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MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

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Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#231
post #222

Seriously, fuck off, Apple. Gluing and rivets - does this actually accomplish any kind of real measurable cost-saving or just introduce bullshit vendor lock-in? Same deal for soldered RAM. Pro-tip for everyone wanting to LEAVE Tim Cook's sinking hardware ship: Buy a Dell XPS 15, install Linux and enjoy being able to: 1. Upgrade your own RAM 2. Install a second 2.5" SSD 3. Being able to easily remove components from t…

I just want to use my computer, not playing computer tech with it.

Until your keyboard breaks and you're not just using your computer - you're playing Apple with the "genius" at the genius bar.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#233
post #50

Call me crazy but I must be the only person who enjoys typing on the old butterfly keyboard. Yes I was one of those people who originally thought the travel was too small but after using it for a couple hours I found the low travel was a huge relief to Carpal Tunnel and I also typed much faster. Maybe I have the only keyboard that “works” but I love me some butterfly keyboards.

I actually prefer the butterfly keyboard's clickiness – coming from a mechanical keyboard, I always found the chiclet keys a tad too mushy. And the jarringly-short travel, while annoying at first, is easy to adapt to.

The thing that turned me against the butterfly keyboard were the reliability issues. I've had to get replacements for broken keyboards three times: spacebar stopped working, `f` ended up double typing every single time, and capslock (I remap to Ctrl) would 'stick' for a few seconds when pressed.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#234
post #124
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a world where sourcing materials and building computer parts that cannot be recycled has such a high environmental and societal cost, no, I can't find any way of seeing this as acceptable. We should not let the market and consumers preference decide on this. We need informed, resonnable and thoughful decisions. If it leads to laptops a bit more heavy and thick but less wasteful, so be it. Convenience cannot be dem…

You can’t dump a laptop in a blue bin but you can recycle it. You can also resell or get a trade-in credit from Apple. https://www.apple.com/recycling/nationalservices/

In Palo Alto you can.

I looked at how to recycle of my old Color laser printer and the instructions on PA’s web site were to out it into the blue bin. They show GP this on the sides of some of the trucks too. I did so (almost completely filled the bin and weighed a ton) but they took it without a qualm.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#235
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: Apple's laptops have lasted me longer than any other computer I've had. I'm not sure that buying this is a net negative.

I have had my mid-2012 RMBP since 2012 and I haven't had to repair it yet (I might be an outlier). I'm hoping to trade in my 2012 and get the 16" and have it last another 7 years.

Mine's a 2013 model and I'm in the same boat. My X1 Carbon is being delivered today, the Mac put in a good shift but it's frozen a couple of times since the upgrade to a Catalina. Until the last month it's been perfect.

I'll still use it for Affinity and Capture One, but as a contractor I need something I feel I can depend on.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#236
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's fair, but it would take a massive change in both consumer behavior and Apple's target audience to make something like this come about. But hey, ya never know.

Or perhaps a change in leadership at Apple. Never is a long time compared to the tenure of any exec.

Yep — hard to believe that Satya Nadella is only 5 years into the job at Microsoft. It’s like a completely different company.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#237
post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is something I don't get. It would have been reasonable to design the keybord that it can be exchanged, even if it some effort. While I like the improvents of this iteration, it shouldn't be that unrepairable. A MB Pro is an expensive device, but that is ok, if you get the appropriate quality. Making the machine a write off, if there is a problem after the mandatory Apple-care runs out, does mean it is much less…

They do it for stiffness, which does improve the typing experience.

It is not obvious to me that screws would be less stiff than rivets. I am fine with such a laptop not being "user serviceable", but it should be designed so that a trained technician with the right tools can do these kind of repairs.

I consider the statements of Apple about the environment friendlyness of their devices phony, as long as a keyboard defect can total the device or at least mean, that large parts of the device have to be changed, which aren't defective.

Let's hope that the new keyboard is robust enough to make it a non-issue. But if Apple is committed to their design and think it is unlikely to ever break, why doesn't Apple price a keyboard replacement at the same price like other laptops?

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#238
post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh?? 64gb of ram, bigger screen, much more powerful GpU, bigger storage options, better thermals, better microphone, better speakers, bigger battery...it’s definitely not just “the same CPU” and a fixed keyboard”...not sure what else did you expect?

I specifically brought up the speakers as the key differentiator beyond the keyboard, so I find it really weird to include in your list of things I “missed” about this computer. Beyond that, I address most of the others in this comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21570906

That wasn't a list of things you missed. It was his list of the features in the upgrade to show it wasn't that you said.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#239
post #226
post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently bought a used 2015 13inch MPB. Extremely happy.

I am generally not a lucky person, but after hearing all these horror stories of 2016+ MBPs, it's obvious that I really lucked out when I bought my 13" MBP in fall of 2015, which I'm using right now to make this post. I've only had to service it once to get the "logic board" replaced, which cost me something like $600 last winter, but it was pretty obvious that it was still the best option after comparing to the newe…

I don’t mean to dunk on you, and I’m sure you really aren’t a lucky person (as you say), but this just stands out to me as a reason people look at us tech workers and think we’re a touch entitled: anyone who can afford a new MacBook at any point in the past few years is almost by definition lucky.

Re: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

#240
post #50

Call me crazy but I must be the only person who enjoys typing on the old butterfly keyboard. Yes I was one of those people who originally thought the travel was too small but after using it for a couple hours I found the low travel was a huge relief to Carpal Tunnel and I also typed much faster. Maybe I have the only keyboard that “works” but I love me some butterfly keyboards.

The complaint (or at least, mine) isn't that they're bad -- it's that they're unreliable. I'm literally on my 3rd butterfly keyboard.

I am starting to think that it’s more to do with how people type, rather then a keyboard quality. Most people who get them break - go through 3-4 keyboards in a year. I am still using my 2017 butterfly and have not had a single issue with a keyboard. So it’s either 0 or 3+ replacements
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