Apple Addresses MacBook Pro Throttling Controversy After Working With YouTuber Dave Lee

[dotnet]

is everyone done bitching now?

Hell no. The planned obsolescence crowd is already working on a new conspiracy theory. Something like:

The digital key in the firmware wasn't supposed to be deleted until a month before the release of the 2019 MacBook Pro. They just got the timing wrong.

 

[AnthonyHarris]

As I say, it shouldn't have happened. However, it is laughable that these days it seems to be completely unforgivable to make a mistake, and when one corrects said mistake, the brimstone and fire still burns. I'm not surprised. We are talking about Apple here.

Before shipping it?

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Sure. Why not? It took them 12 days to acknowledge and fix while working silently for 10 days. People have 14 days to return the product so Apple could have easily acknowledged they are aware of the testing and are working with Dave to replicate the issues.

But they didn't and it is now fixed. Shoulda woulda coulda!
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If that's what you say, that's fine. if you actually read my posts, you'd see that I said it didn't really matter, the only reason behind it was so that the reviews coming out at the time weren't so tainted with the throttling issues (they could add that Apple were working on a software fix, since there's no doubt they knew it was a software issue early on). It could also reduce any possible impact on sales, although that's probably negligible anyway.

Again, I never complained about how long this took.
I would appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth, there's no need for it.
I explicitly said that in the post you've just quoted, and in my original post I even commented on how quickly the fix was issued.

The reality is a few might have returned their machines and would have been unhappy doing so, but that is really only a loss to Apple. Their silence may have lost them money instead of admitting they'd released potentially faulty machines *earlier* as you stated they should have done, and may well have had even more returns in light of that.

Turns out it is all a non issue and we should probably go about our lives as we were!

Have a great day!

 

[maflynn]

Thanks for this. Temps affecting longevity of the system were my main concern.
Tempted to wait for the iMac now.....

I'm rather disappointed with Apple right now. I love this new MBP, but the response from them to patch the machine seems lacking

 

[PickUrPoison]

I'm rather disappointed with Apple right now. I love this new MBP, but the response from them to patch the machine seems lacking

Hmmm, many seem satisfied with the fix. But if you’re not, I’d definitely return the machine. I wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money with a company or product that was disappointing.

 

[fooyork]

So, any news for those of us on the Mojave public beta?

 

[Ifti]

I'm rather disappointed with Apple right now. I love this new MBP, but the response from them to patch the machine seems lacking

I feel the same - absolutely love the machine and I'm torn between it and the iMAC.
Hence Ive decided to return the i9 for the moment to see if the iMAC brings anything new to the table - will give it until the end of Sept before I decide on what to do......

 

[maflynn]

I'm torn between it and the iMAC.

Not for nothing, but my 2.2Ghz MBP is faster then my 2015 iMac. I know I'm comparing a 3 year old machine against a new laptop running the latest chipset but still...

I get what you're saying, and I think the i9 is acutely affected, I'm surprised to see my 2.2 beating out the 2.6 in cinebench at full speed. I'm limiting the performance with the Volta app and so I'm content with the performance and temps right now. Its just not this issue, but rather the pattern of mediocrity (in terms of quality). I think Apple rushed out these machines which is surprising because of all the computer makers Apple was the last one to embrace Coffee Lake. A missing digital key seems kind of a silly omission that should not have been missed. I think the updated was a little more comprehensive then adding that key but that's just my gut saying that. I really have no idea.

 

[Val-kyrie]

The Internet is filled with "tech gurus" that never created anything.

He created a YouTube channel and he creates videos.... What have you created?

How about you stop attacking people who help the Apple community?

Without Dave Lee's video, Apple would likely not have found this "bug"--a bug that should never have made it through QA before release.
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I don't know if anyone has noticed but Apple has been pretty quick to rectify issues with software. (over the last few years) It seems each time they are quicker than the last. I really do feel they are listening to criticism. I personally know quite a few people who work at Apple headquarters and everything is so fast paced, each department is spread pretty thin. So although many would argue these issues shouldn't be there in the first place, it is what it is. The fact that Apple is quick to fix their issues is commendable in my opinion.

Apple's response is commendable, but if they are spread so thin that critical performance bugs slip through, then perhaps they should hire some more people

 

[maflynn]

The Internet is filled with "tech gurus" that never created anything.

He's actually quite knowledgeable, and I understand with a username of TimmeyCook you may be less likely to accept opinions that are critical to Apple, that's fine, to each his own. If you follow David Lee, you'd see he offers very balanced, well thought out reviews, he's said on numerous occasions that's he an apple fan, and he always seems to have Mac Pro in the background, so its not just lip service.

I like him, because how reviews and its without a lot of the histrionics that we see with others

 

[luciferuk]

This is brand damaging, but of course we'll forget about it in weeks to come.

The sheer reality that this new device managed to make it through all the testing and QA to hit market in this shape absolutely staggers me; I nearly fell over!

The amount of time and effort, not to mention R&D that they'll have us believe is put into the products yet THIS manages to make it past the QA team..... Apple have not fixed anything.

Sorry, the Apple fanboy coolaid's wearing off for me, I'm tired of making excuses for them.. Siri still sucks, iMessage on the Mac is a total blasphemy and don't get me started on 'continuity' (I don't think it's ever worked).

Sierra's biggest update was Siri, and Mojave's is a damn dark mode. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. They're just another computer company nowadays. The magics gone.

 

[maflynn]

This is brand damaging, but of course we'll forget about it in weeks to come.

Is it? how much of the laptop buying crowd is aware of this? Unlike the keyboard issue, this problem seems rather low key in the amount of coverage and outcry. I know of a few people looking to buy new laptops in the near future, and I'd say all of them are unaware of this problem.

 

[Appleaker]

As I say, it shouldn't have happened. However, it is laughable that these days it seems to be completely unforgivable to make a mistake, and when one corrects said mistake, the brimstone and fire still burns. I'm not surprised. We are talking about Apple here.


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But they didn't and it is now fixed. Shoulda woulda coulda!
[doublepost=1532505640][/doublepost]

The reality is a few might have returned their machines and would have been unhappy doing so, but that is really only a loss to Apple. Their silence may have lost them money instead of admitting they'd released potentially faulty machines *earlier* as you stated they should have done, and may well have had even more returns in light of that.

Turns out it is all a non issue and we should probably go about our lives as we were!

Have a great day!

As I said, it’s probably negligible. It wouldn’t be admitting a fault, it would be acknowledging a software issue and saying ‘we’re working on it’. It’s not like this was a secret, anyone looking at spending that much money on the MBP would have been aware of it, either through YouTube, social media, or online articles. Unlike certain keyboard issues, it is something that can be measured and has been in numerous benchmarks.

You seem to make such a fuss out of a statement I followed by “it doesn’t really matter”.

 

[luciferuk]

Is it? how much of the laptop buying crowd is aware of this? Unlike the keyboard issue, this problem seems rather low key in the amount of coverage and outcry. I know of a few people looking to buy new laptops in the near future, and I'd say all of them are unaware of this problem.

The keyboard issue is severe, and the fact they dodged the 'blame' bullet by suggesting it's an acoustic improvement over just admitting they messed up on dirt ingress. This vexes me.

The brand damage may not be seen short-term, it's just another nail and in such close proximity to the last. One way or another, it's not great.

 

[maflynn]

The brand damage may not be seen short-term, it's just another nail and in such close proximity to the last. One way or another, it's not great.

I agree that long term, this can be viewed as a pattern of poor QC, I posted something along the lines in another thread
2008 - 2011 GPU issues
2012 - 2015 - screengate (coating flaking off).
2016 - 2017 (2018?) keyboard
2018 - Throttling

So clearly Apple's track record these last 10 years is not as stellar as they'd have us believe.

 

[826317]

Good on Apple for having YouTubers do Apple's real-world testing?!

New Apple Motto: "We build 'em, you test 'em!"

That is literally how it works. Something that Apple (or any other company) missed, Apple/Company fix it. That's how it has always been.

 

[Markoth]

is everyone done bitching now? The smart people said it was a firmware or bug fix, which it was, but bangwagoners wanna jump on apple for everything :/

Do we want to know what a bangwagon is?

 

[lec0rsaire]

this is sarcasm right?? nobody can be this biased toward a company.. not even Steve Jobs with his "you are holding it wrong" comment.

It was a little bit of trolling. I wanted to see how many people would come to David's defense lol! You've gotta admit that "You're holding it wrong" was genius though! It was actually true since the bars went up as soon as they were held properly.

 

[seadragon]

He's actually quite knowledgeable, and I understand with a username of TimmeyCook you may be less likely to accept opinions that are critical to Apple, that's fine, to each his own. If you follow David Lee, you'd see he offers very balanced, well thought out reviews, he's said on numerous occasions that's he an apple fan, and he always seems to have Mac Pro in the background, so its not just lip service.

I like him, because how reviews and its without a lot of the histrionics that we see with others

The username says it all. This is the same guy that was dissing Dave Lee in the original thread claiming he only talks about Apple and made up facts and telling people to go live in a bubble etc. You know... the Dave Lee that Apple contacted regarding this legitimate issue. Timmey has gone silent now of course.

 

[seclusion]

So I don’t have to work in the freezer when trying to render some ATV videos?

 

[PickUrPoison]

It was a little bit of trolling. I wanted to see how many people would come to David's defense lol! You've gotta admit that "You're holding it wrong" was genius though! It was actually true since the bars went up as soon as they were held properly.

I’d say differently, not properly

Jobs actually said “just avoid holding it that way” but that doesn’t have the victim-blaming spin that the Apple hate machine (not referring to you lec0rsaire) preferred, and the quote has been hijacked.

The correct quote was a tacit admission that the phone did indeed perform worse if held in a certain way. The corrupted quote arrogantly accuses the user of malfeasance. Quite a difference!

 

[rocknblogger]

Dave Lee is a real jerk for besmirching Apple’s name right after they had just launched a well received refresh after months of complaining about not having Coffee Lake and keyboard problems.

Apple just can’t get a break. Seems like every other person is just out to damage Apple’s rep. With the iMac Pro it was Linus, breaking a new $5000 machine. All YouTube tech vloggers should be put of out of business.
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Frankly they’re much more likely to worry about performance with FCP X then Adobe Premiere. They also name drop Davinci Resolve a heck of a lot more as an alternative. I’m sure everything will be fine. Maybe Adobe can do something on their end to improve performance on the Mac. These numbers weren’t just due to throttling. It simply isn’t optimized good enough for High Sierra. Perhaps that will change with Mojave when they will be forced to use Metal.

If he’s such a jerk and a nobody why did Apple work closely with him to investigate and explore the fix. If he really was a nobody Apple would have just ignored him. But they specifically called him to try and rectify the issue.

Also from what I’ve read and heard from Reneé Ritchie that while it may help others it specifically addressed a problem with Premeir Pro. So it remains to be seen if it solves everyone else’s issues who don’t use Premeir.
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I don't understand the hatred towards the YouTube vloggers. How is Dave Lee a jerk? Did you not read "Apple says it contacted Lee within 48 hours after he published his video, working with him to replicate his workflow." I say bravo for pointing out this issue in the first place. I'd much rather a reviewer point out the problems they've noticed versus just singing praises and ignoring any issues. It obviously got the attention of Apple and they started working on a fix. As far as Apple getting a break, they've managed to shoot themselves in the foot lately.

Apple obviously respects Dave Lee enough to work with him. Unbeleivable how the fanboys refuse to give him credit for bringing this issue to the forefront so that we all benefit from it.

 

[ilikewhey]

they will get a break from me when their product stop having shortcomings. when you spend that type of money the list of shortcoming should not be 1/2 of the length of the positives.

 

[tryintostickit]

over just admitting they messed up on dirt ingress. This vexes me.

Thank all the opportunists who buy iDevices to start class action lawsuits for this one. Apple can't say "we messed up" or it'll be used against them in court. So they made the keyboard quieter.

 

[luciferuk]

I agree that long term, this can be viewed as a pattern of poor QC, I posted something along the lines in another thread
2008 - 2011 GPU issues
2012 - 2015 - screengate (coating flaking off).
2016 - 2017 (2018?) keyboard
2018 - Throttling

So clearly Apple's track record these last 10 years is not as stellar as they'd have us believe.

Te-he, yes of course they have a stellar track record (you missed antenna gate).

Look... don't get me wrong here, my slant on the matter is they have set incredibly high standards for us (the consumer)
To see such scenarios as thermal issues so early on in a products release IS still staggering. Apple (previously) rarely missed a beat. (sorry Boom box)

I'm under no spell here, I understand the likes of Uber, Facebook and everything we now know as the internet today could not have thrived so wildly without iPhone / Apple.
The App store by SJ's own admission went far and beyond any prediction and forecast, yes yes they make ~~good~~ great stuff. (r.i.p. markdown syntax)

Previously to iPhone we had "The iPaq" and "Nokia" and yes we kind of had a mobile experience but nothing like what we have today.
Now we have App stores and mobile apps, a strategy for in app purchases, mobile developers and a much faster more reliable mobile network infrastructure (telco's massively invested BECAUSE of iPhone) Apple in my book are still right up there.

To conclude (sorry it's long winded) because Apple began this story, I find it a little hard to swallow that they're now rushing things out the door with (potentially) brand 'harming' activities.
Microsoft get away with murder because of the (insert Steve Ballmer meme's here) legacy , maybe even Google now and again; but Apple?
This is bad form and not what we are used to.

 

[RumorConsumer]

I installed the update on my 13" i5 model and the firmware went from 15.16.6613.0.0,0 to 15.16.6703.0.0,0, so this does install a firmware update.

Where are you reading that from? in ASP?