Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

B&H Photo Offering 15-Inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro With $200 Discount and Copy of Parallels 12

jkichline said:
Hey everyone. Just wanted to chime. There seems to be a lot of hate towards this machine and it seems to be from rumors and media that are looking for click bait. Have you used the laptop enough to make such wide and sweeping accusations?

I have been using mine through the weekend (just received Thursday before Christmas) and so far I'm loving it. Here are some observations...

1. I love the keyboard. It's a little louder than the original, but I actually like the sound. While the "throw" is shorter on the keys, they have great feedback and are very precise/accurate. The keys are also larger. I'm still having some trouble with the arrow keys, but the only different between them and my 2013 rMBP is the left and right arrows take up the full height instead of being half height like the up/down arrow keys.

2. The touch pad is pretty big. It makes doing certain things in Photoshop where you're dragging a selection easier. I haven't noted any issue with palm rejection despite it's enormous size.

3. I like the TouchBar but I think I'm just not accustomed to using it yet. I know all of the keyboard shortcuts for what I need and most of my day is spent docked to a keyboard/screen so I use the shortcuts anyway. I don't think it's gimmicky, I just think it's something new to learn when my fingers are used to muscle memory operations.

4. TouchID is awesome! It makes me forget that I ever had to type a password before. One place they could improve is to offer it as an option when performing "sudo" type actions.

5. The screen is gorgeous and crazy thin for the quality and brightness. The bezel and the entire dimension of the laptop is reduced even further than a MacBook Air 13".

6. I bought a lot of dongles and have invested in a Kickstarter project that makes a "sidekick" attachment. I like the idea of just having one USB-C cable that connects all of my stuff though. I like that idea but technology is not quite there yet (since I already have old peripherals. I do have the TB3 to TB2 adapter and have it plugged into my TB2 dock and everything works perfectly. I used the HDMI dongle and that works too, etc. One qualm... the dongles from Apple are bloody huge! I wish they were a bit smaller or had longer cords or something.

But here's the truth... USB-C *IS* the future. Get used to it. It's a great port design and you simply cannot fit TB2, HDMI, USB-A or even MagSafe in such a thin package. I know, I know... you're all like "but it didn't have to be that thin" and you'd be right... but the future is going to march that direction. Sorry. USB-C is the way forward.

7. The power adapter is a little strange, not going to lie. The power brick DOES NOT have those little flanges to wrap cords around. The USB-C cord is very thick and feels like it's not going to break. Feels like a regular power cord. I like being able to plug in on either side. But here's the thing.... plugging in the laptop in the dark is almost impossible. The ports are so small, your fingers can hardly feel them to line up the USB-C cord. Of course they are reversible, but you can't find the dang ports. I think a future iteration of the tMBP should have very subtle backlighting in the ports to help you find them.

8. MagSafe – I don't really miss it except for the plugging in the laptop in the dark thing. Truth is, when I would sit with the laptop on my actual lap, most of the time the MagSafe adapter would tip and stop charging. USB-C is more secure of a connection. I have not recently had a problem with yanking the laptop of of a desk. Headphones are a bigger issue for me personally.

9. I have NOT had any stability issues with the new device. I saw some reviewers had all sorts of problems. I have not seen that at all. Everything seems to run as it should.

10. Battery Life – here's the big question right? I'm not seeing 10 hours of battery life. But then again, I wasn't expecting to. I just don't watch videos and surf the web for 10 hours a day. Anyone expecting to use the laptop unplugged while encoding video is a bit unhinged from physics and chemistry. That said, I am getting about the battery life I used to get on my 2013" rMBP. I'm going to do a real test today when I'm working to see how it goes and then try to compare with the older Mac and see what it looks like.

So that's my little review in a nutshell. I like the device. I wish it was a bit faster and had a bit better battery life as it's running about 40% faster than my 2013 model and about the same battery life. But otherwise I think it's a perfect laptop in just about every other sense.
Click to expand...

Nice review, I stopped reading at these to facepalm, but then remembered how much you payed for it and that you love it and kept going:

1- I bought a lot of dongles and have invested in a Kickstarter project that makes a "sidekick" attachment. (the world needs these kind of contributions, thanks)
2- I just think it's something new to learn when my fingers are used to muscle memory operations. (yea but even better, you also have to look at it and it's very ergonomic!)
3- I am getting about the battery life I used to get on my 2013" rMBP. (I hear next years aims to 1 hour battery on finder)

Oh! and finally:

4- I wish it was a bit faster and had a bit better battery life as it's running about 40% faster than my 2013 model and about the same battery life. (We couldn't squeeze in a faster CPU at this time because it would set the macbook profit on fire, but it's in the pipeline, note I didn't mention the subpar GPU... neither did you)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: nt5672
Lone Deranger said:
If Apple made the giant trackpad work with the Apple Pencil, complete with pressure sensitivity, it would be a huge selling point. Bigger than the silly Emoji bar. This would be a Pro feature.
Click to expand...

I think "Pro feature" is a pointless term. I'd be happy if Apple (and everyone) dropped "Pro" entirely as a marketing thing. The pencil isn't a "Pro" feature for plenty of pros. There are countless arguments on this forum about what is and is not a "Pro" feature. Is upgradeability a Pro feature? Is long battery life? Is the most powerful processor available regardless of compromises? Yes? No? It depends? I digress though.

I would have absolutely loved use of the pencil with the touch pad and would have preferred it to the touch bar by a wide margin. As it is I am seriously considering an iPad Pro + Pencil entirely for taking notes and rough drawings. I think the track pad might have made that work for me. (It's weird, but when thinking through a problem, writing works much better than any other input method I have ever used.)
 
gertruded said:
If the sales at the margin the bean counters demand is not there, they WILL kill the whole Mac line.
Click to expand...

As I've said before in these forums, if Apple announces Xcode for Windows, we'll know the Mac is doomed. But until then, Apple needs to make computers suitable for developing the apps that run on its phones, tablets and watches.

Though the fact that they robbed us programmers of our beloved escape and function keys without any reasonable remapping option (I already use caps lock as ctrl) tells me that the people who make decisions at Apple may have no idea what developers actually need. Why the hell not at the very least give us the option to use fn+[number] for function keys or the option to remap left and right cmd/option keys separately? And don't tell me I can use Karabiner; I shouldn't have to rely on third-party software that might not be supported after future OS updates.
 
mkeeley said:
So if you use your laptop professionally you never trip? How is a monitor or a phone the same thing?
Click to expand...
Do pros use other devices? Like say...windows laptops and work stations with power cords that they could trip on? HOW ON EARTH DO THEY USE THOSE DEVICES IF THEY CAN'T TRIP ON THE CORD AND HAVE THE CORD EASILY COME OFF WITH MAGNETS?!

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, how many times have you tripped on the power cord to your laptop?
 
chr1s60 said:
Says who? Yes that is what many companies do, but it is no way guaranteed or something Apple or any other manufacturer has to follow.
Apple has always charged a premium to be a part of their ecosystem and it's clear that they think the ecosystem they are creating and the hardware that goes along with it is worth more than it was last year.
Click to expand...
Says how technology works. If it's a new tech, it's super expensive. After a while, you are using the same manufacturing plants, building in bulk, not taking any risk, the price should go down.
 
Apple, people demand MBP SE! Updated version of 2015 model with old keyboard trackpad and ports. Why not? You did it with the phone. Pretty please... I solemnly swear to get one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Naimfan
It's simple retail.

1st. It's clearly only the 15" models. The 13" were actually selling for more than MSRP before Christmas and you could still get a deal on the 15". Parallels included IIRC. The 13" is in HUGE demand due to size and the lower price doesn't hurt.

2. B&H ordered laptops. The 13" and initially the 15" sold like crazy. They took pre-orders and due to strong sales likely ordered many extras in anticipation of Christmas. The 13"s sold well and continue to sell well while sales of the 15" have slowed and/or they ordered too many 15" or were required to order a 15" or every 13". Common practice.

3. All retail business' have to pay $$$ on any current inventory carried into January 1st. It's often times better to let go of current inventory at a discount before the first of the year to avoid paying the taxes.
 
they're being sold at substantial discounts here, too. Seems to me only the 15" models, though - I guess these are so prohibitively expensive that the retailers can't get rid of them otherwise. Haven't seen the 13" model with a discount yet.
 
If you've ever been to the B&H flagship in NYC, you know that they're actually offering the discounts during the heart of the Hanukkah shopping season!
 
burgman said:
Moore's law died in 2012, time to recalibrate expectations. I pity the marketing departments in tech struggling to push products to their entitlement driven tech addicted customer base.
Someone who needs advanced features on a computer for work views that computer as a tool nothing more. I seriously doubt that most emoting here have that detachment. Sounds more like "My Precious" :)
Click to expand...
It's not just about Moore's Law. The new model has worse keyboard, trackpad, battery, and ports. Also, CPUs are still getting faster if you count multiple processors/cores, and GPUs are getting much faster every year.

IDK why, but when I went to the store and tried the new rMBPs, they were noticeably lagging when scrolling in Finder or Safari. Not going to trust that laptop.
[doublepost=1482917161][/doublepost]
chr1s60 said:
Says who? Yes that is what many companies do, but it is no way guaranteed or something Apple or any other manufacturer has to follow.
Apple has always charged a premium to be a part of their ecosystem and it's clear that they think the ecosystem they are creating and the hardware that goes along with it is worth more than it was last year.
Click to expand...
Says the consumers who can just buy a refurbished 2015 model and get more for less... or give up and switch to generic PCs like all the creative pros are doing. Never before has Apple downgraded their Macs year-over-year. They typically stay a bit behind the other PC manufacturers in terms of performance/price but still improve at the same rate. Hopefully people will vote with their wallets now.
[doublepost=1482917454][/doublepost]
dondiego87 said:
If you've ever been to the B&H flagship in NYC, you know that they're actually offering the discounts during the heart of the Hanukkah shopping season!
Click to expand...
Yes, the owners are Jewish. And I can't believe I forgot to visit their flagship store when I went to NYC a few years back.
[doublepost=1482917620][/doublepost]
Ghost31 said:
Do pros use other devices? Like say...windows laptops and work stations with power cords that they could trip on? HOW ON EARTH DO THEY USE THOSE DEVICES IF THEY CAN'T TRIP ON THE CORD AND HAVE THE CORD EASILY COME OFF WITH MAGNETS?!

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, how many times have you tripped on the power cord to your laptop?
Click to expand...
Cause the workstation is on a permanent desk, but the laptop is wherever you are. And my power cord gets tripped over all the time, usually not by me. MagSafe isn't even a pro feature, just something every single laptop should have.
 
Last edited:
Immiddx said:
- This computers battery does last more than 3 hours when doing actual work.
- Magsafe has **** all to do with how "pro" a laptop is.
- External GPUs are a thing. Also, "pro" work that is GPU dependent should be done on a desktop. Unless you aren't a real pro and you can get by using a laptop with a dGPU. Are you a fake pro?
- Traditional USB and HDMI are worse than USB-C. Real pros know that.
Click to expand...

What a load of nonsense.

MagSafe is an invaluable feature and has saved my laptops countless times in press rooms and on locations around the world.

Many professional photographers, like myself, travel around the world with our jobs, the pictures we take are time sensitive so we need to edit on site. That's why we need a powerful laptop. A desktop is great for the office, but a powerful laptop is the only option for working in the field.

No one is saying that USB-C isn't faster and also probably the future, however at the moment for myself and many other the lack of options without using a dongle is just an inconvenience. The current MacBook should have kept 2 USB-A and MagSafe and less people would be up in arms. But maybe I'm not a pro, I've only traveled the world and made a living as a photographer for over 20 years so what do I know of what I need from a laptop?
 
PLondon said:
What a load of nonsense.

MagSafe is an invaluable feature and has saved my laptops countless times in press rooms and on locations around the world.

Many professional photographers, like myself, travel around the world with our jobs, the pictures we take are time sensitive so we need to edit on site. That's why we need a powerful laptop. A desktop is great for the office, but a powerful laptop is the only option for working in the field.

No one is saying that USB-C isn't faster and also probably the future, however at the moment for myself and many other the lack of options without using a dongle is just an inconvenience. The current MacBook should have kept 2 USB-A and MagSafe and less people would be up in arms. But maybe I'm not a pro, I've only traveled the world and made a living as a photographer for over 20 years so what do I know of what I need from a laptop?
Click to expand...

So for those who need the old ports there is still last year's machine to purchase.
MagSafe is included in every Macbook since 2006, so it's not a feature of Apple's pro lineup but a general Mac feature. Very cool, but not of the pro line. The point somebody made was that there are plenty pros using something non-Mac and they all deal without MagSafe.
 
Of course there is last years MacBook but that doesn't really excuse Apple for loosing ports on the MacBook Pro, they have plenty of consumer machines in the lineup for those who don't need ports etc.

I never said that MagSafe is a pro feature, just that it's a feature that benefits the mobile pro. I know some people do without MagSafe and I've seen countless windows laptops fly to the floor in press rooms around the world and more broken power adapters from people tripping over wires than I can count. I just done want to be one of them...
 
ericwn said:
So for those who need the old ports there is still last year's machine to purchase.
MagSafe is included in every Macbook since 2006, so it's not a feature of Apple's pro lineup but a general Mac feature. Very cool, but not of the pro line. The point somebody made was that there are plenty pros using something non-Mac and they all deal without MagSafe.
Click to expand...

I don't see how anyone can argue against MagSafe. It was a brilliant innovation by Apple and saved many a laptop from disaster. To replace it was just foolish. In at least this case you can't even argue about "speed" or "innovation". Removing it was a step backwards, no excuses. If it had replaced by a better option that still provided protection for a critical function of the laptop I could see an argument, but USB-C is not that at all. Oh and double down on this situation because the battery life is in question?

Honestly all in all, these "innovations" Apple released in the Pro model belonged in the base MacBook model, I think they would have been better appreciated there. Maybe they can save themselves and make another line and call it something else and put back the actual features that a Pro laptop needs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NY Guitarist and pier
macsandstuff said:
I don't see how anyone can argue against MagSafe. It was a brilliant innovation by Apple and saved many a laptop from disaster. To replace it was just foolish. In at least this case you can't even argue about "speed" or "innovation". Removing it was a step backwards, no excuses. If it had replaced by a better option that still provided protection for a critical function of the laptop I could see an argument, but USB-C is not that at all.
Click to expand...

I am not arguing against MagSafe. As said in my post.
 
PLondon said:
Of course there is last years MacBook but that doesn't really excuse Apple for loosing ports on the MacBook Pro, they have plenty of consumer machines in the lineup for those who don't need ports etc.
Click to expand...
Apple is not losing ports somehow, they are actively removing them. This is what the company has done for a long time. Arguably there would be far less (or at least less quick) USB devices had Apple not invented the original iMac and created the need for the interface to succeed.
As usual, there will be users who will have old devices, unwilling to live with adapters until they discard their old accessories, but the majority will just live on, and move on. Everybody had over a year and two generations of the retina MacBook to understand where the industry was headed, and it's unlikely this will change and reverse again.

Sorry for drifting too far off topic. The real discussion here is the current bundle that B&H are running. Let's not turn this into a whining fest for people with an issue with the product.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back