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2018 MacBook Pro Review

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Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#141

Post by not_kurt_godel »

scarface74 wrote: post #99
mrep wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I want to work on my own stuff on the go and your company owns 100% of everything you do on their laptop.

I’m not suggesting using a company laptop for personal projects. But with an IDE up, a web browser for development, a shell, etc. working on just a laptop monitor is painful. I can’t imagine developing an iPad app on a 15 inch laptop.

Agreed, development on a single monitor is grossly inefficient for me if I'm doing any sort of serious work. It drives me nuts when I have to pair program with someone who doesn't use multiple monitors, or doesn't utilize multiple monitors effectively. Every time you switch a screen from one app to the other adds friction to your workflow in the form of keypresses and mentally keeping track of context. The more of your workspace can be laid out at once, the less friction there is and the more effort can be devoted to the work itself.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#142

Post by bodas »

lclarkmichalek wrote: post #135
bodas wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd go further and say that Apple isn't basing their hardware strategy on the needs of any real person. It's a laptop with only USB-C ports (and the 13-inch only has two of them). You can't even plug a USB stick into it. The only people who asked for a laptop like that are working at Apple.

Honestly, I've been working with the USB-C only MBP as my only development machine for a year now, and I haven't once wished it had a classic USB port on it. At my desk it's plugged into monitors which have ports on them. Having a single cable for all my peripherals is quite nice.

If it's meant to be used at a desk all the time why does it have to be thin and light?

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#143

Post by ataturk »

lclarkmichalek wrote: post #135
bodas wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd go further and say that Apple isn't basing their hardware strategy on the needs of any real person. It's a laptop with only USB-C ports (and the 13-inch only has two of them). You can't even plug a USB stick into it. The only people who asked for a laptop like that are working at Apple.

Honestly, I've been working with the USB-C only MBP as my only development machine for a year now, and I haven't once wished it had a classic USB port on it. At my desk it's plugged into monitors which have ports on them. Having a single cable for all my peripherals is quite nice.

It's decent when your employer springs for a "dock" type devices that allows a single USBC hookup to the laptop, including power, which is the setup I had at my previous role.

It sucks when you have to attach and detach a whole bunch of dongles each time you sit down at your desk, as with my current role.

I could buy the dock thing myself I suppose, but then it's personal property I have to worry about and could disappear, etc.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#144

Post by scarface74 »

saagarjha wrote: post #107
scarface74 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not suggesting using a company laptop for personal projects. But with an IDE up, a web browser for development, a shell, etc. working on just a laptop monitor is painful. I can’t imagine developing an iPad app on a 15 inch laptop.

I develop iPad apps on a 13" laptop, and it's not actually too bad. You scale your iPad simulator down so that it fits on the screen and stick it another space if necessary.

When I ramp back up on actually doing side work. iOS Development is on my bucket list along with more web work and I’ll probably need to be running a Windows VM.

I want at least 32GB of RAM.

My ideal iMac setup - 5K, 32GB of RAM, 2TB fusion drive, 4.2Ghz i7 - is $3099

A similarly equipped MacBook Pro would be $3000 with 512GB of storage (that would be enough). But I would still want a 5K external display - adding another $1300.

The last time I used a MacBook Pro to run a Windows VM, the battery life was so bad, I stayed plugged in most of the time anyway.

But back to iPad development. Can you really get a good feel of the UI usability of an iPad with a scaled display? I haven’t done any iOS development before.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#145

Post by ams6110 »

richdougherty wrote: post #75
knolan wrote: post #5

It’s shocking how expensive Macs have gotten. I paid around €2300 for my 2014 15” and today’s equivalent tier is over €3k. For this I get a faster thinner machine without MagSafe and a variety of ports. It seems that the only viable upgrade path is to convince your employer to stump up the cash.

Apple has a strategy where they don't compete on price and it works well for them. They've been able to get fantastic margins while other hardware manufacturers have struggled. Their higher price reinforces their premium brand identity too. Apple does build high quality products so the brand identity is earned to some extent. Of course, they could sell these high quality products significantly cheaper, but why mess w…

Every Mac user I know has had their Mac purchased by their employer. I think that creates a certain price insensitivity. An employer knows that the cost difference between a Mac laptop and something like a Dell or Lenovo is inconsequential compared to the cost of the person using it.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#146

Post by keyle »

stupidcar wrote: post #96
blhack wrote: post #91

It's become comedy at this point. Many, many developers: "We hate this keyboard. It is atrocious! Give us back the old one please!" Apple: "We have listened to your needs. The keyboard is now 8% quieter, and the touchbar is mandatory!"

It's almost as if Apple aren't even basing their hardware strategy on what developers are complaining about on Hacker News.

I haven't met anyone saying nice things about the missing ESC key... And the touchbar is too fiddly and situational to be useful, even to power users.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#147

Post by ac29 »

bdowling wrote: post #58
csydas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truthfully, it's why I'm very sad that the Air looks to be discontinued. I'm still using a 2012 MacBook Air, and it was quite possibly the least stressful computer purchase I ever made. $1000 and some change to get a computer that has just worked magnificently for nearly 6 years now without missing a beat. I walked into an Apple Store, told the Apple employee I wanted a 4 gb MacBook Air, and in 5 minutes I walked out…

Why do you think that the Air is discontinued? They're still up for sale on Apple's site. The most recent updates were apparently in 2017.

Its still using a processor from 2015. The 2017 updates were a minor spec bump.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#148

Post by inferiorhuman »

neonscribe wrote: post #16
geophile wrote: post #4

So they’ve caught up to Windows laptops on specs but still have that abomination of a keyboard. After all the complaints.

The report is that the keyboard is not the same. Quieter, but not necessarily more reliable. Reliability remains to be seen. Keep in mind that the uproar over keyboard problems started far too recently to have affected the design of the 2018 version.

Has Apple fixed the layouts? I found the arrow keys particularly vexxing (in addition to wanting more travel, less noise, and more durability). When the keyboard died on my old black MacBook I bought a box of top cases on that auction site and replaced it.

Has Apple started bundling cables with their charges? With my mid-2012 MBP I can buy a gen 1 MagSafe charger and it'll have everything it needs to work with the computer. Last I checked the USB-C chargers aren't any cheaper, but they don't come with a cable that will connect it to a computer. The cable, of course, is another $30 or so.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#149

Post by ambulancechaser »

Osmium wrote: post #140
bodas wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd go further and say that Apple isn't basing their hardware strategy on the needs of any real person. It's a laptop with only USB-C ports (and the 13-inch only has two of them). You can't even plug a USB stick into it. The only people who asked for a laptop like that are working at Apple.

> I'd go further and say that Apple isn't basing their hardware strategy on the needs of any real person. Real person here! I love the USB-C only approach. I love being able to charge from either side of my laptop, and I love having single cable to plug in at my desk for RAID/monitor/ethernet/charging/etc. I want my laptop minimal; if I want it to do more, I can add more.

you're extolling the benefits of USB-C not the lack of USB-A. The presence of a USB-A would not affect your listed benefits in the least.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#150

Post by lclarkmichalek »

bodas wrote: post #142
lclarkmichalek wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I've been working with the USB-C only MBP as my only development machine for a year now, and I haven't once wished it had a classic USB port on it. At my desk it's plugged into monitors which have ports on them. Having a single cable for all my peripherals is quite nice.

If it's meant to be used at a desk all the time why does it have to be thin and light?

Because I go to meetings and work from home sometimes. Only thing I'd use a standard USB for would be charging, which isn't really something I do in meetings, and I have plenty of chargers at home.
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