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2016 MacBook Review Roundup: SSD Performance is Much Improved, Lack of Ports and 480p Camera Are Still Negatives
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its really not so cut and dry as it was before:
When Apple decided to switch from PowerPC to Intel, Intel was far ahead of PPC in the industry. IBM was unable to produce any mobile chips that didn't melt the computer and drain battery life, and in the desktop space, Intel and even AMD had run so far ahead of IBM for efficiency, and high end power for the cost.
It was so far behind, that Apple could switch to intel, and completely emulate the PPC architecture within OSx for legacy with most people barely noticing the difference in performance.
This is not the current position with intel and ARM. There is absolutely no high end ARM CPU that could come even remotely close to desktop class Intel / AMD CPU's CURRENTLY. And unlike the previous switchover, Intel CPU's are that much more powerful than Anything that ARM can manage. So ARM would not be able to step in, and emulate intel's CPU's to provide backward compatibility. Or ANY x86 compatibility. This would completely eliminate using the A series CPU's in a desktop environment.
This would effectively also block the laptops from switching over. While there are Ultra low power ARM CPU's that are just as fast as intel's super low end CPU's, this is the only market that ARM and intel are close. Switching Laptops over to Arm based CPU's would mean that you have two completely different architectures between desktop and laptop, which are generally tasked to run the same software, just in different roles.
On top of that, Moving to Arm for Laptops, would eliminate BootCamp. I have no numbers to back this up admittingly, but I'd be willing a gentleperson bet that a LOT of Apple laptop purchasers do use either bootcamp or Parralels to run Windows programs. Which absolutely require x86 for now.
So no, I don't believe there's a switch to an A series CPU as their CPU fo choice for laptops in the future. Arm and Apple still have a very very long way to go.
This is one of the ugliest computers I've ever seen. Not to mention useless. Oh and instead of an updated design, Tim Cook has chosen to give us a F***king PINK option... I guess next we'll see a plethora of "stylish" colored cases since now almighty Cook is trying to turn Apple into a fashion accessory! I want to see "professional" not "playful". At this point I'm more excited for the launch of the new HP Spectre than this garbage.
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I don't think everything is mediocre.
We got to remind ourselves apple isn't the apple it used to be. It has vast resources unlike its dark days. Some of the refresh specs are sure questionable but what goes behind the logic for those decisions: Customer or revenue oriented?
We got to remind ourselves apple isn't the apple it used to be. It has vast resources unlike its dark days. Some of the refresh specs are sure questionable but what goes behind the logic for those decisions: Customer or revenue oriented?
No I think the retina MB is a great product for those who need a portable device for doing basic tasks. Especially if you're traveling.
If, however, you're editing/rendering your feature film with Final Cut Pro, doing finite element analysis for your latest bridge design, using Matlab for complex signal processing, engaged in animation/modeling with Maya, or trying to find the next prime number, it may not be a good choice for you.
Get the right tool for the work you plan to be doing. That's why Apple and others provide laptop options.
I like this machine. I use office, surf the web, spreadsheets, music, google docs, gmail, etc. I am by no means a photo editor or a music editor- and I never hook my laptop up to a monitor. I use a bluetooth mouse on occasion. I feel as if I am the target market for this product, unfortunately I really don't need it as I have a i7 w/ 8 gigs of ram, MBP that works great.
Is everyone on this forum really a 4K video producer? I understand the 480p FaceTime camera.. what a complete joke.. but other then that, whats the real problem with this? There are people out there like me that just want a portable laptop that do not hook things up to a screen, use a bluetooth mouse, and do extensive work in office and google docs and email while having some tunes on.. thats really what this thing was built for.
Is everyone on this forum really a 4K video producer? I understand the 480p FaceTime camera.. what a complete joke.. but other then that, whats the real problem with this? There are people out there like me that just want a portable laptop that do not hook things up to a screen, use a bluetooth mouse, and do extensive work in office and google docs and email while having some tunes on.. thats really what this thing was built for.
Then don't buy it. Wait for your machine, which will get refreshed over the summer. This model is selling very well, and fits a very specific niche. People act so hurt that Apple would refresh a product for a different customer base. I don't care at all for the rMBP, but I won't be here in a few months crying that it got refreshed. New products are good for everyone.
One port and a 480p camera is even more pathetic than it was last year. Just so they can make a few extra cents profit. Shameful.
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Mediocre is your word. The RMB is like the original iPhone, the original Apple Watch, and the original Honda Insight.
Amazing, for what it is. Plenty of room for improvement. And who thought orangish-green was an attractive color?
(My Insight is still in use after 16 years.)
If you're going to spend $1299 on a computer, just get a 13" rMBP. 10x the power, 10x the ports.
Why so angry? It may be unacceptable for you but clearly you are not the target market for this machine.
Why make a thicker, heavier machine with ports when Apple already offers the MBP for those users?
Value isn't defined by speeds and feeds; it's unique to each user. Also, miniaturization doesn't come cheap.
How is Intel responsible for the SSD improvements? Wouldn't that be the SSD controller?
The difference is that we don't know how well ARM scales up, particularly with more cores. Qualcomm doesn't seem to get significant gains with its quad-core or octa-core designs (the A9X tops the SD 820), and Apple made a conscious decision to go back to 2 cores from 3 in the A8X. So could Apple design an ARM chip in the next 2 years capable of powering an iMac, particularly if it would need to run an emulation layer?
It's more likely we'll see more emphasis on iOS and the iPad Pro while the MacBook lineup becomes more niche.
OMG Apple is soooo behind, performance is years behind the competition. Im not paying for 2 year old tech, Ive had enough. I don't want to have to use an adapter every single time i backup my Dropbox to my USB stick. I'm going to bite the bullet on an XPS or Razor. Apple just doesn't care about their PC customers anymore, and thats why Macbook's and Macbook Pro's will be phased out by 2020. Apple states the iPad will replace the PC, but really all they care about is iPhones, and now that Apple are at the bottom of the smartphone sales rankings its obvious that the company is doomed.
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It is a lot of processor performance to record & compress & upload 720p+ video over the internet, like in Skype. It makes my MacBook run hot. So probably to ease processor load.One port is not a problem. If its for you, then the product is not for you. But the 480p camera,... I would like to know the reason why ... must be something
Don't need the power or the ports, rather have the fanless, lighter and smaller computer. I am a target for this product, you are not. That does not mean either of us are wrong. I don't get why everyone is convinced that they are the center of the universe.
I bought this piece of crap last year.
Although strangely it has been anything but crap.
Explain to me the benefit of a MBP if it has more power that I don't need, while sacrificing weight and portability that I do value?
Explain to me the benefit of additional ports I don't need? The only thing I need is regular USB, and even then extremely rarely - so using a little dongle on those rare occasions really isn't a problem, compared to the benefits I do value - i.e. lightweight and portable. (Not that an MBP isn't portable of course, but the smaller and lighter something is, the more convenient it is to carry around.)
I know this might be difficult for you to get your head around - but the things you value the most in a laptop might - gasp! - not be the same things that other people value.
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See my post above - same questions to you...
I rarely use facetime but when I do it's usually on my Macbook Pro so ya some people actually do use the camera on their macs so complaining about a dated camera in a laptop that is supposed to be cutting edge seems like a valid complaint.
I think most people can live with one port that does all functions so I'm less sympathetic to those complaints but an extra port wouldn't hurt.
Even if some people complaining about it can't afford it doesn't make them wrong.
Nail on the head. I've got money burning a hole in my pocket to buy a graduation gift. I wanted to buy a Mac, but it all feels like a compromise for the exact reasons you outlined. So instead of feeling great about a purchase, I feel like I'm sacrificing. A retina MBA would be absolutely ideal...even if the battery life wasn't quite as good as the current version. A much better keyboard, USB port and magsafe connector.
The MB feels like another bloop single. I'd like to see Apple get back to hitting home runs.
Well said. Doesn't sound like there will be anything to make upgrading to iphone 7 worth while. Dual camera only on the plus model? yawn. And it won't be until 2018 till a new iphone model will be released so my prediction is I'll be buying a used android model this fall unless I'm very wrong about the iphone 7 or iOS gets a big overhaul making it more intuitive to use again and a reason to stay with Apple.
But it seems to me the same people who complain that "HP and Dell can put in a Skylake-U in a machine that's only 0.6/0.8 lbs heavier than the rMB" complain that the 0.5lb difference in weight between the 13" MBA and 13" rMB is so dramatic that they can't possibly use it. My guess is that a hypothetical 13" rMBA would have dramatically lower battery life (much closer to the 13" rMBP) that Apple doesn't want to brand it as the MBA, and is instead preparing to produce an updated MacBook Pro-branded design in 2016. IOW, the notebook you describe wouldn't be the "home run," just as neither are the Dell XPS 13 or HP Spectre.
I am guessing you have not spent a lot of time with one. The keyboard is really stellar if you're the type to type on mechanical keyboards. It takes getting used to, but it's really much better after a few weeks (Yes, this is VERY subjective). USB-C is the future, and just like the 30-Pin went away, USB Type-A will do the same eventually. I am sure it will take much longer, but it's a much better standard for now. It's so cheap and easy to get adapters and docks, since USB-C is not an Apple proprietary (thank God), that it won't be a big issue in the near future.