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Introducing the next generation of Mac

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Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#261

Post by ssivark »

dcchambers wrote: post #37

The 16GB RAM limit is unfortunate. Five years later and I still can't buy a new 13" laptop from Apple with more RAM than my 2015 MBP. Edit: Apparently you can configure a (Early 2020) Intel-based 13" MBP with 32GB of RAM - I was not aware of that. Hope they bring that option to the ARM versions ASAP, especially if the performance gains are as good as Apple claims.

Crazy to imagine this, but restricting developers to 16GB machines might be the most effective way to fight against (cough... electron driven) software bloat :-)

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#262

Post by hyperdimension »

kbar13 wrote: post #40
SamuelAdams wrote: post #6

Super interesting how they kept the touchbar on the Macbook Pro keyboard but not on the Air. As a software developer, I'm going to be more likely to buy an Air just due to the keyboard.

as a software dev who went for air before the current gen of pro macbooks with hardware esc, dont do it the air is really sluggish for anything but the lightest of tasks. there was even extremely noticeable latency using gmail.com

Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's an indictment of the hardware or gmail itself.

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#263

Post by buu700 »

plorkyeran wrote: post #129
vmarsy wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They kept the touch bar but it seems that they added (back) a physical Esc key, isn't that the most criticized missing key? Which other key do you miss now that Esc is back?

All of them? I use the function keys regularly and it's much harder to hit the correct one without looking at the keyboard with the touch bar.

This is such a bizarre unforced error. Why would they just arbitrarily remove a row of the keyboard? Taking it away and asking why I need it is like asking why I need right-click, pinch-to-zoom, or my left pinky finger. It makes no sense that we have to choose between fully featured input and active cooling.

Either way, based on this announcement I'll probably hold off on upgrading for another generation. That'll leave some time to see how the transition goes, and with any luck the next ones will include 32 GB RAM, Mini-LED, and 5G (along with a full keyboard).

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#264

Post by dwaite »

cactus2093 wrote: post #227

Have they said anything about hyperkit on the new platform? And being able to run stuff like Docker for Mac? I've seen lots said about the lack of Bootcamp support but I've actually never even used Bootcamp, Linux VMS are much more relevant for me and I imagine many other developers.

From their roadmap, it does not appear they have really investigated this yet. [1]

Rosetta 2 translates Mac apps and can deal with JIT, but I do not believe it will work through virtualization.

It should be relatively light lifting to make Docker for Mac run an ARM linux installation and ARM-built containers.

From there, you likely would want to strategically add multi-arch container support to the docker runtime. This might be implemented based on existing qemu containers [2]

1: https://github.com/docker/roadmap/issues/142

2: https://github.com/multiarch/qemu-user-static

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#265

Post by wilsonnb3 »

AnonHP wrote: post #100
marc11111 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree for the current Macs. The new Air seems to have the same specs as the new 13" Pro though or is there a difference?

Since the new MacBook Air doesn’t have a fan while the MacBook Pro does, I’m sure there are some differences that Apple isn’t admitting right now. The battery life claimed by Apple is also higher on the Air compared to the Pro. Maybe the Air is throttled or runs at lower clock speeds.

The base model air has 7 GPU cores instead of the 8 that the higher end Air, Pro, and Mini have.

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#266

Post by Aperocky »

viscanti wrote: post #234
dcchambers wrote: post #37

The 16GB RAM limit is unfortunate. Five years later and I still can't buy a new 13" laptop from Apple with more RAM than my 2015 MBP. Edit: Apparently you can configure a (Early 2020) Intel-based 13" MBP with 32GB of RAM - I was not aware of that. Hope they bring that option to the ARM versions ASAP, especially if the performance gains are as good as Apple claims.

Do most people with MacBook Airs have workloads that require more than 16GB or ram or do they generally value a lower price point? Cost, performance, light weight - pick two right? Apple seems to have picked a combination of lower cost and light weight. Customers who need more ram probably move up to a MBP.

I honestly can't think of a situation where you need more than 16GB of ram on an ultrabook. If your job is heavy video editing - I don't think getting a laptop is a good idea.

I know I use a lot of RAM for compiling and tests, but we have cloud instances with up to 500GB of RAM for that.

Also with the new ARM instructions, I suspect more heavy task like these will be forced to move elsewhere. Businesses might not want to switch for a few years to wait for dev tools/ARM servers to be available.

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#267

Post by dawnerd »

samjmck wrote: post #191
bochoh wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will only drive one 4k display at 60hz, I would imagine it would support multiple lower resolutions with no issues.

That would be weird. Thunderbolt 3 supports 2x 4K60, so this should as well.

I keep seeing comments about lack of MST support but they're ignoring that you can currently already like you say drive dual 4k60. I'm doing it right now.

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#268

Post by dbbk »

vmarsy wrote: post #59
SamuelAdams wrote: post #6

Super interesting how they kept the touchbar on the Macbook Pro keyboard but not on the Air. As a software developer, I'm going to be more likely to buy an Air just due to the keyboard.

They kept the touch bar but it seems that they added (back) a physical Esc key, isn't that the most criticized missing key? Which other key do you miss now that Esc is back?

Funnily enough the MacBook Pro product page actually shows both the physical and virtual escape keys on the touch bar. Hopefully that's a mistake...

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#269

Post by shrimpx »

callamdelaney wrote: post #150

I'll be sticking with my 2015 Macbook Pro Retina 13". Great machine, not too thin, heavy enough, no stupid touch screen, usb ports, great keyboard. Everything apple has done since hasn't compared.

I have this machine, it’s a super portable and reliable powerhouse. I recently upgraded to a 2019 15”, mostly to go up to 32G ram, and it feels like a downgrade in terms of design and usability.

Re: Introducing the next generation of Mac

#270

Post by Razengan »

bpyne wrote: post #139
intpx wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not all RAM is created equally. Better memory management means less RAM can be better than more RAM. Pair that with superfast flash storage for SWAP and you might not even be able to tell the difference between 16 and 32. Besides, this release cycle is 100% optimized for an impressive speed boost, tempered by a need for a more impressive battery life. The proof will be in the pudding.Time will tell.

I have the same reaction. I suspect a lot of RAM is wasted by os's and applications.

Yeah, 16 GB is hardly enough if you want to run more than 2 Electron apps.
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