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2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

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Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#201

Post by tolger »

kaypro wrote: post #180

I just got back from returning my 15" 2.6 i7 with Radeon 450. First time I've returned an Apple product ever. The build quality of the machine is superb. TouchID, display, keyboard and SSD are fantastic. There's something going on with the GPU's... I'm putting my money on the Intel HD but the framerate is extremely slow. Just scrolling a simple web page in Safari stutters considerably. I tried using gfxCardStatus to…

Excellent, concise review. Thank you. There are so many compromises with this machine, I am going to skip this generation.

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#202

Post by khedoros1 »

ryanlol wrote: post #115
taurath wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its a $2500 laptop. Apple should ship the cable.

If I buy a $2500 flight I get a toothbrush, why does the $2500 macbook not come with a toothbrush? Edit: In case it wasn't obvious to the readers, the reason behind the missing toothbrush and missing USB-C 3.1 cable are the same. Who the hell expects a toothbrush with their laptop? Or a random USB cable in that matter?

The company talks big about a beautiful vision of multi-purpose cables, carrying power in one direction, data in both directions, etc. They provide one of those cables...but it turns out that it only carries power. So, imagine if your airline was talking about the benefits of brushing your teeth with good toothpaste, and their provided teeth-cleaning kit just has a toothbrush.

Since Apple's shipping a "random USB cable" anyhow, it would make sense for them to ship the version of it that actually does all the things they've been advertising.

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#204

Post by [deleted] »

asd wrote: post #78
lvh wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully I can save you some frustration. If you got the TB2 dongle, it won't work. Apple suggests you purchase a third party DisplayPort dongle. Make sure it's DisplayPort 1.2 (that's what lets you do 4k@60Hz). No advice on what to buy though; except check the reviews to make sure it works on the 2016 MBP! (_NOT_ the MacBook! Compatibility with the MacBook means nothing.)

Thanks. @sandipc above linked to this[1] monoprice cable, but it's out of stock with no ETA. :( I'll keep looking. [1] http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12908

[deleted]

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#206

Post by tolger »

xienze wrote: post #147
rebootthesystem wrote: post #58

It is starting to feel like the "Pro" is actually more of a consumer toy for gaming and messing with Facebook rather than a real professional machine. I need to buy a new laptop today. For development, not to play games. The unix underpinning of MacOS always made their machines attractive, expensive, but attractive nonetheless. I'll go visit the Apple store and see but it is starting to look like it'll be a waste of…

Unless you absolutely need the laptop today, don't get something from BB. They're really not known for selling quality PC laptops. Go online and get something like an XPS or Thinkpad.

It depends on the laptop. I've seen Dell XPS-13 and XPS-15 on sale at BB. Both of which are excellent.

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#207

Post by [deleted] »

xienze wrote: post #147
rebootthesystem wrote: post #58

It is starting to feel like the "Pro" is actually more of a consumer toy for gaming and messing with Facebook rather than a real professional machine. I need to buy a new laptop today. For development, not to play games. The unix underpinning of MacOS always made their machines attractive, expensive, but attractive nonetheless. I'll go visit the Apple store and see but it is starting to look like it'll be a waste of…

Unless you absolutely need the laptop today, don't get something from BB. They're really not known for selling quality PC laptops. Go online and get something like an XPS or Thinkpad.

[deleted]

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#208

Post by zorpner »

carsongross wrote: post #178
otterley wrote: post #9

We bought a 15" 2016 Macbook Pro ("Retina" is redundant; there are no 2016 MBPs that lack a Retina display.) We also bought a LG 27UD88-W monitor to go with it. (It's one of the few that has a USB-C input.) I have to say, I'm really impressed by the single-cable solution. The monitor charges the laptop (57W maximum, which is less than the Apple charger, but "good enough"), and the laptop sends both video and USB peri…

> One cable. It's kind of amazing and magical if you think about it. Apple had the one-cable thing back in 1998. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Display_Connector Power went the other way, but still. Crazy it's taken us this long to get back to it.

Apple had it in 1993 (minus the power): http://www.kan.org/6100/graphicshardware.html

But NeXT had it in '88, power included (!): http://www.uk.netbsd.org/ports/next68k/faq.html#connections

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#209

Post by wlesieutre »

otterley wrote: post #165
wlesieutre wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case, the cable used with the monitor needs to be a Thunderbolt 3 cable, not just a USB-C cable. I haven't seen a teardown of the new ones, but at least for the previous generation there's a bit more to it than your average cable. https://www.wired.com/2011/06/thunderbolt-cable-teardown-rev... Thunderbolt 2 had the same compatibility issue in that it was the same connector as Mini DisplayPort but couldn't run…

It's not a Thunderbolt issue. It's about supporting "DisplayPort Alternate Mode." This particular monitor doesn't support Thunderbolt.

Oh interesting, I didn't think monitors could run video over the USB cable and still offer a USB hub on the same connection, but it looks like the DisplayPort data goes over the additional USB-3 lines and preserves the original USB-2 connection for accessories. Good to know.

Thunderbolt displays can do hubs at full speed, the 5K LG Ultrafine has 3x USB 3.1 gen 1, which IIRC means up to 5 Gbps (vs 480 Mbps for USB 2).

Not sure why your comment was marked [dead] but I just vouched it so it should be back.

Re: 2016 Retina MacBook Pro Caveats

#210

Post by slantyyz »

otterley wrote: post #190
undersuit wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>When the display goes to sleep, it disconnects all the devices on the hub. This is a problem for external disks, as the OS complains that it has been detached without being ejected first. I hope LG fixes this in a future firmware version. Is there a monitor that doesn't suffer this issue? My Dell's USB hub power is linked to the monitor power. I can't plug a mouse into the monitor if I want to use that mouse to wake…

I don't expect the hub to work when the display is powered off or unplugged. I do, however, expect it to work when the monitor is "asleep", i.e., in power-saving mode. My Dell P2715Q display does work properly as a hub when it's asleep.

>> My Dell P2715Q display does work properly as a hub when it's asleep.

The P2715Q has all sorts of quirks. I have a pair of them connected to my Windows computer, and when they go to sleep, Windows basically forgets where all the open windows were and disperses them somewhat randomly. Of all the monitors I've used, I've only ever experienced this with the P2715Q.

I also notice that the power output of the USB ports on the monitors is barely enough to charge any recent mobile device.

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