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Fixing the MacBook Pro

marco.org

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Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#11

Post by WillPostForFood »

gnicholas wrote: post #10
twblalock wrote: post #5

I agree that the cable-management flaps on the power bricks need to come back. They were an excellent design and the current bricks could clearly accommodate them.

I've heard several Apple 'Geniuses' say that if you wrap the cables around these flaps then the cable will eventually get damaged. Customers routinely reply: "why do you put the flaps there if using them will damage the cables?". Perhaps Apple has removed them because they end up damaging the cables. I've also noticed that the USB-C charge cable seems to be thicker/more rigid than the magsafe 2 charge cable.

I think people would wrap tightly, and put too much pressure on the point where the cable exited the charger when they wrapped around the flaps, which would inevitably cause a failure. It isn't much better now, but at least the cable can be replaced instead of the whole unit.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#12

Post by iscoelho »

I've owned a Macbook Pro 2015. I've also owned about 3 different Cherry Blue MX mechanical keyboards.

I pre-ordered the new Macbook Pro 2016 when it originally came out. Here's my take after using it for more than 6-7? months (no clue, time goes by):

1) I am extremely happy with the butterfly keyboard. There is absolutely no issues with it for me and it's my ideal keyboard. I honestly do not understand people who say the accuracy is bad on it - perfectly fine for me. Use it for long enough and you'll get used to it. The only thing it is guilty of is being different.

2) I enjoy the Touchbar and TouchID, it genuinely feels nice to use it. ESC key being on the touch bar is something you get used to, but understandably if I was a huge user of VIM it would probably make me extremely upset. Thankfully I'm not and it works fine for me. I genuinely do not notice it anymore.

3) I ran out of USB-C ports on my laptop (4 total). I have pretty much all of them in use, so I now need to resort to USB-C USB A hubs. For some reason, USB-C USB-C hubs don't exist, so that honestly sucks considering I completely switched to USB-C plugs before I ran out.

4) Touchpad size is much better than 2015 MBP. After using this so much I could never go back to a smaller touchpad, and using my old 2015 MBP just honestly feels bad. It might be due to my sensitivity? I have no clue why people say their hands hit the touchpad since I have never had that issue in my entire time owning it.

5) CPU and memory is great. I can run multiple virtual machines in Parallels no issue. I develop games and constantly test them in the background. I really see absolutely zero drawback from the 2015 MBP, and even though on a spec-sheet the hardware /looks/ worse, in my experience it performs much better.

Take what you will from my experiences.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#13

Post by aeturnum »

saltcod wrote: post #2

Surprises me that a 2015 MBP is still passable for him cpu-wise. I briefly replaced my 2014 MBP with a 2017 iMac, citing the 16GB ram ceiling as my primary issue. I ordered the iMac from Apple with 8GB of ram and ordered an additional 16GB from OWC b/c it was way cheaper. The iMac arrived over two weeks before the OWC ram arrived, so I had 2 weeks using the 8GB iMac in it's ram-starved state. In short: I never once n…

That's fine for workloads which don't need more than 8gb of ram simultaneously. I've had workflows using scanning software (poorly optimized, but industry standard scanning software) that will gladly use more than 16 gigs of ram if available. Sometimes you just need a bigger bucket.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#14

Post by Chernobog »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #3

Got a 2015 Macbook Pro. As of today, the E, R, and T keys have all stopped working. Apple wants $500 for a logic board replacement. It was fine when it was just the R key. Sort of. I set up bash scripts to copy-paste "r" to my clipboard, and just pressed command-V instead of "r". But then the T key went out. The other day, I was using my MacBook with an external keyboard sitting on top, and then the whole thing shut…

It is sad to hear your story, and I hope you have great luck in finding a good solution that does not empty your wallet.

I really wish that the 5 year "reklamasjon" (roughly translated to claims) period we have in Norway for things that are supposed to last more than two years, caught on globally. It can sort of be explained as a warranty mandated by law, which means we can usually ignore the usual warranties from the vendor unless they give better terms or last longer than 5 years. I have had computer equipment that broke down after four and a half years, that I got either replaced or repaired for free because we have these laws.

I think one of the largest benefits of having such a system world wide, would be less waste. Producers would have to make more durable products that lasted longer, not laptops, cellphones etc. that are basically treated as consumables with only a few years of life expectancy.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#15

Post by nether »

It's funny to see this in light of Marco's previous assertions:

> Apple will never release an "iPad," because mobile video isn't a thing, and screen fingerprints are inevitable (2006): http://articles.marco.org/207

> The iPhone is a misstep because the onscreen keyboard makes driving unsafe (seriously), and it is over-purposed compared to a minimalist candybar phone that Apple should have released (2007): http://articles.marco.org/226

Marco seems like a blowhard who's taken Apple puritanism too far, such that every change they release is an affront to the Apple products he was accustomed to in his late 20s. In 20 years, he and everyone else will not hearken for the 2015 MacBook Pro, and everything will use wireless charging. Apple has usually been ahead of the curve, Marco is attached to some natural order of computing that does not exist.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#16

Post by Chernobog »

gnicholas wrote: post #10
twblalock wrote: post #5

I agree that the cable-management flaps on the power bricks need to come back. They were an excellent design and the current bricks could clearly accommodate them.

I've heard several Apple 'Geniuses' say that if you wrap the cables around these flaps then the cable will eventually get damaged. Customers routinely reply: "why do you put the flaps there if using them will damage the cables?". Perhaps Apple has removed them because they end up damaging the cables. I've also noticed that the USB-C charge cable seems to be thicker/more rigid than the magsafe 2 charge cable.

The cables are known to break too easily, but I'd rather want them to solve that by having proper strain relief on the cable than remove the flaps on the charger.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#17

Post by apricot »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #3

Got a 2015 Macbook Pro. As of today, the E, R, and T keys have all stopped working. Apple wants $500 for a logic board replacement. It was fine when it was just the R key. Sort of. I set up bash scripts to copy-paste "r" to my clipboard, and just pressed command-V instead of "r". But then the T key went out. The other day, I was using my MacBook with an external keyboard sitting on top, and then the whole thing shut…

> MBP rendered unusable by faulty X key. Apple wanted $400, he paid, then the G key went out. They wanted another $400.

Act today and buy the entire alphabet for just $8000. That's a $2400 savings!

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#18

Post by tehwebguy »

iscoelho wrote: post #12

I've owned a Macbook Pro 2015. I've also owned about 3 different Cherry Blue MX mechanical keyboards. I pre-ordered the new Macbook Pro 2016 when it originally came out. Here's my take after using it for more than 6-7? months (no clue, time goes by): 1) I am extremely happy with the butterfly keyboard. There is absolutely no issues with it for me and it's my ideal keyboard. I honestly do not understand people who say…

Re: #1 Agreed, my MacBook 12” keyboard is my favorite so far. My wife’s, however, feels like crap. Same year, only difference is color.

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#19

Post by Pharylon »

I have a 2016 MacBook Pro, and I really dislike it. Part of that is the dongles, and the dongles plugged into the dongles.

I also dislike the keyboard, but I rarely use it as an actual laptop so it's fine I guess

Re: Fixing the MacBook Pro

#20

Post by iscoelho »

tehwebguy wrote: post #18
iscoelho wrote: post #12

I've owned a Macbook Pro 2015. I've also owned about 3 different Cherry Blue MX mechanical keyboards. I pre-ordered the new Macbook Pro 2016 when it originally came out. Here's my take after using it for more than 6-7? months (no clue, time goes by): 1) I am extremely happy with the butterfly keyboard. There is absolutely no issues with it for me and it's my ideal keyboard. I honestly do not understand people who say…

Re: #1 Agreed, my MacBook 12” keyboard is my favorite so far. My wife’s, however, feels like crap. Same year, only difference is color.

Yeah I enjoy butterfly switches so much that I'd be genuinely upset if Apple gave in and changed back.
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