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2018 MacBook Pro Review

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Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#201

Post by etatoby »

Someone1234 wrote: post #139
mancerayder wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately for us, Apple bases its decisions on expected sales numbers more than our feelings. That said, does anyone know if the sales numbers are stronger after these mean keyboard and touchbar (and dongly) redesigns?

Sales numbers lag behind consumer satisfaction. Meaning people may still buy this MBP but decide that their next computer won't be a Mac, this means the "lost sale" could be four or five years into the future. Plus there's the magnifying effect of "influences." Are technical people still going to recommend to their less technical family members a Mac? My point isn't "Apple is doomed!" rather, any company, has to look…

> Are technical people still going to recommend to their less technical family members a Mac?

I've done that for decades. Not anymore. More or less after 10.6.8 the software started getting more and more fiddly, slower, and less intuitive, and the hardware has been getting more fragile and less versatile. I just recommend Lenovo with Windows 10 and/or Ubuntu, depending on the person. Xubuntu for me.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#202

Post by etatoby »

npunt wrote: post #71
coupdejarnac wrote: post #63

Has the power supply been redesigned so the cord doesn't fray in 18 months? This has really irked me.

Since the 2016s were released the USB-C cord is separated from the power brick, so if there's any cord fraying you can just replace the cord w/o replacing the brick.

Too little, too late, IMHO.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#204

Post by stock_toaster »

bluedino wrote: post #87
AlphaSite wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because i want a laptop?

I haven't owned a desktop computer in almost 10 years.

I'm going the other way. I'm getting a desktop /instead/ of a laptop for the first time in probably 10 or 12 years.

The reason? I want the feeling of a "workplace" again. With a laptop, I often felt like anywhere I was, I could work (sometimes even felt like I had to).

There wasn't a sense of /place/ attached with work, and I think this has made work a bit less enjoyable and a bit less distinct from non-work. I think of my dad woodworking in his shop when I was a kid. He didn't woodwork at the kitchen table, or the coffee shop. He had a distinct place where meaningful focus took place with intention.

I'm going to try applying that to /my/ work again (after all these years), and see how it feels.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#205

Post by ubernostrum »

bodas wrote: post #118
stupidcar wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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.

A while back someone posted an article comparing Nikon and Canon in the professional photography market starting in around the 1970s.

Tellingly, Nikon did what HN seems to want: they had a very conservative approach to "pro" model cameras, emphasizing backwards compatibility and respecting what their "pro" users asked for. Canon, on the other hand, experimented a lot and, despite not actually inventing many of the new ideas, was willing to try them out on "pro" cameras.

This difference of approach cost Nikon its leading market share among "pro" users. There may be a lesson there.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#206

Post by georgebarnett »

manigandham wrote: post #200
lclarkmichalek wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

He did answer the question, only with reasons that you don't seem to agree with.

I also mostly use my MBP plugged in and yet still want my laptop to be as light and thin as possible for when I'm carrying it around during the day/commuting. An extra pound of weight makes a huge difference to me walking home.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#207

Post by robocat »

ams6110 wrote: post #145
richdougherty wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Considering resale value alone I wonder if Mac's make more economic sense?

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#208

Post by EpicEng »

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.

I see this so often it's becoming ridiculous. "pfft, it works fine as long as you use it less like a desktop!" We'll I can build a much more capable desktop for one third the price, so no thanks.

If the intention is to use it as a desktop then why keep sacrificing function for fractions of a mm?

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#209

Post by glhaynes »

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.

Right, it’s important that the whole world stand still for a decade because of some fucking “YubiKey dongle”.

Re: 2018 MacBook Pro Review

#210

Post by birken »

bodas wrote: post #118
stupidcar wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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.

The 13-inch Macbook Pro has 4 USB-C ports
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