The new MacBook • Hacker News Board

Re: The new MacBook

#311

Post by CamperBob2 » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:41 PM UTC

vinhboy wrote: post #245

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

Man... the folks at Dell are just terrible at marketing. Look at that page the OP linked and the apple macbook page. There is absolutely no comparison. I had to make an effort to find pictures of their product. Even then, the pictures are completely distracting because of those ugly award logos they put on it. If I was Dell, I would just sit down my entire design and marketing team and make a plan for redesigning and…

Also: No, actually, I don't want to "chat with a Dell expert." GTFO the page I'm trying to read.

The one thing that could change my mind about patent trolls is if one of them were to pop up and banish those unsolicited floating chat windows by suing everyone who uses them.

Re: The new MacBook

#312

Post by ben174 » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:41 PM UTC

DIVx0 wrote: post #90

I'm really sorry to see magsafe go. Between my dogs and kids I would have gone though a dozen macbooks without magsafe. I sincerely hope this no magsafe or single port thing goes into the MBPs as well.

I've seen a lot of people disappointed by this, but - correct me if I'm wrong - If you were to trip over a micro USB cord it would simply disconnect as well, similar to MagSafe, right? I mean, it's not as elegant as magsafe but it certainly wouldn't drag your whole laptop off the table, would it?

Re: The new MacBook

#313

Post by abc_lisper » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:41 PM UTC

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #246

makeitsuckless wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You could run Linux on your MacBook? Though it won't work as seamlessly with the hardware as OS X can.

Even Linus uses a Macbook.

http://www.cultofmac.com/162823/linux-creator-linus-torvalds...

Re: The new MacBook

#314

Post by yborg » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:41 PM UTC

jowiar wrote: post #117

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My only regret is that MagSafe is actually really cool. I think I'd have to say it's worth it for full standards-compliance, though.

Battery life is long enough such that MagSafe isn't as necessary as it used to be. Back when you had to haul your power cord to meetings, coffeeshops, and the like, cord tripping was a serious problem. Now? Far less so.

I leave my laptop on the charger as much as possible to avoid cycles on the batteries. And even if the charger is connected for 5 minutes the possibility of it getting yanked out is present. The lighter the attached platform is the worse the risk, since without the breakaway connector you can yank the whole laptop onto the floor.

Re: The new MacBook

#315

Post by outworlder » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:43 PM UTC

thesimon wrote: post #28

1.2Ghz processor seems like a dealbreaker for professional applications (Coding, Video editing) but for applications the Air was used before it actually seems okay.

Forget about clockspeeds, they don't mean much.

Let's see benchmarks first.

Re: The new MacBook

#316

Post by abc_lisper » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:43 PM UTC

DIVx0 wrote: post #90

I'm really sorry to see magsafe go. Between my dogs and kids I would have gone though a dozen macbooks without magsafe. I sincerely hope this no magsafe or single port thing goes into the MBPs as well.

Don't know. Does it have to go? Can't they have a magnetic link of a wire where it breaks when stepped on?

Re: The new MacBook

#317

Post by binarycrusader » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:44 PM UTC

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

...and the most worthless camera placement yet seen potentially on a laptop.

Re: The new MacBook

#318

Post by nixgeek » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:44 PM UTC

olso wrote: post #234

sauere wrote: post #176

If i was to buy a new MacBook today it would definitely be the 13" Air or Pro. It's a cool device, but not for anyone doing serious dev work. The DO-IT-ALL-USB-C might be a neat idea, but it practice it means that i have to carry a ton of (expensive!) adapters around with me for the next few years. And then there is performance. I can live with 1,5GHz /w Turbo or whatever.... but 1,1GHz? That is painful.

I want to buy the updated 13". How much RAM does Yosemite take up? Not sure if I should go for the 16 GB version.

Buy as much as you can afford. If you expect to be using this laptop in 4-5 years time, the OSX and applications of that era will probably only perform well on >8GB RAM.

Re: The new MacBook

#319

Post by Crito » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:44 PM UTC

proggR wrote: post #94

jkot wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aluminum is not best material either, it bends too easily. EDIT: aluminium bends too easily compared to other material. It does not have best structural integrity for its weight. Magnesium alloy, carbon fiber reinforced plastic or titanium composite usually has better parameters for weight. But I am not saying that polished aluminium is bad or looks bad.

I just tossed my Macbook Pro across the room the other day by accident (didn't check that my backpack was closed...). It did indeed bend the metal a bit, and the display cracked in the corner, but having seen plastic machines make the same tumble I think it would have fared significantly worse if it weren't aluminum. The force that bent the metal would have surely cracked the plastic into pieces and the display would…

Several years ago while walking outdoors during the winter carrying my thinkpad in my hands, I slipped on a manhole cover that was covered in ice. The thinkpad fell about 4 to 5 feet straight onto the manhole cover, landing on it's corner (left-side palm rest corner).

The corner itself was obliterated, leaving a small hole where it used to be, but that was the only damage the laptop sustained.

Unibody metal laptops are nice, but I think the structural advantage of them is heavily oversold. Plastic laptops with metal frames can be amazingly durable.

Re: The new MacBook

#320

Post by rsync » Mon, Mar 09, 2015, 7:44 PM UTC

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.

"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?"

Within 18-24 months there will be a refresh that has two USB ports. It's already in the works and ready to manufacture.

Apple knows that people are using macbooks, successfully, for 4+ and even 5+ years, and they also know that a LOT of people will both buy the new macbook and buy a new one to get the "at long last" second USB port, which somewhat alleviates the "problem" of macbooks being too long-lived.