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Are you satisfied with this morning's spec bump?
- Thread starter emilioestevez
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I guess then we come from polar opposites when it comes to device usage.
I've done the iPad Pro and although specs may look very favourable, sadly the software is sadly lacking.
I guess our usage differs, as the iPad Pro really doesn’t have the software to do any real professional content creation or business. Beyond a nice sketch, spreadsheets, word processing, web. The maturity of iOS is very limited. Having apps side by side is a very limited multitasking environment.
A typical iOS scenario: You have a word document open, you are writing a report. You have the Excel spreadsheet open in split view. Great. Oh, you need to check the email, check a fact on Google, open the calculator. Your stuck. You start thinking. Then you start looking in the App Store again looking for a solution. Being unproductive.
I noticed you mentioned you use Xcode. Also Python, Java programming. I doubt very much you do these tasks on your iPad Pro?
This is where the beauty of the Macbook comes in. You can do Xcode, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Unity. You can even run bootcamp, if you wish. Along with the basics like Word, Excel, Web, Email and everything else I failed to mention.
Yes a concession has to be made versus MBP, iMac, Mac Pro in terms of performance, but the trade off for light weight portability the equivalent of an iPad Pro is incredible.
That is the attraction. People over 30, probably have programs they have used for years. But also like the idea of iPads. But they don’t offer the software that a laptop offers yet. The Macbook is an older persons iPad.
For a 16 year old, I guess they would be wondering why laptops and desktop computers still exist!
Oh, and on price. If price was an issue, anyone could buy something like an Acer touchscreen tablet / laptop for around £200 from their local supermarket. You then have the functionality of a art tablet, along with full Windows OS. But only the clinically insane would do such a thing.
Youre right, I dont code on the IPP. I really love the rMB design...just wish it were more efficient for my needs.
Obviously your opinion only.....and your examples are exactly what an iPad excels at, but that's about it.
There is a huge difference between work that can be performed on an iPad vs a MacBook......If you can't understand that then nobody can help you.
As a simple example......Try running in depth number crunching Excel spreadsheets and developing huge macros on a iPad for instance, it ain't happening.
Like I said, you need the machine for the job, if the Macbook can't do it for you move on.
Sure doesn't make it a POS or "not a great computer"........I think the vast majority here realize what the MacBook's intended purpose is and love the machine.
If you need a a stump puller buy a stump puller......
BTW, I'm not your buddy.
Overall, I think this is a nice spec bump. I'm not sure if this machine fits my need, even with the new specs. I just came back from a Disney vacation and I used my SP3. I'm toying with the idea of replacing this in the near future. I'm not sure if this with a single port fits my needs but the speed increase is a plus.
I said I wouldn't
As I said, it's perfectly fine for me as it is - for everything except I like to play a little StarCraft 2 once in a while, so if the GPU was a lot better I might have considered it. But it isn't really, so no sweat
IMHO this statement is spot on. I have never found iPads useful for being productive in my typical workflow (lots of emails & spreadsheets, presentations, etc.). Doing these tasks on an iPad is more difficult/cumbersome. I've sold every iPad I've ever tried for this exact reason.
The rMB appears to be a great fit for ME. Plan to pick one up soon. I know others have different use cases where the rMB may not be the best fit for their needs.
Wow you seem pretty offended by my pointing out the rMB limitations.
I dont know what kind
Wow you seem pretty defensive about the rMB?
First of all, this isnt "only" my opinion. Many critics and reveiwers have noted that the MacBook is underpowered for what its trying to be...an OS X notebook.
I have acknowledged in my previous posts, had you actually read them, instead of just spewing out points in anger against my disagreement with a product that you are obesesssive about, that you can do things solely on the MacBook, such as coding, which are difficult for the IPP. I understand that and acknowledge it. My point is though that you cant do structural analyses, coding, modeling on the rMB efficiently, it lags. Therefore its a beautiful design...one that is sadly underpowered. At best it offers one a basic computing experience.
You can do far more on the Air or Pro. Now youll say Im not the targeted market.Well i love PORTABILILTY...but not at the sake of power. Apple needs to either up the processing power...or drop the price to the rMB equivalent competitors..e.g. Chromebool Pixel - therefore 999 USD.
Yeah calling it POS was a bit extreme on my part.
I bet you wont understand what Im trying to say as your too blinded in your love for the rMB and Apple. Its pretty senseless arguing with you. The other memebrs actually weighed the discussion from both sides...and not as a one sided arguement.
If you have a problem with someone calling you buddy...I guess you just dont get a lot of love.
WoW.........
Not defensive at all.
Not obsessive at all.
No anger at all.
Your words, not mine..........Sorry YOU seem to think so.
By thinking and pointing out as such you are the one that is one-sided.....and no my idea of "buddy" is not someone that replies on a forum.
I simply pointed out that every machine has it's intended target and limitations as any machine has......not sure why YOU can't seem to understand that.
Move on to something that suits and works for you.......not call a machine a POS as that is very far from the truth.
Anger seems to be on your side.....
Greetings from Hong Kong where, once again, my RMB was a champ where it counts most- on a long plane flight where there is media to watch and work to get done.
Starting to read some of the comparisons between the 2015 and 2016 models and there isn't much there, seems in real-world conditions the battery is only extended by 30 minutes over the prior gen and one can't really feel the benchmark milliseconds that are produced by the newer processor.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/0...book-is-a-faster-version-of-the-same-machine/
"Apple says the new MacBook should be good for about an hour of extra battery life compared to the old one, a number we didn’t quite hit in our Wi-Fi browsing test. The 2016 MacBook outlasted 2015’s version by about half an hour.."
"If you’ve already got a 2015 MacBook, this one is usually faster but won’t run circles around it. Its CPU, GPU, and storage performance is in the neighborhood of a MacBook Air from two or three years ago. This new release is a solid upgrade for anyone with a Mac from, say, 2010 or earlier, but it’s not a high-powered workstation."
http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/25/apple-macbook-review-2016/
"it also has the same problems -- namely, a lack of ports and battery life that, while decent, still trails other thin and light laptops, including Apple's own MacBook Air. Basically, then, if you were turned off last year by what the MacBook had to offer, this year's incremental changes won't be enough to change your mind. If, however, you've always wanted a pink notebook, or take more comfort in buying a second-generation product than a first-gen one, at least you know what you're getting."
The good news is that the RMB is staying focused on what it's mission is- extreme portability- and not trying to become a replacement for the Air. If I didn't jump in a year ago, I'd be looking for a 2015 model right now and use the $ savings to get the version with the bigger SSD as seemingly that's a bigger win than any of this processor stuff.
BJ
People get tied up in their choices, and what they view as negative subjective categorizations tend to fray nerves. "underpowered" and "at best it offers a basic computing experience" are very subjective attributions and assume a great deal about others needs. I think some rail against those in view of it feeding incorrect information to people coming here seeking to learn about the rMB and whether it might fit their needs. Many people do have very light compute needs, but still need more in terms of applications and such than is available in iOS. Others have mixed compute needs and have an alternate less portable system to handle those whereas they are willing to sacrifice computer power when mobile.
I'd suggest that someone needing both a bunch of computer power and extreme portability is currently SOL. Various compromises were made to achieve the extreme portability, and those compromises limit the rMB's ability to do stuff like structural analyses, coding, modelling, etc. I do photo editing and RAW processing as my heavier needs; I wouldn't want an rMB as my sole machine. As a companion to a mini it's great.
You say you want portability but won't sacrifice power; that clearly puts you out of the (apparent) target market for the rMB in its current incarnation. To get the rMB size in today's Apple product lineup you accept a loss of power, or you accept a bit more size and weight and choose an Air instead. Does that make the rMB bad? No, it just makes it a poor choice for heavy hitters such as yourself. It'd be great to be able to have a Miata and haul a big horse trailer with it on the weekend, but current technology just isn't going to allow the Miata to do that job very well. If someone buys it for that purpose the fault lies not with the Miata.
Pricing is simply a marketing decision. One that works out over time. If something is truly overpriced then that price will be adjusted downward; if the price doesn't change over time that's a clear indicator the manufacturer is selling enough units at that price that they feel they can maintain it. I'd love for a new BMW F83 to be priced at a level I'm willing to pay for it, but I have no expectations of that happening anytime soon.
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WoW.........
Not defensive at all.
Not obsessive at all.
No anger at all.
Your words, not mine..........Sorry YOU seem to think so.
By thinking and pointing out as such you are the one that is one-sided.....and no my idea of "buddy" is not someone that replies on a forum.
I simply pointed out that every machine has it's intended target and limitations as any machine has......not sure why YOU can't seem to understand that.
Move on to something that suits and works for you.......not call a machine a POS as that is very far from the truth.
Anger seems to be on your side.....
How am I one sided...I am clearly pointing out the rMB pros and cons. You seem to be just defending it. I understand it has an intended purpose - to replace the Air (which I think you dont understand). However its underpowered than the Air. And like I compared before...its processing power is lesser than the IPP.
Regarding "buddy"...are you really going to argue over semantics and how I addressed you. " Hard up" for friendship...really? I could care less. I just used buddy to bring down the tension that youre trying to create here.
No anger at all here...YOUR ASSUMPTION, not thr reality.
As I mentioned before its senseless to talk with you...and yes with any more of your nonsense...I will feel irritated, not anger though.
I have nothing more to say to you but enjoy your ignorance.
[doublepost=1461613109][/doublepost]
People get tied up in their choices, and what they view as negative subjective categorizations tend to fray nerves. "underpowered" and "at best it offers a basic computing experience" are very subjective attributions and assume a great deal about others needs. I think some rail against those in view of it feeding incorrect information to people coming here seeking to learn about the rMB and whether it might fit their needs. Many people do have very light compute needs, but still need more in terms of applications and such than is available in iOS. Others have mixed compute needs and have an alternate less portable system to handle those whereas they are willing to sacrifice computer power when mobile.
I'd suggest that someone needing both a bunch of computer power and extreme portability is currently SOL. Various compromises were made to achieve the extreme portability, and those compromises limit the rMB's ability to do stuff like structural analyses, coding, modelling, etc. I do photo editing and RAW processing as my heavier needs; I wouldn't want an rMB as my sole machine. As a companion to a mini it's great.
You say you want portability but won't sacrifice power; that clearly puts you out of the (apparently) target market for the rMB in its current incarnation. To get the rMB size in today's Apple product lineup you accept a loss of power, or you accept a bit more size and weight and choose an Air instead. Does that make the rMB bad? No, it just makes it a poor choice for heavy hitters such as yourself. It'd be great to be able to have a Miata and haul a big horse trailer with it on the weekend, but current technology just isn't going to allow the Miata to do that job very well. If someone buys it for that purpose the fault lies not with the Miata.
Pricing is simply a marketing decision. One that works out over time. If something is truly overpriced then that price will be adjusted downward; if the price doesn't change over time that's a clear indicator the manufacturer is selling enough units at that price that they feel they can maintain it. I'd love for a new BMW F83 to be priced at a level I'm willing to pay for it, but I have no expectations of that happening anytime soon.
I agree with what you say...but I mentioned price looking at what Apple offers. For the same price you get a powerful rMBP...though you lose portability. Its a second gen product now...and we all know by the 4 gen its gonna drop in price...just like the Air. Right now its in a "prototype" phase.
All Im saying is for a rationale thinker...its not the best product. But yes there are early adopters or those who use it as a secondary computer.
Its all subjective.
All Im trying to convey to the other poster is for my needs, I dont see where the rMB stands in Apples product line. Once it reached the capability of the Air...ill look into it then.
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Greetings from Hong Kong where, once again, my RMB was a champ where it counts most- on a long plane flight where there is media to watch and work to get done.
Starting to read some of the comparisons between the 2015 and 2016 models and there isn't much there, seems in real-world conditions the battery is only extended by 30 minutes over the prior gen and one can't really feel the benchmark milliseconds that are produced by the newer processor.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/0...book-is-a-faster-version-of-the-same-machine/
"Apple says the new MacBook should be good for about an hour of extra battery life compared to the old one, a number we didn’t quite hit in our Wi-Fi browsing test. The 2016 MacBook outlasted 2015’s version by about half an hour.."
"If you’ve already got a 2015 MacBook, this one is usually faster but won’t run circles around it. Its CPU, GPU, and storage performance is in the neighborhood of a MacBook Air from two or three years ago. This new release is a solid upgrade for anyone with a Mac from, say, 2010 or earlier, but it’s not a high-powered workstation."
http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/25/apple-macbook-review-2016/
"it also has the same problems -- namely, a lack of ports and battery life that, while decent, still trails other thin and light laptops, including Apple's own MacBook Air. Basically, then, if you were turned off last year by what the MacBook had to offer, this year's incremental changes won't be enough to change your mind. If, however, you've always wanted a pink notebook, or take more comfort in buying a second-generation product than a first-gen one, at least you know what you're getting."
The good news is that the RMB is staying focused on what it's mission is- extreme portability- and not trying to become a replacement for the Air. If I didn't jump in a year ago, I'd be looking for a 2015 model right now and use the $ savings to get the version with the bigger SSD as seemingly that's a bigger win than any of this processor stuff.
BJ
Extra beef is always good, but I got a great deal on my 512gb last year and the it's really the best work laptop I've had to this day..
I don't understand why reviews keep mentioning the bolded section.
Are there really people out there who look at desktops/giant laptops, then the 12" - and expect it to be equal to those?
Mentioning it over and over is so asinine..
It's like writing a review for a 32" HDTV, and ending with "..but, it's not an IMAX experience.."
No **** reviewers!!!!!!
I don't think anyone claims this is a cheap system, it's clearly premium priced... and the premium people pay is for that portability. You don't value that portability sufficiently to be willing to pay the premium (or accept the compromises) to get it. That's fine, and is exactly why there are other models available.
As for price over time, I remember dropping significant coin on my MBA13 back in 2011; substantially more than a MBP13... for the 1440x900 display and portability and SSD.
See, this is where you ruffle feathers. This statement effectively calls out all rMB buyers irrational. That sort of derogatory generalization gets under some people's skin. Walk into a bar and call out everyone holding a particular brand of beer as irrational and what sort of result would you expect?
Absolutely nothing wrong with realizing a particular model is not for you. It'd be silly for me to buy a Mac Pro; that's WAY more computer than I need. However, I can see where it stands in the product line and why some people might buy it.
Are you truly unable to see where it stands in Apple's product line? IMHO it's a harbinger of the demise of the Air, with the MBP getting a rMB styled redesign while retaining fans for heftier cpus and retaining more ports (as there will be room for them). Pure speculation, but it makes sense from a product lineup. We'll see if Apple follows suit.
(if instead you meant you can't see why people might buy it, I'd ask if you've ever truly sat down with an rMB in your lap and used it for a while?)
Agree completely.
Since the day it was released, reviewers have piled onto the RMB mercilessly, they have it out for Apple sometimes and this definitely is a controversial machine and they are milking it for all its worth.
BJ
AnandTech usually goes through more battery tests, though given their history it could be a month before we see a review. Ryan did mention on Twitter that he received his on Friday, though.
Greetings from Hong Kong where, once again, my RMB was a champ where it counts most- on a long plane flight where there is media to watch and work to get done.
Starting to read some of the comparisons between the 2015 and 2016 models and there isn't much there, seems in real-world conditions the battery is only extended by 30 minutes over the prior gen and one can't really feel the benchmark milliseconds that are produced by the newer processor.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/0...book-is-a-faster-version-of-the-same-machine/
"Apple says the new MacBook should be good for about an hour of extra battery life compared to the old one, a number we didn’t quite hit in our Wi-Fi browsing test. The 2016 MacBook outlasted 2015’s version by about half an hour.."
"If you’ve already got a 2015 MacBook, this one is usually faster but won’t run circles around it. Its CPU, GPU, and storage performance is in the neighborhood of a MacBook Air from two or three years ago. This new release is a solid upgrade for anyone with a Mac from, say, 2010 or earlier, but it’s not a high-powered workstation."
http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/25/apple-macbook-review-2016/
"it also has the same problems -- namely, a lack of ports and battery life that, while decent, still trails other thin and light laptops, including Apple's own MacBook Air. Basically, then, if you were turned off last year by what the MacBook had to offer, this year's incremental changes won't be enough to change your mind. If, however, you've always wanted a pink notebook, or take more comfort in buying a second-generation product than a first-gen one, at least you know what you're getting."
The good news is that the RMB is staying focused on what it's mission is- extreme portability- and not trying to become a replacement for the Air. If I didn't jump in a year ago, I'd be looking for a 2015 model right now and use the $ savings to get the version with the bigger SSD as seemingly that's a bigger win than any of this processor stuff.
BJ
The new one:
-m7 is up to 50% faster than previous 1.1ghz old generation (it means minutes apart and not milliseconds exporting photos of your family or creating videos of your children with imovie).
-ssd is up to 100% faster in some tests.
-ram is much faster (you can read it in your own link-arstechnica.
-battery in some test can be up to 100 min longer (playing 1440p video -the perfect youtube resolution for its screen).
And yes, the only points that apple hasn't changed are one usb-c (enough for me) and 480p (if the camera was a 720p version, the new macbook (with skylake) would be the perfect machine). But this changes could have added weight and thickness to the product, so I can live without them!!
Finally, we have THE best laptop ever. We'll see next June (13th), if it remains at the top, of if it is replaced by a redesigned MBP.
True...you couldnt have said it better.
The other poster did.Your just one sided and cant accept the rMBs limitations.
[doublepost=1461617046][/doublepost]
But its true, an average rationale buyer would go for the best bang for their buck. The rMB simply isnt that. However, as I said previously early adopters and those that treat this as a secondary computer...will go for it. Now are those individuals irrationale...nope I did not say that. Its rationale for their needs.
I acknowledged that the rMB position in Apples product line is to replace the Air...but has it yet. No. Why? Because its underpowered incomparison to the Air - which offers great portability and power, the perfect balance. Therefore with it being underpowered...the rMB does not have a clear position within their product line..well see in the coming future.
Anyways this is all subjective to ones needs...I dont know why some posters (Buerkletucson) here are so hellbent on trying to make me "understand" the "greatness" of the rMB. I guess theres an ignore option for a reason on this forum.
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There have actually been people that have posted comments about how after seeing Geekbench reports of the Core m CPU's "being faster than a MacBook Pro", that they will be getting the rMB because of it. With that in mind, I think there is value in review sites pointing out that it's not the same. Otherwise, there could be people reading those reviews, and then going out and getting a rMB and expecting it to be able to run sustained workloads, and those types of people will be disappointed.
So, we have people misinterpreting the intent of the reviewers, or we have people misinterpreting Geekbench results. What we don't seem to have, is a fundamental understanding by a lot of consumers about the realistic capabilities of the hardware.
Gotta have a realistic viewpoint of what this crap can do, because it's much better to make an informed purchase decision than it is go out and get something and expecting it to do 'task a", when it's really best suited to doing "task b."
Then, of course, you have people that just seem to post about all of this crap for some sort of attention grab or cheap giggles.
The RMB has no limitations when it is used for its intended purpose by those who understand its intended purpose.
BJ
True...you couldnt have said it better.
Your just one sided and cant accept the rMBs limitations.
Let your true colors show......very intelligent response there, wow.
Your impressing nobody but yourself.
Can you actually see?
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If a buyer is motivated primarily by "bang for the buck," then chances are that person is getting a Windows notebook. Yes, Windows PCs with similar specifications and build quality to Macs have prices that are closer to Macs (though often there is still a bit of a Mac premium), but there is a wider range of capable devices at lower price points. There is also more software for Windows, and there are devices, such as the Surface Pro, that offer 2-in-1 capabilities, even if neither of the capabilities is the most optimized.