Hands-On With Apple's New 16-Inch MacBook Pro

[Bug-Creator]

How about just store the USB-C SD-card reader with your camera gear?

Serious question:

Do current "pro" cameras have the option to send taken picture over USB or BlueTooth?

What do you expect to be the state of that matter in 2 or 3 years?

 

[hans1972]

I ordered my 2013 one with 8GB RAM. Biggest mistake, 2 years later it was a $3000 brick. Completely unusable for anything but browsing. And I fear 16GB today is the same as 8GB was back then. It depends what you're doing, but if you're running more than one VM, I fear it's not going to cut it. Maybe Linux in a VM, but not Windows 10 or Server 2019 for sure. Windows itself needs 16GB of RAM, if your host machine has that much it won't be pretty.

Windows 10 will run fine in a VM with 1Gb of RAM.
I run Windows with an Ecplise based (java-based) development environment and it runs fine with 1.5 Gb of RAM and 1 vCPU.

In fact I run this VM on the very first 12" Macbook from 2015 with 8Gb of RAM, and I can in fact run 2 VMs at the same time. Both accounting about 3 Gb of RAM, which leaves 5Gb for macOS which can still run the full Office suite, Skype, Teams, Mail, Safari.

 

[The Mercurian]

Incidentally GBP480 is the retail price of 4x Samsung 2666V 32GB SoDIMM DDR4 sticks 😜
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Not for Pros: try random access even a 64GB disk image file over WiFi, let alone run iSCSI 🤣

Wow so my earlier estimate of 75% profit was too low than since this is profit vs retail 😳

 

[0134168]

Would have liked FaceID on this TBH, but I guess omitting it gives them something to upgrade next year onwards.

For now it´s imposible to put the hardware of the FaceID in the thickness of the display.

 

[stevet]

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it had no Touch Bar at all, and had an SD card slot.

I still feel like Apple cares more about their own hubris than they care about making a product that's convenient to use. A tiny touch screen control, which is slower than function keys, does NOT help speed along my creative work.

And carrying an SD dongle around isn't a convenient way of using a product that should already be portable. The need to carry around so many dongles negates the product's supposed portability.

All that being said, I applaud Apple for going back to a FANTASTIC keyboard design! Thank you, Apple! And thanks for fixing the thermal issues too! VERY awesome!

And the escape key is great! But I still think there's a massive group of Pro users who just don't want the Touch Bar at all. Especially since it doesn't exist for any of the desktop machines, so its existence on the MacBook Pros automatically creates a disparity across the "professional Mac" product line. (Meaning, there's no sense in getting used to using a Touch Bar while on the go if I can't use a Touch Bar when I'm back on my desktop workstation at the office. So it ultimately ends up being something that's just in the way).

Why are you thanking Apple for the keyboard? You said you aren't buying the Laptop.

 

[08380728]

Dude in video must be windows guy...meh

beautiful “wallpaper”....dude, it’s always been a ‘desktop picture’ on Mac OS!

Only Billies Winblowz had ‘Wallpaper’ bill wasn’t even a hipster the 70’s yo!

 

[AndiG]

Wow so my earlier estimate of 75% profit was too low than since this is profit vs retail 😳

Apple has always been expensive and it was ok. But today Apple wants you to pay prices that are completely out of scope. Even the Microsoft surface laptops have a replaceable M2 ssd!
As ifixit proved there is enough space for socketed RAM and ssd - but nearly no one would pay Apple 450$ for 16GB extra RAM (retail price is ~55$) so Apple HAS to solder it.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it had no Touch Bar at all, and had an SD card slot.

I still feel like Apple cares more about their own hubris than they care about making a product that's convenient to use. A tiny touch screen control, which is slower than function keys, does NOT help speed along my creative work.

And carrying an SD dongle around isn't a convenient way of using a product that should already be portable. The need to carry around so many dongles negates the product's supposed portability.

All that being said, I applaud Apple for going back to a FANTASTIC keyboard design! Thank you, Apple! And thanks for fixing the thermal issues too! VERY awesome!

And the escape key is great! But I still think there's a massive group of Pro users who just don't want the Touch Bar at all. Especially since it doesn't exist for any of the desktop machines, so its existence on the MacBook Pros automatically creates a disparity across the "professional Mac" product line. (Meaning, there's no sense in getting used to using a Touch Bar while on the go if I can't use a Touch Bar when I'm back on my desktop workstation at the office. So it ultimately ends up being something that's just in the way).

Please provide for proof about what you are saying.
I love the Touch Bar and definitely don’t want a MacBook Pro without it.
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It does. Dongle = plug-n-plug-n-play.

BTW, if Apple pushes so hard for the TouchBar, why not give it haptic feedback???
It would make a night and day difference.

Haptic feedback on a notebook ???
I don’t want my notebook to vibrates in any way !
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"Since then I’ve embraced the Apple ecosystem (including iCloud storage) and have only picked up my digital camera a handful of times and only for nostalgic purposes — as my iPhone is convenient and all the camera I need. "

What the what???

So adopting the Apple ecosystem means you have to give up better photographs? Is there a tattoo you need to get as well?

NO smartphone can come close to what even your $1000 DSLR's can achieve in auto mode no less. Sure if you just want quick pictures it is fine for most. If you want good to great photos then put down the smartphone and pickup a camera. Yes you see some great shots from a iPhone from pro photographers that have the iPhone in some rig that you will never have and then heavily edited in software.

If you carry around your DSLR you won’t have any issue to take a dongle with you.

 

[Mr Baldman]

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it had no Touch Bar at all, and had an SD card slot.

i used to feel exactly like that until i had to buy a new MBP.

turns out i love the touch bar, its actually quite handy, especially for locking the screen. I got around the SD slot issue with a $10 attachment from amazon.

I really missed magsafe at first, but its great being able to plug power into any side of the MBP.

the soft esc key is not cool, but they sorted that with the 16"

 

[dspdoc]

Blows my mind the things Apple people bitch about. There really is no pleasing some of you. Good job Apple on this machine. I will apologize for all the pathetically insatiable people.

 

[0x0x0x0]

Blows my mind the things Apple people bitch about. There really is no pleasing some of you. Good job Apple on this machine. I will apologize for all the pathetically insatiable people.

What particularly is the "good job" here? Do tell!

 

[djlythium]

Would have liked FaceID on this TBH, but I guess omitting it gives them something to upgrade next year onwards.

Normally, I would agree with you, but logging in with Apple Watch is super-convenient, and almost negates having fID. I think the ‘already authenticated device unlocking other devices’ will become more ubiquitous as we progress.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Sounds like you’re not a professional photographer, so you probably shouldn’t be giving an opinion on the matter. I’m certainly not in the minority. Most people want the SD card reader back. It’s nice to have it. You can’t argue that it’s better not to have it. It’s just not true.

I’m a professional photographer. Not many of us really use SD cards actually. Proper cameras use CF cards. They’re much faster you see.
When I use SD cards, it’s really very very simple to just plug the camera in to the USB port with a cable, and import like that.

 

[WardC]

Looks pretty damn awesome!

 

[Bug-Creator]

Haptic feedback on a notebook ???
I don’t want my notebook to vibrates in any way !

Then stay clear of any even semi recent MacBook(Pro) as the all have it in the touchpad......


(not that it would "vibrate" in any way....)

 

[ElectricPotato]

...not saying I disagree with everything he says but he can't afford to show anything but disdain for Apple products.

I watched a couple of his videos out of curiosity and trashing Apple is his schtick. I did not find his predictable performance informative but clearly enough people enjoy that kind of thing to keep his channel going.

 

[SoulBlighter]

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it had no Touch Bar at all, and had an SD card slot.

And the escape key is great! But I still think there's a massive group of Pro users who just don't want the Touch Bar at all.

I've been saving since 2012 for my next Macbook Pro. I could justify the upgrade and get $4,699.00 configuration IF it had function keys. This is a must.

Why would apple handi-cap their own Exposé features in OSX with Touch Bar. I know you can lock the virtual function key view but no tactile feedback? A Pro user is going to use their keyboard like a pianist plays piano. Imagine if 1 key on a Piano was "dead" and how much that'd affect their performance.

I thought it was MagSafe too but there are things like ThunderMag for USB C. I like this idea better because I can add "magsafe" to all peripherals not just the power cord.

Could apple move the touch bar above the function keys perhaps?

 

[Jethro!]

The only benefit of upgrading your own RAM is saving money buying third-party RAM. But people who can afford a $3k+ computer are unlikely to want to tear open their own computer to save maybe 5% of the purchase cost. On the other hand, those same people place a premium on the slimmest, lightest laptop possible, which is precisely what soldering RAM allows.

That's what the "Air" line of laptops was supposed to be about -- slim and light above all else. Great for those who want it, but this is not a "Pro" attribute.

 

[lyngo]

Eh... Strong photographs that have the power to release narrative are not the result of camera gear. Rather, they're from the person making the photograph, his/her life experiences, curiosity, imagination, skill, and a variety of technical choices made during the process.

Many times I find that photographers who love to talk about gear often have photographs that don't evoke or communicate anything interesting or memorable.

There is so much truth to what you are sharing here!

 

[theluggage]

It‘s true that Apple use the fastest RAM they can get their hands on.

Nonsense. They use the RAM that matches the specs of whatever standard Intel chipset the machine is built around. There are only about 3 actual DRAM chip manufacturers worldwide, so any 3rd party RAM you get is quite likely to have the exact same chips as Apple use.

For the machines that you can upgrade, e.g. the 27"iMac:

Apple price for 8-16GB upgrade: $200
Crucial price for 16GB kit (that's 2x8GB sticks): $69.99

Just to re-iterate that, Apple charge $200 for an upgrade to 16GB, crucial charge $70 for an upgrade to 24GB.

When I upgraded my iMac, the Crucial sticks were, capacity aside, exactly the same brand of Micron SODIMMs as the ones that came with the iMac.

Have fun defending the indefensible.

Rolex know their particular customers will pay a premium price day or night.

Rolex make jewellery. The purpose of wearing a Rolex is to tell the world that you can afford a Rolex - if you want to tell the time, a $30 lump of plastic from Casio will do a better job. Of course, its also a beautifully made, timeless, mechanical watch that you can hand down to your grandchildren, whereas a Mac is going to be clunky and obsolescent after 3-5 years and landfill within a decade.

Now imagine if a Rolex only told "Rolex time" and was only any use if third parties supported "Rolex time" in their timetables, TV schedules, store opening times etc. Then they started pushing up the price and - instead of trying to sell Rolexes to new customers - made do with extracting more and more cash from a handful of customers who simply wouldn't consider switching back to "regular time" and would pay whatever it took. That's going to be fine and dandy for a few quarters, until there are so few Rolex users that nobody bothers printing their diaries, schedules or opening times in 'Rolex time' anymore, and suddenly, well, Rolexes are just nice bracelets.

Some of us buy computers as tools to do practical/useful/fun things, and want a Mac because, all things being equal, we prefer MacOS to the alternatives - not to show the world that we can afford a Mac. Many of us have spent years justifying the extra cost of a Mac in terms of better design and the advantages of MacOS. Apple, however, have taken advantage of that, and pushed the cost up to the point where all things are not equal and the cost/hardware compromises of getting a Mac are outweighing the advantages of MacOS. They're on a course of extracting more and more money from a non-replenishing pool of users who are either hopelessly committed to Mac-only packages or haven't re-evaluated Windows since WinME or Vista.

The new 16" is one step forward taken after 3 steps back. Golf clap.

 

[ghanwani]

I tried it yesterday at the store, not because I'm interested in getting one but because I was interested in experiencing the keyboard since this will likely trickle down the rest of the line up. To me, the typing experience is much improved over the butterfly. More key travel and softer, comfortable feel. The arrow keys are more aesthetic.

There is a bit of marketing however. While they call it a 16", the screen is only 0.6" bigger than the 15". I wonder what kind of improvement that might lead to with the 13" machines if they applied their bezel "improvements". Like grow it to maybe 13.5-13.7" and start calling it a 14"? I just hope I don't see the MBA gain weight or the touchbar.

 

[Jethro!]

So we're getting another "Thin is in, BABY!" "Pro" machine? Ports please/SD slot? And still not user-upgradable? And this is still their "Pro" offering? 🤦‍♂️

 

[FlyingDutch]

Still no touchscreen nor fold. I already bought a Lenovo Yoga to replace my MBPr TB 13". Am in the process of dropping Apple all the way. I hate being bored, and all their hardware bores me, and Win 10 and Linux satisfy my development needs.

Last thing I want to do is actually touch my notebook display.
There’s nothing boring like Windows....
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I hope so.

Me too

 

[macintoshmac]

The only benefit of upgrading your own RAM is saving money buying third-party RAM. But people who can afford a $3k+ computer are unlikely to want to tear open their own computer to save maybe 5% of the purchase cost. On the other hand, those same people place a premium on the slimmest, lightest laptop possible, which is precisely what soldering RAM allows.

Valid points. But, to me at least, the value of user-upgradable RAM is not in cost. It is in peace of mind. I don’t have to take more memory at the onset just because, or get stymied later on even after going for more RAM at the onset. The pleasure and peace of mind offered by the ability to add memory as needed is unmatched.

Most would be happy with 16GB today, but would go for 32GB anyway since it is soldered. That’s more money for Apple, even if it comes out to be a single-digit percentage point. That single digit is important - to Apple and to the user both - since that is money. Now, what happens 2 years down the line when people who bought a computer with 32GB suddenly start doing something else and require 64? Even if out of hobby? At that point, wouldn’t they be grateful to Apple had they been able to add more RAM to their computers themselves?

Eventually users just try and get the maximum they can afford with their money. This is bonus money for Apple and this does remain a peeve with enthusiast buyers. Sure, the ones with cash to splurge around several times over, don’t care at all. They will just get the top model and be done with.

 

[JosephAW]

What happens when you press CTRL-Power button? Does it show shutdown sleep restart?