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Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

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Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#81

Macbook Pro "improvements" over the last 3-7 years: * No more matte display * RAM soldered to the board * SSD soldered in * remove all ports except USB-C * make keyboard worse * remove function keys, replace with touch surface that's redundant at best But it's very thin! And even thinner was the recent Macbook, and if the law of "diminishing returns" matters as little as the usual defenses of all the above tradeoffs…

I really (really!) appreciate how thin they are. The new 15in is as heavy as the old 13in. Really nice when you have to carry it around all the time. The biggest pain point is the lack of ports (4 ports including power) is not enough. The older models had around 5+ ports and still required dongles. Everything else aside from the keyboard is a minor issue (e.g. getting more ram today versus in the future is just a question of deferring costs).

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#82
This is the final "fuck you and fuck off" to professional developers from Apple. I expect the next generation of MBPros (and MBAirs) that are rumored for later this year to continue in this direction giving us developers the middle finger and likely it will continue into next year and beyond. Apple doesn't care. The laptops look great from the outside and most people don't know any better. Everything that makes this machine a laptop is indeed garbage (keyboard, touchpad, screen, cooling) as far as computing is concerned, but when you're a fashion company, computing is almost an afterthought. On the bright side, I'm looking forward to "smart" socks and underwear coming out in a few years from Apple. /s

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#83
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also hate that MacBook Pro touchpads are oversized and easy to touch with your thumbs by accident. I had one issued for a job and had annoying, error-inducing swipes about three times a day.

You complained about the best part of the Macbook, the trackpad! I wish I could get that Mac trackpad on my thinkpad x1

Maybe if they centered the damm thing with regard to where your hands rest, vs the center of the laptop.

As it is now, the trackpad is shifted significantly to the right - so much so that my right Palm is constantly triggering it.

I’m basically forced to use a mouse and disable the trackpad while the mouse is connected.

Yet another aesthetic choice that screws up functionality..

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#84
post #65

Macbook Pro "improvements" over the last 3-7 years: * No more matte display * RAM soldered to the board * SSD soldered in * remove all ports except USB-C * make keyboard worse * remove function keys, replace with touch surface that's redundant at best But it's very thin! And even thinner was the recent Macbook, and if the law of "diminishing returns" matters as little as the usual defenses of all the above tradeoffs…

I also hate that MacBook Pro touchpads are oversized and easy to touch with your thumbs by accident. I had one issued for a job and had annoying, error-inducing swipes about three times a day.

Does this happen while typing? Do you touch-type?

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#85

Macbook Pro "improvements" over the last 3-7 years: * No more matte display * RAM soldered to the board * SSD soldered in * remove all ports except USB-C * make keyboard worse * remove function keys, replace with touch surface that's redundant at best But it's very thin! And even thinner was the recent Macbook, and if the law of "diminishing returns" matters as little as the usual defenses of all the above tradeoffs…

While I agree with you I have to say there is real improvement Apple has made: eGPU.

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#86
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also hate that MacBook Pro touchpads are oversized and easy to touch with your thumbs by accident. I had one issued for a job and had annoying, error-inducing swipes about three times a day.

You complained about the best part of the Macbook, the trackpad! I wish I could get that Mac trackpad on my thinkpad x1

It absolutely boggles my mind that people can't keep in mind that everyone has different preferences.

It's not the best part of the Macbook, it's your favourite part of the Macbook.

There very rarely is an objective best in anything. There is only what you like and need.

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

my 2015 Pro is so much better than mycompany 2017 Pro w/ touchbar like people are saying, most people just don't care about the touchbar. It does get annoying at times (as a vim user). Why WHY do they hide the esc key and have it take two inputs to increase the volume/brightness by more than 1 tick (sliding is terrible). Other than that, I totally agree, the real focus should be the keyboard. Because it's shit. Here…

You can just put your finger on the volume or brightness icon and slide it. You don’t have to pick it up or wait for the slider to appear. You can also set the esc key to stay visible.

yeah I downloaded Dock to display my dock and esc key at all times.

Thank you for the tip. Knew you could use the slider but thought you actually had to be on dot, feel so dumb. Never tried sliding in place!

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#89
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also hate that MacBook Pro touchpads are oversized and easy to touch with your thumbs by accident. I had one issued for a job and had annoying, error-inducing swipes about three times a day.

You complained about the best part of the Macbook, the trackpad! I wish I could get that Mac trackpad on my thinkpad x1

But they were perfect until 2015, making them bigger is a downgrade IMO as well. What’s the point of huge trackpad on a 13–15 inch screen?

Re: Apple Updates Air, Pro Laptops, Kills Off the MacBook

#90

Why does choosing an Apple product always require a degree in Apple marketing and design? I generally like their products but you need to do so much research about everything from the weird ass product names (does Air even mean anything anymore?), to where exactly in the product cycle each product is. Am I about to buy something that will be upgraded in a week?

>where exactly in the product cycle each product is. Am I about to buy something that will be upgraded in a week?

You've answered your own question. That is precisely why everything is fuzzy. So that people don't get caught up worrying about specs or versions. PC market doesn't iterate that fast any more.

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