Base 2019 13-Inch MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals Larger Battery, Soldered-Down SSD, and Updated Keyboard Material

[Zdigital2015]

A profit making measure.

It’s a business, not a non-profit or a charity... it’s their fiduciary responsibility to make profit.

All companies differentiate their products and pricing levels, yet when Apple does it, it’s treated as evil, mean-spirited, nefarious or greedy...what exactly do you think you’re entitled to?

 

[cube]

It’s a business, not a non-profit or a charity... it’s their fiduciary responsibility to make profit.

All companies differentiate their products and pricing levels, yet when Apple does it, it’s treated as evil, mean-spirited, nefarious or greedy...what exactly do you think you’re entitled to?

I think that having invested years in the platform I am entitled to expect usable products to be offered.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I think that having invested years in the platform I am entitled to expect usable products to be offered.

None of us is entitled to anything from Apple...it's incumbent upon the people running the business, in this case Apple, to examine their customer base's needs, wants and desires and how they use their products while balancing moving forward with advances in technology, so as to not leave too large a percentage of customers behind, which could have a negative impact on revenue and market share, realizing that any advances may result in lost sales and customers.

There is nothing about the new 13" MacBook Pro that is unusable in the slightest. It may not give you the exact features that you expect, which is perceived as either a negative (in your case, apparently) or a positive (others users) depending on how you use the product. Then you have the decision to vote with your wallet as no one is forcing you to purchase this or any other Apple product.

As for usability, the 13" MacBook Pro looks like a winner any way you slice it...YMMV -

 

[Rob_2811]

None of us is entitled to anything from Apple...it's incumbent upon the people running the business, in this case Apple, to examine their customer base's needs, wants and desires and how they use their products while balancing moving forward with advances in technology, so as to not leave too large a percentage of customers behind, which could have a negative impact on revenue and market share, realizing that any advances may result in lost sales and customers.

There is nothing about the new 13" MacBook Pro that is unusable in the slightest. It may not give you the exact features that you expect, which is perceived as either a negative (in your case, apparently) or a positive (others users) depending on how you use the product. Then you have the decision to vote with your wallet as no one is forcing you to purchase this or any other Apple product.

As for usability, the 13" MacBook Pro looks like a winner any way you slice it...YMMV -

I like Jonathan Morrison watch his videos quite regularly.

Unfortunately these examples he often shows off almost always use Final Cut Pro X and thus show the machine in the best possible light. Try getting the same performance in Adobe Premiere. Not happening.

In this video he's using Final Cut and Compressor 4. It shows that Apples software runs well on Apples hardware and not much else.

 

[cube]

None of us is entitled to anything from Apple

Users are stakeholders. They have rights like shareholders.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Please, please, please stop with the 10 hour battery life crap....my 2017 MBP is lucky to get 4-5 hours at most on a full charge. I have never reached anywhere close to 10 hours, so please, stop typing the words, 10 hour battery life on any Mac.

It really depends on what you are doing. You can't expect to get 10 hours compiling apps or exporting videos all day but 8 to 9 hours doing things like document editing or web browsing is definitely possible.
[doublepost=1563043264][/doublepost]

Users are stakeholders. They have rights like shareholders.

They don't in the sense the original post was talking about. Users are entitled to what they were promised when they paid for a product. They do not get any rights over future products or products they don't spend money on.

 

[cube]

They don't in the sense the original post was talking about. Users are entitled to what they were promised when they paid for a product. They do not get any rights over future products or products they don't spend money on.

When you don't recognize the investment of your users, the proper answer for them is to abandon the platform.

 

[Zdigital2015]

When you don't recognize the investment of your users, the proper answer for them is to abandon the platform.

While any company should recognize the investment of its users, it cannot be held hostage by that investment or the platform does not move forward and other users may then abandon it...it's a balancing act and there are two separate forces at play; the needs of existing users versus the needs, wants and desires of future users. It's not enviable, no matter how much you sell, profit from and delight or frustrate customers. It is also not an exact science.

 

[cube]

While any company should recognize the investment of its users, it cannot be held hostage by that investment or the platform does not move forward and other users may then abandon it...it's a balancing act and there are two separate forces at play; the needs of existing users versus the needs, wants and desires of future users. It's not enviable, no matter how much you sell, profit from and delight or frustrate customers. It is also not an exact science.

Apple has enough resources to offer as many computer models as Lenovo.

 

[racerhomie]

Please, please, please stop with the 10 hour battery life crap....my 2017 MBP is lucky to get 4-5 hours at most on a full charge. I have never reached anywhere close to 10 hours, so please, stop typing the words, 10 hour battery life on any Mac.

Stop using Chrome. And this 10 hr battery is for basic browsing & not for battery intensive tasks.

 

[cube]

Stop using Chrome. And this 10 hr battery is for basic browsing & not for battery intensive tasks.

At least I can watch 4K youtube on Chrome, unlike Firefox.

 

[beanbaguk]

we wish you the best.

Speak for yourself....

 

[Zdigital2015]

Apple has enough resources to offer as many computer models as Lenovo.

But choses not to do so, which is its prerogative to do, for any number of reasons. Apple offers a set number of Macs in their lineup and if they don’t offer what you want, you can go build yourself a Windows or Linux based PC.

FWIW, Apple decided back in the 2004-2005 timeframe (probably earlier) that they weren’t going to try and compete with Dell, Lenovo(IBM), HP, et al. in every form factor or the race to the bottom pricing. It doesn’t work and it doesn’t do anything for Apple but distract from more profitable objectives and suck liquid cash from more important initiatives to support computers and users who buy barebones, put their own crap in it to save money, call Apple when it breaks, blame Apple when they can’t fix it and then hang on to the computer way past it’s sell date while expecting Apple to support it forever and ever. The objective is to make money, make a great product, delight customers and have them keeping buying stuff...not hold on to some relic for 15 years only to have them buy the cheapest POS you sell and load it with stuff they bought at New Egg or on eBay. That’s a recipe for going broke, like Dell almost did...

 

[cube]

But choses not to do so, which is its prerogative to do, for any number of reasons. Apple offers a set number of Macs in their lineup and if they don’t offer what you want, you can go build yourself a Windows or Linux based PC.

Yes, and then you have to throw away your decade-long investment in Macs.

 

[Robnsn2015]

Yes, and then you have to throw away your decade-long investment in Macs.

I had nothing but Macs from 2002 until 2018. Now I own a Windows device. Moving on from Mac isn't as hard as I though.

 

[cube]

I had nothing but Macs from 2002 until 2018. Now I own a Windows device. Moving on from Mac isn't as hard as I though.

You have all your stuff Mac-based plus thousands in software.

 

[Robnsn2015]

But choses not to do so, which is its prerogative to do, for any number of reasons. Apple offers a set number of Macs in their lineup and if they don’t offer what you want, you can go build yourself a Windows or Linux based PC.

FWIW, Apple decided back in the 2004-2005 timeframe (probably earlier) that they weren’t going to try and compete with Dell, Lenovo(IBM), HP, et al. in every form factor or the race to the bottom pricing. It doesn’t work and it doesn’t do anything for Apple but distract from more profitable objectives and suck liquid cash from more important initiatives to support computers and users who buy barebones, put their own crap in it to save money, call Apple when it breaks, blame Apple when they can’t fix it and then hang on to the computer way past it’s sell date while expecting Apple to support it forever and ever. The objective is to make money, make a great product, delight customers and have them keeping buying stuff...not hold on to some relic for 15 years only to have them buy the cheapest POS you sell and load it with stuff they bought at New Egg or on eBay. That’s a recipe for going broke, like Dell almost did...

But they are not delighting customers. Apple is generating bad PR with things like the butterfly keyboards and they were losing both sales and market share for a while.

Meanwhile, Microsoft showed the Windows OEMs with the Surface brand that the OEMs don't have to race to the bottom. And the big 3 (Lenovo, HP, Dell) have been selling an increasing number of machines.

Let's face it: Apple is the iOS, wearables, and services company now. They didn't even start updating Macs like the Mac Mini or the MacBook Air until after iPhone sales started slipping. We should have known what was up when Steve Jobs officially dropped the word "computer" from Apple Computer Inc's name back in 2007.

And those old-school Mac customers who helped to keep Apple afloat back in the bad old days? Apple no longer needs them, and it shows.

 

[Zdigital2015]

Yes, and then you have to throw away your decade-long investment in Macs.

If Apple sells no Macs that you find "usable" then that is the decision that you are faced with, unfortunately.

Apple is never going to sell the depth or breadth of systems that Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo sell because they simply refuse to compete with those companies. They have always gone their own way, hardware-wise. They aren't going to support NVIDIA GPUs moving forward, they aren't going to move from their proprietary NAND to m.2 NVMe drives, they aren't going to build a consumer tower with PCIe slots and a Core i-Series CPU, they aren't going to bring back USB Type-A, MagSafe, SD Card, HDMI, Ethernet ports or the light up Apple back to their laptops, they aren't going to put a dGPU in the Mac mini, they aren't going to make a $3,000 Mac Pro, or a headless iMac, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

The $1,299 13" MacBook Pro is a good, solid laptop...every indication is that it is fast, usable, light and not a bad value. Apple is going to sell a ton of these. The Core i5 w/16GB and 512GB SSD is $1899, sure to be discounted online and the base models will be too by the usual suspects and they will sell like gangbusters. If the latest material changes to the keyboard alleviate the issues that have been occurring, then they have a bona fide hit on their hands. if that's not your jam, that's your prerogative.

It sounds like you have an important decision to make...good luck!

 

[torquer]

So many people think anyone gives a hoot that they won’t buy the newest Apple whatever. And so many who are so proud to use ancient laptops swearing they will never buy a new one based on some ideological disagreement about its design or components.

What a crock. Not one person on the planet other than you gives the furry crack of a rats behind what you do or don’t buy (or why). And no one believes you’ll be using a 2010 era laptop in 5 years out of some silly pointless protest.

So boring and predictable with every new product or refresh

 

[cube]

If Apple sells no Macs that you find "usable" then that is the decision that you are faced with, unfortunately.

Apple is never going to sell the depth or breadth of systems that Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo sell because they simply refuse to compete with those companies. They have always gone their own way, hardware-wise. They aren't going to support NVIDIA GPUs moving forward, they aren't going to move from their proprietary NAND to m.2 NVMe drives, they aren't going to build a consumer tower with PCIe slots and a Core i-Series CPU, they aren't going to bring back USB Type-A, MagSafe, SD Card, HDMI, Ethernet ports or the light up Apple back to their laptops, they aren't going to put a dGPU in the Mac mini, they aren't going to make a $3,000 Mac Pro, or a headless iMac, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

The $1,299 13" MacBook Pro is a good, solid laptop...every indication is that it is fast, usable, light and not a bad value. Apple is going to sell a ton of these. The Core i5 w/16GB and 512GB SSD is $1899, sure to be discounted online and the base models will be too by the usual suspects and they will sell like gangbusters. If the latest material changes to the keyboard alleviate the issues that have been occurring, then they have a bona fide hit on their hands. if that's not your jam, that's your prerogative.

It sounds like you have an important decision to make...good luck!

I already made my decision years ago. Apple only makes laptops for the masses nowadays.

 

[dantroline]

It’s a business, not a non-profit or a charity... it’s their fiduciary responsibility to make profit.

All companies differentiate their products and pricing levels, yet when Apple does it, it’s treated as evil, mean-spirited, nefarious or greedy...what exactly do you think you’re entitled to?

If the design is superior I'm prepared to pay extra. Sometimes this is true for Apple but mostly it isn't, not for the past 5-6 years.
[doublepost=1563056207][/doublepost]

If Apple sells no Macs that you find "usable" then that is the decision that you are faced with, unfortunately.

Apple is never going to sell the depth or breadth of systems that Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo sell because they simply refuse to compete with those companies. They have always gone their own way, hardware-wise. They aren't going to support NVIDIA GPUs moving forward, they aren't going to move from their proprietary NAND to m.2 NVMe drives, they aren't going to build a consumer tower with PCIe slots and a Core i-Series CPU, they aren't going to bring back USB Type-A, MagSafe, SD Card, HDMI, Ethernet ports or the light up Apple back to their laptops, they aren't going to put a dGPU in the Mac mini, they aren't going to make a $3,000 Mac Pro, or a headless iMac, etc, etc, ad infinitum.

The $1,299 13" MacBook Pro is a good, solid laptop...every indication is that it is fast, usable, light and not a bad value. Apple is going to sell a ton of these. The Core i5 w/16GB and 512GB SSD is $1899, sure to be discounted online and the base models will be too by the usual suspects and they will sell like gangbusters. If the latest material changes to the keyboard alleviate the issues that have been occurring, then they have a bona fide hit on their hands. if that's not your jam, that's your prerogative.

It sounds like you have an important decision to make...good luck!

The laptop hardware was superior but the butterfly keyboard and the compromises made on screen surfaces have made it a poor investment for many. This has to change, even if it means a thicker laptop.

 

[Robnsn2015]

So many people think anyone gives a hoot that they won’t buy the newest Apple whatever. And so many who are so proud to use ancient laptops swearing they will never buy a new one based on some ideological disagreement about its design or components.

What a crock. Not one person on the planet other than you gives the furry crack of a rats behind what you do or don’t buy (or why). And no one believes you’ll be using a 2010 era laptop in 5 years out of some silly pointless protest.

So boring and predictable with every new product or refresh

Really? Money talks, son. This is why Apple stopped the trash can Mac Pro, hired professionals representative of the customer base, and basically released a modern-day version of the cheese grater that first debuted circa 2004.

And for all we know, the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro will not only replace the much-maligned butterfly keyboard, it might meet some other client demands.
[doublepost=1563056455][/doublepost]

You have all your stuff Mac-based plus thousands in software.

Now THAT is a big problem!

 

[Glockworkorange]

A profit making measure.

It can be two things at the same time.

Corporations are allowed to make money.

There are other options if it's too expensive.

 

[Wilderness-1902]

If the machine is user serviceable, you'd take it to an Apple store to get fixed.

If the machine isn't user serviceable, you'd take it to an Apple store to get fixed.

Apple Services is really bad in China. Last month I ordered a iMac 27 from an online retailer, but Apple refused to sell AppleCare+ for it. Apples requires China customers to book a Genius Bar service and bring new computers into the store for checking before they can sell me AC+.

However, Genius Bar service in China is out sourced. I think I can do better if I can have the parts.

The final decision from me is to cancel the order. I will not buy any Apple product. It is really a very bad experience.

 

[tex210]

Actually many users want to be able to upgrade simple items like the battery, memory and drive WITHOUT taking the whole machine apart.

Please add topside keyboard removal, and display replacement should be reasonable. OEM parts would be fantastic for anyone who wants to tinker. Let us repair our devices and save some resources.