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The new MacBook

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Re: The new MacBook

#281

Post by lsaferite »

tjl wrote: post #227
jrochkind1 wrote: post #196

Do I understand right that it's got one port, which can be used for either power or USB, but not both at once? Man, that's the future? I was hoping they'd give it two USB ports, if it was supposed to serve as the new full powered macbook. It never occured to me they'd actually take away a port, and give you charging or USB peripheral but not both at once. Bah humbug.

You can do both at once over the port, you'd just need a hub. It's not really the new "full powered" MacBook. Look at the processors it uses. It's intended to a a good performance, lightweight laptop. Realistically, they can't support 2 USB-C ports as it's unlikely it could support a full power draw on both ports (100W each).

USB-PD is all about negotiating power usage. There's no reason the MB would be required or even able to provide 100W of power out.

Re: The new MacBook

#282

Post by yasth »

wahsd wrote: post #132
mmastrac wrote: 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…

I am a bit on the fence about them seemingly jettisoning the lighting connector? Why go with a plug that has a delicate prong in the center rather than a plug with the contacts around the perimeter? Does anyone know if there was any emphasis put on making USB-C less flimsy and delicate?

Quite a lot of work went into it. It is designed for 10k insertion cycles. 2x stronger to wrenching forces than micro, and it is designed so the cables fail, not the machine side connector (because once factories get up to speed have similar costs to USB micro cables now at least for dumb cables). Have a slide deck as a pdf if you want more details:

https://intel.lanyonevents.com/sf14/connect/fileDownload/ses...

Re: The new MacBook

#283

Post by blhack »

mmastrac wrote: 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 my less than 1 year old laptop is a constant annoyance.

Re: The new MacBook

#284

Post by bryanlarsen »

aeturnum wrote: post #144
bryanlarsen wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eventual Windows competitors will have more than one port, but they won't be identical. Only a single port will be able to be used for charging, the others will be data-only. That's too inelegant a solution for Apple, they'd rather just have a single port than have two ports that look like they should be identical but aren't.

Then just have two ports that are identical? Is there something that holds them back from charging from two different locations?

A port that supports 100W power input requires a significant amount of external components. Switching that between locations is also a significant challenge (IOW, it costs significant money and space). Just switching between the wall and the battery is hard enough, adding a third location will add a significant amount of space and $.

It will also add significant protection costs: what if somebody plugs 2 chargers into the laptop? They'll be at almost but not the same voltage, and amperage levels will be high enough that significant damage could result. Obviously the laptop will only do the upgrade voltage & amperage handshake with one of the chargers, but I imagine that redundant hardware protection will also be required.

Re: The new MacBook

#285

Post by BinaryIdiot »

jkot wrote: post #30

I am bit disappointed. Dell has similar sized laptop, with bigger display, smaller bezel and higher resolution. http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd

This. I was really hoping they would drop that bezel to make the new Mac absolutely awesome looking. Honestly I would have rather they done that than everything else they did.

I was also hoping for a touch screen. While I don't use it a ton on my Windows machines with a touch screen I constantly finding myself to use it for scrolling.

Re: The new MacBook

#286

Post by wahsd »

makeitsuckless wrote: post #205
throwawaymsft wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The intended audience is deciding between the various MacBooks, not between a Dell and a MacBook.

The intended audience doesn't consider the Dell anywhere near comparable. Personally I would love to have a Linux laptop with the same design and build quality as the MacBooks, and I'm pretty sure plenty of fashion conscious folks would like something more exclusive now that Macs are everywhere. The fact that the XPS 13 is the only machine that comes anywhere close is kinda sad.

I sense some resentment. The thing about Apple (I have no bias) is that you don't have to worry about competition. Even if there is a machine that approaches the performance and specs of a Mac, the thing Apple fans don't have to worry about is which machine to get because even the worst Apple device is miles ahead of the non Apple alternatives.

The thing about Apple is that you don't have to worry about it, you can focus on the task and purpose of the tool rather than the hardware or it's specs.

Given Apple's nature of maximizing profits of their product line, there's still room for the next major update of MBP line to include the same kinds of edge-less screen, and people will collectively loose their minds over it. Are people going to be satisfied with just another incremental upgrade of specs and inclusion of the same technologies as the Mac? I think they will have to put some bling in their flagship devices.

Re: The new MacBook

#288

Post by stcredzero »

pionar wrote: post #260
dntrkv wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're looking purely at specs, Windows laptops always were the better deal. But only when you use those alternatives do you realize how much further ahead Apple is.

Not really farther at all. Examples? Dell, HP, and Lenovo all have notebooks out there that are as good as any Apple notebook.

This is always true for a given version of "as good as." Heck, it would be true for the correctly chosen "better." The truly tricky part is knowing what "as good as" or "better" will actually play well in the market.

Re: The new MacBook

#289

Post by innguest »

to3m wrote: post #235
skrowl wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

THIS. You're forgetting this is an Apple product. The iSheep don't even consider competitors, regardless of specs or price advantage.

Doesn't run Mac OS, so it's not going to be much fun if you're upgrading from a previous Mac. It's also probably going to be a bit more of a pain to keep it working (there were lots of things I didn't like about Mac OS X but one thing it was pretty good at was being plug'n'play and generally not fucking up - the latter being something Windows is not so good at). baaaaaaa

Agreed on both counts, the reason that iSheep like me don't look at competitors I'd say is ultimately what you pointed out (at least for me that's more than half the reason - no maintenance!); and I agree on not being offended by the word iSheep which I had never heard of before and I think it's funny.

I bet you (skrowl) were downvoted just for using that word. It's short and sweet and conveys the necessary disdain you wanted to convey. I don't see what's wrong with it.

When I had a Windows machine I had to keep up with spyware and know all sorts of arcane things about the OS just to keep it chugging. I had HijackThis on a thumbdrive at all times. Nowadays I use my Mac as if I were punishing a computer, and it keeps on working without a hitch, no drivers gone wrong, no registry crap to worry about. That's why I'm an iSheep.

Re: The new MacBook

#290

Post by JustSomeNobody »

nkoren wrote: 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…

Why is this getting down voted? There IS a point in there.
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