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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

#401

Post by SixSigma »

pyrophane wrote: post #303
spilk wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the main source of the confusion is that the connector is called USB-C, but devices that use the connector may not be USB devices at all, since they can fully expect to only be used with devices that support a specific alternate mode (e.g. Thunderbolt). Yes, they all have to support USB at some level to negotiate the alternate mode (i'm not sure if for USB-C this is a passive signaling like sense resistors or…

Yea, it used to be generally true that "if you can connect them with a cable, they will be compatible." Ports were single-use, and if two ports weren't compatible, then they would be physically incompatible. If you could get a cable to connect two different ports, they would probably be compatible because who would make the cable otherwise, right? Now we have something like your "omnibus" port in USB-C, so you have p…

> if two ports weren't compatible, then they would be physically incompatible

they have forgotten about poka-yoke (inadvertent error prevention) which is very remiss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poka-yoke

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

#402

Post by manarth »

phil21 wrote: post #226
tbagman wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you can plug it in, it will work Unfortunately, this hasn't been my experience. As an example, I have a display-port-based Apple cinema display, and I bought this adapter to try to connect it to a new macbook pro 15": http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter The physical size of the connectors are compatible, of course; you can plug the monitor into the thunderbolt…

> As a weaker example, I have an LG 27UD88 Monitor. The USB-C connection from it works, but only carries 60W of charging "oomph," and the 15" macbook pro needs 85W of charging. So, even though the menubar icon on the mac signals that charging is happening, the battery is actually depleting over time It actually loses battery being charged @ 60W? I can't imagine the MBP 15" is actually pulling that much current over t…

  > Not having a viable USB-C -> HDMI adapter
  > Many users of MBP's…toss some code up on a projector
Your projectors support HDMI?! I wish!

Joking aside, my "presentation" adapter is Thunderbolt(2) -> VGA, because VGA is the only thing I can be fairly certain that almost every projector will support.

That said, I've ended up with a bunch of adapters, as a fallback in case that doesn't work. I'm definitely not expecting to plug into a projector with USB-C any time soon!

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

#403

Post by qyv »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #395
010a wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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/

I want ONE CABLE for everything. That was the promise, I thought. I want 2x4k@60hz + power + 3 USB3 with one connector going to the tbMBP. Apparently this is not possible.

Instead you have 4 identical ports that all do the same things poorly.

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

#404

Post by vertex-four »

pyrophane wrote: post #303
spilk wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the main source of the confusion is that the connector is called USB-C, but devices that use the connector may not be USB devices at all, since they can fully expect to only be used with devices that support a specific alternate mode (e.g. Thunderbolt). Yes, they all have to support USB at some level to negotiate the alternate mode (i'm not sure if for USB-C this is a passive signaling like sense resistors or…

Yea, it used to be generally true that "if you can connect them with a cable, they will be compatible." Ports were single-use, and if two ports weren't compatible, then they would be physically incompatible. If you could get a cable to connect two different ports, they would probably be compatible because who would make the cable otherwise, right? Now we have something like your "omnibus" port in USB-C, so you have p…

There's actually a good number of very weirdly wired serial cables out there (incorrect pin mapping on one side), and if you use a standard cable your device won't work.

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

#405

Post by manarth »

blowski wrote: post #191
tbagman wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you can plug it in, it will work Unfortunately, this hasn't been my experience. As an example, I have a display-port-based Apple cinema display, and I bought this adapter to try to connect it to a new macbook pro 15": http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter The physical size of the connectors are compatible, of course; you can plug the monitor into the thunderbolt…

I had a similar experience. Two identical looking cables but one was mini display port, the other Thunderbolt. An old Mac Pro could be used as an external display with one cable but not the other.

Seen that, with conference speakers stressing out minutes before their talk, about why the laptop > projector adapter isn't working.

It's the worst-case scenario: adapters/connectors that appear identical, but behave differently.

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

#406

Post by danielsju6 »

en4bz wrote: post #344
danielsju6 wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

MBP 13" doesn't either.

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

#407

Post by ryanSrich »

IBM wrote: post #149
spilk wrote: post #135

Honestly to me the worst thing about the new MacBook Pro isn't that there are no legacy ports on it or that the battery may be smaller, it's that the new all-things-for-all-people ports it has are confusing. The ports are all Thunderbolt 3 ports, which I believe by definition means they are USB 3.1 ports as well. But some devices out in the world have USB-C ports that are not Thunderbolt 3 compatible. No longer can y…

In practice most people aren't going to have multiple Macbooks, and if that's you you should go to Monoprice and just get different color cables for different types.

I don't think I'm an outlier. I have a late 2013 Macbook Pro issued from my employer. I also have a personal Macbook Pro. My wife has a new Macbook. I also have an old 2012 Macbook Air. So between two people there are 4 apple computers in a single household. Add in 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, and an Apple watch and this whole adapter situation starts to become a major issue.

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

#408

Post by manarth »

VT_Drew wrote: post #202
pash wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The ports are all Thunderbolt 3 ports, which I believe by definition means they are USB 3.1 ports as well. But some devices out in the world have USB-C ports that are not Thunderbolt 3 compatible. No longer can you tell what sort of devices will work with a port by its physical shape. For instance, I have a Windows desktop machine with a single USB-C port on the back, but it's not a Thunderbolt 3 port. So while I c…

>If you can plug it in, it will work: Not if there aren't drivers written for your OS it won't. Unless you are the type of person who can roll your own drivers.

With the amount of variation in support/standardisation of USB-C, drivers are last on the list of potential issues.

Sure, if there's no driver, the user will be out of luck, no matter what. But that's at least a clearer, separate problem, from incompatible adapters or cables, and whether they correctly support the device.

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

#409

Post by r00fus »

RandomOpinion wrote: post #138
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…

> 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.

With collaboration tools like webex, meeting rooms with common ports and skype/slack I haven't touched a coworker's keyboard in 10+ years.

Given how germ-infested those things are, I generally don't want to, either.

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

#410

Post by Bud »

Fnoord wrote: post #372
Bud wrote: 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.…

>Any Google Pixel.

That's hilarious. That device was just released.

> 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.

-- You shouldn't snark when you're not even right. You don't know what you're talking about. Apple is able to push out vital security updates WITHOUT doing a full software update, first off, and second, you have no evidence that older iOS versions are lacking for any important updates.

You're also wrong about "vastly decreased" performance. I work with lots of iPhones for a living. Those models are slower because they are slower to begin with; Apple actually works quite hard to maintain acceptable performance with current iOS even on older models. I concede that the 4S is really too slow now under iOS 10, but the 5 and 5S are just fine, and as I've claimed in this thread, that constitutes MUCH better support by Apple for older devices than by the Android market. You citing the Google Pixel is just a fantasy and shows how hilariously off your argument is; that's a device with TWO MONTHS of history behind it thus far. You actually have no clue how long it will be supported; you're guessing and hoping about the future in response to a solid argument about the present and the recent past. Apple is kicking Android's ass in this department, that's universally understood.

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

Another distorted lie-response to a claim I didn't make; I didn't say "with security updates". I said full compatibility with the fully-updated software.

>I've never heard of someone going to an Apple store to replace their battery?

That's because you don't know anything about iPhones. Clearly. It's a very very common repair.

>I have zero interest in Apple's locked down iDevices

Yes, your bias is evident, but thanks. Tragically what you're missing here is that locked-down nature also makes the devices secure. You are boasting about security "updates" for a platform that is fundamentally insecure. Do you recall reading any stories about FBI pressuring Google or Android phone makers to unlock a phone for a vital terrorism case? Yeah. Me neither. Got any idea why that is?

>Repairing iPhone screen is very expensive.

You probably have no clue what it actually costs.

>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.

Things can't "remain secure" that weren't secure in the first place. And updated OS software is not "hipster hype", no matter what you think.

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