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16-Inch MacBook Pro Returns to Pre-2016 Arrow Key Layout, Sticks With 720p Webcam and 802.11ac Wi-Fi
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Credit where it's due, its certainly better value (not sure about "cheaper" - its reasonable to expect specs to go up over time and the long-overdue upgrade to 512GB storage is more accurately described as "less of a ripoff").
How does the GPU actually compare to the previous options? Esp. the $200 5500/8GB option vs. the previous Vega option?
That's not how quality works. Resolution != quality (just like more Hz does not mean faster, more RAM does not mean better performance, etc). In any case, the camera is at least as high quality as ones in other high-end business/prosumer laptops (Dell, HP, Lenovo). It's not a high priority for any laptop manufacturer to improve the image quality of laptop webcams. It's good enough quality for chatting; if you need good quality for recording, use a nice external camera.
Without OLED or 120HZ Display, user experience basically will be the same as on previous MacBooks. What’s taking them so long?
How could you even consider NOT returning that piece of junk. If I had bought one and was still in the return window, I'd be at the store already doing the return.
I like it. It's not something I'd ever argue is superior than other keyboards but it has been my favorite keyboard to type on (and I've been using a lot of different ones over the past 35 years).
Missing WiFi 6 IS disappointing.. to say the least..
I am in the process of upgrading my home wi-fi to wi-fi 6, so I am back to the "waiting mode".
Otherwise, this 16" looks appealing.. just still not there yet.
Pro in name, but not updated with latest WiFi?! I will buy used, not new when the current features are not offered in a new model. Apple shoots itself in the foot. Macs have been playing second fiddle to iPhone for years, lower WiFi specs, wimpy 720P camera, and no groupings of notifications from the same app on Mac either. Apple has made Mac the red headed step child compared to iPhone, when it should be on-par or above it as it's longer term product!
I've been using these arrow keys on the MBP for years, and they work great.
No that’s how quality works. If you are constrained by 720p AND it’s the same cam that hasn’t been updated in years to have better optics, yes. It’s not quality. You’re getting into the “megapixels vs quality” debate and this isn’t it. If we still had 2mp cameras on our phones but slightly better optics, we wouldn’t be saying “but but...quality!” We’d be saying what the hell man. Why aren’t we bumping up the usable resolution so we can have more defined picture quality?
with all the advancements in camera technology that is present in iPhones and iPads, there’s no excuse for Apple cheapening out on an expensive device like the MacBook. None. At all.
Yeah, it's a hard pass for me not having Wifi6 alone. And it's pretty eccentric their insistence using a 720p Facetime camera today.
2020 redesign (which seems to be inevitable given how many laptops innovated) should have Wifi6 + ideally a 4K HDR Facetime camera. Makes sense considering their plans on an approximation of a Super Retina Display (Dolby Vision HDR at high resolution) for the Macbook Pro next year to better catch-up w/ their flagship product, the iPhone.
Because of average joe burn-in scares (& perhaps the thought of dealing with such people at Genius bars) + wanting less dependence on Samsung, they are actually likely to go the much more expensive high-zone mini-led route. Kinda unintuitive given how much thinner OLED will enable them to have their Macbook Pros & etc.
So the super retiina display w/ pro motion equivalent for the Macbook pro will be a pretty expensive option.
Clearly this is not a redesign, just a revision of the things Apple got wrong in the first place. I admit I desire the physical escape key, but it’s not enticing enough to merit a upgrade. I will hang onto my 2016 model until the new wi fi spec is introduced and I will wait to see how that micro led rumor turns out.
Dedicated escape key is good but the older keyboard mechanism is a bit of a let down. I like the 2018 keyboard where it always felt like the whole key was being depressed rather than one side of it. The 2018 mechanism feels more like a mechanical keyboard.
They sell small black sticker dots ya know. Or you could of always used a hole punch on a black sticker if you didn’t want to use something that stands out like masking tape.
