I loved it, mainly because it was iconic... of course, now it sleeps with the fishes, along with there rest of the user-friendly design.
Desperately miss MagSafe, as well.
Funny what passes for "progress" to some folk. Sad for the rest of us.
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Anyone else miss the old MacBook Pro design?
- Thread starter cinnabun814
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I loved it, mainly because it was iconic... of course, now it sleeps with the fishes, along with there rest of the user-friendly design.
Desperately miss MagSafe, as well.
Funny what passes for "progress" to some folk. Sad for the rest of us.
I'm still rocking a 2012 non-Retina.
I have a hi-res anti-glare screen, which is still higher than the "best for retina" default on 15" models(1680x1050), although I know you can take the retina higher and it looks "smoother." Still, though, I like my anti-glare screen-Apple seems to have only just realized that people want that, but it's now an extra $1K to get it on the already hideously expensive 6K Pro display.
I'm convinced that this is still the perfect notebook, aside from it being thicker and weighing more than newer designs. I have a great keyboard with excellent travel, type A USB 3.1 ports, Magsafe, ethernet and firewire(I use both), and even TB. I can upgrade the RAM myself. Not only that, but I boot it off a 1tb SSD drive that replaces the optical drive, and I have a 2tb spinner for mass storage.
I have a hi-res anti-glare screen, which is still higher than the "best for retina" default on 15" models(1680x1050), although I know you can take the retina higher and it looks "smoother." Still, though, I like my anti-glare screen-Apple seems to have only just realized that people want that, but it's now an extra $1K to get it on the already hideously expensive 6K Pro display.
I'm convinced that this is still the perfect notebook, aside from it being thicker and weighing more than newer designs. I have a great keyboard with excellent travel, type A USB 3.1 ports, Magsafe, ethernet and firewire(I use both), and even TB. I can upgrade the RAM myself. Not only that, but I boot it off a 1tb SSD drive that replaces the optical drive, and I have a 2tb spinner for mass storage.
Oh, yeah, that reminds me I do miss the charge indicator on the Magsafe connector. I had thought some USB-C cable might come along that mimics that, but so far haven't seen one... ?
The new ones are lighter, more portable, have more streamlined design, better cooling system, better speakers, can be charged from any port. No, I certainly don’t miss the older form factor.
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The glossy screen on the newer MBP has very little reflection, while having better brightness, color reproduction and contrast. It’s usable on a sunny day outside, which can’t be said for the old matte display.
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The glossy screen on the newer MBP has very little reflection, while having better brightness, color reproduction and contrast. It’s usable on a sunny day outside, which can’t be said for the old matte display.
The question was if anyone missed the old design. For the reasons I mentioned which included the crappy screen and bulk my answer is NO!
The new systems are much better than the 2012. Much.
2019 is likely the best so far. But if you don't like the new keyboard or touchbar than get a 2015. Both the 2015 and 2019 are much better than the 2012.
If the new systems had the current internals but still had the function keys, MagSafe, and maybe a few usb-a ports, I’d be a lot happier than I am now.
I used to be a fan of the high res matte display that used to be a BTO option on the unibodies. I still have a 2012 with that screen.
I really don't like it now that I've had better. It's a tweener display. You get some more space, but with significant tradeoffs in readability and mine has serious color accuracy issues. I don't have difficulty going back and forth between a retina display and a normal res laptop monitor, but that Apple Franken-res panel knocks me back everytime I have to use it again.
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That is the only thing I miss about the old MBPs. Perhaps they ditched it because it wouldn't look quite as striking with Space Grey or some of the other colors. It had a certain panache with the old silver look.
I'm not on board with anyone who calls any MBP perfect. They're all flawed. I really like my flawed 2018 MBP. I liked my flawed 2016 and the also flawed 2012 before that too. They did their job, but all had tradeoffs.
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I like the new MacBook design, but I have to say that the Butterfly keyboard is a showstopper.
I purchased one for my daughter a couple of years back and after taking it back to have the keyboard replaced TWICE.. I gave up on it and returned it for an Air. My daughter could not survive the final year of high school without a laptop for extended periods.
Fast forward two years later, I bought the latest version for my younger daughter thinking the design was improved and today she has come home from school with the P key not working.
I am so over the butterfly keyboard that I cannot buy another MacBook until they sort it out once and for all.
PS: Before you ask.. I did the 75 degree compressed air stupidity and it made no difference.
https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT205662
I definitely miss the charge indicator, but not sure what else?
The current one is a much nicer size, faster, more powerful. Unless I'm absolutely hammering it, I easily get a full day's work out of a single charge.
I loved the keyboard at the time, but I find it really soft & mushy now compared to the butterfly ones. We've had a lot of butterfly keyboard-Macs and only one failed.
The screen is much nicer.
I was gutted they dropped MagSafe, but now am quite liking the fact I can use any usb-c cable to charge it from. And you know what, three years in and I've got usb-c everything which is quite nice.
As for the glowing Apple logo, I think the people most gutted about that will be tv and movie producers (and Apple). Still to this day you get shows where someone is working at night and all you can see is the glowing Apple logo, perfect product placement.
My son has one of those MBPs and its a nice machine, but when you stick it next to the current gen it really shows its age.
And this is coming from someone who still has a G4 Cube, so I get the love for older Apple products.
(doesn't use extra energy-- just a translucent piece
plus it glows.
like magic.
MA GIC
My 2010 needs an updating.
BUT:
the new ones don't glow, so...
I guess I could be talked into an equal trade for a new one, or a topped-out new Mac Pro
...maybe
It doesn’t consume energy, it’s not a separate light. It’s using the light from the led panel.
were people still complaining about the retina models in 2015 though? By that point they were pretty widely loved. The TB models are now at the same point in their cycle (4/4) and still controversial.
I miss the aesthetics of the old design. It's a little softer and more friendly. The lines aren't quite as hard and the lid and base taper a bit more so the device is more round. There's no outward branding other than the glowing Apple logo. It's amazing to me that while the design is slightly aged it's still good enough that it could definitely compete in the space today and it debuted in 2012/3? right?
But I don't miss the weight. Or the loud fans. Or the speakers.
But I don't miss the weight. Or the loud fans. Or the speakers.
Stuff that lights up just generally looks cooler. Take your average gaming PC and its peripherals for example :')
I have had two Macs. A 1998 blueberry iMac and an early 2013 retina MacBook Pro. The 2013 is still going strong so i don't yet miss the "old" MacBook Pro design. However I am very concerned that when I need to replace my 2013, nothing comparable in quality and features will be on offer. I have no interest in the ridiculous touch bar, problematic keyboard and whatever steps backward the latest MacBook Pros contain.
The brand has taken a hit and hopefully some senior management will force the issue internally in Apple HQ.
I am not alone in wanting high quality hardware to justify the price we must pay.
The brand has taken a hit and hopefully some senior management will force the issue internally in Apple HQ.
I am not alone in wanting high quality hardware to justify the price we must pay.
I don't "miss it", because when the "new" (2016) MBP design was introduced, I compared it side-by-side with the "old" design (2015 MBP).
After trying both, I chose the OLD design because it was clearly superior.
3+ years later, and no regrets.
THE BEST Mac buying decision I've EVER made.
After trying both, I chose the OLD design because it was clearly superior.
3+ years later, and no regrets.
THE BEST Mac buying decision I've EVER made.
I am fine with all of those on the new systems. I held onto my 2015 15" for a month or so because I thought they would be issues. Turned out I did not.
I found I only used the screen brightness and volume level on the touchbar or the dedicated function keys. And the new touchbar is way better at those. Just touch and slide one button left or right to increase or decrease. And more precise control. No more 4 discrete steps, no separate up/down buttons.
On Magsafe, having the cable soldered into the charger was a profit center for Apple. When you frayed the cable you had to buy a charger. Better to have a separate cable, that you can buy from Amazon, or whereever. And I can't think where I ever tripped over a power cable on a MacBook or any other laptop so never say the value in magnetic disconnect.
USB-A would nice, but with everything else (iPad, phones, etc) going USB-C that connector is becoming less and less useful by the day. And a $30 adapter gives me 3 USB-A 3.1, HDMI, SD and microSD, etc.
I don't miss the old designs. I'm still using them.
The 2016-2019 machines actually have improved cooling over the 2012-2015 ones, though...
I'd say the 2019 is the pinnacle of thermal management for apple, where as the 2016 to 2018 having poor thermal management - with the 2018 being the low point. Apple failed to adjust and keep up with the thermal demands of the hotter running CPUs from Intel.
I give apple props for managing the thermals so well in the 2019, but i do find it hard to praise them for prior releases within the 2016 design.
From what I understand from reviews, the only model of this generation to really suffer from significant thermal issues was the 2018 - the 2016 was a little shaky, but the 2017 improved upon it, and as you say the 2019 runs really well all things considered too. By contrast the 2013, 14, 15 retina models are notoriously hot running/ noisy machines when equipped with a dGPU (the Iris only models are much nicer in this regard) the '14 in particular with the 750M GPU had(s) a reputation for maxing the fans/ throttling back and draining the battery while plugged in under heavy load.
Of course the TB models are riddled with by now well known issues, so overall the retina generation will probably be remembered as being significantly more successful but on this metric the TB models actually took a step forward IMO. As you allude to, Intel's 180 from heading towards cooler chips to significantly hotter and more power hungry ones is a big factor in this, I'm not sure how much warning Apple got for the 2018, but I'm pretty sure it would take quite a while to totally redesign a machine and if they were up against the clock, there wasn't really a lot they could do.
It will be interesting to see what direction they take with the next generation machines later this year or next. I'm not sure when the Pro line will move to ARM, but once Apple is fully in control I think thermals and sustained performance will be something Macs excel at.
I don't have fan issues with my 2014 and 2015 15 MBPs but I usually have them mounted on two-inch spools or three-inch Nuun tubes. I also spread out the workload between two laptops. I'm considering the Lenovo P72 if Apple doesn't get their act together. The Windows Mobile Workstations beat the crap out of the MacBooks for managing heat. But you can do that if you're an inch or more thick.