13" MacBook Pro Retina with i5: Single Core 3481 and Multicore 6617.
https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/871504
2013 13" MacBook Pro Retina with i5: Single Core 3523 and Multicore 6733.
https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/869851


(Edit) Added links in case I grabbed the wrong PC's somebody can correct me. :<

Taking the daughter to Apple tomorrow. She insists she wants the 13" one but also does movies. Her previous 2011 was dog slow. If the 13" is good enough for her I'm fine with that, but a loaded up 256GB 13" is only like $200 under the base 15" (talking with toolbar). Not sure what to do.


check the benchmarks quoted above for the base 13", and then look up whatever CPU there is in the 2011 model you're currently using. Also consider if the 2011 model had a HDD or SSD which will make a big difference.

The ones with discrete GPUs will have faster encodes/exports if you do a ton of video work, but for general use you may not care. You say its 'only' $200 between the top 13" and the base 15" - but how much between the base 13" and the base 15"? If you're already spec-creeping on the 13" just go for the larger one, especially if you can afford it, which 'only' does suggest
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
What do you mean "does movies"?

Also, all Touch bar MBP ships in a few weeks.
On her old Mac she used iMovie to edit but always showed interest in better effects, tighter editing, bringing in more sources of media, etc. So I was thinking of Final Cut as a birthday present.

And I just meant going to Apple to compare the sizes in person. I know it's going to be 3-4 weeks until she gets it. But she's on,y had her chrome book from school for the last 4 months as we've been waiting for the new MBPs, so 4 weeks more is "whatever"
 

jelly

Member
I've always found Dells to be really poor in terms of trackpad quality (though now worse than any other non-Apple trackpad) however I have heard good things about the XPS so would go into it with an open mind.

Agree that the SurfaceBook trackpad is fantastic but they're also quite expensive. We tried a Lenovo 710 which is the closest I've seen to Apple quality in terms of screen, trackpad etc and really liked it.

Haven't used this but it's supposedly great: http://www.razerzone.com/gb-en/store/razer-blade-stealth

I've found the trackpads on Dell Latitudes over the last few years to be really good. Can't say what the consumer ones are like though. Haven't tried an XPS yet. I think high end laptop manufactures are getting trackpads right now.
 
On her old Mac she used iMovie to edit but always showed interest in better effects, tighter editing, bringing in more sources of media, etc. So I was thinking of Final Cut as a birthday present.

I can run Final Cut X on my Macbook Air without issue, she'll be fine with any of the new Pro's.
 

X-Frame

Member
Can someone let me know if I'm way off here but the AMD specs for the new 460 GPU says 1.8 teraflops which is similar to the current PS4.

Does that mean the new MBP with the highest 460 GPU will be similar power to the PS4 currently?
 
We need a thread discussing Apple moving away from Lightning to USB-C. I know that people have been semi-discussing it here, but this does seem like the next change Apple will need to do for the iPhone and I think it requires a much bigger discussion elsewhere.
 
We need a thread discussing Apple moving away from Lightning to USB-C. I know that people have been semi-discussing it here, but this does seem like the next change Apple will need to do for the iPhone and I think it requires a much bigger discussion elsewhere.

If they were planning to do it, they would have done it already. Apple doesn't seem to care.
 

longdi

Banned
Why get a 4 year support warranty? I would sell off the laptop by the end of the year and save the money by not getting the extended warranty.
Laptops arent getting much faster for work stuff, and since its a work laptop, it is troublesome to change every year. The extended nbd warranty helps for quick recovery and dell would replace a new one for free if it totally breaks down after 3~4yrs later. :)
 

giga

Member
FYI the base 13" is on Amazon pre order for $1139. Went ahead and ordered it at that price. I figure I'll get a Kaby lake iMac to complement it when those come next year.
 
Man this is a fucking disappointment. So expensive with just some lame gimmick and terrible keyboard. The non touch model is still ridiculously expensive and it doesn't even look good anymore. The side speaker grills and gigantic track pad just make it looks fugly to me.
 

Hari Seldon

Member
I will never buy a laptop with one of those silly touch bar things unless it was in addition to the function keys. I really love OSX but I guess I'm going to be completely off of the Apple train when my 2010 MBP dies.
 
Remember when the original Macbook Air launched and it was £1200?

It was an impressive vision of the future and sold like hotcakes, but at launch the entire "tech" community balked at the stupidly expensive, functionally useless (due to lack of ports), pointlessly thin weakling machines. Forums were full of Apple haters in full force, joined by "soon to be ex-Apple fans" declaring they've had it with the direction of the company and it's bizarre decisions, and they were moving ecosystem.

8 Years later here we are again. The same noise over what will probably review, and sell incredibly well. Probably typing all this from their ultrabooks that with a form factor that's very similar to the Macbook Air.

Time smooths over any hypocrisy.

As for price - 25%+ inflation since 2008, and given the shitty pound and stronger dollar, puts this at around the same price as the original Macbook Air at the time for UK people. A bit cheaper if you get non-touchbar, a bit more if you get the touchbar model.
 

Futureman

Member
We need a thread discussing Apple moving away from Lightning to USB-C. I know that people have been semi-discussing it here, but this does seem like the next change Apple will need to do for the iPhone and I think it requires a much bigger discussion elsewhere.

they aren't though? iPhones will continue to use Lightning. There are no rumors or signs that point to this. They JUST released new lightning headphones and went lightning only on iPhone. They are doubling down, not moving away.
 

kiguel182

Member
The entry level 13 inch (with the touch bar) is now 500 euros more expensive than the previous entry level macbook pro 13 inch that was 1500 euros. Altought it is faster and with a bigger SSD.

My MBP can still hold for another year most likely and hopefully then it will be cheaper. My love for MacOS trumps my feelings regarding the price.

If the next iterations aren't cheaper then I don't know. I'll have to think about life for a bit. Still, I'm holding another year to see what happens.

EDIT: Also, the fact that their newest year buds don't work with this laptop or that you can't charge your iPhone directly with it is ridiculous.
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
That oled bar is the most pointless gimmicky shit I've seen from Apple so far. I've always been a huge fan of the MBP trackpad (or the one on my '13 rMBP at least) because it's genuinely useful and feels indispensable once you learn the gestures.

This though?

Scrolling through an arrangement on Logic Pro (for example) is easy enough with the trackpad, I don't need a full colour tiny screen to perform the same task, and certainly not for the eye-watering price hike either. Ditto for transport controls - space bar is pretty handy for that. I've also never used an emoji in the Mac version of iMessage and thought "this is cumbersome, I wish I had a touchscreen strip to help me with this task".

And yes, I get that my country was stupid enough to vote for Brexit and tank our currency, but it's not like Apple never took the piss with pricing when the pound was stronger.

I never thought that I would be looking into potential Windows and Android upgrades for my current devices, but here we are.
This seems to be a fairly recurrent criticism: Apple innovations not providing users with what they demand but what Apple (or is it Jony Ive, I can't even tell anymore) wants.

I'm also kind of shocked by how negative the media is being towards the new Pro. Not so long ago it was rare to see relatively big outlets putting Apple on blast for their products (in no small part because so many journalist use them), but even The Verge is taking cheap potshots these days. TNW is more articulate and concise. Even commenters at Apple-centric sites are unusually displeased. I was checking some streams and people were already throwing fits when Apple pointed that it uses a butterfly keyboard (which going by everything I've read is as terrible as the standard MacBook's). My Mac totting friends are literally cackling at the prices.

I've been a Windows user forever because I happen to enjoy PC games, so I never cared much about Apple's computer OS nor the iMac line. But the MacBook range was the gold standard in terms of features and build quality. I even loved the first gen Air, no matter how anemic it was (netbook-age portable computing was some serious struggle for Windows users); there was just so much to love and envy about them. I really feel like Apple needs a creative enema.

Remember when the original Macbook Air launched and it was £1200?

It was an impressive vision of the future and sold like hotcakes, but at launch the entire "tech" community balked at the stupidly expensive, functionally useless (due to lack of ports), pointlessly thin weakling machines. Forums were full of Apple haters in full force, joined by "soon to be ex-Apple fans" declaring they've had it with the direction of the company and it's bizarre decisions, and they were moving ecosystem.
I have different memories. I remember most Apple fans losing their collective shit at the manila envelope introduction and some Windows users trolling hardcore as per usual. The Air had some limitations, but nearly everyone understood that it was chasing a market where certain features are not a requirement. The Pro is receiving some very mixed reactions in comparison.
 

Futureman

Member
FYI the base 13" is on Amazon pre order for $1139. Went ahead and ordered it at that price. I figure I'll get a Kaby lake iMac to complement it when those come next year.

The base 13" MBP is $1,499 on Apple. Where are you seeing this @ $1,139 on Amazon?

or are you referring to the old 13" MBP that is $1,299 from Apple??
 

manakel

Member
This seems to be a fairly recurrent criticism: Apple innovations not providing users with what they demand but what Apple (or is it Jony Ive, I can't even tell anymore) wants.

I'm also kind of shocked by how negative the media is being towards the new Pro. Not so long ago it was rare to see relatively big outlets putting Apple on blast for their products (in no small part because so many journalist use them), but even The Verge is taking cheap potshots these days. TNW is more articulate and concise. Even commenters at Apple-centric sites are unusually displeased. I was checking some streams and people were already throwing fits when Apple pointed that it uses a butterfly keyboard (which going by everything I've read is as terrible as the standard MacBook's). My Mac totting friends are literally cackling at the prices.

I've been a Windows user forever because I happen to enjoy PC games, so I never cared much about Apple's computer OS nor the iMac line. But the MacBook range was the gold standard in terms of features and build quality. I even loved the first gen Air, no matter how anemic it was (netbook-age portable computing was some serious struggle for Windows users); there was just so much to love and envy about them. I really feel like Apple needs a creative enema.
I was shocked at how negative the media is being as well (and justifiably so). I just finished a Mashable article, who seems to be very pro-Apple, about how Microsoft has surpassed Apple in terms of innovation.

Part of me thinks that things will settle down and the usual people will just end up buying the new Pro anyway, but who knows. Maybe this will finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
 

EmiPrime

Member
Remember when the original Macbook Air launched and it was £1200?

It was an impressive vision of the future and sold like hotcakes, but at launch the entire "tech" community balked at the stupidly expensive, functionally useless (due to lack of ports), pointlessly thin weakling machines. Forums were full of Apple haters in full force, joined by "soon to be ex-Apple fans" declaring they've had it with the direction of the company and it's bizarre decisions, and they were moving ecosystem.

8 Years later here we are again. The same noise over what will probably review, and sell incredibly well. Probably typing all this from their ultrabooks that with a form factor that's very similar to the Macbook Air.

Time smooths over any hypocrisy.

As for price - 25%+ inflation since 2008, and given the shitty pound and stronger dollar, puts this at around the same price as the original Macbook Air at the time for UK people. A bit cheaper if you get non-touchbar, a bit more if you get the touchbar model.

That argument falls apart as soon as someone points out that the 2008 MBA really was crap and deserved the negative reactions. The MBA line was naff until 2011 when it became the laptop we now know and love.

Allow me to oblige.
 

Zaph

Member
they aren't though? iPhones will continue to use Lightning. There are no rumors or signs that point to this. They JUST released new lightning headphones and went lightning only on iPhone. They are doubling down, not moving away.
Yup, they ain't moving away from Lightning in iDevices. It cedes too much control going standardised.

I think Apple is just gonna swallow the bad press for the next few years while the world switches to USBC, then they'll start including a lightning -> USB-C cable instead of USB with iDevices, which will simplify things.

Unless I'm mistaken, what really baffles me is the lack of that new audio syncing chip in the new Macbooks. I thought they would want to push that hard.
 
We need a thread discussing Apple moving away from Lightning to USB-C. I know that people have been semi-discussing it here, but this does seem like the next change Apple will need to do for the iPhone and I think it requires a much bigger discussion elsewhere.

I agree that's the direction they're heading, but I think it's premature until the tenth anniversary edition of the iPhone is released and seeing if it uses USB-C (which I fully expect it to do so).
 

giga

Member
Real talk. The lightning problem is temporary. Next year will bring inductive charging and start the move away from wired charging. And years later we'll laugh at being so concerned about the port.
 

Squalor

Junior Member
Real talk. The lightning problem is temporary. Next year will bring inductive charging and start the move away from wired charging. And years later we'll laugh at being so concerned about the port.
That doesn't help my computer now.
 

giga

Member
I'd be more concerned that it's a price error, which is why buying now is wise. Apple is certainly not giving them a huge cut.
Definitely likely an error with risk of cancellation, but Amazon is usually good about honoring their mistakes or making up for it.
 

Stat!

Member
Longtime Apple fan. I have bought some great kit from Apple over the years, all of which gets daily use from me:

- Apple Pencil charging method (it's dumb)
- Magic Mouse charging port at the bottom (how did they justify releasing that?)
t.

The only I think I will defend is that the magic mouse port on the bottom makes a ton of sense. My wireless mouse/wirelss controller are always plugged in. Why? Because after I used it wireless once, it was just as convenient to plug it in.

I bought a wireless mouse/controller but now its just wired. Apple just wanted it to be exclusively wireless. Similar to why I dont think they'll do a touch screen. Why make a great screen and ruin it with fingerprints?

That being said, I was pretty disappointed with the whole event yesterday especially from a pricing/innovation issue. Can't stand the butterfly keyboard.
 

kaskade

Member
I wonder what is going to happen with the regular Macbook lineup? Will we see a price drop and that start at 999? Right now they start at 1299 but for 200 more you get a more capable machine.
 

sikkinixx

Member
Horace Dedeiu was pointing out on Twitter that most vendors are fleeing the low end of laptops because in that range tablets/phones are taking over that role. So why offer a lower end, lower margin product in a segment that is being quickly eroded. Microsoft's new Surface books are even MORE expensive than their original line up, that Surface desktop, while obviously aimed the pro/specialist users, is REALLY expensive and in years past they totally would have made a model that cut some corners to get the price down into affordable territory.

I'm still annoyed at these Apple prices, because I'd really love a new laptop and have it be less of an investment, but Apple knows how to make money better than anyone around here so they must have the data and reasons for going in this direction.




(or they give zero fucks about the Mac anymore)
 

Burai

shitonmychest57
The Apple Pencil thing was just bad messaging. Primarily you charge it via your iPad's Lightning cable (there's a female-to-female Lightning adapter in the box). Sticking it in your iPad really is only for an emergency 30 second charge when you're out in the field without an outlet but they seemed so proud of the function they completely oversold it and made it look like that was the only way to charge it and you'd need to have the Pencil dangling precariously for an hour.

I think the biggest worry about Apple right now is lack of coherent vision. I'm starting to get that Microsoft/Google sinking feeling that they are just prototyping shit in the wild and that all of these great new things will be cast to the scrapheap and my investment with it once they finally realise it doesn't work or doesn't get traction.
 
Real talk. The lightning problem is temporary. Next year will bring inductive charging and start the move away from wired charging. And years later we'll laugh at being so concerned about the port.

I have no problem with Apple cutting standard ports. They've been doing it for decades. That said, if Apple dropped wired charging I would be done with them.

Especially since inductive charging IS wired charging. You still have to plug a cable connected to a plate into a wall than place your phone on that charging plate. And since you can't pick your phone up and use it while charging, it's ultimately more inconvenient.

So-called "WiFi charging" is so very far off and will probably give us all cancer.
 
I wonder what is going to happen with the regular Macbook lineup? Will we see a price drop and that start at 999? Right now they start at 1299 but for 200 more you get a more capable machine.

Yeah, but the MB is wayyyyy more portable. They won't change the price, they're just two different products, even if the performance delta is huge.
 

sc0la

Unconfirmed Member
How would a "touchscreen" trackpad even work?
I think it would be an improvement over the bar as far as interface possibilities inside apps (more room, two axis instead of one etc). BUT you have to be able to use the trackpad at all times. The state switching would be a mess if you had to go back and forth, and they won't require a mouse, so I don't see it ever happening.
 

Burai

shitonmychest57
I think it would be an improvement over the bar as far as interface possibilities inside apps (more room, two axis instead of one etc). BUT you have to be able to use the trackpad at all times. The state switching would be a mess if you had to go back and forth, and they won't require a mouse, so I don't see it ever happening.

Apple's trackpads are so good and their multitouch functionality for developers to use is so mature and versatile, the Touch Bar is trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. There is literally no point in it or a visual trackpad.

Either go touch screen or don't bother.

I'd far rather they added Magic Touchpad compatibility to iOS than try half-assing touch screens into macOS.
 

Future

Member
I was shocked at how negative the media is being as well (and justifiably so). I just finished a Mashable article, who seems to be very pro-Apple, about how Microsoft has surpassed Apple in terms of innovation.

Part of me thinks that things will settle down and the usual people will just end up buying the new Pro anyway, but who knows. Maybe this will finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Touchscreen pad is limited to only high end expensive pros and no one thinks it will get significant adoption or support. It's also a feature no one asked for coming at the cost of functionality people are used to (physical function keys)

Beyond that we are seeing price hikes with nothing really exciting going along with it. Further, Microsoft showed a bunch of cool shit the day before

Backlash shouldn't be surprising. If it's surprising to Apple then they are officially out of the loop. iPhone 8 will have a lot of eyes on it because if it doesn't deliver beyond s like upgrades, this years backlash will seem like nothing
 

maharg

idspispopd
I have no problem with Apple cutting standard ports. They've been doing it for decades. That said, if Apple dropped wired charging I would be done with them.

Especially since inductive charging IS wired charging. You still have to plug a cable connected to a plate into a wall than place your phone on that charging plate. And since you can't pick your phone up and use it while charging, it's ultimately more inconvenient.

So-called "WiFi charging" is so very far off and will probably give us all cancer.

Picking up a wireless charging device is no more off a problem than picking up a wired device that's charging. It just won't be charging until you put it back down. Meanwhile if you walk off with it for a bit you don't have to tangle with a wire or accidentally yank on it. Argue for ineffectiveness all you want, but the idea that it's somehow more inconvenient is just silly.
 

Somnid

Member
The Apple Pencil thing was just bad messaging. Primarily you charge it via your iPad's Lightning cable (there's a female-to-female Lightning adapter in the box). Sticking it in your iPad really is only for an emergency 30 second charge when you're out in the field without an outlet but they seemed so proud of the function they completely oversold it and made it look like that was the only way to charge it and you'd need to have the Pencil dangling precariously for an hour.

Using a an adaptor to plug it into a proprietary cable, to turn it into USB and then a wall charger is equally inelegant though. Passive or inductive is probably the best, but hell you can't even attach it to the iPad so the thing has no idea if it's in use and just drains battery. It's always dead by the time you want to use it.

Real talk. The lightning problem is temporary. Next year will bring inductive charging and start the move away from wired charging. And years later we'll laugh at being so concerned about the port.

It doesn't solve any of the wire issues for audio, mass storage, peripherals etc but even then Apple will be laughing when they reinvent the wheel and we need Apple-certified charging pads.
 
I don't think people use the existing function keys THAT often. The touchpad thing isn't massively revolutionary but at worst it's a lateral move, at best a pretty substantial improvement for certain workflows.

Like, outside of standard volume/brightness changes, my #1 use for function keys is taking screenshots. This new thing has all of those functions covered.

I think it's perfectly arguable that this is missing the boat, but not that the touchpad makes things worse.
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
I can run Final Cut X on my Macbook Air without issue, she'll be fine with any of the new Pro's.

k... thanks for this. So I'll let her decide solely on size/comfort and then pick options from there. sucks that because I waited 2 days I lost like 2 weeks on shipping. ggrr.

I think it's perfectly arguable that this is missing the boat, but not that the touchpad makes things worse.

basically. among my friends, all developers and one designer.. no one gives a shit that the function keys are gone, and I strongly contest ANYONE saying anything differently. The biggest let down is the toolbar tax for people who are unlikely to use the toolbar. But even the toolbar tax just bumped macs back closer to the retina tax anyway, and the Apple tax before that. Not like they are now (in the US) drastically more expensive than Windows laptops of both similar build quality AND similar specs (i.e. Surface Book).

Guessing we'll see a similar $100-200 price drop next year similar to the 2nd gen(?) retinas.
 
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