2016 Macbook Pro 15" first impressions

[therealseebs]

Thats weird I don't recall telling you or anyone else that the keyboard isn't "hurting you".

In response to an observation that it was hurting me, you said it wasn't really that bad.

If it's hurting me, it really is that bad.

I did say that I feel most will get used to it fairly quickly, the sales numbers will most likely reflect that in the next few months. Maybe you aren't one of those people and thats fine, perhaps this Macbook Pro isn't for you? Now it sorta seems like you are highjacking the thread to defend the fact that you don't like the keyboard instead of moving on and buying another computer.

I had the ludicrous belief that Apple would be willing to sell a reasonably functional machine that didn't injure me, now I'm suddenly stuck with a ton of Mac-only applications and no way to run them. It's gonna be fun.

 

[Pootmatoot]

funny, by Lord Ive I assume you are referring to the man that has designed many of the products that has make Apple one of the most profitable companies that ever existed. Yeah, why should they listen to him?

Apple isn't "one of the most profitable companies that ever existed", it's "one of the companies with the highest market capitalisation that ever existed for a period of 5 years ".

There are many companies (ie mining conglomerates) that are far more profitable, and over a span of decades.

 

[SVTM]

In response to an observation that it was hurting me, you said it wasn't really that bad.

If it's hurting me, it really is that bad.



I had the ludicrous belief that Apple would be willing to sell a reasonably functional machine that didn't injure me, now I'm suddenly stuck with a ton of Mac-only applications and no way to run them. It's gonna be fun.

Actually I never directly quoted you or even noticed your statements before you quoted me. Whats ludicrous is for you to assume Apple is willingly selling a machine that causes "injury" to their customers. Some will like it, some won't, life goes on. Most mac apps have a windows counterpart and if you switch to a cheaper windows based pc you will have extra money to buy them. I wish you luck finding what you are looking for and I'm sorry you personally dislike the new keyboard so much.

 

[petsounds]

I also derided the switch to the "chicklet keys" in the unveiling of the late 2008 unibody MBP, as did a whole lotta people back then... flat keys, lack of travel, weird feel. Over time it seems that everyone came around to agreeing that it's actually a great keyboard.

Recently I spent two weeks with a 12" rMP. I couldn't get along with that keyboard in the store but I still wanted to give it an honest shot. It was ho-hum at first, I was probably down to 60-70 wpm. After two weeks I was near my normal speed with minimal mistakes. I still didn't like the feel so back it went.

Tried the new 13" in the Apple Store. IMO Apple nailed it. This is the feel a minimal travel keyboard should have. As to RSI issues, lighten your touch. I'm fairly confident that given some time my typing speed will go up -- less movement, less energy expended.

ps. great handle name, one of my all-time fav albums

Sure, I was skeptical of the chicklet keys back then too, but I quickly got used to them because I didn't have to change how I type. They still had enough cushion in them. The Extended Keyboard is a great keyboard. The 2015 MBP keyboard is one of the best I've used, probably only second to the Apple Natural Keyboard.

But this keyboard has almost no travel, which can cause repetitive stress for someone like me who types with force. Well, I don't always type hard, but I have a rhythm to my typing and tend to punctuate certain keys with more impact. Especially when I'm typing fast. It's just the way I've been typing for 30 years. This is definitely an ergonomic issue, and I don't know whether the designers just didn't think about it, or don't actually do much typing themselves, or figured that people will just "get used to it".

Regardless of the ergonomic issue, it's still much louder though, and that's a design failure. Even if I type as softly as I can, the sharp tap is still there. And as soon as I type with any greater force, it's very noticeable. Loud clicky keys is not high-end, in the Apple sense of high-end. And I doubt that's what Apple was going for.

And thanks on the name!

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Man, I wish the keyboard haters would quit trying to hijack every thread!

 

[PhoneI]

Apple isn't "one of the most profitable companies that ever existed", it's "one of the companies with the highest market capitalisation that ever existed for a period of 5 years ".

There are many companies (ie mining conglomerates) that are far more profitable, and over a span of decades.

So I just did a little research. While I found a few lists that differ a bit, Apple was listed as either the number 8 or number 6 on the lists of top ten most profitable companies of all time.

So I think Mr Ive probably knows what he is doing.

 

[Pootmatoot]

So I just did a little research. While I found a few lists that differ a bit, Apple was listed as either the number 8 or number 6 on the lists of top ten most profitable companies of all time.

So I think Mr Ive probably knows what he is doing.

I suspect they'd be using "annual profit" for those lists, which is a bit misleading (ie there are oil companies that have made less than Apple in the last 3 years, but have made close to it, per year, for 60 years, adjusted for inflation).

 

[petsounds]

Man, I wish the keyboard haters would quit trying to hijack every thread!

I bought the new MBP, did you? I'm giving my impressions. Sorry that they don't line up with what you want to hear.

 

[sparkie7]

Screen: The screen has gorgeous color and contrast and is very bright. Even at full brightness it doesn't lose contrast or detail which is another plus for video and photo editors.

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Does your reflection lose any detail?

 

[nikhsub1]

I have the exact same configuration coming - not sure when but not too long now!

 

[radus]

just to give you something to compare Dell Precision 5510, i7-6820hq, nvidia m1000m, 32gb mem, 1TB samsung ssd SM961 nvme 3.0;

 

[Spudlicious]

I think you should get a 2015 model. You seem to have lots of issues with the 2016.

Yes, yes, get the 2015 model, and post lots of comments on it. I'm feeling awfully left out by all these 2016 Macbook Pro threads......

 

[Beau10]

But this keyboard has almost no travel, which can cause repetitive stress for someone like me who types with force. Well, I don't always type hard, but I have a rhythm to my typing and tend to punctuate certain keys with more impact. Especially when I'm typing fast. It's just the way I've been typing for 30 years.
And thanks on the name!

About 15 years ago I had what I thought was a developing RSI condition using a Dell mechanical keyboard. To counteract this I did a few things from an ergonomic perspective, including using an underdesk keyboard tray at an angle to keep my wrists flat and adopting a lighter touch by practicing limiting motion to the activation point. Still, I can't really break past 90 wpm on a desktop mechanical keyboard, although I really dig the feel of them. I credit using Apple chiclet keyboards over the past 8 years or so to getting my speed up. Just like with say playing a guitar fast and cleanly, to improve beyond a certain point economy of motion has to go up.

Unlike a great mechanical keyboard you *are* bottoming out on these Macbook Pro keyboards -- whether using the new butterfly (2016) or the scissor (2008-2015). Unlike a traditional board you don't have an activation point halfway through the motion (ie. 2mm for 4mm of travel) where bottoming out is unavoidable. It's just it's happening at .55mm vs. 1.5mm. In theory, if one can get on with one they should be able to get on with the other, but an adjustment to touch may be in order. Beyond this, there is also the action/dampening mechanism of the keycap itself, which for the v2 butterfly cap in the 2016 MBP appears to be improved over the rMB.

 

[SVTM]

So I've encountered a weird glitch that I believe I saw someone experience on the 13" non touchbar model. When I plug my external backup hard drive into either of the 2 left usb c ports I lose wifi connection until I unplug the drive. I can also eject the drive but leave it plugged and the wifi will start working again too which is even more strange.

 

[mrex]

So I've encountered a weird glitch that I believe I saw someone experience on the 13" non touchbar model. When I plug my external backup hard drive into either of the 2 left usb c ports I lose wifi connection until I unplug the drive. I can also eject the drive but leave it plugged and the wifi will start working again too which is even more strange.

2,4ghz wifi? if you can, use 5ghz band for your wifi.

i quess usb ports and antennas are too close to each other.

 

[Sanpete]

So I've encountered a weird glitch that I believe I saw someone experience on the 13" non touchbar model. When I plug my external backup hard drive into either of the 2 left usb c ports I lose wifi connection until I unplug the drive. I can also eject the drive but leave it plugged and the wifi will start working again too which is even more strange.

Elsewhere it has been claimed that this is due to interference from the USB devicewith the wi-fi signal. When you eject the drive I suppose it's no longer powered.

 

[maflynn]

I had a chance to play with the new MBPs in my local Apple store yesterday and I was very impressed. My issues are mostly still intact, but I will say while I do think the touch bar is gimmicky, I give Apple a lot of credit to making it feel like it was always there.

Some of how its used is rather silly. I opened uip safari and the touch bar showed something about URL and I touched it, so then the cursor jumped to the address bar for me to type in a url. Seeme like more work then just pointing to the address bar and typing.

The screen was gorgeous, the touch pad wasn't bad, I thought I'd hate the force touch but it wasn't bad. The keyboard was as bad as I thought

I think Apple did make a great computer but for it sacrificed (SD slot, HDMI, Magsafe) and the price point mean this computer is not the best tool for me to get my work done. My opinion as softened towards it, I'm not as down on the new MBP, but regardless, the cost is a show stopping major issue, unless Santa brings me handful of Apple Gift cards this Christmas

 

[MrGuder]

I think apples going to soon realize that the public is going to look at the MacBook and say this is not a must have and therefore sales will not be as strong had they made it with a few more ports, sure keep the new ports but add at least one to use your iPhone and a hdmi this will hurt sales.

They didn't gradually introduce this to the public they presented this and forcing the public to buy adapters galore. Doesn't make sense consumer wise or business sense. Don't they want to sell the most laptops of anyone? Seems there trying not to purpose.

 

[teerexx52]

Purchased a 15" Silver 2.6 with 455. Coming from a 2015 15" MacBook Pro which the wife will now get. Keyboard is just OK. My wife says when I type on it it is very loud compared to the 2015. The screen is gorgeous and on par with the 2015 model. The default resolution is different on the 2016 so things look smaller on web pages. The touch bar is something I really like. Am using it more and more each day. I like it especially for Day One and email. Also works well for live desktop. Ports are not an issue for me as I already had the dongles from my previous MacBook. I do miss the mag safe. The power cord is very hard to take out of the computer. Don't want to launch it. Larger track pad is fine although it hasn't made any difference compared to the 2015 in the way I use it. Overall a really nice computer.

 

[BenTrovato]

Keyboard is definitely louder but so far I like it. I do wish it was more silent but nowhere close to a deal breaker.

The larger touchpad is inconsequential but for full hand gestures, like expose, show desktop, etc, the larger trackpad is nicer. Overall, this is a killer machine. My biggest complaint is battery life is not 10 hours and the screen needs to be on higher brightness than the previous model.

 

[SimeoneSergio]

So, that Dell precision is SLOWER...
I wonder what would be the dGPU of a 960 instead of a m1000...

 

[Mr. Dee]

Even though I don't own any of the new generation of MacBook computers such as 12 inch MacBook and the 2016 MBP; I have to agree, the keyboard is awful based on my short time playing with it. Many professional reviews also agree the keyboard is not great. I write for a living, that means, I spend a lot of time in Microsoft Word, if I was going to purchase this computer, I would have to purchase an Apple keyboard with it too. The again, you wouldn't need a computer like this for typing. If you are working in graphics apps like Final Cut, Photoshop or Illustrator, the keyboard is rarely used for input of text.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

My opinion as softened towards it, I'm not as down on the new MBP, but regardless, the cost is a show stopping major issue, unless Santa brings me handful of Apple Gift cards this Christmas

Thanks for posting your first impressions. As for the cost, MacRumors should set-up a tip jar during the last 2 months of the year so they can give the mods and staff one of the many Apple gift cards needed to buy one of these expensive machines!

 

[monkeydax]

Even though I don't own any of the new generation of MacBook computers such as 12 inch MacBook and the 2016 MBP; I have to agree, the keyboard is awful based on my short time playing with it. Many professional reviews also agree the keyboard is not great. I write for a living, that means, I spend a lot of time in Microsoft Word, if I was going to purchase this computer, I would have to purchase an Apple keyboard with it too. The again, you wouldn't need a computer like this for typing. If you are working in graphics apps like Final Cut, Photoshop or Illustrator, the keyboard is rarely used for input of text.

You should give yourself a little more time to try it before insisting that it's awful. I think it'll take a little to get used to, but it feels like you'll be able to type faster on it given the responsiveness of the keys. Try it out! No harm, personally doubt you're gonna say you need an external keyboard after that.

 

[SVTM]

I thought I would leave you guys with an update after three weeks of use in case anyone was interested.



I'm just going to go ahead and say it... The touchbar is dumb and after the novelty wears off I wish I just had buttons back. I was originally using the default "App control with control strip" setting but even with minor things like changing the screen brightness and the volume it becomes annoying. Want to change the volume? Tap the bar for it to come back online, hold down on the volume logo, slide back and forth to adjust, wait for it to go away to access other buttons... As I said its just annoying and time consuming when it shouldn't be. I also tried using it in apps like Final Cut Pro but its feels pointless. At first it felt like it added something but what I didn't realize in the first few days of using it is how much slower I was editing by having to look down constantly. Moving my hands to look down away from the main screen to make adjustments when I could make them quicker by focusing on the main screen is just not an effective way to make adjustments. Now I use the touchbar with the expanded control strip setting, but even then you have to wake it back up when it goes dark and sometimes I will accidentally hit something on the touchbar when resting my hands on the keys.

I am having some sort of graphics card or software issues that have been mentioned in other threads. When I boot up the screen I get a weird pixelated distortion, then the screen goes black and the apple logo reappears. I also get off and on issues when viewing a video with chrome. A video I'm playing will flicker until I restart the browser. I've talked to apple about these issues and they have no idea what is causing them and didn't offer any help.

The keyboard is still fine, its not better or worse, just different. The one thing that really bugs me still is the arrow keys. The person that decided to make the left and right arrow bigger is an idiot. After three weeks I am still constantly missing the arrow keys and having to look down when doing tasks. Even the groove between below the down arrow key feels exactly the same as the gap between the up and down keys so its just impossible to isolate them without looking down.


Still having the issue of the wifi not working if I plug my external hard drive into the left USB C ports.


The trackpad click has grown on me but I was able to figure out what I dislike about it. Its not the down press click, its the click when you release. I do extensive editing in Photoshop CC and a lot of it involves hold down the trackpad and dragging, when I go to release from dragging I don't always get good feedback that I have released from a click.


Still miss MagSafe (don't think that is ever going to change).


Having only USB C ports hasn't been a problem once I switched over most of my cables and got the few adapters I needed.



So those are my updated thoughts after three weeks. If someone asked me if they should buy this computer now I would most definitely tell them to wait. There are some serious bugs that Apple is going to have to sort out and frankly I feel they should have had better QC on $2500-$5000 computers but I digress.