Frankly, there is something wrong there.
The new ones are PCIe based as well as having SSDs. I set up and deploy 3-4 of them a day. There is just nothing about a 2011 that should be faster unless there is an issue with the new one.
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Disappointed with the new MacBook Pros
- Thread starter LiquidSpikes
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Frankly, there is something wrong there.
The new ones are PCIe based as well as having SSDs. I set up and deploy 3-4 of them a day. There is just nothing about a 2011 that should be faster unless there is an issue with the new one.
Upgrading Macs is 50% of the fun on having a Mac. Keeping it for years fully functioning and performing as decently as new gear is the other 50%.
I think you can make a 15" 2011 Macbook perform faster than a base 13" rMBP. It's not a fair competition, but I think it's still impressive. Example:
Put 16GB on the 2011 MBP x 8GB on the base rMBP.
A big SATAIII SSD can be faster than a small 128GB PCIe one.
The Radeongate dGPU is probably faster than Intel Iris.
The smaller resolution can handle graphics better than the new retina.
A quad-core processor will do multitasking better.
If you don't care with the extra weight, an upgraded Macbook can be a decent machine for around 6 years and usable as a browsing machine for up to ten. It was the case when Macs were upgradeable. Now I don't know if this pattern will persist.
Of course, especifically related to the CPU, we won't see soon a dual core performing like a quadcore. Even a Sandy Bridge Quad-Core performs better (on a parallel optimized softare) than a Dual core Haswell or even the future Broadwell. Reason? Because Intel just made some 5-10% real performance improvements in each iteration since Sandy Bridge. Related to the GPU it depends on what are you using it for. If it's for some tasks like OpenCL, Iris Pro is really good (better than some actual dGPU's).
I'm not disagreeing with that. You are preaching to the converted. I upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD into my 2011 before it succumbed to Radeongate.
Anyway, the linked thread was b*****ks - "Solder on your own RAM". Come on. Seriously?
Dunno, I have outgrown that mindset when I was about 24. As much as I love tinkering, nowadays I prefer to keep it as my hobby.
Yes Ethernet would be nice!
I had a moment last week when I got a new internet provider. I was about to plug my rMBP into the router to program it...
Too thick a connector. Considering how fast 802.11ac is; external Ethernet dongle the way to go for a laptop.
Apple's Thunderbolt to GigE adapter is one option, but I use an Anker USB 3.0 to GigE with 3 port USB 3.0 hub. Works like a mini dock.
You could even plug a USB DVD drive into it
Many of the current pros use iPads. Problem solved. This thread has much nostalgia with rose colored sunglasses the preferred filter
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Which is a 2012 model with a old Ivy Bridge CPU, 13" screen, mechanical hard drive and slow integrated graphics that's aimed at the education market. For someone looking at upgrading a 2010 15" MacBook Pro it's slower than what they already have...
It can be technically slower, but can feel faster by adding a SSD and more RAM. It costs less than a newer Macbook. The smaller resolution also makes graphics processing look as fast as newer models.
so it's slower. big deal. it will also do what he wants it to do and the retina's will not. isn't that why you buy a computer? and it's not exactly a 2012 computer. just a 2012 style. it comes with a new battery and a fresh warranty.
I am disappointed but am not complaining as I still use a late 2006 15" Macbook Pro and an early 2011 15" Macbook Pro. Like was said in a previous post, plenty more years left in the 2011 MB to worry about upgrading just yet.
What are you expecting in terms of technological advances on your 2011 MB?
What are you doing with three MacBooks? Enlighten us to why you have bought 3 in the last 5 years.
CD/DVD player not necessary for today.
I do tend to agree with the poor form of not being able to upgrade, it is the sole reason that my 2006 & 2011 MBs are still performing well.
Tend to think that it is hard comparing brands unless you compare price and quality. My 2011 is still competing with top PC laptops that are selling for $3k+ today.
Same here except I have given the optical drive the flick and run a second hard drive there. Have you considered running two internal hard drives in a RAID Array for maximising performance of your machine? Maybe you could still tweak a little more to keep your first world problems at bay.
Hindsight may go a lone way in this case, it would surely put a damper on this type of rhetoric. Does improved battery performance entertain your thoughts when using a laptop? How many thunderbolt drives do you own?
iWork is **** in my opinion, if you want a powerful spreadsheeting program then you can't beat MS Excel. Anyway, poor reason for not switching.. Every year people complain about OS advances but then they look back at the past and couldn't stand to be back using Panther, Tiger, Leopard, etc..
This has been said year after year, quite frankly I think that you are fooling yourself..Does Apple even care about the "Pro" users anymore?
I think this is the first time I've ever seen anyone (much less a "Pro" user) ever list "iWork" as a reason that they stick around on Macs.
Here's another. As a perennial presenter, I'm here to tell you: Keynote FTW.
i agree that most people have no use for an optical drive these days. but that's just most people. there are still some of us that still use them for a variety of reasons and we will probably always will. i only use mac computers. i own six of them and my exclusive comfort zone are ones that were made between 2002 and 2010. i seriously doubt i'm the only one.
I do find the current options disappointing.
No 17" model, no 1920x1200 desktop native, only scaled that makes things look fuzzy when in motion (moving windows around etc).
The thing actually that annoys me the most of any of it is the batteries being glued in to the cases. That really just frustrates me as to replace the battery you need to pay a lot of money and it requires a service visit in-store which means for some of us expensive travel costs.
On the old notebooks when the battery died, even on the unibody models I could just buy a replacement, fit it myself with a screwdriver and save a significant amount of money.
But not being able to upgrade the RAM or the SSD Stick (due to it being proprietary) is also a let down.
In the past these notebooks had a "wow" factor. When the unibodies were first unveiled etc. I don't feel that way now.
I love OS X it's a great OS but the hardware choices to run it are just not well suited to what I want. I don't want my computer to be an unrepairable appliance.
Also just to add I did have an rMBP (since returned) and I found the keyboard quite squishy compared to the older unibody keyboards like the 2011 Model MBP's had. The new keys have thinner key caps and just feel cheaper in my opinion, not as satisfying to use.
No 17" model, no 1920x1200 desktop native, only scaled that makes things look fuzzy when in motion (moving windows around etc).
The thing actually that annoys me the most of any of it is the batteries being glued in to the cases. That really just frustrates me as to replace the battery you need to pay a lot of money and it requires a service visit in-store which means for some of us expensive travel costs.
On the old notebooks when the battery died, even on the unibody models I could just buy a replacement, fit it myself with a screwdriver and save a significant amount of money.
But not being able to upgrade the RAM or the SSD Stick (due to it being proprietary) is also a let down.
In the past these notebooks had a "wow" factor. When the unibodies were first unveiled etc. I don't feel that way now.
I love OS X it's a great OS but the hardware choices to run it are just not well suited to what I want. I don't want my computer to be an unrepairable appliance.
Also just to add I did have an rMBP (since returned) and I found the keyboard quite squishy compared to the older unibody keyboards like the 2011 Model MBP's had. The new keys have thinner key caps and just feel cheaper in my opinion, not as satisfying to use.
Yes, I forgot about how great Keynote is. When it comes to Pages and Numbers, the criticism has always seemed to outweigh the praise.
Apple no longer designs their machines for those few who need to have access to older features on their notebook. Apple designs for the modern tech consumer. 90 percent of cMBP owners never bothered to upgrade their ram, change their battery, or change the HD to an SSD. I know several people who have a cMBP. None of them are tech savvy and they all didn't even realize any of that was possible. Apple is in business to make money. They knew that if they soldered the ram, glued the battery, and made the ssd proprietary, 90 percent of their consumers would never be able to tell the difference. They would see a thinner, lighter and faster machine and if problems arose, they would take it to the Apple store just like they did with their old Mac's. Outside of the nerds on this forum (myself included) no one knows or cares how to tinker with a computer. They buy it to accomplish tasks, end of story.
Technology has evolved as has the way we communicate with each other. For those very few who need a disc drive, an external is available. For all of the features that Apple took away, there is a more efficient way of accomplishing the same tasks. It is almost 2015 and the current Pro line is capable of accomplishing almost anyone's work regardless of what it is. For the few that it doesn't, there are things such as external drives that will take care of you.
Apple is in business to make money. They have ALWAYS been about thin, light and aesthetically pleasing devices. This is nothing new. They would have designed their notebooks this way years ago if the technology had been available.
Apple designs their notebooks for college students, young professionals, and people who like technology. They understand that they may lose a few consumers who loved the old machines and they are okay with that.
At the end of the day, they are just like any other company. They aim to please the majority of consumers while maximizing profits and keeping manufacturing costs down. It doesn't make financial sense for them to keep manufacturing machines with older features when most users would choose the newer machines anyway.
Technology has evolved as has the way we communicate with each other. For those very few who need a disc drive, an external is available. For all of the features that Apple took away, there is a more efficient way of accomplishing the same tasks. It is almost 2015 and the current Pro line is capable of accomplishing almost anyone's work regardless of what it is. For the few that it doesn't, there are things such as external drives that will take care of you.
Apple is in business to make money. They have ALWAYS been about thin, light and aesthetically pleasing devices. This is nothing new. They would have designed their notebooks this way years ago if the technology had been available.
Apple designs their notebooks for college students, young professionals, and people who like technology. They understand that they may lose a few consumers who loved the old machines and they are okay with that.
At the end of the day, they are just like any other company. They aim to please the majority of consumers while maximizing profits and keeping manufacturing costs down. It doesn't make financial sense for them to keep manufacturing machines with older features when most users would choose the newer machines anyway.
capathy, i think you're absolutely correct. at least i'm glad that apple used to make machines that had the features that i want. now when i need another one all i've got to do is pick up an older one off e-bay for a tiny fraction of what the new ones cost. i can see the day, if i live long enough, that i will still have my imac g4 for cd's, dvd's, appleworks, a few old games, my data on a couple of firewire drives, and an iphoto library sitting beside a new chromebook on my desk for internet only. for now i have no chromebook but i have a 2009 macbook for internet videos.
Totally agree
I subscribed on this forum only to support you. I 100% agree you !!
I think that unfortunately, the most reason apple put more effort in design than performance is that most of the macbook pro buyers are nothing pro ! Lots of buy it cause it's fashion. And this especially for the 13 inches model. It's sad but it's true to me.
I can't understand in 2014 the highest MBP as a geforce 750m. If you are really a pro you can't work in top-end conditions with that. I personnaly do video editing and video mixing and i'm hitting the limits of the machine whenever i'm using full hd content. Regarding the price of a MBP it's just unacceptable. I wish even if it was expensive, but at least a MBP with a maxwell 900m GPU existed.
Regarding the prices when you see that you have to add 500 euros when you want to go from the 512 Go ssd to the 1to ssd you ask yourself what's the **** ?!! Nowadays SSD devices price is getting lower and lower ! The time a SSD was expensive is almost ove ! How can they calculate that going from 512 go to 1to cost 500 euros !!! Is that serious ?!! They seem are the only computer brand that keep raising the price that much on the SSD option ! They are still doing the same thing that we were seeing 2 or 3 years ago. Do they forget that we're almost in 2015 and ssd have become "cheap" ?!
I bought a MBP because i needed a soft that existed only on Osx but it's truely the only reason i spent so many euros on this otherwise i think it's not worthy. Plus the OS is not very opened to devs. Let me give you a quick example. When intel introduced the i3, i5 and i7 CPU, they introduces Intel Quick Sync Video technology (QSV). This permit to give blazing fast performance for H264 decoding/encoding. Nowadays on PC, every single video software is optimized to use QSV on Apple the QSV support was introduced only in late 2013 in Final cut pro x and compressor 4.1. And conditions to use it are very unclear. It's still not optimized yet.............QSV has been used on pc for almost 4 years..........This permit to accelerate the work when it's about H264 videos (i think it's the most used nowadays)
Whatever Apple is disappointing................and the sad thing is that as they want to make MBP thiner, and integrate lower voltage intel core M CPUs to raise the battery life, i seriously doubt we will see an improvement in the GPU of the 2015 models
I subscribed on this forum only to support you. I 100% agree you !!
I think that unfortunately, the most reason apple put more effort in design than performance is that most of the macbook pro buyers are nothing pro ! Lots of buy it cause it's fashion. And this especially for the 13 inches model. It's sad but it's true to me.
I can't understand in 2014 the highest MBP as a geforce 750m. If you are really a pro you can't work in top-end conditions with that. I personnaly do video editing and video mixing and i'm hitting the limits of the machine whenever i'm using full hd content. Regarding the price of a MBP it's just unacceptable. I wish even if it was expensive, but at least a MBP with a maxwell 900m GPU existed.
Regarding the prices when you see that you have to add 500 euros when you want to go from the 512 Go ssd to the 1to ssd you ask yourself what's the **** ?!! Nowadays SSD devices price is getting lower and lower ! The time a SSD was expensive is almost ove ! How can they calculate that going from 512 go to 1to cost 500 euros !!! Is that serious ?!! They seem are the only computer brand that keep raising the price that much on the SSD option ! They are still doing the same thing that we were seeing 2 or 3 years ago. Do they forget that we're almost in 2015 and ssd have become "cheap" ?!
I bought a MBP because i needed a soft that existed only on Osx but it's truely the only reason i spent so many euros on this otherwise i think it's not worthy. Plus the OS is not very opened to devs. Let me give you a quick example. When intel introduced the i3, i5 and i7 CPU, they introduces Intel Quick Sync Video technology (QSV). This permit to give blazing fast performance for H264 decoding/encoding. Nowadays on PC, every single video software is optimized to use QSV on Apple the QSV support was introduced only in late 2013 in Final cut pro x and compressor 4.1. And conditions to use it are very unclear. It's still not optimized yet.............QSV has been used on pc for almost 4 years..........This permit to accelerate the work when it's about H264 videos (i think it's the most used nowadays)
Whatever Apple is disappointing................and the sad thing is that as they want to make MBP thiner, and integrate lower voltage intel core M CPUs to raise the battery life, i seriously doubt we will see an improvement in the GPU of the 2015 models