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Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

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Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#451

Post by modernerd »

lostlogin wrote: post #244
modernerd wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Automatic updates interrupting work hasn't been an issue for me for a long time. You can set updates to install outside of an 18-hour window, defer updates for a set period, or disable them: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-a...

A work mandates machines with locked down control is always going to be awful. The machine in my house that is in this category gets opened every week or two for it’s mega updates, then closed until the next batch.

Agreed, the update experience for anything used occasionally or when someone else controls the update cycle is going to be miserable.

I've experienced the same with work-issued laptops, and also have an iMac I boot once every few months to be met with 20 software update nags from the OS and various apps. Probably means I should sell the iMac.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#452

Post by modernerd »

tomp wrote: post #429
modernerd wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Automatic updates interrupting work hasn't been an issue for me for a long time. You can set updates to install outside of an 18-hour window, defer updates for a set period, or disable them: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-a...

Does this actually work? I tried (permanently) disabling updates on my Surface Go (running Windows 10) a few months ago but kept failing. The worst thing is, you don't know if what you did works or not, because you need to wait until the next update :D

I've also seen user experience reports in the wild that say, “I tried those settings but I still had a forced update halfway through my Big Important Presentation”.

I haven't had that myself so far. Hate to say it works on my machine but that's been my experience to date.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#453

Post by pipeoperator »

rednum wrote: post #217

I did switch from 2012 Macbook Air to 2019 Macbook Pro a few weeks ago and I can't agree more with the article. One of the reasons I'm using Mac instead of Linux is that I make music. And the new Macbook sucks for this purpose: the same recording settings I used on my old laptop are not usable on the new one. 90% of time things work fine, but sometimes I get glitches and pops in the middle of the recording. Why? Who…

Experiencing audio glitches all the time on my Mac. Never had any issues at all before installing Catalina.

After a recent Catalina update all the streaming video / audio stutters stopped only to be replaced with random dots appearing over my display - almost like my graphics card was dying. That’s now disappeared (after the most recent update) but the stuttering has restarted.

Running console.app As these issues occurred showed a number of errors that came up time and again. Bluetooth seemingly interrupting the audio, graphics drivers failing, disk access halting the system. Catalina is a poor product - probably the version of MacOS where I’ve experienced the most issues.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#454

Post by PascLeRasc »

rednum wrote: post #217

I did switch from 2012 Macbook Air to 2019 Macbook Pro a few weeks ago and I can't agree more with the article. One of the reasons I'm using Mac instead of Linux is that I make music. And the new Macbook sucks for this purpose: the same recording settings I used on my old laptop are not usable on the new one. 90% of time things work fine, but sometimes I get glitches and pops in the middle of the recording. Why? Who…

Can you start playing audio, go to System Preferences -> Date and Time -> Unlock the panel -> repeatedly uncheck and re-check "Set date and time automatically" and see if that causes audio glitches? There's a known problem with that series of MBPs, I believe with the T2 chip. I'm still on the 2015 Macbook so I can't test it, but another audio pro I know says some recent Catalina update fixed it, and before that they did their live shows with it unchecked and didn't have a problem.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#455

Post by hahahahahka »

Nextgrid wrote: post #424
IceWreck wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> USB-C hubs are not possible like you could do with USB 2 or 3 TIL. Why is this not possible?

You'd probably find a more authoritative source and better documentation by searching, but here's my understanding of it: USB-C can be used with alternate modes like DisplayPort or Thunderbolt, where the wires are no longer transmitting USB data but are used as a dumb pipe for the underlying protocol. If you get a hub it can choose to either operate in the following conditions (depending on its type and capabilities)…

USB-C. Universal Serial Bus, without the universal part.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#456

Post by PascLeRasc »

rednum wrote: post #379
Sangeppato wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's weird, reliable low latency audio is one of the few things where I still find the Mac to be pretty solid. I've got a 2015 15" and I've used several times a 2018 13", on both Mojave and Catalina and I have to say that it outperforms my 2015 (it can easily manage a 32 buffer with some plugins loaded, while my 15" starts to struggle under 64). This was using Reaper with an Apple USB-A to USB-C adapter and a UMC20…

I use Ableton with Focusrite Scarlett 2nd gen. I'm currently using 256 buffer. I've tried using 128 but it screwed up some vocal takes I did the other day (there are 5-10 seconds of cracks in the middle of each 4 minute long complete song take). Also I froze the other tracks (eight of them, so not that many) before starting recording. No FX on master track. Maybe I should've bought 2015 MBP then. Or maybe I should do…

I'm on a 64-bit buffer on Catalina/2015 Macbook Pro/3rd gen Scarlett/Ableton, just as a reference point. Sorry to hear that.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#457

Post by jimnotgym »

I moved from Mac to Windows to Linux to Windows.

I wanted things to 'just work' so bought an expensive mac. It was very good at syncing iTunes and stuff like that. I found I kept needing Windows only software...

So moved to Windows. It was fine. No problems except iTunes looked weird, but I got my work done easier.

Then I started to code more so went to Linux on one computer and Windows with a Linux VM on other.

As life developed I used Linux less and MS Office more. I write more reports than code now! Since WSL I dropped Linux on the desktop and went Windows everywhere.

I notice now that the only people who complain about Windows are the mac users. I personally find a mac really limiting, and MS Office sucks on a mac. I'm happy with Windows 10, and my users don't suffer many issues compared to my mac users.

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#459

Post by cannam »

Nextgrid wrote: post #424
IceWreck wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> USB-C hubs are not possible like you could do with USB 2 or 3 TIL. Why is this not possible?

You'd probably find a more authoritative source and better documentation by searching, but here's my understanding of it: USB-C can be used with alternate modes like DisplayPort or Thunderbolt, where the wires are no longer transmitting USB data but are used as a dumb pipe for the underlying protocol. If you get a hub it can choose to either operate in the following conditions (depending on its type and capabilities)…

Oh that's interesting. That might be an extra reason why devices are still preferentially coming with USB3 type A plugs on the other end - it's actually more flexible that way? I am in fact plugging both of my new USB-C devices into a USB3 hub, and had no idea I wouldn't have been able to do the same with USB-C cables and hub.

(I assume you can still have a USB3 hub with type A sockets on it, plugged in to a USB-C port? - edit: oh, just noticed a sibling comment says this doesn't seem to exist either. Now that is very odd.)

Re: Seven years later, I bought a new MacBook. For the first time, I don't love it

#460

Post by dangus »

I think it’s a list of many valid criticisms, but it’s just so tiring at this point. We’ve been talking about the Touch Bar and the ports for almost 5 years now.

I hate to be that person saying “if you don’t like it, don’t buy it” but that’s absolutely the case here. People are handcuffing themselves to macOS for no reason even though they admit they don’t love it like they did 6-8 years ago.

The integration is nice but there are alternatives. You can integrate Android with Windows or Linux, often with more freedom. You can use platform agnostic apps and services for your workflows. What Apple offers with continuity is great but not worth living with a machine that doesn’t work with your other needs.

Personally, I still have a Mac and iPhone, and I don’t really have the same issues as the author (I think palm rejection works fine, I think the touch bar is fine - and Apple’s most popular laptop doesn’t even have it) but you can be certain that when their time is up I’m not going to keep a closed mind to other options.

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