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Buyer's Remorse?

I have two main Macs: a Core i7 iMac with 32GB of RAM, and I just replaced a 2013 MBA with the base rMB, mostly because the MBA keyboard was dying.

For Word, Excel, email, web, and remote access to various machines (Mac, Linux, Windows), the rMB is perfect. I work for a vendor of scientific computing software, and the CPU performance of the rMB is surprisingly good, especially for 'short bursts'. For anything else, I can use VNC, ssh or RDP to a more powerful machine.

For me, the big improvement for the rMB was the display and the 8GB of RAM. I had no idea how limiting it was to have just 4GB of RAM on my MBA.

If you're going from a MBP, the rMB is a step down. If you're looking for basic computing or a portable machine, the rMB is great.

I still use my iPad. That fills a very different need - reading in bed, watching videos while traveling, etc. If I'm on a business trip, I take the rMB. If I'm on vacation, most times the computer stays home and I just take the iPad.
 
Mcdevidr said:
U know laggy. When doing things like opening 8 desktops and just swiping between them. Opening a bunch of programs and swiping between those, then using launch pad and mission control. All those real world use cases.
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Sounds about like my setup, 6-10 desktops, all apps left running. Works quite well actually. Sure there is some UI lag when swiping between screens... but the apps run great for me which is all I care about. All my retina laptops show UI lag though.
 
mattopotamus said:
I was trying to point out that issues like that could easily cause someone to exchange the rMB. I personally owned two units that had the same behavior. Fortunately, I was willing to try a third time and got a good one.
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It didn't come across in your post that it was a faulty unit, appeared that you were saying it affected all machines.
 
legioxi said:
Sounds about like my setup, 6-10 desktops, all apps left running. Works quite well actually. Sure there is some UI lag when swiping between screens... but the apps run great for me which is all I care about. All my retina laptops show UI lag though.
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I've found that turning reducing transparency in system preference-accessibility-display-reduce transparency really took away all apparent UI lag. Hopefully 10.10.4 will fix some of that so I can turn transparency back on.
 
bibyfok said:
Wow... Such sarcastic. You know, before making fun on someone you should think about it. I have the same problem: it just feel laggy.

And I'm doing REAL WORLD WORK.
Here is the programs loaded:
Dropbox, Mailbox, Outlook 2016, Chrome, MS Lync, Reeder, Fantastical 2, Wunderlist, Word 2016 and Excel 2016.
Don't tell me I run too much program at once. If there is a limit of program to run to be able to WORK, Apple should not be selling these. I'm not doind anything intensive, my CPU is barely at 5% when i'm writing, but the UI just lags.
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Agreed. Don't tell us whats too much program to work! I just bought a Macbook to edit the new Avengers movie with Avid Media Composer and the stupid Macbook lags when doing multicam at 6k RAW.

#realworldwork
 
I just put my order in for the most basic rMB, and I'm wondering about the cost vs usage. That is, the value it'll bring. I guess that's a question only I can answer. I won't know until I get it, I suppose.

The question I have for all of you who own one already is how often you charge the thing? I know that might not be a fair question, as it is very dependant upon your usage, but for me, this MacBook is intended to replace my iPad+Logitech Keyboard Cover setup. I currently use the iPad for writing when I'm away from my main computer, and also to consume some web content, etc. For me, the iPad runs manydays before I need to charge the thing. My concern is the MacBook will need charging far more often under the same use case.

Does anyone have any thought on that? I assume that all of you getting 7 hours out of the computer are doing so with continuous use. If the use is more scattered, how much time between charges, do you think?
 
I have a Macbook Pro Retina (2013) for my main computer ..

the rMB is just for fun .. to take on vacation .. while in front of the tv .. etc.
 
I am a full stack web/cloud developer, and this computer (1.3/512) arriving next week) appears to be plenty powerful for everything I need to do.
 
Jetcat3 said:
I've found that turning reducing transparency in system preference-accessibility-display-reduce transparency really took away all apparent UI lag. Hopefully 10.10.4 will fix some of that so I can turn transparency back on.
Click to expand...

Turning off the eye candy of Transparency is something that has been recommended from day one here, given the low performance of the CPU/GPU on the rMB. As for 10.10.4, I've been running the public betas, and they aren't having any discernible impact to improve / remedy graphics performance on the rMB, unfortunately.
 
AppleInLVX said:
I just put my order in for the most basic rMB, and I'm wondering about the cost vs usage. That is, the value it'll bring. I guess that's a question only I can answer. I won't know until I get it, I suppose.

The question I have for all of you who own one already is how often you charge the thing? I know that might not be a fair question, as it is very dependant upon your usage, but for me, this MacBook is intended to replace my iPad+Logitech Keyboard Cover setup. I currently use the iPad for writing when I'm away from my main computer, and also to consume some web content, etc. For me, the iPad runs manydays before I need to charge the thing. My concern is the MacBook will need charging far more often under the same use case.

Does anyone have any thought on that? I assume that all of you getting 7 hours out of the computer are doing so with continuous use. If the use is more scattered, how much time between charges, do you think?
Click to expand...

At work I am getting from 6am until about 3:00pm before I need the charger. With a lunch I get to about 4:00pm, so I get right at 9 hours. This is using office, remote desktop, and safari.
 
mattopotamus said:
ok, here is the other video (a rMB) with no lag like the first one. Stop tricking yourself into thinking that first video is normal UI lag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJnjg-H9euc
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I would say that is far closer to my experience than the other video. (I have the 1.2).

I have typically been using it with a few desktops, with all of the following open:

safari, fantastical, outlook, excel, dreamweaver, fireworks, skype.

If I noticed anything I would say that scrolling through a spreadsheet wasn't completely smooth - but then i don't read stuff while its scrolling, and its hardly a deal breaker.

For me its a second machine to my iMac that I can take out and about more easily than my old 15 MBP.

As long as it can do all the lighter stuff, with a bit of web design the stuff and light image work in Fireworks and Illustrator, I'd take the new macbook with minor, occasional lag any day of the week.

Absolutely no regrets.

I've found it really strange all the talk about how, just because it might not be great for hardcore gaming, video editing or heavy photo / image processing, then all its good for is browsing the web.

As though those are the only four things that anyone, anywhere, ever uses a computer for.

Or as though lighter stuff that isn't so processor dependent stuff are somehow not legitimate uses for a computer.
 
mattopotamus said:
At work I am getting from 6am until about 3:00pm before I need the charger. With a lunch I get to about 4:00pm, so I get right at 9 hours. This is using office, remote desktop, and safari.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information. That sounds reasonable. I'm pretty sure if i were writing on the iPad for a whole day like that at a stretch, it would probably be comparable. Seeing as how I've never had an issue with the battery life on the iPad, something tells me this one will be fine, too. :)
 
I got the base model in SG on launch week, went from a 13" Air to this and am in heaven. I love this new one to death. Love everything including the keyboard. Only sad part is that it doesn't get the same battery life my 13" had but I am still only charging it every other day, the battery is quite good.
 
jonfarr said:
I got the base model in SG on launch week, went from a 13" Air to this and am in heaven. I love this new one to death. Love everything including the keyboard. Only sad part is that it doesn't get the same battery life my 13" had but I am still only charging it every other day, the battery is quite good.
Click to expand...

Same here. I have the base model in SG and only charge it every other night. Battery life is awesome! :)
 
johngordon said:
I've found it really strange all the talk about how, just because it might not be great for hardcore gaming, video editing or heavy photo / image processing, then all its good for is browsing the web.

As though those are the only four things that anyone, anywhere, ever uses a computer for.

Or as though lighter stuff that isn't so processor dependent stuff are somehow not legitimate uses for a computer.
Click to expand...

I hear that! I equate that to the guys who have to buy an oversized 4 wheel drive pickup truck to make up for their uh...inadequacies in other areas. "Well, I might need it someday, so I have to get the biggest one there is." Even if the heaviest thing they put in the back is a bag of groceries.

Or the kind of person who buys the beefiest computer they can so they can recompile their own Gentoo packages. "Did you write any of that software? Did you contribute anything back to the open source community?". "No but I bought a fast computer that can compile it real fast, so that makes me special!" Groan.

There is nothing wrong with a lightweight, efficient system as either a primary or a secondary computer as long as it suits your specific needs. I have beefy servers at work for running my code, and for gaming I've got console systems. For my personal computing needs I'd just as soon run lightweight and lean. The only person my computer needs to impress is me.
 
I was a little concerned when I saw the video showing the lag while switching desktops. Part of me was thinking that it was nothing to get upset about, as I tend to spend more time actually using the active software than flicking around the various desktops. But, I did want to see if it was true, so I headed off to the Apple Store and played with the MacBooks they have there. I opened all the basic apps (email, messages, calendar) into full screen so they had their own desktops, and then opened Word, Pixelmator, and Logic Pro too, also full screen for each. I made Logic play the canned project they load and then I tried to flick between desktops.

If there was lag, it was so inconsequential that I wouldn't have cared if I wasn't actively looking for it. Most of the time, it was just as buttery smooth as I've come to expect, and this was on the base model 1.1 256GIG version. I think it hiccupped slightly once or twice.

Honestly, from what I've seen, this lag thing isn't an issue. Its performance exceeded what I was expecting, in fact. The only thing I noticed was it takes longer to load the software than it does on my 5K iMac. While noticeable, it's still not an an issue. I had to remind myself I was hardly comparing apples to apples here.

Truthfully, it seems like it'll be a really decent machine if what you want is the kind of computing most people do.
 
that sounds great ..

I took got a little concerned .. but then realized it's not a power-house computer .. it's not supposed to be .. the processor it has is really all it needs ..

for the rest, I have the MacBook Pro already ..

so the MacBook would make a great second/travel computer ..

can't wait to get it!!!

AppleInLVX said:
I was a little concerned when I saw the video showing the lag while switching desktops. Part of me was thinking that it was nothing to get upset about, as I tend to spend more time actually using the active software than flicking around the various desktops. But, I did want to see if it was true, so I headed off to the Apple Store and played with the MacBooks they have there. I opened all the basic apps (email, messages, calendar) into full screen so they had their own desktops, and then opened Word, Pixelmator, and Logic Pro too, also full screen for each. I made Logic play the canned project they load and then I tried to flick between desktops.

If there was lag, it was so inconsequential that I wouldn't have cared if I wasn't actively looking for it. Most of the time, it was just as buttery smooth as I've come to expect, and this was on the base model 1.1 256GIG version. I think it hiccupped slightly once or twice.

Honestly, from what I've seen, this lag thing isn't an issue. Its performance exceeded what I was expecting, in fact. The only thing I noticed was it takes longer to load the software than it does on my 5K iMac. While noticeable, it's still not an an issue. I had to remind myself I was hardly comparing apples to apples here.

Truthfully, it seems like it'll be a really decent machine if what you want is the kind of computing most people do.
Click to expand...
 
I'm running two programs, Safari, with 3 tabs, one playing video and firefox with 4.

the lag is horrible for me, the video is behind the audio on the video playing. The audio constantly hiccups.


I'll try it out for a bit more but right now i'm not super satisfied. I do expect this kind of lag, etc with intensive programs but pretty minimal stuff should be handled with ease. It's a bit of a shame, because both the speakers and the keyboard are superb.

On another note, I got the 1.2, wanted the 1.3 but didn't want to wait. I don't know if others are having a better time with that.
 
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mashinhead said:
I'm running two programs, Safari, with 3 tabs, one playing video and firefox with 4.

the lag is horrible for me, the video is behind the audio on the video playing. The audio constantly hiccups.


I'll try it out for a bit more but right now i'm not super satisfied. I do expect this kind of lag, etc with intensive programs but pretty minimal stuff should be handled with ease. It's a bit of a shame, because both the speakers and the keyboard are superb.

On another note, I got the 1.2, wanted the 1.3 but didn't want to wait. I don't know if others are having a better time with that.
Click to expand...

+1. Testing out a 1.3 next week, and will make my final decision then whether the frequent lag is bearable.
 
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