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2018 MacBook Pro Review

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Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#191

Post by Stratoscope »

megablast wrote: post #185
Stratoscope wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lately I've been working at a company that uses YubiKeys for 2FA. You can use a traditional YubiKey, but the YubiKey Nano is especially popular because you can put it in your laptop and leave it there. It barely sticks out at all, just enough that you can touch it and activate the touch sensor. [1] I started noticing people in meetings with their new MacBook Pros and six inch cords sticking out the side, and on close…

Yes, I too base my decisions of which laptop to buy based on how a YubiKey looks.

It's not just a cosmetic issue. The people with the six inch cords are leaving them plugged into the laptop all the time as they walk around the building, just like the people with the USB-A ports are leaving their YubiKeys plugged in all the time.

The difference is that if they bump into somebody or something, that dongle is likely to get broken, and it could even damage the USB-C port in the MacBook. That's not going to happen with a Nano plugged directly into a USB-A port.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#192

Post by freehunter »

bluedino wrote: post #11
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.

Macs have never been cheap. There was a period where the Air (at Let’s go back in time to when the choices were the $1799 12” PowerBook, $2199 15” PowerBook, or the $1299 iBook

I just looked at Apple's US site and the base model 13" MBP is $1299 brand new. So the "fantastic deal" $1199 MBP is only $100 less than today's 13" MBP straight from Apple with no discount.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#193

Post by Stratoscope »

pdpi wrote: post #189
Stratoscope wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lately I've been working at a company that uses YubiKeys for 2FA. You can use a traditional YubiKey, but the YubiKey Nano is especially popular because you can put it in your laptop and leave it there. It barely sticks out at all, just enough that you can touch it and activate the touch sensor. [1] I started noticing people in meetings with their new MacBook Pros and six inch cords sticking out the side, and on close…

I bought myself the full sized Yubikey instead of the nano because I'm very much of the opinion that the inconvenience is a feature, not a bug — do you _really_ want to leave your Yubikey attached to the device that holds your password manager too? That said, the problem you described is a temporary one — while not as neat as the USB-A variant, there is a USB-C Yubikey Nano. https://www.yubico.com/product/yubikey-4-s…

That's a great point about not leaving the YubiKey plugged into the laptop all the time. But the company actually suggests that people get a Nano and leave it plugged in for convenience. Maybe that isn't the best security advice!

Thanks for the pointer to the USB-C YubiKey Nano - it looks like a fine solution for the dongle problem.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#194

Post by inopinatus »

georgewfraser wrote: post #186

The touchbar is such an FU to developers. It still hasn't found any real use. They're not rolling it out to other models. Basically, it's a little fun "experiment" that they've imposed on all their PRO users, thus demonstrating they no longer really care about this user group. Personally, I'm waiting for the next generation of Surface devices to come out, and I'm going to see if I can make WSL work for me.

Without an Escape key I'm doomed. The touchbar doesn't cut it.

I tried a 2017 model and could only adapt with the daggy workaround of remapping Caps Lock to Escape. Unfortunately that is therefore in the "wrong" location for muscle memory for every other keyboard I use.

Sadly I have such a strong preference for OSX that it seems I'll be using the limping 2012 Retina MBP on which I'm typing until it dies completely, and then probably switch to a (nonpro) MacBook.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#195

Post by torstenvl »

FPGAhacker wrote: post #167
systoll wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple's removal of the Escape key is courageously guiding its users into the superior Caps-lock-as-escape configuration.

I prefer caps lock as control. Although for a while I ran in a hybrid mode where if I hit caps lock and released quickly it was escape. If I held it down and tapped another key it was control.

CapsLock -> Ctrl

Ctrl -> ESC

Force Quit key combination now has better physical locality.

Profit!

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#196

Post by lobotryas »

pteredactyl wrote: post #28

Cons: Keyboard, Touch bar, lack of ports, cost Pro: Great display. Build quality. MacOS It's too bad all the cons except cost are new to the latest generation ( post-2015 ) MBP.

Yup, you nailed in. I think I can get used to the new keyboard (despite the messed up arrow keys and lack of travel), but the touch bar just kills the purchase for me.

I thought about making a hackintosh laptop, but it doesn't seem like there are super reliable options out there. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and make my next laptop a Linux one (despite the pain that tweaking the OS or even installing some software can be).

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#197

Post by Osmium »

godzillabrennus wrote: post #158
Osmium wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love the keyboard, and I code all day. It's actually my favorite keyboard of any I've used with the exception of the current-gen external Apple keyboards. I enjoy the light-touch and low key travel required to type. I find the typing more pleasant and kinder on my hands.

I bought a 2017 model in February. It’s already had one keyboard replacement. The . Key stopped working. Can’t wait to have this thing replaced because the keyboard breaks regularly enough before the three years of AppleCare runs out.

That sounds pretty awful. Luckily I haven’t personally had any keyboard troubles (I’ve had it since release and travel with it frequently), but if I had I’d probably be a lot less positive about it (:

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#198

Post by [deleted] »

Stratoscope wrote: post #179
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.

Lately I've been working at a company that uses YubiKeys for 2FA. You can use a traditional YubiKey, but the YubiKey Nano is especially popular because you can put it in your laptop and leave it there. It barely sticks out at all, just enough that you can touch it and activate the touch sensor. [1] I started noticing people in meetings with their new MacBook Pros and six inch cords sticking out the side, and on close…

[deleted]

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#199

Post by wux »

chx wrote: post #184
wux wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In July 2014, the U.S. dollar was worth around 0.73 euros; today, it is worth about 0.86 euros. In January of last year, it was worth about 0.95 euros, and Apple obviously has an incentive to account for possible short-term exchange fluctuations. 2300 / 0.73 * 0.86 = ~2710 2300 / 0.73 * 0.95 = ~2993 It would appear that currency fluctuations account for a significant portion of that price difference that you're seein…

I have no idea what your calculations are trying to be, let me try it myself, it should be very simple: In 2014, a 2300 EUR laptop was 2300 / 0.73 = ~3150 USD or so. Today, a 3000 EUR laptop is 3000 / 0.86 = ~3500 USD or so. So no, just the exchange ratio does not explain this. The US inflation numbers, however, say 3150 in 2014 was 3353 USD in 2018 so that's closer.

2300 EUR in 2014 was ~3151 USD, as you say. At today's exchange rate, 3151 USD is approximately 2710 EUR. In January 2017, 3151 USD was approximately 2993 EUR.

Apple will give themselves a cushion to prevent undesirable pricing discrepancies (or the need for frequent price adjustments) if the U.S. dollar strengthens against the euro, so a product that they sell at 3150 USD after taxes in the United States would reasonably be in the ballpark of 2800-2900 EUR in Europe given exchange rates in the last year or two. This is rather close to the parent post's stated price even without adjusting for inflation.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#200

Post by manigandham »

lclarkmichalek wrote: post #150
bodas wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You didn't answer the question. It doesn't need to be so dysfunctionally thin and light to travel between work and home sometimes. Nobody is going to suffer from an extra pound of weight.
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