My 2012 15" rMBP is dying with a failing graphic system, leading to frequent crashes with GPU kernel panics. Apple was offering a repair programme for this but in a perfect example of Murphy's Law, this ended at 31st December 2016. I will try and blag Apple into at least a discounted repair because otherwise financially it is not worth repairing, with a new logic unit required. In that the problem started about 6 weeks ago, I will try and persuade Apple that the first signs of the problem fell within the repair window.
In the meantime, as a professional photographer I need a working, non-crashing fast big screen Mac laptop. My usual supplier DSJ Applestore in London had the perfect one for me, a new 2016 15" 2.8 gHz with a 1TB SSD, the model before Apple decided in their wisdom, to delete most of the ports. However, Murphy was still at it and while I waited for Jit, DSJ's owner, to phone me back to take the order, someone came into the store and bought it. DSJ will not be getting any more of those.
So reluctantly I have had to settle for one of the new 15.4" Touchbar MBP's with 2.7 gHz, 16GB, 512GB SSD, but with the horrible USB C ports. I was staggered by what some companies are charging for dongles, upwards of £200. I have found on Amazon UK a dongle by Benfei, with charge through, HDMI, 2 x USB3-A sockets, RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet and standard plus micro SD slots all for £56. If it really is too good to be true, it can go straight back to Amazon. I detest dongles but at least if this one works, it does all I need in a single reasonably small box which does not need an external power supply. My Leica SL camera will tether to the USB3-A port with its 3 metre micro USB3 to USB3-A cable and my main portable drive, a Lacie external 1TB SSD which has a USB3A cable, will work as well.
Luckily my current rMBP had a brief good spell yesterday afternoon, which enabled me to take a Carbon Copy Clone off it. This is much better for transferring Apps, than Apple's migration assistant from Time Machine, as the licence/registrations are transferred seamlessly. Otherwise it is a long job, going back though invoices and receipts, trying to find all the registration codes for the many dozens of apps I have.
In the meantime, as a professional photographer I need a working, non-crashing fast big screen Mac laptop. My usual supplier DSJ Applestore in London had the perfect one for me, a new 2016 15" 2.8 gHz with a 1TB SSD, the model before Apple decided in their wisdom, to delete most of the ports. However, Murphy was still at it and while I waited for Jit, DSJ's owner, to phone me back to take the order, someone came into the store and bought it. DSJ will not be getting any more of those.
So reluctantly I have had to settle for one of the new 15.4" Touchbar MBP's with 2.7 gHz, 16GB, 512GB SSD, but with the horrible USB C ports. I was staggered by what some companies are charging for dongles, upwards of £200. I have found on Amazon UK a dongle by Benfei, with charge through, HDMI, 2 x USB3-A sockets, RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet and standard plus micro SD slots all for £56. If it really is too good to be true, it can go straight back to Amazon. I detest dongles but at least if this one works, it does all I need in a single reasonably small box which does not need an external power supply. My Leica SL camera will tether to the USB3-A port with its 3 metre micro USB3 to USB3-A cable and my main portable drive, a Lacie external 1TB SSD which has a USB3A cable, will work as well.
Luckily my current rMBP had a brief good spell yesterday afternoon, which enabled me to take a Carbon Copy Clone off it. This is much better for transferring Apps, than Apple's migration assistant from Time Machine, as the licence/registrations are transferred seamlessly. Otherwise it is a long job, going back though invoices and receipts, trying to find all the registration codes for the many dozens of apps I have.
