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

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

#371
post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMHO, this is a "bug" because if you are running on battery, the indexing is a problem and it is also a problem if you are using spotlight. Is there an option to ensure that the spotlight cache is not deleted?

Spotlight has given me so many headaches in the last few weeks that I'm seriously considering investing the time to understand it well enough to build an app to wrestle it to the ground and beat it over the head with a big stick. If only there'd be a reason to do it other than "gain control over my life again" ..

If you just want to beat it over the head with a stick, you can simply turn indexing off on a per-volume basis:

    sudo mdutil -i off /
You can also exclude certain directories or volumes in the Privacy section of Spotlight preferences.

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

#372
post #349
post #224

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 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 month…

> 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.

Read, comprehend, and then post.

I said the current iOS version. The latest iOS versions vastly decrease the performance, especially on the older iPhones. So the user has a choice:

* No security updates.

* The latest and the greatest with decreased performance.

Have fun with your insecure or slow iPhone. (The same applies for iPad.)

> 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.

Yes, with security updates, there are and its improving as well. Any Google Pixel. The Fairphone 2. Samsung Galaxy S series. And many others.

You carefully worded "stay fully up-to-date with current Android"; that is irrelevant. I don't give a shit about this hipster hype of needing the latest features. All I want is a phone which keeps working, and remains secure.

> 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.

Like I said, with my phone I just replace the screen or battery myself. Without even needing a (special) screwdriver.

Repairing iPhone screen is very expensive. I see youth all the time running around with their broken iPhone screens. I've never heard of someone going to an Apple store to replace their battery?

I have zero interest in Apple's locked down iDevices, and I want the MBP to stay away from that world. Unfortunately for me (and the many others who agree) it is exactly where macOS and the Macbooks are heading towards.

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

AppleCare = anti harassment tax. Completely pointless. You have the same rights already from EU law, but you may have to enforce them via a lawsuit if they don't oblige.

Besides that, I had AppleCare with my MBP 2010 and they claim that their design flaw didn't fall under it. Fool me once, ...

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

#373
post #263
post #14

I'm not really a fan of Mac's, but I don't think too much weight should be put on this. Everything that Apple delivers is greeted with negative reports, and yet it turns out to be successful. Also... i've never even heard of "Consumer Reports" before.. but the name is pretty subjective.

Rate me down... but do you disagree that despite this, the MBP will be a success? Or am I being rated down for not knowing of a US Centric organisation?

Talking about whether it will be a success is changing the topic.

Downplaying the article just because you haven't heard of the group yourself is not interesting.

That's why you get downvotes.

And sure, it probably will be a success, in large part because this seems to be a fixable software problem.

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

#374
Could the problem with the battery life be that Apple has the same power management issues for the Skylake processor (which is used on recent MacBook Pros) under OS X that plagued Microsoft for its Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 and also causes/caused trouble under Linux (https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/41713.html)?

BTW: Is this problem finally fixed under Linux?

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

#375
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…

> binding ESCAPE to Caps Lock has been an acceptable re-configuration for me as a vim user I've seen a lot of people say this but I dunno. I'm kind of leery of doing something that would cause me to develop problematic muscle memory when typing on normal keyboards, e.g. on other people's machines. I have enough trouble flipping between Mac and Windows keyboard shortcuts already.

>I'm kind of leery of doing something that would cause me to develop problematic muscle memory when typing on normal keyboards, e.g. on other people's machines.

Who here routinely does a lot of work on other peoples' machines?

Honest question, because I keep hearing this claim re: remapping keys, but I rarely see people working on not their machine in the wild.

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

#376
Good.

The error of the MacBook Pro is the 'Pro' part. It's supposedly being marketed to professionals, but optimizing for one thing only, which is thinness. I don't think anyone ever asked for the "old" MacBook Pro to be thinner. Maybe a beefier CPU, maybe a GPU worth something, maybe more battery life. Or more ports. But thinner? They used to have a very good product for that, and that's the Air, which is now neglected.

Apple's product lineup is a mess. Like the time after Steve got kicked out.

Disclaimer: typing this on a 2015 15" MacBook Pro.

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

#378
post #372
post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 month…

> 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. Read, comprehend, and then post. I said the current iOS version. The latest iOS versions vastly decrease the performance, especially on the older iPhones.…

>> Besides that, I had AppleCare with my MBP 2010 and they claim that their design flaw didn't fall under it. Fool me once, ...

I feel for you. A lot of people who had the defective Early 2011 15" MBPs with discrete GPU issues (also a defectivd design, imo) also had mixed outcomes when dealing with Apple. Mine bricked right after my AppleCare lapsed (had logic board replaced once under applecare, only took 2 months for problem to recur because of its defective design). I ended up buying a PC laptop. A few months later, Apple issued the repair order/recall. I was lucky I didn't recycle it or sell it for parts before the order was issued.

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

#379

Good. The error of the MacBook Pro is the 'Pro' part. It's supposedly being marketed to professionals, but optimizing for one thing only, which is thinness. I don't think anyone ever asked for the "old" MacBook Pro to be thinner. Maybe a beefier CPU, maybe a GPU worth something, maybe more battery life. Or more ports. But thinner? They used to have a very good product for that, and that's the Air, which is now neglec…

I'm so sick of exactly this. I can deal with a few tradeoffs for thin-ness, with the idea that maybe it's Good For Me indirectly by moving the industry to adapt to a thinner, more mobile vision.

But compromising on literally everything else about the computer just to get a bit thinner (worse keyboard, smaller battery, worse graphics, less memory -- things I actually care about) is infuriating.

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

#380
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, 15" one has Radeon graphics.

I can't believe it. Have they lost their minds? I was trying to buy one yesterday but I couldn't find one so I gave up and got a 2015 model with integrated graphics.

I believe this is due to the desire to have 5k display support across all the new Pros, and none of the integrated graphics chips available now can wing it.

Seems likely that the 2017 models will drop in price a bit and have integrated graphics for the baseline models.

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