Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#181

Post by CardenB » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:00 AM UTC

sgillen wrote: post #42

I’m glad it was just a software bug. It still seems like Apple’s quality control has gone way done over the last few years. My hypothesis is that there has been a change in culture as the company gets bigger with less emphasis on rigorous testing of the code? It would be interesting to get some perspective from a longtime Apple employee on this.

I doubt QA percentage failures are going down, but rather volume is going up. A failure rate of 0.1% of 100,000 is 100, but for 100,000,000, then it's 100,000, which would increase the publicity of failures significantly.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#182

Post by kalleboo » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:09 AM UTC

gaius wrote: post #33

tomp wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they have tremendous brand loyalty, but will need to be more careful in the future. Does that really matter though? I was just discussing this with someone over the weekend... his thesis was that people buy Apple because of branding, which might be true as far as the majority of customers are concerned... But for people like me (powerusers), MacBooks are simply the best possible choice. Everything else is either ad…

Everything else is either adware (Windows 10) I am running Windows 10 Pro on a Surface. I haven’t seen a single ad, anywhere. If that’s your only reason let me set your mind at rest. Surface is a better Mac than a Mac at this point. That’s why I upgraded my old MBP to one rather than a new MBP.

I bought a PC that came with Windows 10 pre-installed and the start menu had a bunch of ads for video games, photoshop and even a little picture of Trump in there https://i.imgur.com/WMLndK3.jpg

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#183

Post by stcredzero » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:12 AM UTC

sjwright wrote: post #174

stcredzero wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, he's got his axe to grind. I mean, you can't watch Louis and not think he's got an axe to grind -- like maybe even literally in a makeshift workbench in his kitchen with a whetstone. But even if you watch his videos with the most cynical stance, it's still very eyebrow raising. Apple has had it's share of design 'doh! That's pretty much undeniable in gory detail -- far beyond the big headlines everyone knows ab…

The problem is his arguments are devoid of context or proportion. He is looking with a microscope—both metaphorically and literally—at tiny details on a circuit board which don't seem to be a problem for >99% of Apple's customers. Are these points of failure really any more common on Apple devices than their competitors? (There is a remarkable difference in mindset for the majority of MacBook and PC laptop owners. PC…

I would be very surprised if Louis specifically endorsed non Gorilla glass replacements. It's possible that he does. I just watch his repair videos. As far as that goes: don't buy them, and don't get repairs from someone who would sell you one!

I know multiple people who have had their iPhones independently repaired only to have the screen break again in a matter of days or weeks, under the most innocuous of circumstances.

I realize this will be unpopular, but my observation about people who walk around with perennially broken glass on their phones, is that some people can't keep nice things. If your lifestyle is that rough, either use a completely enclosing polycarbonate case, or get a more robust 2nd phone. Expecting a computer made largely of glass to stand up to roughhousing contradicts common sense.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#184

Post by sumedh » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:18 AM UTC

matthewmacleod wrote: post #65

hajile wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They need to improve the key travel. If I wanted to type on a flat board, I'd get a Yoga Book. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/android-tablets/yoga-bo...

I for one am much happier with the newer keyboard and now the old one feels weirdly mushy and gross. I reckon keyboards are a matter of taste ultimately.

> I reckon keyboards are a matter of taste ultimately.

People can debate about the feel of the keyboard but its fact that the new keyboards are louder compared to the 2015 keyboard. The noise gets annoying when you are working late night.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#185

Post by kalleboo » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:22 AM UTC

rsynnott wrote: post #154

sgillen wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s a good point, for me it’s more that I perceive that the quality of Apple quality control used to be very high, and now it’s coming down to earth. It’s this shift that has people upset I think not the fact that Apple products have more issues than those of other vendors.

A friend had one of those white G3 iBooks. It got replaced about five times, and I think they eventually gave him a successor G4 one. Apple's never been perfect.

My mom had one too. They put the GPU right under the wristrest, so that you'd crack the solder just by typing. Eventually they added a plastic collar around it but that only moved the stress to the motherboard.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#186

Post by danShumway » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:47 AM UTC

threeseed wrote: post #171

danShumway wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree in principle, but there is still a difference here. Dell sells way more PCs (in much more varied configurations) than Apple does. They're generally more repairable, and they're generally cheaper. They're also willing to let you max out specs and build weird configurations; configurations that arguably don't always make much sense. That range means they also sell a few objectively cruddy laptops, so you need t…

There is no correlation between how repairable a laptop is and its failure rate. You've just made this up and now are criticising Apple/Microsoft for it.

There is a correlation between how repairable a laptop is and whether it uses a custom build process, single-body design, or if you're directly soldering chips onto a motherboard - all of which can help with reliability. Fewer moving parts and less build complexity means fewer places where things can go wrong.

I wasn't criticizing Apple or Microsoft for anything when I said their laptops weren't repairable, I was giving them the benefit of the doubt that some of their engineering decisions around repairability are made for good reasons.

I don't think that's a particularly controversial idea. I mean, no one is seriously going to argue that they are repairable. So assuming there's a good reason for that, this is the standard explanation that I and other people would give to someone complaining about repairability - that Apple optimizes for other things.

Heck, it's the explanation that Apple gives: "Our devices are more reliable when we're the only people messing with their internals."

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#187

Post by bhauer » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:51 AM UTC

kalleboo wrote: post #182

gaius wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything else is either adware (Windows 10) I am running Windows 10 Pro on a Surface. I haven’t seen a single ad, anywhere. If that’s your only reason let me set your mind at rest. Surface is a better Mac than a Mac at this point. That’s why I upgraded my old MBP to one rather than a new MBP.

I bought a PC that came with Windows 10 pre-installed and the start menu had a bunch of ads for video games, photoshop and even a little picture of Trump in there https://i.imgur.com/WMLndK3.jpg

Putting aside the stub applications that are promoting other products (e.g., "Get Office"), the Trump photo is just the News app showing a live tile view of the top story for the moment.

Yes, the promotional app stubs are advertisements, but they're easily removed and don't re-appear. In my opinion, removing the tiles you don't want is closer to an act of operating system "customization" than the user experience with ads on the web.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#188

Post by eropple » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 1:55 AM UTC

Kequc wrote: post #128

paavoova wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You claim to be a "poweruser", but then go and speak out of pure ignorance when it comes to Linux. You say "Apple hardware is beyond superior", when in reality Apple glorifies form over function with soldered, unserviceable parts (and actively lobbies against self-repair), and removal of ports (very anti-poweruser, if you ask me), all of which turn their laptops into disposable gadgets meant for the consumer demograp…

Really? What's the best Linux distro/toolset to use in order to get anything to show up in a usable way in HDPI? I don't think you can buy new monitors anymore that are at low enough a resolution to support modern Linux.

...Fedora? Or anything recently modern?

I literally run FC28 on 4K monitors and at 1.25 scale on my 1440p T480 and I don't even think about it.

Wayland pretty much just works and has for at least a year.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#189

Post by Dylan16807 » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:27 AM UTC

zaroth wrote: post #89

bradenb wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't part of the definition of a laptop that it should be able to be used comfortably resting on the user's lap?

The versatility of a laptop doesn’t mean that it should be expected to violate the laws of physics, or only use chips with maximum TDP such that it is always comfortable on your lap. Having a chip which can max out thermal load while plugged in at your desk, with the expected thermal results, and then throttle down when you go mobile, again with the expected thermal results, is actually the best of both worlds. And w…

Violate the laws of physics? Is that the term for limiting the amount of power you dump into the chassis? There's an unlimited amount of air to soak up the bulk of the heat.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#190

Post by slededit » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 3:04 AM UTC

gaius wrote: post #33

tomp wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they have tremendous brand loyalty, but will need to be more careful in the future. Does that really matter though? I was just discussing this with someone over the weekend... his thesis was that people buy Apple because of branding, which might be true as far as the majority of customers are concerned... But for people like me (powerusers), MacBooks are simply the best possible choice. Everything else is either ad…

Everything else is either adware (Windows 10) I am running Windows 10 Pro on a Surface. I haven’t seen a single ad, anywhere. If that’s your only reason let me set your mind at rest. Surface is a better Mac than a Mac at this point. That’s why I upgraded my old MBP to one rather than a new MBP.

Windows now tells me my computer is at risk because I refuse to give all my data to OneDrive. Their rationale is I'm at risk for cryptolockers, but the ulterior motive is clear.

I had to change a registry key to stop it from installing Facebook and Candy Crush on its own.