Done with Macs

[Steve121178]

Our whole house is Apple ecosystem. We've used nothing but Apple pc's for well over a decade and I've been waiting to see what the MBP offerings would look like. What Apple put out there today is simply insulting.

I use my laptop for work, as does my wife. I don't need a silly emoji bar, though it doesn't really bother me. What I need is functionality (power/speed, battery life, portability, longevity, comfort) and a price that makes sense as a value proposition. The combination of fewer ports, a crappier keyboard, and price gauging for minor upgrades (RAM, HD) is not acceptable.

We'll be just fine using iphones and Windows laptops from now on and I'll be giving a serious look to dumping my Apple stock at some point. They've abandoned what made them a company and brand I attached to.

The new MacBook Pro's are everything that's good about Apple. I think they are easily the most exciting computers I've seen for a very long time. What I do find unforgivable and almost insulting is the price, especially here in the UK. For the base 13" model with Touch Bar, if I add an extra 8GB of RAM and Apple Care I am at the £2500 mark. Utter, utter lunacy & madness.

 

[gooseta]

Pricing is near insane but windows laptops have so many flaws. I used to be a die hard PC fan and still have a windows desktop, but windows laptops have **** software, **** trackpads, awful scaling, terrible batteries and battery optimisation, bad keyboards, bad speakers, etc etc etc etc

 

[eyeseeyou]

TBH aside from a retina screen the UX on my maxed out MacBook 2011 is still extremely enjoyable.

That being said I'm in the market for a lighter(13"), retina equipped MacBook. Looking forward to the price drops in older models.

 

[more fps]

Again, as a cutting end tech comparison, look at the new MS Surface. Its slower than the new Macs, with worse specs, and yet its more expensive. Cutting edge costs money people. If you don't need it, thats ok. But I just don't understand this complaining about Apple being behind, and then if they are not behind anymore, then suddenly its ridiculous because its apparently too expensive.

Exactly , people are ignoring this and just blaming apple

 

[leman]

You can't argue price-to-spec ratio in regards to Macs and PCs.

Let's compare it to Dell XPS 15, which is probably the closest laptop. The XPS in i7-6700HQ/256GB/large battery configuration is $1,849.99. The MBP is $2399. Thats $550 difference there. Yikes, thats a lot. Still, what does it get you? A lighter (1.8 vs 2kg laptop — yes the XPS with large battery is 2kg) and smaller laptop, faster storage, a wide-gamut display that is superior in every way except resolution (which won't play any role, really), 4 TB-3 ports, a new interaction method. The GPU is a bit of the riddle right now as we have no idea what that Pro 450 might be, but its probably in the same ballpark as the 950M /960M by a conservative estimate.

Is it expensive? Sure. It is overpriced? Honestly, I wouldn't know. Simply because there is literally no one who ships a comparable laptop right now. For me, the price difference is absolutely worth it. I can have top performance and battery life in a laptop that I can very comfortably carry around and use very flexibly. Basically, these extra few hundred bucks give me a much better user experience. I work on my laptop around 8-10 hours per day. Its more then I sleep. On average, I keep a laptop for 3 years. Which means that over the lifetime of my laptop, the cost will be approximately 40c per hour. Is it worth it to pay 40c per hour to have a more pleasant and productive experience. Sorry, I'll do it any time, without even flinching. What sense would it have to save $1000 over 3 years if it means that I'd be more frequently stressed out about stuff that open too slow, doesn't work, back pain from lugging an uncomfortable bag or too much stuff?

Of course, your mileage might vary. I can understand that other users use their computer more sporadically and this kind of investment is a more tough choice for them,

 

[827538]

Stuff it.

Take a break from sipping the kool aid and actually take a look at the competition. Then realize that Apple has dropped the ball on the new MBP, and has truly gouged the prices even more than usual.

$2400 gets you the BASE MODEL 15". Top spec is $4300 in the US. If you don't think that's insanity, let me know who your supplier is, because whatever you're smoking must be top shelf.

Top spec is an insane £4094 in the UK, the base model is £2349. When Dell is putting out amazing laptops with the same specs or better for £1000 less I just don't know how Apple justifies this to themselves. This isn't competing its price gouging.

The fact is that 13" Dell XPS with inferior specs is $200 less. Is a wide color screen, much faster storage, faster GPU and CPU etc. worth $200? I'd say yes.

If we look at the 15" model, yes, the price is a bit on the high end. My last MBP was 2700 swiss franks. The new one is 2900. That includes a rebate we get. Yes, the price has increased. Is that additional price of 200 franks worth it to me for a laptop which is lighter, more ergonomic and vastly superior in its technical characteristics? You bet it.

P.S. Which competition? Who ships a wide gamut screen on a laptop right now? Who even ships a Polaris-equipped laptop? We don't know the exact specs yet, but at any rate, its gaming laptop level performance. In terms of GPU (what people are complaining about), this is the most significant update the MBP has received EVER. I wouldn't be surprised if the 15" MBP is going to be the fastest sub 2.2kg laptop on the market - in all parameters.

Lucky you, if only the UK prices were so reasonable.

 

[Bending Pixels]

ba bye - have a nice life

 

[leman]

Top spec is an insane £4094 in the UK, the base model is £2349.

I don't really see why Apple is to blame for your populist politicians and voters who fall for them. Or for the pound to dollar exchange rate.

Notwithstanding, I think the only fair comparison of prices for USA based companies is in US dollars. Too many factors that affect the pricing in other countries. I admit that I am very lucky to be in Switzerland, with CHF doing good and taxes being low. Other people might be less lucky.

 

[827538]

I don't really see why Apple is to blame for your populist politicians and voters who fall for them. Or for the pound to dollar exchange rate.

Notwithstanding, I think the only fair comparison of prices for USA based companies is in US dollars. Too many factors that affect the pricing in other countries. I admit that I am very lucky to be in Switzerland, with CHF doing good and taxes being low. Other people might be less lucky.

I voted out, I'm 24, Scottish and a student and in the military. Whats your issue with my country exercising its democratic right to vote. Since when did Switzerland ever stand up for someone else's democracy? Even with the exchange rates taking a hit recently it's still a big price discrepancy.

 

[leman]

I voted out, I'm 24 a student and in the military. Whats your issue with my country exercising its democratic right to vote. Since when did Switzerland ever stand up for someone else's democracy? Even with the exchange rates taking a hit recently it's still a big price discrepancy.

I don't have any issue with your country or its choices. I am just saying that you need to take responsibility for them. I can understand people who voted in complaining, but people who voted out — thats exactly what you wanted, isn't it? I am certainly sympathetic, I'd also be pissed if the prices in my country would be raised that much. But that was very much predictable. Then again, that is barely a good topic for this thread.

 

[RUGGLES99]

i paid $1100 for my new 2015 13" mbp WITH office 2016, no tax, fre shipping full apple warranty on ebay. 8gb, 256g ssd. thats $400 cheaper than the new list price. i paid $1149 same as above for the first mbr. i just upgraded my mac mini desktop to 8gb and 250 gb ssd for $200. these will last me the rest of my life. my opinion of the new mbp line, just gadgetry and glitz. only nice thing is the 13" is lighter. bfd.

 

[DSTOFEL]

Our whole house is Apple ecosystem. We've used nothing but Apple pc's for well over a decade and I've been waiting to see what the MBP offerings would look like. What Apple put out there today is simply insulting.

I use my laptop for work, as does my wife. I don't need a silly emoji bar, though it doesn't really bother me. What I need is functionality (power/speed, battery life, portability, longevity, comfort) and a price that makes sense as a value proposition. The combination of fewer ports, a crappier keyboard, and price gauging for minor upgrades (RAM, HD) is not acceptable.

We'll be just fine using iphones and Windows laptops from now on and I'll be giving a serious look to dumping my Apple stock at some point. They've abandoned what made them a company and brand I attached to.

I'm not exactly done with Apple, but I'm now straddling the fence between Apple (iMac, iphone's, ipad's) and Microsoft (ie having just recently sold my MBPR and replaced it with a Surface Book).

I watched both events this week (Microsoft and Apple). It looks to me there's a bit of a roll reversal taking shape. If you compare the focused, energetic, passionate style of Panos Panay as he presents Surface Studio with the tired, old, out of shape and uninspiring Phil Schiller as he presents the new MBPs (not to even mention Tim Cook with all the charisma of an undertaker)....Microsoft has become the cool innovative company (IMHO of course).

 

[sunnyj]

The Dell XPS 13 and 15 are really nice, HP's Spectre laptops are pretty good and even Asus and Acer are putting out some decent laptops these days.

How reliable are they? My MacBook Pro's last me typically 4-6 years. Can i expect the same with Dell or HP?

Apple removing the ports I use daily is a deal breaker for me. I'm also not interested in using dongles for everything.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Well, I don't care what it costs and I happily pay for good tech.

With the exception of one thing, I think it's an amazing machine. I'd love to use it for my job as an assignment based photographer, but I can't. The all-new MacBook Pro can never have more than 16 GB of RAM, ever. This makes it worthless to me. Such a shame Apple, such a shame.

 

[SparkFlash]

Our whole house is Apple ecosystem. We've used nothing but Apple pc's for well over a decade and I've been waiting to see what the MBP offerings would look like. What Apple put out there today is simply insulting.

I use my laptop for work, as does my wife. I don't need a silly emoji bar, though it doesn't really bother me. What I need is functionality (power/speed, battery life, portability, longevity, comfort) and a price that makes sense as a value proposition. The combination of fewer ports, a crappier keyboard, and price gauging for minor upgrades (RAM, HD) is not acceptable.

We'll be just fine using iphones and Windows laptops from now on and I'll be giving a serious look to dumping my Apple stock at some point. They've abandoned what made them a company and brand I attached to.

I can't really blame you on your points. Fanboy here as well and upset about some of the same things. I couldn't switch though, I love the OS too much.

Good luck!

 

[RichardMoran10]

I'm extremely disappointed about the new MacBook Pros buts it's not like I'm in the market for a new notebook. I have a mid-2015 high-end 15 inch. I don't think I'm will be in the market for a new computer until like 2020.

But as a fan of apple, I felt like they could have done more, idk that's just me.

 

[gooseta]

I voted out, I'm 24, Scottish and a student and in the military. Whats your issue with my country exercising its democratic right to vote. Since when did Switzerland ever stand up for someone else's democracy? Even with the exchange rates taking a hit recently it's still a big price discrepancy.

The prices are fair. The pound has fallen 20% in the last 3 months against the dollar and is behaving very unpredictably for such a developed market. If we keep pursuing hard brexit, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine the £ falling to 1.15 USD or even 1.10. In addition the UK has much more stringent consumer protection laws which cost apple a fair amount.

 

[Ghost31]

Bye, have fun with your $2400 Microsoft laptop with inferior specs

This is so unnecessarily fanboyish it's almost like you HAVE to be saying this on a joking tone. Something tells me you're not though. And you're exactly what apple counts on when they do something anti consumer. "They'll just take it and somehow...work for us as like free advertising or something "

 

[zemaker]

What is really shocking to me are the sub par specs. Apple was never about cutting edge specs, but this new MacBook Pro is an insult. That GPU is laughable.

 

[Ghost31]

How reliable are they? My MacBook Pro's last me typically 4-6 years. Can i expect the same with Dell or HP?

Apple removing the ports I use daily is a deal breaker for me. I'm also not interested in using dongles for everything.

I'd like to know this as well. I've heard from people going nuts over the xps series like it's the best thing ever and what I find in regards to laptop quality and pc vs apple is:

People usually come from cheapo or semi cheap pc laptops. We are talking $400-600. Then they decide the quality isn't there and try a $1500 apple laptop and are amazed at how much better it feels when really, it's because you paid more dummy. Like I can't go from a base model Ford Fiesta all the way up to a much more expensive Ford Explorer and be surprised when it feels much more premium. There are premium pc laptops out there. People just haven't been accustomed to paying for them. It's like people not buying apps on android whereas people do all the time on iOS. The culture is different

 

[Fernandez21]

My $1200 Dell XPS 15 comes with the following

i7 Skylake
512GB SSD
16GB RAM
4k UHD
NVidia GTX960 Graphics
Edge to Edge display


The same configuration for Apple's new Macbook is $2800.


Have fun with your overpriced Macbook.

Where are you seeing this? Im on dell's website and I'm not seeing a way to get that configuration. The closest i can get is with a Core i5, 256gb SSD, 8gb RAM, 4k touchscreen, 960m graphics for $1,649.

http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/xps-15-9550-laptop?~ck=bt

 

[Zackmd1]

I'm totally with you on this. I was always willing to pay the apple tax. I could always justify it. But there is a point where apple just pushes too far. This doesn't make any damn sense. I think a lot of us are in a state of shock because this was so unexpected and we are having the same reaction in real time : the realization that we are done with mac. And it's a mixed feeling of sad and angry

What's a good pc laptop? I never even look

Check out "the new razer blade".... http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade

14" MacBook clone aluminum laptop that is as thin as the previous gen retina.... It packs a true quad core processor, 4k display, decent battery, and a GTX1060 graphics card. All this for about the same price as the higher spec 2016 13 inch "pro".

 

[sunnyj]

Even with all the negatives, I am loving the space gray colour on the MBP!

 

[Ghost31]

Check out "the new razer blade".... http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-systems/razer-blade

14" MacBook clone aluminum laptop that is as thin as the previous gen retina.... It packs a true quad core processor, 4k display, decent battery, and a GTX1060 graphics card. All this for about the same price as the higher spec 2016 13 inch "pro".

HOLY CRAP. Starting to feel like there was a whole world of great laptops my eyes were closed to until this keynote. Really wanna try this thing in store. That thing looks like it was ripped out of my dreams

 

[wegster]

You do realize there are cheaper macs than top-spec' don't, latest release ones, right...?

Still more expensive than competition, but not the absurdity you seem to think.

Without user-upgradable RAM and storage and an expectation to get at least 3 years out of a laptop - some of us need to go towards the higher tiers when VMs, dev environments, serious photo/video or CAD work gets done vs e.g. writing papers and browsing, email etc.

I'm not (yet) done w/Macs, as I also have a fairly $ software investment there, but I'll likely be buying a mid-2014 or 2015 maxed model instead until Apple has something compelling to offer again.