Confused about the state of MBP 2018

[hajime]

I am a bit confused as some of you wrote they are the best machines but there are various threads about various issues (e.g. heat, noisy fan, keyboard, T2, strange sound, speakers, 13" overheat, etc). So what is the current state?

I am particular interested in base 15" and 13". Not interested in i9 model.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Everyone has their own opinion so you will get a full range.

I am liking my new MBPro 15, a lot.

 

[bbates123]

Coming from a base 2016 non-touchbar MBP no issues here. I find the keyboard to be slightly better. I like the Touch ID that I didn't have before and ports actually on both sides of the laptop, imagine that. But honestly it's not a vast improvement over my 2016 model.

 

[maflynn]

Keyboards - the 2016 and 2017 had issues, Apple rolled out a new generation keyboard. The jury is still lout on it, but time will tell
Throttling/heat - Apple needs more work to improve the temps, but they did issue an update to fix the throttling issue.

Overall I find the 2018 machine to be an excellent laptop and I have zero regrets

 

[Brookzy]

My first one had a warped screen, had a few bridgeOS crashes while sleeping, and the speakers crackled once.

My replacement which I have had since Friday has been fine so far - knock on wood.

 

[theluggage]

So what is the current state?

I think the current state is "early days". Time will tell whether the new membrane fixes the keyboard reliability problems or if there are serious overheating issues. The latter is going to be a worry with any super-slim but powerful laptop until its passed the test of time (I believe Dell had problems with their i9s too). There's an argument for buying mid/late cycle if you don't want to be the early worm that gets the bird.

However, getting two extra processor cores is the best performance bump we've seen for a while if you're doing anything that can take advantage of that.

The remaining design criticisms that have been levelled at the MBP since the 2016 "improvement" still stand, but really they're more about the lack of choice in Apple's current range - if they produced successors to the MBA, Mini, Pro and 17" MBP then I think people would stop hating on the current MBP range quite so much.

 

[Badradio]

I've gone from an early 2011 15" to a 15" i7 2.2 with the SSD upgraded. I also have a 13" TB i7 from work. My first impressions based on having it for 2 days:

• The screen is stunning. I'm glad I went for the 15 over the 13.
• It's completely cool in light use (web browsing).
• It get pretty hot when pushing it (when I was installing apps, it got uncomfortably hot on my lap, but they're not really meant to sit on your lap any more...).
• It's fast. FCPX flies with 1080p footage.
• A already liked the 2017 keyboard, as I can type super fast on it, but the noise was a bit irritating. I wouldn't say the 2018 is definitely quieter, but it's a less percussive noise. Definitely less irritating.
• No kernel panics.
• No crackling from the speakers.
• The sound from the speakers is really, surprisingly good. I like a flatter sound with not too much bass, and I think I need to EQ the bass down a bit. It's a really rich, expansive sound when you're sat in front of it.

Like I said, it's only been two days, but it's exceeded expectations so far.

 

[DaveMike11]

when is Apple's next refresh for Macbook Pro's ? is it 2019 or 2020 ? I think the current design (2016-2018) have many complaints reading by all complaints in this group. I hope apple gets this feedback & do it better next time for the price they charge its customers.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Keyboards - the 2016 and 2017 had issues, Apple rolled out a new generation keyboard. The jury is still lout on it, but time will tell
Throttling/heat - Apple needs more work to improve the temps, but they did issue an update to fix the throttling issue.

Overall I find the 2018 machine to be an excellent laptop and I have zero regrets

Have you experienced either the kernel panics or the Bridge OS errors reported elsewhere on these forums? I am watching this topic very closely, as my 13" MBP is scheduled for delivery this week. #excited #guardedOptimism

 

[travod]

I loved my MBA 2013 keyboard but it's so strange... After an hour using the new one the MBA keys feel so huge and require so much effort to press lol