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The new MacBook

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531–540 of 1001 posts

Re: The new MacBook

#533
post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a very good point - Apple's desktop software is definitely not a highlight in the last few years. What's not clear is: (i) how much it matters - the core desktop experience is very solid, and between web browsers and MS Office it's not clear how much the iLife(?) apps actually get run. And (ii) whether it's a symptom of some deeper malaise - Apple still seems to be killing it in other areas so perhaps it's jus…

Maybe overlooked rather than resource-starved. Apple's sitting on $100B in cash. Resources shouldn't be an issue in any department.

Even $100B is not a reason to dump money mindlessly. I generally don't trust moves that seem purely driven by money (e.g. facebook's VR hiring spree), and which don't have a clear goal in mind, and a strategy along the way. Given Apple's high aspirations, they probably don't know what to do with the desktop. Ive's expectations seem way beyond what native apps can fulfill ... perhaps the Windows way was the right approach after all, and the complexity of "other" operating systems was just right for the high complexity of daily tasks after all ... and maybe the Apple way of thinking is more apt for mobile use where the computer interface doesn't have the user's full attention.

Personally, in my last years of using OS X, all I had open was the PDF reader app, a browser and a terminal. I don't know if that was my personal interpretation of the Cloud age, but suddenly I was completely OS agnostic. Incidentally, this led me away from buying Macs, as the operating system didn't do anything for me anymore. I don't know about the desktop experience. Either it seems to be "power user web crawling", for which the cloud is the best fit, or it's about spending the whole day in a random Pro App with its very own user experience.

I'm looking forward for their cars and watches, but I don't care much about their desktop computers. It seems they don't, either.

Re: The new MacBook

#534

Accidentally clipping the power cable is something I definitely got used to not worrying about anymore. I'm loving the single mother-of-all ports USB-C will provide but I highly appreciated the magnet component of MagSafe..

Was clipping the power cable a big problem? I've never done that with a laptop, but have found the brittle MagSafe connection to be an almost daily annoyance since it was introduced.

Re: The new MacBook

#535
post #283
post #2

USB-C as the "one connector to rule them all" is the big news. That's the end of MagSafe and the exploding era of USB-C docking stations that work for multiple devices. I think we'll start to see an era of expandable computing coming up soon: USB-C is a perfect connector to push your data and state into a larger desktop experience. Why not carry around your laptop in tablet form when you are mobile? [1] [1] https://g…

Thank god. The magsafe adapter is cool, but has some serious flaws to it. Namely: it's magnetic, so any sort of [ferrous] metal dust will accumulate inside of it, preventing you from getting a good seal on the connector. If you work in any environment other than a sterile coffee shop, this will be a huge problem for you. I spend almost all of my time working in a hackerspace, and fiddling with my power connector on m…

Nothing you mentioned here is a flaw .

Re: The new MacBook

#537
post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a very good point - Apple's desktop software is definitely not a highlight in the last few years. What's not clear is: (i) how much it matters - the core desktop experience is very solid, and between web browsers and MS Office it's not clear how much the iLife(?) apps actually get run. And (ii) whether it's a symptom of some deeper malaise - Apple still seems to be killing it in other areas so perhaps it's jus…

While I agree with regards to iLife, the software overall just seems to have gone down in quality. Since upgrading to Yosemite I've had a ton of issues with Apple Mail (which is a staple for me) and wifi in general. Having to toggle your wifi on & off throughout the day gets pretty old pretty fast. Still a tough sell to go outside apple simply due to the hardware quality & resale value, but at least we have some cont…

I agree. The Mail client is constantly beach ballin and freezes at times. The issue is resolved by deleting the account and recreating it again. Surely not as intended. Especially for an app that virtually everyone on a Mac uses on a daily basis. I keep sending my crash reports but Mail client software updates seems to never come...

Also, another really annoying bug is when screensaver goes on and locks the screen. Sometimes, if I try and wake it up to fast it will freeze with a black screen for 60-120 seconds before I can unlock it again.

Re: The new MacBook

#538
post #256

This seems like an obvious prelude to ARM CPUs in MacBooks.

This actually looks to me like a huge win for Intel. A full fast Intel CPU, with no fan! The ability to be passively cooled was previously one of ARMs serious advantages.

Re: The new MacBook

#539
post #261

This is a beautiful machine. Once again, Apple excels at hardware. But what the living hell is going wrong with Apple's desktop software? OS X and Apple's applications suite have been getting steadily worse with every release. Look at the App store: the latest releases of OS X, iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, and Numbers are (in stark contrast to earlier versins) all rated at 2.5/5 stars, with the plurality being 1-star revie…

Anyone know how viable it is to wipe it and use Ubuntu with it?

You don't need to wipe it...just set up a dual boot: http://www.howtogeek.com/187410/how-to-install-and-dual-boot...

Re: The new MacBook

#540
post #261

This is a beautiful machine. Once again, Apple excels at hardware. But what the living hell is going wrong with Apple's desktop software? OS X and Apple's applications suite have been getting steadily worse with every release. Look at the App store: the latest releases of OS X, iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, and Numbers are (in stark contrast to earlier versins) all rated at 2.5/5 stars, with the plurality being 1-star revie…

My guess is that somewhere deep in the basement they have an OS that unites iOS and OS X into a single system that will run on future devices. That OS will run both OS X apps in legacy mode and iOS apps. Apple is funding teams for the iOS versions of the apps because that is where they see the future.

At the end of the presentation, I was half expecting Tim Cook to pop the screen off the MacBook and say, "And by the way, we united iOS and OSX, so the MacBook can aslo be a fully-functional iPad."
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