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

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J

Jill Sandwich

the turds of Optimus Prime
Zeyphersan said:
Yeah, I've been keeping my eye out for base '16 rMB refurbs. They have a couple now but they're heavily upgraded
Click to expand...

I snagged myself a Space Grey retina MacBook '15 earlier this year for £600 to replace my stolen Pro temporarily. I'm quite impressed with what it can do, let her have a play about with one.
 
X

X-Frame

Member
Zeyphersan said:
Follow up to the USB-C/Thunderbolt nightmare blog post:

http://blog.fosketts.net/2016/10/30/2016-macbook-pro-usb-cthunderbolt-survival-guide/

Someone may have already posted it here, I don't know. I can't keep track of these threads. But I did find it useful!
Click to expand...

According to this the USB-C cable that Apple offers is not the higher speed version. Does this mean that the cable that will be included in the box won't even be the highest speed/power?


That website says Apple's cable is USB 2.0 only and the Monoprice one is faster and supports 100 W of charging.

Do I need to buy this thing already? I have the 15" ordered.
 
G

giga

Member
Verge review: http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13490774/apple-macbook-pro-review-2016-13-inch-laptop

vpavic_161031_1256_0225.0.jpg
Click to expand...

This is definitely the successor to the air but at a prohibitive price point.
 
S

Schlep

Member
The new MacBook Pro is as beautiful and desirable as ever, but using it is alienating to anyone living in the present. I agree with Apple’s vision of the future. I’m just not buying it today.
Click to expand...

Score: 8.6

What?
 
M

maharg

idspispopd
X-Frame said:
According to this the USB-C cable that Apple offers is not the higher speed version. Does this mean that the cable that will be included in the box won't even be the highest speed/power?


That website says Apple's cable is USB 2.0 only and the Monoprice one is faster and supports 100 W of charging.

Do I need to buy this thing already? I have the 15" ordered.
Click to expand...

The way the article phrases it, it does indeed sound like they're saying it doesn't support full charging, but it doesn't outright say it and I doubt that's the case. The apple store page says it supports the 87W charger, so you should assume it does.

If you need to use it with a *device* that needs better than USB2 you may want to get a better one, but for your charge cable it should be fine.
 
Z

Zeyphersan

Banned
X-Frame said:
According to this the USB-C cable that Apple offers is not the higher speed version. Does this mean that the cable that will be included in the box won't even be the highest speed/power?


That website says Apple's cable is USB 2.0 only and the Monoprice one is faster and supports 100 W of charging.

Do I need to buy this thing already? I have the 15" ordered.
Click to expand...

The USB-C cable that will be coming with your MBP is perfectly fine, I'd even say ideal for charging since it supports up to 100W. Don't use it for anything data though, since it's capped at USB2 speeds. You'd want to get other cables for data transfer
 
X

X-Frame

Member
maharg said:
The way the article phrases it, it does indeed sound like they're saying it doesn't support full charging, but it doesn't outright say it and I doubt that's the case. The apple store page says it supports the 87W charger, so you should assume it does.

If you need to use it with a *device* that needs better than USB2 you may want to get a better one, but for your charge cable it should be fine.
Click to expand...

Zeyphersan said:
The USB-C cable that will be coming with your MBP is perfectly fine, I'd even say ideal for charging since it supports up to 100W. Don't use it for anything data though, since it's capped at USB2 speeds. You'd want to get other cables for data transfer
Click to expand...

Thanks both of you! That is what I figured as it would not make sense otherwise but just wanted to be sure.
 
V

VPhys

Member
Tried the 2016 13" rmbp at the store yesterday. After playing with the device, it just feels incredibly heavy compared to the 12" macbook. Keyboard feels virtually the same. I really want the 1" increase in screen size but I don't think it's worth the extra weight and size.

The 12" is just so portable and being able to move it from one place to another carrying it lid open with one hand is just extremely convient. The power increase would be nice but 99% of the time all I use the laptop for is web surfing and youtube/movies.

Using the 13" mbp just makes me wish apple would release a 13" version of the macbook.
 
V

VPhys

Member
Zeyphersan said:
Depends on what you're doing. If it's just basic programs, sometimes virtualization like Parallels is great since you don't have to reboot into an OS, it can run alongside your Mac stuff. If it's games or anything very resource intensive boot camp it, you don't want the performance hit

On a side note, I'm trying to convince my girlfriend to get either the MacBook 1 or the base Pro instead of a 13" 2016 Air. It's an uphill battle
Click to expand...

What the hell, what does he like about the Air?
 
S

Schlep

Member
Servbot24 said:
What's the problem?
Click to expand...

He spent nearly the entire review talking about how the device is more of a "pro MacBook" than a MacBook Pro, and how much needed inputs are missing for the sake of dragging people into the future (that doesn't even exist yet). He then concludes that he likely will not buy one, and that it is overpriced given the trade-offs. He basically calls it a MacBook Air replacement for casual users.

Unless the scale is between 7-10, the review reads more like a high 6 or low 7 than almost a 9 out of 10.
 
E

eyeball_kid

Member
icespide said:
no optical audio out on new MBP's

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/02/new-macbook-pro-drops-optical-audio-out-through-headphone-jack
Click to expand...

This directly contradicts Phil Schiller's answer in the Independent interview where he said they kept the jack for professional audio people:
Is it inconsistent to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack as it’s no longer on the latest iPhone?

Not at all. These are pro machines. If it was just about headphones then it doesn’t need to be there, we believe that wireless is a great solution for headphones. But many users have setups with studio monitors, amps, and other pro audio gear that do not have wireless solutions and need the 3.5mm jack.
Click to expand...

But here we have an Apple PR rep stating the jack is unnecessary for pro audio people due to USB-C:
Additionally, we were told that "plenty of USB-C zero-latency professional peripherals are available now, or coming very soon" featuring optical audio out connectivity.
Click to expand...

I mean that quote pretty much blows Schiller's answer to pieces, even though his answer was BS to begin with. Pro audio interfaces use Thunderbolt, not the headphone jack, and prosumers use USB interfaces. Maybe DJs use the jack in live settings, I don't know, but no one really needs the 3.5 jack unless you're plugging in headphones or you have some cheap desktop PC speakers.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
eyeball_kid said:
This directly contradicts Phil Schiller's answer in the Independent interview where he said they kept the jack for professional audio people:


But here we have an Apple PR rep stating the jack is unnecessary for pro audio people due to USB-C:


I mean that quote pretty much blows Schiller's answer to pieces, even though his answer was BS to begin with. Pro audio interfaces use Thunderbolt, not the headphone jack, and prosumers use USB interfaces. Maybe DJs use the jack in live settings, I don't know, but no one really needs the 3.5 jack unless you're plugging in headphones or you have some cheap desktop PC speakers.
Click to expand...

I do a lot of hobbyist music production in Logic and while I certainly use a USB interface for recording live instruments and listening through studio monitors, I do a lot of mixing and production for synths and samples using headphones straight into the Mac. Hell, I'll do it in bed or on the couch.
 
M

marcod

Member
Anyone here getting the silver Macbook Pro? All I've been seeing around are people getting Space Grey. Any love for the classic Mac colour?
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Zantetsuken said:
I just don't see how anyone would want to buy this instead of last year's model.
Click to expand...
way better screen, newer CPU generation (faster/more efficient), much thinner, 4 usb c ports future proofs the shit out of it, fastest ssd speeds ever done in a laptop, much better speakers, regardless of how in love you are with the touchbar it is cool and offers potentially tons of useful functionality that will evolve for years to come, etc...
 
E

eyeball_kid

Member
Guess Who said:
I do a lot of hobbyist music production in Logic and while I certainly use a USB interface for recording live instruments and listening through studio monitors, I do a lot of mixing and production for synths and samples using headphones straight into the Mac. Hell, I'll do it in bed or on the couch.
Click to expand...

My point was that Schiller said Apple would've removed the jack from the MBP if it was just about headphones use. He argued they kept it for pro audio needs, which is not really the case, especially since they removed digital optical out functionality from it.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Mr. Wonderful said:
Ehh. May for the next year. The real successor to the Air will be the Canonlake MacBooks.
Click to expand...
I will be shocked if the model is still around at in 2018. I have a feeling they will eventually drop the price of the core m model to officially replace the air, then the pro models will only be the touchbar ones. May slightly lower in price as well.
 
F

faceless007

Member
Ars Technica review: "The $1,499 2016 MacBook Pro is an expensive MacBook Air on the inside"

Solid review, no real surprises from what we already know, but it basically solidifies my decision to get a refurb 2015 Pro at least for the time being. The improvements just don't seem worth the ridiculous price hike to me, as well as losing Magsafe and the old keyboard. Surprised that CPU performance is basically unchanged and even worse in a few benches from 2015, as is battery life under heavy load.

Key quote:
More confusingly, Apple positions this laptop as a MacBook Pro that would “be really exciting for our customers who would traditionally pick a MacBook Air.” Those are Phil Schiller’s own words, but one of the reasons why the Air was so popular was its price. From 2010 to 2013 or 2014, when the Air’s design was more competitive, the $899 and $999 starting prices for the 11- and 13-inch models made them particularly appealing. Not only were they better than the old white plastic MacBooks that came before, but they were also cheaper and dramatically faster in most cases.

The new Pro may be a good replacement for the Air if you're talking strictly about its size and weight, but an Air replacement that costs $500 or $600 more than the Air is no Air replacement at all. Apple’s “consumer” laptop offerings are now:

  • A $999 13-inch MacBook Air with last year’s specs, a mediocre screen, and an ancient design.
  • A $1,299 MacBook that’s beautifully designed and built but has compromised performance and expandability.
  • iPads with keyboard covers.

I don’t see the value you could get from an Air in 2012 or 2013 anywhere on that list. iPads are rapidly improving as productivity devices, but when you try to use them as laptop replacements you still spend too much time forcing square pegs into round holes. And given the proliferation of high-quality Windows laptops at and above $700 or $800, the MacBook Air’s size, screen, and speed are no longer acceptable compromises. The old 13-inch MacBook Pro, which can be bought new for $1,299 (or refurbished for $1,099 when they’re available), is probably the best option at the moment. It’s got a solid screen and a more conventional keyboard and selection of ports, though you still have to accept specs that are over a year old. None of these are outstanding options.
Click to expand...
 
R

Rocky Raccoon

Banned
Zeyphersan said:
Better SSD, better screen, bigger trackpad, USB-C and Thunderbolt, and dGPU on the 15" model
Click to expand...

Also half a pound lighter, smaller footprint, better iGPU, Bluetooth 4.2.

It is better to go with a refurbished or offhand Macbook Pro 2015 if you don't need the latest and greatest. The new Macbook Pros won't have good resale value because of high initial adopter tax. :(
 
R

Rocky Raccoon

Banned
Guess Who said:
The Radeon Pro 460 alone is enough reason to get this year's 15" over last year's, if you care at all about GPU performance.
Click to expand...

$2,599 price tag for only the dGPU upgrade with the base MacBook Pro 15 2016 model hurts my wallet. :(

I'm deciding between this or the base MacBook Pro 13 2016 for $1,139.92, which is 43.9% of the cost of 15" with 460.

I'm leaning towards the 13", but I would miss 16GB RAM.
 
A

Appleman

Member
Friend is deciding between a 2015 MacBook Pro 13" and the new one with no touch bar.

Pricing it out for 16/512, it seems like the new one is a no brainer if you can get past the dongles...
 
Z

Zantetsuken

Member
-Pyromaniac- said:
way better screen, newer CPU generation (faster/more efficient), much thinner, 4 usb c ports future proofs the shit out of it, fastest ssd speeds ever done in a laptop, much better speakers, regardless of how in love you are with the touchbar it is cool and offers potentially tons of useful functionality that will evolve for years to come, etc...
Click to expand...

Would it be a good idea to wait for next year's iteration? I'm wondering about their update cycle as it took awhile for this. I'm imagining the touch bar held it up. They priced me out with this years' models.
 
R

Rocky Raccoon

Banned
Zantetsuken said:
Would it be a good idea to wait for next year's iteration? I'm wondering about their update cycle as it took awhile for this. I'm imagining the touch bar held it up. They priced me out with this years' models.
Click to expand...

If you don't need a new computer this year, then wait for next year. Price will lower by then with updated specs.

$400 more for this year's 15" is ridiculous.
 
P

-Pyromaniac-

Member
Zantetsuken said:
Would it be a good idea to wait for next year's iteration? I'm wondering about their update cycle as it took awhile for this. I'm imagining the touch bar held it up. They priced me out with this years' models.
Click to expand...
I don't think next year will be much cheaper if they do lower the price but it's hard to say. If you can get it now I would, if the price is too high for you then see how it shakes out in a year but I wouldn't be surprised if the price stays the same or really close. But then worst case you can get this years model for less next year.

Unless you need a computer, then waiting will be harder.

longdi said:
What's apple's reasons for the jump in price though?
Click to expand...
they say that's what it costs. Realistically what happened is they wanted to hit the same margin as they did with previous models. So they added all the features/upgrades and then just increased the price to make up the difference in margin to put it back where it was. At least that's my theory. Though they probably bumped it a bit more than that because whynot.jpg.
 
K

KtSlime

Member
Schlep said:
He spent nearly the entire review talking about how the device is more of a "pro MacBook" than a MacBook Pro, and how much needed inputs are missing for the sake of dragging people into the future (that doesn't even exist yet). He then concludes that he likely will not buy one, and that it is overpriced given the trade-offs. He basically calls it a MacBook Air replacement for casual users.

Unless the scale is between 7-10, the review reads more like a high 6 or low 7 than almost a 9 out of 10.
Click to expand...

I do not like playing FPS games, however I can play one and review it, determine if the graphics are good, plot is interesting, weapon selection is diverse, physics tight. Etc. I see nothing wrong with giving a high score to something you personally would not consider for yourself.
 
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