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1 Month In - Thinking of going MBP

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I have agree in respect of how slow some of the apps open but like others I think this in some part is down to Yosemite and expect improvements with El Capitan (at least I hope). I wouldn't go as far as to describe it as painfully slow.

Battery wise, after reading helpful threads on here I found improvements using Safari with uBlock instead of AdBlock and ClickToFlash. Overall for the size and weight of the laptop I think the battery performs quite well and don't really pay much attention to the monitor throughout the day if I'm honest.

When I use my old 13" MBP 7.1 it feels like a brick in comparison, a well built one but I really notice the difference. I used to carry this around with me most days and never thought it was too heavy until I starting using the rMB and for light mobile computing use wouldn't want to go back.

Jack
 
polee said:
I think the rMB is a great product. I have been waiting for a retina screen to come to the MBA. Well it didn't, so I bought this instead. With no regrets, though I had to take some time to get used to the keyboard.
Click to expand...

Exactly why Apple will never deliver the product the public WANTS... instead the public will buy whatever Apple DELIVERS.
 
It isn't that the machine isn't capable. It is that the EXPERIENCE is difference. What do I mean? Well, in using other Mac products, you have a feel of the machine/OS and how it behaves in certain applications... applications you wouldn't normally consider to be "heavy usage." You switch to this new machine, and all of the sudden everything is slower... even the stupid little tasks like previewing an email. Add to that the "oh well you have to turn off all these features to get it to work" BS and again I say, Apple has enough brainwashed zombies to buy their crap that they don't care what the public wants.

As to the people saying "oh well the first gen Air was that way too." Yep. And you would think the really smart people at Apple would figure out from that experience that their vision isn't necessarily the customer's vision.

Or they learned that Apple fans will buy any POS they sell... its a toss up.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
Exactly why Apple will never deliver the product the public WANTS... instead the public will buy whatever Apple DELIVERS.
Click to expand...

Why so bitter? I don't know about you, but I have yet to find any "perfect" product of any type from any manufacturer. Its always a compromise. The manufacturer makes what they think people will buy (as their business is selling products, not pissing off customers and not selling products). Some manufacturers are more or less successful and some individual products or features are more or less successful.

Given Apple's market shares have been generally increasing over many years for every product line they have, I'd tend to put them into the "successful" category. They are not without their failures, but they've mostly had successes. No one is forcing people to buy their products. Their hundreds of millions of customers aren't all brainwashed drones under Apples mind control machines ;-)

Like many, all I really wanted was an evolutionary 11.6" MBA with a 12" retina screen in it. Instead we got a revolutionary 12" rMB chock full of new and unproven (bleeding edge?) technology. It's sure not a machine for everyone. In my case, I was willing to take the risk of a new generation product and as it turns out this is a pretty good compromise for me. For many, it's not and they will either not purchase it in the first place, or return it. Not sure why Apple did what they did - I expect there was no way to get a larger retina screen in the MBA without making either battery life or cpu compromises they thought would hurt sales. So instead they tested the waters with a whole new product. Not sure how successful it will be, but given the wait times its likely more successful than Apple thought it would be.

For those wanting an ultra compact machine with a retina screen where the rMB won't do what they need it to do, there will be disappointment. Hopefully technology will catch up with those needs in a new model of something. But don't say its a POS and no good for anyone just because its not good for you. Sales and many happy folks on this forum clearly paints a different picture.
 
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shenan1982 said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm never going to complain about under the hood work. The problem is Apple has had a relatively plain, unchanged visual design now for what.. 10 years now? They should have worked out the issues years ago and been working on the next gen OS. Look at Windows 10. Windows 7 was great, then Windows 8 not so much. They realized people wanted more but didn't want the Windows 8 garbage. I'm running Windows 10 beta, and it's a fantastic operating system. It's visually stunning, and runs great. Apple needs to get with it. It almost feels like OS X is a secondary project these days.

Apple once made great computers and software, and now they make phones. Least they do it right, but wish they still made great software.
Click to expand...

I agree. Apple software has been... disappointing lately. My pet peeves are:
  1. Siri has been subpar for a really long time, while competitors like Google Now and Cortana have been catching up.
  2. "It's Apple Maps bad" -
  3. iOS app switching animations - it may be fancy to see icons zoom in and out in 3D, but it is demonstrably a lot slower than iOS 6
  4. Annoying graphical lags in OSX, especially when switching from an external display to retina resolution and back.
  5. For a while there were weird issues with bluetooth headphones that would suddenly produce a lot of static buzz.
  6. iTunes is laggy and difficult to work with - they need to rethink the whole UI.
I'm sure others have their pet peeves... but overall I think Apple could do a lot better in the software department.
 
jimboutilier said:
Why so bitter?
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Its not bitterness... its bewilderment. If not for Apple's size, they wouldn't survive making the decisions that they make. If Dell released the same laptop (uber thin, less power, one port for everything, and REALLY expensive) people (here and elsewhere) would jump all over them. Apple does it, and it is genius. Bottomline, this is NOT the product most people wanted or expected, and for most people, it would not be their preference. But as surely as the sun rises in the morning, people line up to kneel and give *ahem* lip-service *ahem* to Apple. It gets old.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
It isn't that the machine isn't capable. It is that the EXPERIENCE is difference. What do I mean? Well, in using other Mac products, you have a feel of the machine/OS and how it behaves in certain applications... applications you wouldn't normally consider to be "heavy usage." You switch to this new machine, and all of the sudden everything is slower... even the stupid little tasks like previewing an email. Add to that the "oh well you have to turn off all these features to get it to work" BS and again I say, Apple has enough brainwashed zombies to buy their crap that they don't care what the public wants.

As to the people saying "oh well the first gen Air was that way too." Yep. And you would think the really smart people at Apple would figure out from that experience that their vision isn't necessarily the customer's vision.

Or they learned that Apple fans will buy any POS they sell... its a toss up.
Click to expand...

You said all that really well. Why is it that windows 8.1/10 runs flawlessly without stuttering and having to disable all the features and they have the same processor? And windows 10 looks much nicer than OS X. I think apples popularity has gotten them complacent.
 
i have been extremely please with mine (base model), though i do only use it for simple tasks (as it is meant for), sorry about your disappointment, at least Apple gives you 2 other options :) (you might as well go Pro)
 
shenan1982 said:
I think apples popularity has gotten them complacent.
Click to expand...

Completely agree Microsoft has done a fantastic job optimising W8 and now W10 to run on low level hardware. In the mean time Apple has got fat on IOS devices, although I believe the tide may turn. The recent surge in Mac sales will come under huge pressure once W10 releases to the general public, especially when combined with Intel`s new hardware platform Skylake, and the myriad Windows hardware permutations available.

Apple really must now act not to see a drop off in the PC sales "space" many "switched" to OS X not for any great desire to own an Apple computer, more that they strongly disliked W8, and had few places to go. W10 resolves this issue for many, addressing much of the complaints. Another strong driver is simply the majority of people are unwilling to pay Apple`s prices as on "face value" Mac`s are far more expensive than a PC.

So yes Apple has become complacent with OS X, as for the last few years it`s been selling it`s self without strong competition. I am also fairly certain that no one at Apple wants to be explaining why Mac sales are in reverse.

The introduction of 10.11 and it`s focus being performance and stability we can hope for more for OS X. To me the Retina MacBook and 10.11 is just the start :apple:

Q-6
 
AppleWarMachine said:
i have been extremely please with mine (base model), though i do only use it for simple tasks (as it is meant for), sorry about your disappointment, at least Apple gives you 2 other options :) (you might as well go Pro)
Click to expand...

I'm not complaining because I can't convert video quickly. I'm complaining that the computer isn't able to keep up loading a basic text-only email as fast as I can arrow through the list of emails. THAT is unacceptable for any computer. I have an IBM from 2001 that can keep up with emails better.
 
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Queen6 said:
Completely agree Microsoft has done a fantastic job optimising W8 and now W10 to run on low level hardware. In the mean time Apple has got fat on IOS devices, although I believe the tide may turn. The recent surge in Mac sales will come under huge pressure once W10 releases to the general public, especially when combined with Intel`s new hardware platform Skylake, and the myriad Windows hardware permutations available.

Apple really must now act not to see a drop off in the PC sales "space" many "switched" to OS X not for any great desire to own an Apple computer, more that they strongly disliked W8, and had few places to go. W10 resolves this issue for many, addressing much of the complaints. Another strong driver is simply the majority of people are unwilling to pay Apple`s prices as on "face value" Mac`s are far more expensive than a PC.

So yes Apple has become complacent with OS X, as for the last few years it`s been selling it`s self without strong competition. I am also fairly certain that no one at Apple wants to be explaining why Mac sales are in reverse.

The introduction of 10.11 and it`s focus being performance and stability we can hope for more for OS X. To me the Retina MacBook and 10.11 is just the start :apple:

Q-6
Click to expand...

I hope your right. The one thing never to forget.. regardless of how popular iPhone is, Mac still is sitting at about 10% marketshare, the same place it was 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. While their marketing machine does a great job at making it seem like everyone is switching to Mac, reality and sales figures show otherwise. 10% of computer users use Mac, 90% use PC. It's unchanged. I'd bet Mac starts losing marketshare, because like you said, the Windows options were stagnant in the 2000-2012 years, and MSFT finally has a CEO that gets it they have to stay relevant to stay in business, and they're doing just that. It's so fun playing with a windows 8.1+ device. Touch screen for fun, keyboard and old fashioned windows for work. It's a great mix of an OS, Apple needs to get with the times. my iPhone is looking really boring, and my mac us really just utilitarian at this point. It's like Apple is incapable of designing a pretty OS and a pretty device, be it iOS or OS X. Not sure what the problem is.
 
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shenan1982 said:
I'm not complaining because I can't convert video quickly. I'm complaining that the computer isn't able to keep up loading a basic text-only email as fast as I can arrow through the list of emails. THAT is unacceptable for any computer. I have an IBM from 2001 that can keep up with emails better.
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Hi,

Just quoting your latest post to give you my opinion.

I read your posts and you make some valid points. There is no shame is buyer's remorse - everyone has experienced it before, even in multiple cases. If you can't return it (which I am assuming you cannot given that you've had it for a month, unless you encounter an extremely generous employee) then I would do my best to sell it, even taking a small loss if you need to. I would argue that is better that just accepting it and not doing anything about it when you clearly are dissatisfied with the computer.

Sure, the screen might be nice, but you don't buy a computer just for a screen. I would take functionality and the like with a FHD or even HD+ screen over a Retina without functionality any day. I've read about the keyboard. It looks awful in my opinion, but some seem to enjoy it. I think that it is nice that they have squeezed a backlight into a computer so thin and portable, but the cost doesn't seem worth it.

To be quite honest, and this just my opinion (not fact), I don't see why many people would even purchase this? I don't think that is ignorance, but after it's release I immediately found myself staring at it and questioned how it would even sell at that price point with the MBA and MBP already available. I understand the concept of an ultrabook but the 13'' MBA is a superior computer in my opinion. Yes, the new MB comes with 8GB standard and it has the superior screen quality and resolution, but I don't understand its purpose. I would take a BTO MBA over it any day if I found that sort of device useful. Ultrabook form factor aside, and to coincide with the title of your thread, I fail to understand - given the same price - why anyone would choose this over a 13'' Retina MBP. There are some minor difference (double the amount of internal storage in some cases, etc) but I personally don't understand who would sacrifice all of that performance and connectivity (the one port design on the new MB is abysmal in my opinion) for a laptop that weighs just a bit less. The 13'' Retina MBP is already a light laptop.

To sum up, I feel that the new MacBook is extremely redundant given the presence of a near identical MacBook Air (apart from the screen), and in comparison to the already considered lightweight 13'' Retina MBP. I think you should do ahead and do whatever it is that you need to do in order to feel comfortable. After all, it is a large purchase and you shouldn't settle with a computer that you don't enjoy using for years to come.

I hope this helps you, and good luck.
 
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shenan1982 said:
I hope your right. The one thing never to forget.. regardless of how popular iPhone is, Mac still is sitting at about 10% marketshare, the same place it was 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. While their marketing machine does a great job at making it seem like everyone is switching to Mac, reality and sales figures show otherwise. 10% of computer users use Mac, 90% use PC. It's unchanged. I'd bet Mac starts losing marketshare, because like you said, the Windows options were stagnant in the 2000-2012 years, and MSFT finally has a CEO that gets it they have to stay relevant to stay in business, and they're doing just that. It's so fun playing with a windows 8.1+ device. Touch screen for fun, keyboard and old fashioned windows for work. It's a great mix of an OS, Apple needs to get with the times. my iPhone is looking really boring, and my mac us really just utilitarian at this point. It's like Apple is incapable of designing a pretty OS and a pretty device, be it iOS or OS X. Not sure what the problem is.
Click to expand...

Agree, transformers, tablets, etc. are excluded by default, IOS is a toy (no offence intended) designed for mass media consumption not productivity...

Q-6
 
It's not buyer's remorse at all. It's finding out the product doesn't live up to your expectations and/or doesn't fill your needs as well as you hoped, after trying it out. That's perfectly, absolutely fine.

I don't find any lag on mine (1.3), but I don't use Mail intensively (I just configured my main personal accounts on there, the most important ones, and I have notification OCD, so I don't usually have more than 10 unread mails at a time), and I don't use Mission Control either (never have).

I do agree with you on the battery life, though. I clearly don't get 9 hours. It's still way better than my old MBA (I was getting 3.5 to 4 hours), but nowhere near a newer MBA or even what's promised on the rMB. And I mostly do web browsing and web development (read : a lot of text files).

Same for the keyboard. I had very high hopes when I first tried it out, but I realize now that I still strike the keys too hard for it to really work, unless I'm typing very long text with the MB on a table or desk (not on my lap). I don't mind it, though, but I don't love it as much as I thought I would. I do love the bigger keys.

Anyway, for me it's still a clear win, but I totally get why it can be a fail for you.
 
shenan1982 said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm never going to complain about under the hood work. The problem is Apple has had a relatively plain, unchanged visual design now for what.. 10 years now? They should have worked out the issues years ago and been working on the next gen OS. Look at Windows 10. Windows 7 was great, then Windows 8 not so much. They realized people wanted more but didn't want the Windows 8 garbage. I'm running Windows 10 beta, and it's a fantastic operating system. It's visually stunning, and runs great. Apple needs to get with it. It almost feels like OS X is a secondary project these days.

Apple once made great computers and software, and now they make phones. Least they do it right, but wish they still made great software.
Click to expand...

They evolved but they both were inspired by the same thing. Windows 8 boxy "home screen" was inspired by Windows phones. OS X Launchpad was inspired by Apple's phones.

I do agree with you OS X is getting old. It's pretty much OS 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ... but with just a few polishing here and there. The Launchpad isn't getting much use from me. It's just another fad, like that Front Row on one of the previous OS X, inspired by their Apple TV. I don't think people even remember or know what it is at this point.

Windows 95 vs Windows 7. At the end of the day, it's just the same thing, just a bit more polished, glitter, bells, and whistles.

OS8.jpg


Leopard_Server_10.5.png


Ever seen Windows 95 boot up faster than Windows 7?

 
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Dark Void said:
To sum up, I feel that the new MacBook is extremely redundant given the presence of a near identical MacBook Air (apart from the screen), and in comparison to the already considered lightweight 13'' Retina MBP. I think you should do ahead and do whatever it is that you need to do in order to feel comfortable. After all, it is a large purchase and you shouldn't settle with a computer that you don't enjoy using for years to come.

I hope this helps you, and good luck.
Click to expand...

Good summary, and great points made. I guess I just need to think it through and figure out what is most important to me. Yeah I'm past my return period, but that's irrelevant, since the eBay prices are fetching more than retail still... Unfortunately as soon as I got this one I sold my Air 11" so going back isn't an option. However, I'm thinking of ordering a CTO 11" with 8GB RAM and 512 GB SSD (so it matches this (yet saves me $150 over this rMB), and trying to carry them both for a week and seeing which appeals to me more at this point. The rMBP really is a boat anchor after having an 11" Air and then a 12" retina Macbook, so it's hard to imagine carrying that.

Ideal computer would be the Air with a Retina Screen, Air specs, etc. Though I feel like if I buy an Air, in September they'll cut the line all together. I feel like if I buy a rMBP I'll hate the thickness and weight, and then as USB-C accessories come out I'll feel left behind, especially if they refresh the rMBP in the fall and add USB-C. Choices Choices.
 
shenan1982 said:
Ideal computer would be the Air with a Retina Screen, Air specs, etc. Though I feel like if I buy an Air, in September they'll cut the line all together. I feel like if I buy a rMBP I'll hate the thickness and weight, and then as USB-C accessories come out I'll feel left behind, especially if they refresh the rMBP in the fall and add USB-C. Choices Choices.
Click to expand...

I believe many of us would have far preferred to have the 12" Retina display, with the current 11" MBA specs. The 12" MacBook works for me, equally I have 15" & 13" Retina MBP as primary systems. In many respects Core M & OS X are not ready for "primetime " as you do have to make compromises to live with them. If I had to choose one it would be the 13" Retina being the most balanced of all Apple`s portables.

I also considered a max`d out 11", however the display is an issue for me, and I can work around the Retina MacBooks compromises, without hindering my workflow.

Q-6
 
Got my 1.3/256/SG today at a local reseller in Vienna, Austria.
Best thing I noticed:
It's dead silent - of course without a fan :) - always wanted a silent notebook.
-Great screen
Am using it with the multi-adapter from Apple
 
shenan1982 said:
Good summary, and great points made. I guess I just need to think it through and figure out what is most important to me. Yeah I'm past my return period, but that's irrelevant, since the eBay prices are fetching more than retail still... Unfortunately as soon as I got this one I sold my Air 11" so going back isn't an option. However, I'm thinking of ordering a CTO 11" with 8GB RAM and 512 GB SSD (so it matches this (yet saves me $150 over this rMB), and trying to carry them both for a week and seeing which appeals to me more at this point. The rMBP really is a boat anchor after having an 11" Air and then a 12" retina Macbook, so it's hard to imagine carrying that.

Ideal computer would be the Air with a Retina Screen, Air specs, etc. Though I feel like if I buy an Air, in September they'll cut the line all together. I feel like if I buy a rMBP I'll hate the thickness and weight, and then as USB-C accessories come out I'll feel left behind, especially if they refresh the rMBP in the fall and add USB-C. Choices Choices.
Click to expand...

I feel that the Air is a solid computer. I am not an ultrabook type of person, but I understand their appeal to the population. I truly don't understand why the new rMB exists, I would have rather liked to see a MBA refresh with a retina quality screen if it was so important to release an ultrabook with such a display.

rMBP is the way I would go, but that is simply a preference. I like "brick" notebooks as opposed to thin and light. "Conventionally" designed laptops have tons more connectivity and almost always offer more performance for your dollar. I understand why a lighter computer is better for some, but you're almost paying for an idea it seems. You're buying less computer for the same amount of money, sometimes even more (and a lot more). Plus with the rMB, with that abysmal port, you're going to have to by a ton of adapters.

I'm not trying to cast judgement, and again, I understand the purpose of an Ultrabook, but for me personally, I don't think 3.5 lbs is even remotely a burden. I simply do not understand, but to each their own!
 
Just received my MacBook from MacMall instead of waiting 3-5 weeks from Apple. I use a iMac as my full time photography editing studio. Planning on using the MacBook to import photos in the field and do some light editing with Lightroom.

So far I think its going to work out. Lightroom is performing pretty good.
 
So I'm on my fourth day of owning this little netbook and I'm quickly falling in love with it. The sluggish performance I was noticing is all but gone and I'm really liking the keyboard.

Very initial impressions, but this MacBook seems to suit my needs almost perfectly.
 
shenan1982 said:
Yeah... if only El Capitan wasn't 4 months away.... are you using the BetaSeed program? I am on 10.10.4 and it's on beta 5 or 6 or so now, and it's a lot better than when I was on 10.10.3... a LOT better. Dunno if you've tried it yet.
Click to expand...

The beta will be available in July. I suspect it will be fairly stable as El Cap seems to be more like bug fixes than a real new OS.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
It isn't that the machine isn't capable. It is that the EXPERIENCE is difference. What do I mean? Well, in using other Mac products, you have a feel of the machine/OS and how it behaves in certain applications... applications you wouldn't normally consider to be "heavy usage." You switch to this new machine, and all of the sudden everything is slower... even the stupid little tasks like previewing an email. Add to that the "oh well you have to turn off all these features to get it to work" BS and again I say, Apple has enough brainwashed zombies to buy their crap that they don't care what the public wants.

As to the people saying "oh well the first gen Air was that way too." Yep. And you would think the really smart people at Apple would figure out from that experience that their vision isn't necessarily the customer's vision.

Or they learned that Apple fans will buy any POS they sell... its a toss up.
Click to expand...

There was no mistakes with the MBA. Apple learned that they can slowly move to the ideal version and in the process generate tons of revenue.

So technically the executives did learn.
 
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