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The new MacBook

apple.com

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Re: The new MacBook

#411

Post by derefr »

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…

That's an interesting effect. If it were just the apps that were previously for "pro-am" work (iMovie et al), I'd get it, but—what happened with Pages and Numbers? I used them years ago, I use them now, and they honestly don't seem like they've changed much.

Re: The new MacBook

#412

Post by chipotle_coyote »

72deluxe wrote: post #349

I'm not sure if I'm an old fart or something (I'm 31) but this has to be the daftest MacBook I've ever seen. I have a 2012 MacBook non-retina, with DVD writer and all the ports I need (MagSafe, Gigabit ethernet, FireWire, ThunderBolt (also Mini DisplayPort so I don't need fiddly adapters to connect to TVs), 2 USB ports, an SD card slot, as well as headphone output, and line input (both switchable to digital optical S…

I don't honestly know whether the new MacBook is something that I'd want -- but I do know that for my purposes my late-2013 MacBook Pro kicks your MBP's butt. It's lighter, much faster, has a much better screen, and I don't really care much about the fact that I can't replace the battery. I'm still regularly getting eight hours offline.

And realistically, when I'm traveling with my laptop it's rare that I'm plugging anything into it besides a power cable. When it's "docked" it has the power cable, a Thunderbolt cable, and an audio out cable because I'm kind of a nerd and want to use my own speakers. That's all I need: the external hard drive and (non-wifi) printer hang off the monitor's built-in hub, as does external Ethernet. What would I lose with this new weirdo laptop? I'd plug one less cable in docked.

"But if you're traveling with it you'd need to bring a hub with you!" Well, if I was traveling and I expected to need to plug in USB stuff on the road, yes. But it's very clear that they're treating that as an edge case, making the assumption that many users can go almost entirely wireless, or will be able to in short order. And they're probably right. Maybe it'll be "daft" for you, but Apple has a history of doing daft things that more often than not drag the industry forward. (And keep pundits employed.)

Re: The new MacBook

#413

Post by cheald »

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…

As a guy with small children, the loss of MagSafe is actually a huge downgrade for me. The number of times MagSafe has saved my laptop and/or power cable from damage after a child blitzed through the living room and tripped over the power cable is not insignificant.

Re: The new MacBook

#414

Post by throwawaymsft »

dntrkv wrote: post #163
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

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.

And specs don't capture the OS UX differences (do you love metro on a non-touch device?), bloatware/spyware/adware pre-installed, activation headaches, app ecosystem...

It's like comparing the value of two watches using the slag value of melting them down. If that's how you shop, the device isn't for you.

Re: The new MacBook

#415

Post by organsnyder »

ihnorton wrote: post #377
CamperBob2 wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The prevalence of "chat with us!" and "take a quick survey?" website popups encapsulates everything that is wrong with non-Apple computer hardware manufacturers.

Apple does seem to have replicated that experience in their brick-and-mortar stores, though.

Re: The new MacBook

#416

Post by rm445 »

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…

That's a very good point - Apple's desktop software is definitely not a highlight in the last few years.

What's not clear is: (i) how much it matters - the core desktop experience is very solid, and between web browsers and MS Office it's not clear how much the iLife(?) apps actually get run.

And (ii) whether it's a symptom of some deeper malaise - Apple still seems to be killing it in other areas so perhaps it's just a weak or resource-starved group within the company.

Re: The new MacBook

#417

Post by cheesedoodles »

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

I got a new fully specced XPS 13" from work. More than being small it's one of the worst computers I ever had. Battery life suck, fans constantly spinning in idle. The only thing I like is the charger and screen. The keyboard is somewhat nice. Other than that, totally crappy PC. Ouch that sounds harsh, but thats what take from it and for 999-1200usd you can find so much better.

Re: The new MacBook

#418

Post by _abattoir »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #290
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.

Because Apple is systematically downvoting negative comments. Most tech companies do some form of damage control on HN because they know a prominent portion of their userbase comes here frequently.

Re: The new MacBook

#419

Post by kh_hk »

james-skemp wrote: post #271

A search against the comments returns no results: 2304×1440 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio? Showing a few co-workers and a quick suggests what I thought: a bit of amazement at 16:10. Does anyone have any insight into why they didn't go with a 16:9 ratio?

I for one still miss the 4:3 on the thinkpads. 16:10 sounds good.

Re: The new MacBook

#420

Post by thrownaway2424 »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #290
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.

It's the top comment.
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