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Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

businessinsider.com

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Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#341

Post by izacus »

010a wrote: post #291
izacus wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is NO first party official Apple DisplayPort adapter. There actually is no first party adapter that would support 4k@60Hz officialy. It gets even more annoying since most 4K monitors made in last year will support 4k@60Hz only over DP, not HDMI. I went through 2 adapters before I got one that actually worked with the new 2016 MacBook. Which was incredibly annoying.

That's because you don't need an adapter to use DisplayPort with TB3 (on the MBP). Just purchase the correct [1] cable; the MBP implements DP as an alternate mode. [1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EZH7CKO/

That cable isn't available on this side of the Atlantic, local Apple store only had a faulty DP adapter. For some reason not even the german Amazon had the proper cable in stock or listed.

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#342

Post by srssays »

slantyyz wrote: post #261
srssays wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The problem is that reducing thickness is a selling point/feature for a lot of people on Apple It's the Peter Principle for laptops. Laptops are made thinner and thinner, which is always an improvement, until the point when they no longer function properly. Fundamentally, people expect a certain amount of travel in their keyboard for comfort, and long enough battery life. Apple made a big mistake thinking these wer…

With respect to the keyboard, at least in the reviews I've been seeing, a lot of people seem to be OK with it after an adjustment period. In terms of battery life, I'm with you, I'd rather see Apple get as much life out of the maximum sized battery that the TSA will allow on a flight (100Wh), but I don't know that I would call it a big mistake, since it hasn't hurt the sales of the new MBPs. I think they could do tha…

Still, the computer costs thousands of dollars, and most people's purchase decision will be informed by their 15-minute experience of using it in the Apple Store.

I tried it, the keyboard was uncomfortable, and I decided not to buy it.

It would be nice if Apple would make an international version of the 15" that has more than 100Wh!

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#343

Post by caycep »

mmjaa wrote: post #19

I've had mine for a week now, and have been able to use it alongside my late-2014 rMBP, which has been a solid workhorse. I'm starting to notice very subtle preferences for the 2017 model creeping in - after an hour of typing, for example, going back to the old keyboard feels really, really inefficient and antiquated, and my typing rate is lower than on the new rMBP. I also really enjoy the Touchbar - it hasn't been…

The OS X Terminal integration is quite spiffy...amused they had an engineer specifically working on Terminal Touchbar integration!

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#344

Post by en4bz »

danielsju6 wrote: post #339
en4bz wrote: post #220

For those looking for alternatives here's a short video [1] that looks at some Windows based competitors in the same class. List below. Dell XPS 15 - http://amzn.to/2hZjqpT Asus UX501 - http://amzn.to/2hLG9VW MSI GS63 - http://amzn.to/2ik00Zf Gigabyte Aero14 - http://amzn.to/2ijMxk6 Razer Blade - http://amzn.to/2hvyGHj [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDn59fxdQ

I would add the HP Spectre x360 (w0XX models) for a 13" equivalent, I just replaced my MacBook with it after growing wary of Apple's direction. http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/Laptops/hp-spectre-x360---13-w... Battery life holds up to Apple.

The Specter was excluded because it doesn't have a 4C (8T) CPU.

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#345

Post by [deleted] »

alanh wrote: post #317
logicallee wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Googling displayport++ returns a bunch of confusing pages - can you summarize what the ++ signifies in your own words and with some examples?

As an owner of a Mac Mini from 5 or 6 years ago, I am fairly confident in guessing that this refers to what Apple calls “Mini DisplayPort with Audio”. My Mac Mini can use a Mini DP to HDMI adapter just fine — but it won’t include audio. Newer Mac Minis do support audio over Mini DP.

[deleted]

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#346

Post by logicallee »

alanh wrote: post #317
logicallee wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Googling displayport++ returns a bunch of confusing pages - can you summarize what the ++ signifies in your own words and with some examples?

As an owner of a Mac Mini from 5 or 6 years ago, I am fairly confident in guessing that this refers to what Apple calls “Mini DisplayPort with Audio”. My Mac Mini can use a Mini DP to HDMI adapter just fine — but it won’t include audio. Newer Mac Minis do support audio over Mini DP.

>As an owner of a Mac Mini from 5 or 6 years ago, I am fairly confident in guessing that this refers to what Apple calls “Mini DisplayPort with Audio”. My Mac Mini can use a Mini DP to HDMI adapter just fine — but it won’t include audio. Newer Mac Minis do support audio over Mini DP.

your sibling comment said something totally different... (no mention of audio.)

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#347

Post by slantyyz »

eropple wrote: post #321
slantyyz wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that reducing thickness is a selling point/feature for a lot of people on Apple products, but the compromises made in exchange for thinness cause problems for people who don't value thinness over other things. Having said that, it's important to note that CR did not give the Macbook Pro a Recommended badge (think of it as the equivalent to "Editor's Choice"), it doesn't mean they're telling people not…

> The problem is that reducing thickness is a selling point/feature for a lot of people on Apple products Is this actually true? Like...is there a material population of customers who really care about this? Not joking. I know zero people who care about that, at least for laptops. (I don't use an iPhone, so I don't pay attention to that side of things.)

>> Is this actually true? Like...is there a material population of customers who really care about this?

Based on my memory of mac-related laptop threads I've seen on HN, I believe it is. It sorta begs the question - if it wasn't worth some marketing appeal, why would Apple keep making devices thinner?

Personally I prefer a bigger laptop for a Macbook Pro (think 2012 and earlier unibodies), but I tend to think I'm in the minority.

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#348

Post by realityking »

datahack wrote: post #286

I have a 13" macbook pro touchbar (~2500 bucks with warranty!). I've had it for about 4.5-5 weeks or so. I LOVE my Apple laptops, and have NO problem paying a premium for them. They have been excellent, and every member of my family is outfitted wth an Apple computer. The IT distraction time since I switched everyone has been pretty much NIL. I took it on a trip that was 16 days, or I would have returned it (14 day r…

> I have to keep my phone plugged in all the time, which means I have a dongle on my laptop pretty much permanently. This is dumb.

I don't understand what you mean with this point? Why does your phone have to be plugged in permanently? Why wasn't it necessary with your previous MacBook?

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#349

Post by Bud »

Fnoord wrote: post #224
Bud wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely no evidence for your "theory", which is the same old "planned obsolescence" canard we hear over and over about Apple. Always without evidence, and it always looks silly 3-4 years down the road when, lo and behold, all the machines in question are still working very nicely. Also, once the market catches up to USB-C, which will take 12-18 months, you'll no longer need those adapters. Lastly, it's just silly…

> Absolutely no evidence for your "theory", which is the same old "planned obsolescence" canard we hear over and over about Apple. Always without evidence My current MBP from 2010 shipped with a broken GPU Apple refuses to replace in warranty (even though I bought a 3 year support contract which is pretty much an anti harassment tax). Yeah, premium support right there. The only reason I can use it is because some int…

Sorry, but you're wrong about iOS not supporting security fixes, and you're having to create an artificial situation to justify your argument: the situation where a user doesn't stay updated to the latest iOS, when in fact, the user has every motivation to do so.

Meanwhile, in your Android world, there are basically NO devices that are able to stay fully up-to-date with current Android for more than about 12-18 months. Apple wins here by a wide margin, supporting devices for 4-5 years, universally, no need to get lucky and have one of the 2-3% of Android phones that actually get updated a tiny bit longer.

iPhones are just as easy to replace the battery and screen in as any modern Android device; in addition, Apple provides screen and battery replacements.

Did I mention that Apple's warranty and warranty support are also vastly superior? Because they are. Especially with AppleCare, but even without.

Re: Newest MacBook Pro is the first MacBook not recommended by Consumer Reports

#350

Post by edwinjm »

makomk wrote: post #215
organsnyder wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple doesn't own Thunderbolt: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/trademarks/thunderbol...

Apple does however control which Thunderbolt devices work with Apple hardware and software. Which means, for example, that Thunderbolt 3 hardware released prior to the launch of the new Macbook Pro is effectively Windows-only: http://plugable.com/thunderbolt-3 This appears to be an entirely artificial software block done to force manufacturers to go through their certification program and presumably give then a cut;…

That's not true. First, for example Dell's dock works fine with the Mac, second the chip is not Apple's but from Texas Instruments and the non functioning devices are not compatible with this chip. So Apple blocks nothing and devices don't have to go through any Apple certification program.
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