The TB is a gimmick... I have mine set to display the FN keys 24/7
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Air returns - Why?
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The TB is a gimmick... I have mine set to display the FN keys 24/7
No one's lying. The screen is not as bright. the Pro is definitely brighter. I am saying that this does not bother me at all. It's still a great screen. I never have mine at 100% brightness anyway.
The Air checks off everything on my list that I need in a daily machine that I can write on and occasionally watch something on. If your wish list includes "brightest screen possible", get a Pro. I think they're both phenomenal computers. I just have a soft spot for the Air
With the FN keys always showing and as additional icons? I don't think so but you can customize the TB settings and add or remove things. I just leave mine to FN keys..
I was just thinking if I ever had to get a TB MBP for some reason could I keep the brightness and volume keys permanent as I hate the idea of having to do a tap and then use a slider each damn time.With the FN keys always showing and as additional icons? I don't think so but you can customize the TB settings and add or remove things. I just leave mine to FN keys..
I was just thinking if I ever had to get a TB MBP for some reason could I keep the brightness and volume keys permanent as I hate the idea of having to do a tap and then use a slider each damn time.
I think you can keep them on there all the time but they'd be the silly slider.. Let me play around a bit.. I believe you'd use App Controls setting then customize the bar to always display volume and brightness controls....
If possible I'd really prefer that. The slider seems silly and an extra unnecessary step. I wish they just made a 15" MBP without TB.
I think there is a 3rd party TB controller app you can download that gives additional functionality...
I know with mine set to always display the FN keys, all I need to do it hit the FN key and I get the non slider brightness and volume buttons...
I'll play around with it later and see if there is another way to get it to do what you are asking..
In my work I need the FN keys, but since I use external keyboards, I can still have them and the TB keys as well. I'm sure one day, I'll actually press one for some reason. I do have one app one of our MacOS developers created (I develop on dinosaur tech) that does some fun things with the TB as a demo which I will run when I get really bored.
I played around with the TB settings and I can't find a way for it to behave in the way you are asking... I believe there is a 3rd party TB app that offers additional options and functionality but I have not tried it...
I have mine set to FN keys 24/7 and in that mode, if I hit the FN key on the KB the TB does change to brightness and sound options without the goofy slider...
Well at least there is that, right? Still an extra step. Any reason they decided not to make a nTB 15" model?
If they sold a ntb15 with same specs as tb and theoretically cheaper because no tb, who would buy the tb model. Small percentage I bet.
I strongly considered an Air, but ended up ordering a 15" Mid-2015 Pro with integrate graphics only from the refurb store. No TB, no bad keyboard, no T2 and the potential kernel panics that go with it. $1699.
Those are really at opposite ends of the spectrum, though. The rMBA is really very little more than an up-sized rMB (which is not a bad thing). The 2015 rMBA, esp the 15", is a huge, heavy machine. Not in a pejorative sense, it is literally a boat anchor.
Won't be heavy compared to the nearly 6 lb mid-2010 it's replacing that I'm typing this on.
I get what you mean though, but I was in the market for a laptop from Apple and literally everything was a compromise, and every model currently available for sale has a known issue with the keyboard, and I just personally can't give Apple money for a product that we all know has a design flaw before I even purchase it.
The mid-2015 is the only model I can get from Apple with no known issues.
My theory, as I have read in some other Macbook pro launches before, is that the yellow tint to the screen and the dimness is possibly due to manufacturing variances of newly released machines.
In an old post of "Panel Manufacturer (2015 15" rMBP)", there are complaints of yellow washed out screens on the 15" MBP. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/panel-manufacturer-2015-15-rmbp.1887908/page-2
So I hope that after a month or more, the manufacturing will be settled down and the displays will come out more calibrated, white and bright!
What do you guys think? Is this a possibility?
I will return it and in a few weeks/months will try again.
But another thing is that the GPU is so underpowered that the MacOS application folder opening from dock stutters! Unacceptable!
In an old post of "Panel Manufacturer (2015 15" rMBP)", there are complaints of yellow washed out screens on the 15" MBP. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/panel-manufacturer-2015-15-rmbp.1887908/page-2
So I hope that after a month or more, the manufacturing will be settled down and the displays will come out more calibrated, white and bright!
What do you guys think? Is this a possibility?
I will return it and in a few weeks/months will try again.
But another thing is that the GPU is so underpowered that the MacOS application folder opening from dock stutters! Unacceptable!
!!!!!
I get it on the 2015s. Was the 15" free of problems with the graphics/video? I love my 2015 13", but I want to get down to one laptop. Right now, the 2015 13" rMPB is the workhorse and the 12" rMB is my portable solution. In real life (mine), the rMB does 90% of what I need day to day, and I have a quad core Mini when I really need more. So my personal project is to figure out how to go from two to one. The 15"s are all gorgeous, but even the latest ones are relatively big for my personal habits. Hope it works out great for you!
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Possibly things will improve, but the basic design of the panel is pretty dim - 250-300 nits max - and this is going to be a limitation on what can be done.
On the GPU, I haven't observed that. (I'm not saying you're wrong, only that I haven't had that happen.)
Best Buy price matches Microcenter. No problem at all.
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Well...... The specs and testing do not lie.. 500 nits is how much brighter % wise than 300 nits?
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Yeah I can without a doubt see this going down... Mine is boxed and ready to roll back to Apple tomorrow...
Worse yet, I have not read a single review where someone actually measured 300 nits. Most are mid-200 nits.
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I am curious why you chose to give up the Pro in favor of the new Air? I am right now considering returning the Air and getting the 13" Pro with Touch Bar... The quad core processors and better screen are worth the difference to me, I think. When I decided to go with the Air, I was thinking I'll give up some performance in return for convenience, especially Touch ID and longer battery... but that's when I was considering the non-Touch Bar version of the Pro.
I would love to hear your input on what made you go the other way.
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Excellent point and something I always keep in mind. I checked mine and guess what, photos and mail are using ton of power right now. Mail is downloading 100K emails and Photos is indexing 15K photos and doing it's face recognition magic. The third highest? Spotlight.
Exactly as you said.
I was just thinking if I ever had to get a TB MBP for some reason could I keep the brightness and volume keys permanent as I hate the idea of having to do a tap and then use a slider each damn time.
Can't you just swipe right or left on the icon and make incremental changes? That seems fairly straightforward and not much different from having to press a physical button.
I respect your (low?) expectations of a 1600 euro laptop.
For me personally, I expect a much better display for this 1600 euro.
If this new Air was 1400 euro I would be perfectly fine with it.