$340 to double up 512GB of storage. That is insane. I like my MBP but doubt I'll buy another one since basically nothing will ever be user replaceable again.
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Apple Begins Selling Refurbished 2018 15-Inch MacBook Pro Models in United States and Canada
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Yeah.... um that's the point. It's my opinion and all. Also quite a few people agree. People are allowed to have feelings and views of things that differ from you and others. If everyone just mimed the same things they were told to think and say then nothing would ever change. Open expression of ones personal needs and wants allows for healthy discussion and debate. Unfortunately the internet has become a block fest of echo chambers and hyper dramatic pearl clutching citizens. Too bad.
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I'd be fine with just a HDMI. Also the fact that the laptop won't launch if the battery is dead is VERY lame. Putting the charger in the usb-c port is meh. But making it have to have a battery charge to launch is questionable. I guess if your battery dies even if you have a power cord they want you to be screwed?
Ok
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I mean. Zoom out and you will find the YouTubed crowd and a small minority of people are still having issues.
And me. It's mostly the whiners who post in these forums. Those of us without issues just get on with things. If we do say nothing is wrong, then we are often vilified.
I work at an institution which uses a LOT of Mac systems and I hear every single day people upset that they have to use a dongle for everything. These are not technical folks but just every day users.
Welcome to the echo chamber...
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I get people don't like dongles; I'm not a big fan of them either especially since they can be problematic when going from a new port to a legacy one. However, that doesn't mean a new machine is somehow bad because they have gotten rid of ports. Other than having a dock so I can have an SD card for backup and a legacy FireWire dongle kludge for a scanner I am able to attach my monitor, external HD, blu ray drive, HD docking station, etc. without a dongle. I would have preferred not to buy all new cables but for $50 or so it was worth it to me to not have to carry a bunch of dongles around. Wireless printing got rid of the need for another new cable.
It would be nice if Apple made a dock, much like other manufacturers, that would have the ports most people use on the desktop and get rid of dongles. I'd like to see a built in HSPD 12 reader as well but that isn't happening.
I am curious - what do you use that can't be connected with a USB-C or TB-3 cable? Or is it the organization justifiably doesn't want to spend more money on all new cables if dongles are cheaper?
My point is forum users often assume because they see people with similar desires on forums that their viewpoint represents the majority of users, that isn't unique to computer forums but applies broadly to other types of forums as well. It's just the computer version of "I don't understand how X won when everyone I know voted for Y..."
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I’ve had 4 refurb products From Apple or the Apple store. Despite the sometimes meager savings, it’s generally enough to mostly cover paying for AppleCare (if you want it).
My iPad Mini, 27" iMac, 12.9" iPad Pro continue to work perfectly. I only anticipate replacing the iMac in a few years when it no longer supports required system software (iTunes in particular), I still run Adobe CS3 on it and a very old version of Microsoft office. I also run Afinity Photo and Designer on it very smoothly. Can’t wait for their Publisher program.
The fourth refurb was an iPhone 6s Plus. Went in to have battery replaced and after they did it they couldn’t make the phone work right. They gave me a refurb (new battery, no scratches, worked great (with twice as much storage as the one they broke, all for the $29 cost of the new battery). Again, worked flawlessly. Traded in for X’s Max (which paid almost all the AppleCare) which I do love especially for camera options and screen acreage, but still miss the 6s Plus, too.
Really, don’t overlook the Apple refurb store if they have what you want or close to it. I settled for a gold iPad 12.9" because of more storage. In the case you can’t even see the gold so no matter to me. And it’s my first white bezel which I have found I like.
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I'd also buy refurbished, but for the fact that I like to buy the latest computers when they come out. Silly since I hold on to them for five or more years. Depending on what gets launched this month, I may get a new desktop. Not sure I want to wait four months for the refurbished units to come out. But I'm in desperate need to get off my windows laptop and back to having a MacOS computer available at home.
On their web site they were quoting tax numbers for both New Jersey and New York as well. I picked up a mid-2015 yesterday and paid NY state tax on it (maybe they had been collecting in NY all along? I'm not sure)
I was planning to wait for Black Friday to scoop up a 2018 model from somewhere, however, I find plenty of reports of keyboard problems STILL with the 2018 models. Sadly, I'm not sure I can risk spending $2k+ on refurbished or even new when there are reports of folks going through 3 or more replacements after only a couple weeks of usage. I'm sure I'd get used to the feel of the new keyboards, but I would be really REALLY upset with myself if I got a lemon. I think I may just go with a 2015 model despite the impressive benchmark improvements with the 6-core 2018 models. I'm currently using a 2011 MBP that is still impressively fast with just about every everyday task.
Yea, I replaced a 2011--or, am in the process of replacing it--with a 2015. The performance of my 2011 is completely fine, and I really don't need anything better. However, the keyboard is starting to flake out on me, the screws are falling out, the battery health is fading, and, of course, the GPU is a ticking time bomb in a 2011 (I've already replaced the logic board twice). I felt like it was time to invest in a newer machine, and still have the possibility of upgrading the hard drive.
This exactly.
MR readers and other vocal forum users are NOT Apple’s target market by a long shot.
What we want and what Apple’s target market want are often quite different. So it’s one thing to express our opinions but those on here saying “everyone is complaining about loss of HDMI/SD/whatever...” do not understand Apple’s target market at all.
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Yes, he is in a small percentage of the overall user base.
Again... Vocal MR and other forum users are NOT Apple’s target market. We ARE in fact a very small minority. The vast majority of Apple’s target market and user base don’t give two hoots about what we care about.
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In his defense he did actually express only his opinion.
I don’t like whiners any more than the next guy but a forum is a place for expressing an opinion.
It’s the people spouting all the “everybody wants...” and “nobody wants... lines that really should have no place here.
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They doubled the ram, and ssd, added two cores to all of them, and addressed some of the issues with the keyboards.
Go look at geek bench. These new MBPs aren’t just the fastest Mac laptops ever by a long shot. They’re not far behind the iMac Pro in some tests.
If you don’t consider that an update you will never be happy.
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Personal opinion on this last point and I acknowledge others opinions will differ: but if you want super fast GPU that’s what eGPU is for now. These things don’t need or want the extra heat or cost of the fastest internal GPUs.
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I’m in MN and just got an email saying they’re collecting MN tax now.
I believe they’ve been collecting NY tax all along because that’s where they are located.
Yea, that was probably a silly question for me to ask. I was pricing my order for shipment to New Jersey as well, and they were including tax in the quotes; actually, the NJ tax was $40 less than NY. I just meant to say they are definitely collecting tax from different states, where required.
Sounds like we're in the same boat. I actually bought this 2011 used and it's been a beast with no problems and also feel like I don't REALLY need a new machine except that it's been excluded from Mojave. Decent deals os swappa for the 2015, so seems like that makes the most sense. I really like the 15" screen, so the MBP is my only option.
Yea, I definitely hear you on the 15'' screen--can't go back to 12'', which is what I had before the Early 2011. The 12'' was a refurbished PowerBook G4--I'm not adverse to buying refurbished, although it isn't my first choice.
Looking at these refurb models, it looks like there is a 512gb option just over $2,000, which could have worked I guess; I need to have a Windows install for work, making 256gb difficult to live on. I would rather have the option to upgrade the drive, even beyond 512gb, without some of the other features of the 2018 models that I'm not a fan of, namely the keyboard. I know this choice isn't for everyone, but I think I'm going to be happy with the decision to buy a mid-2015 once the annoyance of fixing settings/reinstalling/transferring is complete. I just picked it up last night so I'm not even using it yet--still on my 2011, and happy the w, e, and r keys are working today.
The issue is not what do we use that can’t be connected. The issue is for three generations now apple has included USB-C only while removing every other type of port. This requires a multitude of dongles or a port replicator for just about anything you wish to connect because we simply do not live in a USB-C world. In their quest for the thinnest possible laptop they have sacrificed standard ports that everyone still uses. Sure USB-C is great, it offers a plethora of connectivity options and gobs of bandwidth, but it’s still a port that you have to have an adapter to use for 99% of devices. It’s extra junk to carry around that just isn’t necessary. Again all for the sake of claiming an extra mm or two of thickness.
I’m all for advancement but the rest of the world just hasn’t embraced USB-C and it’s clear apple is not ushering in a new generation of its use, simply a new all time high in terms of money spent on dongles. If apple were serious about this and it not simply be a cash grab along with thinness title they’d be throwing in a few adapters for the most common use cases (HDMI, DP, etc) but at best you get a single usb-c to USB adapter.
I'd like to have more port options but it's not like you have to use dongles for most items, especially common use ones.
Personally, I'd like them to put a micro-SD slot in since it would not add much, if anything, to the Mac's thickness. Mini-DisplayPort would be nice as well as I have dongles for VGA and DVI in case that's wha a client uses for projection; although most lately have been HDMI.
Apple does tend to decide a technology is outdated before the rest of the industry. It is a pain to have to buy all new cables. I actually use some in my Kensington Dock which I bought to have a power supply at home so I can leave my other in my travel bag. I got it half off with a Kensington code at Amazon so it was cheaper than a second brick and had the added plus of ports.
I'm not sure about your adapter comment. The only devices I have that needs a dongle is my legacy Nikon Firewire scanner and VGA Projector. I have USB->C to USB MB (External Blu Ray Player and hard drive), USB B (Printer), and HDMI. I don't have a USB C -> Lightening since I mostly use a separate charger but that cable is available as well and wireless backup.
I agree it would have been nice for Apple to include one or two adaptors with each USB-C only Mac. Toshiba included a USB-C dongle with their external hard drive; which was a nice touch even though I use a USB C -> MB cable so I do not need a dongle.
Blu Ray Drive.Printer HD Dock HDMI External Backup HD -> all of which I can connect with no dongle using a USB C -> Device connector cable.I spent about $30 - 40 for all the cables I wanted.
As I said, except for a legacy Fire Wire scanner and VGA projector, that I rarely use, I have no need for dongles as I have a USB-C cable for all the devices I use frequently. That's why I questioned your 99% comment.
I have a SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD which is native USB-C and I use two different cables to move data back and forth with USB-A. I have a Transcend card reader with a removable USB 3.0 cable that I replaced with a USB-C version. I have another USB-C enclosure that I use for Time Machine backups. Are you specifically asking for USB-C native devices, because those are relatively far and few between right now, but if it has a removable cable, then It’s a simple cable switch and done.
Except you had to fork over extra money for things that adapt your devices that are not USB-C to work. It’s the same thing man. My issue is not with “dongles” so to speak but with this mandatory usb-c only world apple thinks everyone lives in.
All my devices I connect to my work supplied 2015 MacBook Pro just work because.... it has USB ports on it that 99.9% of devices still come with. Even apple does not ship a usb-c to lighting cable with their own iPhones, I think that speaks volumes about where USB-C is currently. You literally have to adapt everything instead of apple simply including a “legacy” USB port.
Honestly I don’t care enough anymore at this point to go on. I won’t be buying one of these laptops for a number of reasons and I hope all that do enjoy their extra adapter and cable purchases.