Apple Launches 2018 MacBook Pros: 8th Gen Core, Up to 32GB of RAM, Third-Gen Keyboard, Quad-Core on 13-Inch and More

[lec0rsaire]

I wonder if the 13" still has crippled right-side Thunderbolt 3 ports?

My guess would be yes. I don’t think anything but the CPUs, True Tone display and 3rd gen keyboard is different.

 

[PowerGala]

The i9 is certainly a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting that.

I'm still happy with my 2016 Macbook Pro, but it gives me hope that they'll give me what I want (SSD Pre-Configuration) for the 2018 iMac.

 

[redheeler]

I think it is safe to say that the reaction here is overwhelmingly negative for whatever reason.

I personally was hoping for:

• Hex-core Coffee Lake
• Improved keyboard
• 32 GB DDR4 RAM
• Increased display resolution
• Lowered base price

So that's two yes, two no, and one maybe. Slightly underwhelming, but I guess it could've been worse.

 

[lec0rsaire]

I apologize for my ignorance, I'm a fairly new MBP owner (as of a few months ago). I thought the 2017 MBP 13' could do an eGPU with the 4 USB C ports? Is that something only the 2018 model can do?

The 2016 and 2017 can do everything the 2018s can do. Just different CPUs. Thunderbolt 3 performance is the same. High Sierra 10.13.4 and later.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Even when the Butterfly keyboard is working, it's god-awful to type on.

As 2017 MBP TB 13' owners, my wife and I are very happy with the new keyboards. This is coming from someone who has several cherry black and cherry brown mechanical keyboards (Made in USA). I actually like this keyboard because I can type on it really fast and it doesn't require a lot of effort. Yes, I was against the smaller keyboard initially, but I've really warmed up to it. My wife loves hers. Other 2016-2017 MBP owners we've talked to in real life have all had positive things to say about their keyboards. So far, the only people I've talked to that hate the keyboards are those that … don't own one (in real life, not talking about macrumors or implying anything towards you).
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The 2016 and 2017 can do everything the 2018s can do. Just different CPUs. Thunderbolt 3 performance is the same. High Sierra 10.13.4 and later.

Thanks! Was just making sure I wasn't missing something. ​

 

[lec0rsaire]

Looks like they forgot about the 13" ntb model.
Same steep price as last year, with the same ridiculously low 128 Gb on the entry model. Nice.

I think this is because Intel went quad core. Until there are more CPU SKUs, they want to keep the tiers as different as possible. This way there is more incentive to spend the extra money for the 2nd TB3 controller and much better CPU and iGPU.

 

[nt5672]

Display card is really bad comparing with 2500 USD Gaming PC Notebook which normally equipped with GTX1070 8GB.
According to geekbench - open cl benchmark, GTX1070 is 138% faster than RX560 which also mean GTX1070 has more than double performance to RX560......Macbook "PRO"..its not real "PRO"

Apple does not make "Pro" hardware, they make toys that happen to, if you don't push them too hard, work in a lot of light usage business environments for a lot of people that feel they can impress their friends by using a computer called "Pro".

 

[AndiG]

"Note: MacBook Pro storage is not user accessible. If you think you may need more storage capacity in the future, consider upgrading at the time of purchase."
The same statement as for the iMac Pro that has M2 SSDs installed.

So I have to wait for ifixit to check if the SSD is soldered on to the motherboard. Don't care about the price and with 32GB Apple hit my minimum requirements.
A great update would have been a MBP with some ports. Ports!! An nvidia card would have been awesome too but I can live with 32GB as long as the SSD is replaceable.

 

[uecker87]

"Note: MacBook Pro storage is not user accessible. If you think you may need more storage capacity in the future, consider upgrading at the time of purchase."
The same statement as for the iMac Pro that has M2 SSDs installed.

So I have to wait for ifixit to check if the SSD is soldered on to the motherboard. Don't care about the price and with 32GB Apple hit my minimum requirements.
A great update would have been a MBP with some ports. Ports!! An nvidia card would have been awesome too but I can live with 32GB as long as the SSD is replaceable.

What fantasy land do you live in where there is even a remote chance that the SSD is user replaceable?

 

[nexu]

Meh, not bothered. Price is ridiculous

 

[Trolle]

As 2017 MBP TB 13' owners, my wife and I are very happy with the new keyboards. This is coming from someone who has several cherry black and cherry brown mechanical keyboards (Made in USA). I actually like this keyboard because I can type on it really fast and it doesn't require a lot of effort. Yes, I was against the smaller keyboard initially, but I've really warmed up to it. My wife loves hers. Other 2016-2017 MBP owners we've talked to in real life have all had positive things to say about their keyboards. So far, the only people I've talked to that hate the keyboards are those that … don't own one (in real life, not talking about macrumors or implying anything towards you).
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Thanks! Was just making sure I wasn't missing something. ​

Honestly I love the keyboard. I am sure they have tweaked it a bit.

 

[hajime]

At Apple store. They played dumb and tried to sell me the 2017 model. I said I want the new 2018 just released today not their new 2017 model. Then then said that they might have them at the back of the store but if I want it today, I have to order online. They said that it will take a few days to put the demo units in store!

 

[redheeler]

So I have to wait for ifixit to check if the SSD is soldered on to the motherboard.

Edit: Actually, looking closer at the wording of that message seems to suggest the SSD is in fact socketed. Here is the same message for the MacBook Air:

Please note that the storage is built into the computer, so if you think you’ll need additional storage capacity in the future, it’s important to upgrade at the time of purchase.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Probably there will be another 13"-ish Mac laptop with the same processor class that currently is inside the 13" MBP escape (15 W TDP) released as a new entry-level later this year. What's curious is that the 12" MB didn't get a processor update as well. My guess would be that they are going to update it in some additional ways beyond a processor upgrade (second USB-C port?).

In addition to a USB-C port, MBs need a TB3 port for the eGPU that was just announced.

They actually claim they improved the keyboard a little:

It would be nice if they would "improve" the trackpad back down to the size of the 2012-15 models.

Finally, somewhat inline with PC specs.
However, I thought the exclusion of Nvidia 10 series GPUs really set these back from a graphics perspective.
Would love a 'MacBook Pro SE' featuring all the ports you love, magsafe, and no touchbar.

Yes, but not inline with PC prices! I can get a 13" Dell XPS with 4xTB3 ports, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD (granted with the i7-8550U) for $1600 any day of the week and $1300 on sale. Similarly, the Lenovo X1 Carbon. A similar configuration for Apple is $2200!

Also, why is Apple still the only company offering a premium (priced) 13" ultraportable that does not have a FHD (1080p) screen? Dell and Lenovo offer FHD as standard on the XPS 13 and X1 Carbon with options for 1440 and 4K!

 

[Falcon9]

Seems like a nice update! I was not expecting this for at least a few more months. I've been hoping for a quad-core 13" for a while. But geez.. why so expensive I am planning to upgrade to the new iPhone released in the fall so I think my current MBP will remain in service for at least another year.

 

[nordique]

A step in the right direction, brings it up to par tech-wise with the competition.

At those prices though, the keyboard needs to be perfect for me. Making it quieter alone isn’t going to do it

Apple needs to go back to the drawing board on that imo

 

[maflynn]

My kids found out the new MBP hit the streets and so they're excited and the wife things we'll be better off with it. Since I returned the Razer for the express purpose of waiting for the MBP refresh, I think I may as well bite the bullet

 

[nt5672]

In this case, all you need is a MacBook or MacBook Air.
My point is that Apple shouldn't be adding the "Pro" label to something that's not Pro.

Apple routinely targets people that, for whatever reason, cannot see or will not look past Apple's advertising and marketing messages. Thats the purpose of the "Pro" moniker.

 

[AdonisSMU]

No working keyboard?

No sale.

Plus, they are still saddled with the gimmicky touchbar, underpowered ports if you can remember which one, and sub resolution displays. Come on Apple, t’s 2018.

The bottom line is Apple continues to ship sub-par laptops with crappy keyboards

There is plenty of stuff to complain about but this is false. the MBP's have the most powerful and versatile ports available on the market.

 

[boccabella]

You gotta be nuts to buy one of these machines.

 

[the johnmc]

The T2 provides low-level hardware security and on-the-fly SSD encryption, among other things...

Enabling FileVault 2 Encryption on an iMac Pro floored me with how fast it was. I was expecting maybe a 5 minute conversion time with how beefy the specs are, but it was instantaneous. Normally the system reboots and begins encrypting. This time it just completed logging out and by the time I logged back in, it was done.

 

[mmomega]

You can chose to display just the function keys for whichever apps you want in settings. You’ll just hear a error sound instead of changing something.
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It’s impossible because that is a 45w part. The 13” models stick to 28w.

Again it was a "hope" just because that would be more my ideal laptop scenario.
It would have been a holy **** they did it? type of thing.
Not upset about it, and the i7 with HT should be a decent jump over my current late 2016 i5 dual core.

I have a decent dent in the lid of my current model pushing through to the screen creating a bright white dot on the screen. I have been holding off repairing since the initial quoted repair for $500+ for a new lid.
So it has been a debate, keep the current machine add another $500-600 to it or upgrade at a later date.
Them decisions.

 

[puma1552]

$400 to go from 512 GB to 1 TB on the high end 15"? Ouch.

32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD makes that a $3600 machine. Plus tax, plus Applecare and you're north of 4 large for what I consider the bare minimum spec for 2018 if you are looking for it to last 7-8 years.

Insane. 1TB should be standard at this point, or it should be a $200 upgrade at worst.

 

[jgbr]

It's a mobile workhorse. Need more power, get a desktop or eGPU external box which has been supported since 2016. Although performance on mobile is question of Radeon to similar Nvidia cards.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Thes updates just make the Matebook X Pro look even better if you don’t need MacOS or are willing to run it via other means.

Huawei/ZTE is a national security risk. I wouldn’t go anywhere near one of those!