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Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

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Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#61

Post by pickdenis »

robbyt wrote: post #52
pickdenis wrote: post #49

The current state of Apple users is pitiful. Wishing for features that were removed? How can you support a company so much for caring about you so little?

If they never removed features, Apple computers would still have serial ports and scsi busses. I'm not saying I don't miss many of the features in this article, nor am I being an Apple apologist, but sometimes you need to take a step back before you go forward.

Don't be disingenuous, there's a difference between moving to USB-C and removing the damn esc key. In any case, I don't want to get caught up in details. I was just expressing my pity towards people like the author of the linked article; do you really think Apple is ever going to listen?

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#62

Post by hprotagonist »

jtbayly wrote: post #37
dpkrjb wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to worry about the battery degrading at this point and what the costs to repair it would look like

Batteries for this model are quite easy to replace, and pretty cheap.

yup. I've done it twice now.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#63

Post by noncoml »

dxhdr wrote: post #58
elcapitan wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just map Caps-lock to Esc..

Or buy a ThinkPad X1 Extreme, it comes with a functioning keyboard including a dedicated escape key! Upgradeable RAM to 64GB and plenty of ports are a bonus.

But the OS? Ubuntu & Elemetary font rendering feel like thorns in my eyes.

Windows is OK, but then you have to have a VM for any dev work.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#64

Post by trey-jones »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #42
trey-jones wrote: post #34

I use a 2013 MBP and I agree with this article in that I don't really want to "upgrade" to a Macbook without most of those features. In fact, even the 2013 is missing some features compared to the 2011: * The old style Magsafe, where the cord comes out the back instead of the side. I still feel that one was superior. * Accessible RAM. I upgraded the RAM in my 2011 from 4GB to 16GB for a fraction of what the 16GB in m…

Is the hard drive and battery still user-swappable on a 2013 MBP? I have a cache of MBAs to last me a decade or two, but I'm always interested in other options if I come across them inexpensively.

The hard drive is easy to swap. The orginal battery is glued-in, so not so easy. My original battery is still going strong 5 years on though. One thing about Apple products that has always impressed me is the battery life and longevity.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#65

Post by java-man »

dsr_ wrote: post #54
java-man wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's see how the USB-C female connector fares after the same amount of use. Something tells me it'll be busted long before the cable part wears out. All Apple cables seem to have a weakness where the cable joins to the connector. A short PVC tube is no match for a gradually tapered part found on some Ethernet cables. And the fact that the user usually just yanks the cable instead of pulling on a tiny connector part.…

There's an art to designing strain relief. Apple doesn't bother with it. I have a new electric kettle with a plug that incorporates a ring into the strain relief -- your fingers will always grab the ring to pull it out of the outlet, and that's where the cable-to-plug connection is strongest.

strain relief, did not know that term. thank you.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#66

Post by java-man »

jodrellblank wrote: post #53
java-man wrote: post #2

Good luck getting those in the next MBP. Once a company exceeds a certain size, the normal rules of designing a product for the users stop applying. Mag safe, headphone jack, multiple USB ports, escape key - why were they removed? Who made these decisions? I might add a lack of dedicated PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys on larger laptops. There's plenty of space, but no, we are going to use the same keyboard for all of them (…

I might add a lack of dedicated PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys on larger laptops. There's plenty of space, but no, we are going to use the same keyboard for all of them (makes sense from a supply perspective!) Mildly unrelated, but many split-keyboard designs put an arc of thumb-keys like this http://xahlee.info/kbd/i04750/keyboardio_m1_rgb_44488.jpg There's plenty of opportunity for normal rectangle keyboards to put 2+ new…

As a developer, I would rather have a single key press than a chord.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#67

Post by ymolodtsov »

Since I had to buy a new adapter for MBA I totally love that they ditched MagSafe where cable was permanently attached.

Also because I use a cheaper MBP I still have an Esc key. And I don’t have a single dongle and don’t understand why would I need it.

I also love they keyboad very much — would be great if they could make it more reliable but I prefer it to the old one on MBA.

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#68

Post by skjdflsiugf »

TAForObvReasons wrote: post #6

> The power cable was magnetic. Instead of sticking into the laptop, it connected to the side of it. If someone tripped over the cable, the cable would harmlessly disconnect from the laptop. Worth pointing out that there are third-party MagSafe-esque wrappers for USB-C like https://www.snapnator.com/

it sticks out - magsafe was flush

Re: Basic features that will hopefully return to the MacBook Pro

#70

Post by cpr »

akerl_ wrote: post #8

Worth noting for folks who don't use Siri that the TouchBar contents are customizable. I was in the same boat as the author, accidentally activating Siri non-stop, and then I figured out I could just remove that button. System Preferences -> Keyboard -> "Customize Control Strip" button

Whoa, great catch! ;-)

Kept hitting the (disabled) Siri virtual button, and it would unhelpfully offer to enable it every time.

Annoying, but at least there's a way out!

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