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12" MacBook owners, what aspects surprised you pleasantly or otherwise?

boltjames said:
Yes, all in Windows 10.

I have never used the Mac operating system since buying the computer and formatting the partition for Microsoft operating system. I've owned the machine since May 2015, that's 1 year and 10 months, not a single crash or hiccup. I couldn't be happier.

BJ
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Same experience as me, loving it as a Windows 10 laptop.

Out of curiosity, do you still have the MacOS partition or did you completely remove it? I still have mine but partitioned it in such a way as to give Windows the majority of the space. I'm thinking about removing it altogether to free up some more space.

Thanks
 
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Quddy said:
Same experience as me, loving it as a Windows 10 laptop.

Out of curiosity, do you still have the MacOS partition or did you completely remove it? I still have mine but partitioned it in such a way as to give Windows the majority of the space. I'm thinking about removing it altogether to free up some more space.

Thanks
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I didn't realize that was an option or I'd have deleted MacOS completely.

I thought that in order to run Boot Camp we need to keep the Mac side alive and allocate a little space to it. No?

BJ
 
boltjames said:
I thought that in order to run Boot Camp we need to keep the Mac side alive and allocate a little space to it. No?
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My internal SSD on my iMac is 100% Windows 10. I have an external drive that I use for OS X, but I created/installed windows w/o bootcamp and its been running fine. I still downloaded/used the bootcamp drivers which you need but you don't need bootcamp to install windows.
 
maflynn said:
My internal SSD on my iMac is 100% Windows 10. I have an external drive that I use for OS X, but I created/installed windows w/o bootcamp and its been running fine. I still downloaded/used the bootcamp drivers which you need but you don't need bootcamp to install windows.
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Wow, I had no idea. Very cool.

Is it possible to save my Windows 10 configuration/data as-is and start the process over again like you did? Or if I attempt this will I lose everything and have to start over from Day 1?

BJ
 
boltjames said:
Is it possible to save my Windows 10 configuration/data as-is and start the process over again like you did? Or if I attempt this will I lose everything and have to start over from Day 1?
Click to expand...
I did a clean install, because for my Windows setup, I have all my data on the cloud.
 
boltjames said:
I didn't realize that was an option or I'd have deleted MacOS completely.

I thought that in order to run Boot Camp we need to keep the Mac side alive and allocate a little space to it. No?

BJ
Click to expand...

As maflynn mentioned I think Boot Camp only helps with the initial partitioning and provides the drivers. Once everything is installed and working you should be able to delete and reclaim the MacOS partition and still boot into Windows if that was set as your default boot partition.

There are various other partitions (EFI, recovery partitions) that you should not delete.

Like maflynn I used to have an iMac (Late 2009) that came with a HDD and an optical drive. I removed the optical drive and replaced it with a small SSD to run Windows 7 Pro exclusively. It was quite a while ago but I think what I did was the following:
  1. removed the optical drive and plugged in the SSD
  2. used Boot Camp in MacOS to setup the SSD
  3. replaced HDD with SSD then plugged in the optical drive again (I don't think it was possible to install Windows via an image at that time or I had issues doing so)
  4. Boot from optical drive and installed Windows 7 onto the SSD
  5. removed the optical drive again and replace with SSD and re-attach the HDD
  6. formatted the HDD thereby removing MacOS!
So I ended up with SDD (Windows exclusively) + HDD (Windows NTFS data drive exclusively), no MacOS at all and it worked fine.

Not quite the same as Macbook as configs are different but proves it does work.

I probably won't risk it just yet on my Macbook as it's my only machine right now but maybe soon once I have time and start getting desperate for more space.
 
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maflynn said:
My internal SSD on my iMac is 100% Windows 10. I have an external drive that I use for OS X, but I created/installed windows w/o bootcamp and its been running fine. I still downloaded/used the bootcamp drivers which you need but you don't need bootcamp to install windows.
Click to expand...

But wouldn't it be prudent to have the minimal OS X partition in case something goes wrong with Windows and you can't access that partition?
 
BeatCrazy said:
I have a lot of Apple products, that each get lots of daily use, including:

  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone SE
  • iPad Pro 9.7
  • iPad Air 2
  • MacBook Pro 2016
  • MacBook 2016
  • Mac mini 2014
  • Mac Pro 2013
  • Apple Watch
and a few more I'm probably forgetting....

My point is, I think the 2016 MacBook is my favorite overall product. Definitely up there in the top 3 along with iPhone and iPad Pro 9.7.

It has a beautiful design, very reliable, and has performance for all but the most intensive tasks. The form factor is still astounding to me, even after almost a year of use. I can definitely see myself using it more in the future, as well as looking forward to updated versions.
Click to expand...

How does it work with USB-C to HDMI. Have read there are issues!?
 
Marcopolo53 said:
How does it work with USB-C to HDMI. Have read there are issues!?
Click to expand...

No issues as long as you purchase the official Apple USB-C to HDMI multi-adapter.

Those who are having problems are using third-party versions that have issues with power, handshake, etc.

BJ
 
So far, everything – I am concerned about lack of MagSafe because I have all the grace of an elephant, but paradoxically the short cable is helping. Just got a display with built-in hub that also charges the rMB. My router supports Time Machine wireless backups. Since I got a great deal on m5/512 I don't miss SD slot – I used it for a 128 GB microSD card (flush) with my 128 GB rMBP, but with 512 GB I don't foresee any problems. And the keyboard, shockingly, is the best I ever used.

Negatives... er... I would like it to be larger, actually. I am used to 13" and resting my left hand in a certain way, utilising that extra space to the left of the trackpad and now I don't have it. I hope I figure out how to position my left hand differently because at the moment I seem to be getting RSI symptoms and I've had the rMB for a few days. (Did a LOT of typing.) I worried the display would be too cramped for what I do, but it really isn't. I'm using it in the "more space" setting and bumped font size on Chrome and OpenOffice.
 
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Nothing, absolutely nothing makes me happy for spending 1.5000 $ on an overpriced and useless laptop. Laggy, keys break often, impossible to use in a hot weather. For that kind of money I could've bought myself an Alienware laptop and enjoy the proper thing.
 
Every time I use the MacBook it reminds me why its one of my favourite Apple products. Tiny footprint, incredibly light, but with a stunning screen and enough performance to do anything I need... all without any fans.

I've got other more powerful Macs in the house, but this is still my favourite to use. I know a lot of people consider it a compromise, but I also think a lot of people would be surprised by just how nice a machine it is to use.
 
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What surprised me is how capable this tiny machine is. You see all of those YouTube videos advising consumers not to purchase it for x, y & z reasons. I was one of those consumers that said "screw it." I'm going to do what I want to do, because I feel like the machine can't be that incompetent. I was right.

This machine can do so much more than just browse the web. Heck, even if that's all you want to do with the computer - that's perfectly fine. Who is a YouTuber to tell you what to do with your money?

This machine is an amazing portable productivity solution. It's so light. It's fast. The speakers are OUTSTANDING! Apple got it right with the rMB. I love it. I'm super glad that I purchased it.
 
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People will think I'm crazy, but I actually prefer the rMB keyboard & trackpad over the ones on the 2016 MBP's.

Maybe I just got used to the rMB too much or something, but I prefer it and on the trackpad front, I VERY much appreciate the specific width of the 12" rMB pad. The new ones getting even wider was a step too far for me. It's more functional for me with the width of the one on this 12" I'm typing on right now.
 
It's processing power ain't as bad as some people want to make it look like.

For reference it runs final fantasy XIV okay on the lowest settings getting 20-30 fps. All blizzard games are playable and depending on settings can go from 40 to 70 fps. Mac version not the boot camp with widows.
 
I LOVE this machine. It is honestly just about the perfect laptop for me. No, actually not "just about". It is the perfect laptop for me.

I made the transition from the 11" MacBook Air. I initially bought the MacBook Pro 13" Function Key because I really preferred the keyboard when trying in store. Once I got it home I just found it too heavy (3 pounds versus 2 pounds doesn't seem like a lot, but it is quite the different feeling). I returned it and got the MacBook and love it. A few have remarked on the speakers and I agree that they are pretty great for what this machine is. The new MBP has been getting a lot of praise for its speakers, but honestly I wasn't blown away by them. I've found that the MacBook speakers are actually louder than the MBP. They do have noticeably less bass response than the MBP, but more volume.

The funniest thing that surprised me the most is how easy it is to move to a new machine and not notice the differences too much, but trying to go back is so hard. I was back on my MacBook Air for a few minutes today and couldn't believe how bulky it felt, how bad the screen looks now, it was like night and day. The only other time I've had that experience was when I used a Retina iPad for a month straight that was borrowed from work and then went back to my non-Retina iPad - couldn't believe that it was ever acceptable, but until you spend time with the better tech you don't realize the limitations of the previous models.
 
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In many ways it was even better than expected (and I had very high expectations) = VERY happy!

+ speakers (how is it possible to get that good sound?), ok performance (1.3 model), battery life, display, TOTALLY silent, not getting hot, weight&size, keyboard, trackpad

- Keyboard clocking sound (silent would be nice), more storage (256 in mine)


Even longer battery life would be great (working 12-16h/day)
 
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