So, I have one of the new MBPs on order, because I pretty much need Mac OS X, but I am not super pleased with the hardware. And I also have a Windows laptop, for gaming reasons, and that one was about four years old, so I got a newer one, and I want to compare the specs on the machines, because I think this is a really good example of a machine which I would think of as a "pro" model. I recognize that not all pros need/want the same things.
The machine's an ASUS GL502VS-DB71.
Size: 4.8 pounds, 0.94 inches thick. Absolutely quite a bit larger. It's a largeish 15" laptop, and that's fine by me. I've carried around much heavier machines and not minded, and I like the resulting improvement in cooling.
CPU: Some quad-core i7. "6700HQ". Base frequency 2.6GHz. Slightly slower Skylake CPU.
GPU: GeForce 1070, 8GB memory
RAM: 16GB, upgradeable to 32. (Two DIMM slots, one populated with a 16GB DIMM)
CPU/GPU wise... GPU's clearly gonna run rings around my MBP, CPU's going to be slightly slower. Extra memory would be a really nice thing; if I were running Unix on it, I'd get the memory. Nice thing is, I have the option of doing it later. So if two years from now, 16GB is feeling cramped, I can upgrade.
Weight: 4.8 pounds
Thickness: 0.94 inches
MBP's definitely ahead on this. I don't care, personally. This is definitely a lot smaller than the machine it's replacing (a G55).
Display: 1920x1080 anti-glare IPS panel
So, for me, this is mostly better than the MBP display. I hate the fuzziness I get if I do 1920x resolutions on my current rMBP (admittedly a 13"). 1920x1080 isn't ideal -- I'd rather have x1200 -- but it's basically exactly the resolution I want to run the machine at. Text is beautiful and clear. It's not quite as perfectly sharp as rMBP text, but it's identical to what I get on my 30" 2560x1600 display, just less real estate. And anti-glare is a HUGE win for me compared to the glossy screens, which give me headaches.
I wouldn't blame other people for preferring the Retina display, but if Apple offered this as an option, I'd have taken it instead of Retina.
Keyboard: Full keyboard (including number pad) with reasonably normal scissor keys. For me, this is way better; it's more comfortable to type on. I'd be fine without the keypad, but some people love them. I don't know whether I'll miss the touch bar once I've gotten used to it, but I know that I'll be glad to have the full function key row.
Power: Rated at 180W. Yes, 180. Over twice the power draw of the MBP. I don't care much.
Battery life: I have no idea, and don't care much. I don't use machines off of power very often or for very long. A major consideration for some people, but not for me.
Storage: PCIe SSD slot and 2.5" HDD slot. Comes with 256GB SSD, 1TB moving-parts drive. Both are user-replaceable. (I swapped in a 512GB SSD which cost me $130.) This is one of the areas where the ASUS absolutely dominates Apple's offerings for my purposes.
Ports: Here's where ASUS wins hugely. The biggest weakness this machine had compared to previous MBPs was MagSafe. Now that Apple's dropped MagSafe, that's no longer an advantage for Apple.
This machine has HDMI, MiniDisplayPort, gigabit Ethernet, one USB Type-C port, 4 USB Type-A ports, and an SD card reader. (Both have headphone jacks.)
The new MBP has 4 type-C USB ports. If I don't use hubs or adapters, my upper limit on devices plugged in is three total devices. It's arguably convenient that the ports are all interchangeable, but there's simply not enough of them, and they don't match my existing devices. To use my MBP with an external monitor, I need an adapter. To connect it to Ethernet, I need an adapter. To connect it to any wired keyboard or mouse I own, I need an adapter. To connect it to any wireless keyboard or mouse I own which uses a USB dongle, I need an adapter. And if I want to use keyboard, mouse, ethernet, display, and power... That's five things, and now I need at least one adapter that's providing multiple ports or something.
Price: As-configured, $1700. I spent $130 extra on a 512GB SSD upgrade. If I wanted to mail-order, I could get a 1TB using the standard M.2 SSD drive spec. B&H will sell me a SanDisk 1TB for $289.95. The 1TB upgrade from Apple is $400, and that's an upgrade; it doesn't give me a spare SSD I can repurpose or sell.
So, my shiny new MBP with 1TB of disk runs something like $3,499 with 2GHz processor and 1TB disk upgrades, and a 4GB Radeon 460. This machine, with the 1TB drive upgrade, would be a bit under $1,999. It would have a slightly slower processor. It would have more storage, be user-upgradeable to even more storage or 32GB of memory at any point in the future. Better keyboard, much better ports, display that fits my needs better, and so on. It is unequivocally completely superior, for me personally.
If I bought this machine, and then bought a $2,000 Mac OS X license, I would be spending $500 more than I am on my MBP... And I would be happier.
That is why people are complaining about the state of Apple's hardware. The only thing the rMBP has that I want is Mac OS X. That's it. The other "advantages" it has are not things I need or want, while it has crippling disadvantages that make it a pain to deal with. And I'm not even factoring in the cost of dongles, docks, or whatever. Since I don't know what the final cost will be, since the products I'd need aren't actually available yet.
EDIT: Also the gaming laptop was $300 off, putting it at $1400 instead of $1700. Which also helps.
The machine's an ASUS GL502VS-DB71.
Size: 4.8 pounds, 0.94 inches thick. Absolutely quite a bit larger. It's a largeish 15" laptop, and that's fine by me. I've carried around much heavier machines and not minded, and I like the resulting improvement in cooling.
CPU: Some quad-core i7. "6700HQ". Base frequency 2.6GHz. Slightly slower Skylake CPU.
GPU: GeForce 1070, 8GB memory
RAM: 16GB, upgradeable to 32. (Two DIMM slots, one populated with a 16GB DIMM)
CPU/GPU wise... GPU's clearly gonna run rings around my MBP, CPU's going to be slightly slower. Extra memory would be a really nice thing; if I were running Unix on it, I'd get the memory. Nice thing is, I have the option of doing it later. So if two years from now, 16GB is feeling cramped, I can upgrade.
Weight: 4.8 pounds
Thickness: 0.94 inches
MBP's definitely ahead on this. I don't care, personally. This is definitely a lot smaller than the machine it's replacing (a G55).
Display: 1920x1080 anti-glare IPS panel
So, for me, this is mostly better than the MBP display. I hate the fuzziness I get if I do 1920x resolutions on my current rMBP (admittedly a 13"). 1920x1080 isn't ideal -- I'd rather have x1200 -- but it's basically exactly the resolution I want to run the machine at. Text is beautiful and clear. It's not quite as perfectly sharp as rMBP text, but it's identical to what I get on my 30" 2560x1600 display, just less real estate. And anti-glare is a HUGE win for me compared to the glossy screens, which give me headaches.
I wouldn't blame other people for preferring the Retina display, but if Apple offered this as an option, I'd have taken it instead of Retina.
Keyboard: Full keyboard (including number pad) with reasonably normal scissor keys. For me, this is way better; it's more comfortable to type on. I'd be fine without the keypad, but some people love them. I don't know whether I'll miss the touch bar once I've gotten used to it, but I know that I'll be glad to have the full function key row.
Power: Rated at 180W. Yes, 180. Over twice the power draw of the MBP. I don't care much.
Battery life: I have no idea, and don't care much. I don't use machines off of power very often or for very long. A major consideration for some people, but not for me.
Storage: PCIe SSD slot and 2.5" HDD slot. Comes with 256GB SSD, 1TB moving-parts drive. Both are user-replaceable. (I swapped in a 512GB SSD which cost me $130.) This is one of the areas where the ASUS absolutely dominates Apple's offerings for my purposes.
Ports: Here's where ASUS wins hugely. The biggest weakness this machine had compared to previous MBPs was MagSafe. Now that Apple's dropped MagSafe, that's no longer an advantage for Apple.
This machine has HDMI, MiniDisplayPort, gigabit Ethernet, one USB Type-C port, 4 USB Type-A ports, and an SD card reader. (Both have headphone jacks.)
The new MBP has 4 type-C USB ports. If I don't use hubs or adapters, my upper limit on devices plugged in is three total devices. It's arguably convenient that the ports are all interchangeable, but there's simply not enough of them, and they don't match my existing devices. To use my MBP with an external monitor, I need an adapter. To connect it to Ethernet, I need an adapter. To connect it to any wired keyboard or mouse I own, I need an adapter. To connect it to any wireless keyboard or mouse I own which uses a USB dongle, I need an adapter. And if I want to use keyboard, mouse, ethernet, display, and power... That's five things, and now I need at least one adapter that's providing multiple ports or something.
Price: As-configured, $1700. I spent $130 extra on a 512GB SSD upgrade. If I wanted to mail-order, I could get a 1TB using the standard M.2 SSD drive spec. B&H will sell me a SanDisk 1TB for $289.95. The 1TB upgrade from Apple is $400, and that's an upgrade; it doesn't give me a spare SSD I can repurpose or sell.
So, my shiny new MBP with 1TB of disk runs something like $3,499 with 2GHz processor and 1TB disk upgrades, and a 4GB Radeon 460. This machine, with the 1TB drive upgrade, would be a bit under $1,999. It would have a slightly slower processor. It would have more storage, be user-upgradeable to even more storage or 32GB of memory at any point in the future. Better keyboard, much better ports, display that fits my needs better, and so on. It is unequivocally completely superior, for me personally.
If I bought this machine, and then bought a $2,000 Mac OS X license, I would be spending $500 more than I am on my MBP... And I would be happier.
That is why people are complaining about the state of Apple's hardware. The only thing the rMBP has that I want is Mac OS X. That's it. The other "advantages" it has are not things I need or want, while it has crippling disadvantages that make it a pain to deal with. And I'm not even factoring in the cost of dongles, docks, or whatever. Since I don't know what the final cost will be, since the products I'd need aren't actually available yet.
EDIT: Also the gaming laptop was $300 off, putting it at $1400 instead of $1700. Which also helps.