How reliable is the new Macbook Pro?

[dapa0s]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting either the 13 inch touchbar 2018 macbook pro now, or the 5k iMac.

I want to use it for logic pro x, I've been a musician for 20 years, and I want to learn how to record and mix better.

I can't decide between the two, though I decided that I don't want the mac mini.

I travel often, but not too much, and honestly, if the new iMac was out I would just buy that, but now the decision is much harder. Or if I knew that the Macbook Pro will just work and not have some weird issues, I would buy that tomorrow.

Any ideas or tips?

Sorry if messed up by asking here, I'm new.

 

[synergize]

12 days in with Macbook-pro-core-i5-2.3-13-mid-2018-true-tone-display-touch-bar and 100% flawless so far.

 

[unglued]

3 weeks in with a new MacBook Pro 2018 but 15" and it's taken through the wringer everyday, flawless so far. The only complaint I have is having to slow down and think what USB-C adapters I need before I hit the road, it's a hodgepodge of dongleville confusion. I'm guessing it will be more for you not just connecting your pro audio recording and mixing equipment but praying it will work flawlessly to achieve that high quality fidelity sound like Bob Ludwig the legend himself produces on those precious vinyl cuts.

 

[Costino1]

2 days into the 2018 15" I7 MBP and Im in love.

Keyboard is flawless and no issues at all.

Just trying to let the TouchBar grow on me. So far I'm not finding it very useful. Hope that changes because I love the tech behind it.

 

[SDColorado]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Relax. I am sure it will be every bit as reliable as your Apple Watch, Mac Mini's and Airpods.
Nothing to worry about ͡° ͜ʖ ͡ -

 

[leman]

Any computer is only reliable while its warranty is still active. Failure rate for premium laptops are 20-25% in first two years and Apple is not an exception. Current lineup has some known bugs and design weak points (e.g. slightly higher potential keyboard failure chance).

Bottomline: as reliable as any other similarly priced computer.

 

[Spoon!]

I have the maxed out 2017 15” currently and it’s still working flawlessly. I can’t say anything regarding the 2018 one, but the 2017 is the nicest laptop I’ve ever owned. I’m just a bit irked by the current eGPU situation, but it’s a damn good laptop.

 

[torana355]

I think the keyboard is the main concern, not a matter of if, but when it will inevitably fail.

 

[Ploki]

I use Logic majority of time.
I had the 15" i9 which was ****, was dropping audio and had issues. it also had terribly loud fans.

when i received a refund, i bought a mini i7 2018 + 13" i5. havent received the i5 yet, but Mini has been serving me great.

 

[macintoshmac]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting either the 13 inch touchbar 2018 macbook pro now, or the 5k iMac.

I want to use it for logic pro x, I've been a musician for 20 years, and I want to learn how to record and mix better.

I can't decide between the two, though I decided that I don't want the mac mini.

I travel often, but not too much, and honestly, if the new iMac was out I would just buy that, but now the decision is much harder. Or if I knew that the Macbook Pro will just work and not have some weird issues, I would buy that tomorrow.

Any ideas or tips?

Sorry if messed up by asking here, I'm new.

With your luck with the multiple Apple product line failures, I don't think an Apple is for you. You could buy an MBP 15 2018 and an iMac or modular Mac Pro when it is launched, which should be a beast for your music production requirements for a considerable time. If you do not produce on the go, a retina MacBook is an excellent travel companion for a lot of light needs.

 

[Ploki]

With your luck with the multiple Apple product line failures, I don't think an Apple is for you. You could buy an MBP 15 2018 and an iMac or modular Mac Pro when it is launched, which should be a beast for your music production requirements for a considerable time. If you do not produce on the go, a retina MacBook is an excellent travel companion for a lot of light needs.

i had an i9. the i7 mini is better for logic - runs more stable, runs more quiet, and has better track count. no-brainer.

 

[Gamer-Dad]

You are fine. You come here and these forums are littered with horror stories. What you don't see are all the posts from users that have no issues, well, because they are enjoying there products. Doesn't mean there aren't problems. Its a manufactured product. There will be good ones and bad ones, from the same lot/batch, within 1 # of the serials.

I've owned every version of the iPhone (including this years XS and XS Max) and never had failures on any of them (can't stand the OLED displays as I suffer from PWM headaches, I also value my money and don't see the point in paying more). I have Airpods that will occasionally geek out. A simple take out of the ear and put back usually fixes the problem, but I did have 1 occasion where I had to resync them. I have Beats Studio3's which are excellent. Never had an issue with them. This year, I started off with a 2017 i5/512/8 MBP 13 TB. I was on day 44 of my Best Buy return period when the 2018's came out and swapped it out for another i5/512/8. No issues with either 1. Labor Day weekend saw B&H have a weekend sale on the 2018 MBP 15 2.6/512/16/560X for $2499. I returned my MBP 13 and bought the 15, thinking I needed the extra horsepower of the 15 and screen size. This 1 had an issue with the battery that showed up within the first 2 days of use and exchanged it. The replacement was flawless, ran cool, and stayed quiet. Used it till last Friday, when I sold it and repurchased the 2018 MBP 13 i5/512/16 TB. Love the form factor of the 13 over the 15, and I really didn't need the extra 2 cores nor the graphics card of the 15. I do miss the screen real estate of the 15 though. My new 13 has been flawless.

My wife has had a few MBP's as well. She started off this year with a 2017 TB MBP 13 i5/256/8 and felt she didn't need the power of it and could live with the cheaper nTB 2017. Exchanged it for her. She used it for about 40 days and didn't like MacOS, so she changed out to the Surface Book Pro 2. Went to Vegas beginning of December, she hated lugging around the SB2 as its very top heavy. Showed her the new MBA in gold and she loved it. Said she would learn the MacOS. Bought the gold i5/256/8. She loved it. Screen was almost as bright as my MBP, with great colors. System ran smooth. But, it had an issue with turning back on from opening the lid. Keyboard would light but no screen. Would eventually turn back on but looked like a old 70's off air TV, then would reboot to normal. Exchanged it per Apple tech support, but twice got dull displays. Wife was not happy. Exchanged it for a 2018 MBP TB 13 i5/256/8 which she originally had back in May, and is learning MacOS and is happy! No issues with her MBP either.

My AppleTV's have worked like a champ, and my Apple watches (original, 1st gen Nike, and my current Nike S4) all have been troublefree as well.


As for studio production, the MBP 13 would be fine. I would at go for at least the 512GB model, unless you plan on external storage.

 

[poorcody]

The last survey I saw from Consumer Reports, which covered Apple laptops through 2017, still had them as the most reliable brand in terms of problems in the first two years (10% of laptops had problems). Also, AppleInsider had an article last year related to the keyboard, and found returns for the 2016+ laptops was lower than previous generations, even with the increased keyboard problems.

Of course 2018 models have yet to be proven, but Apple's track record is still better than anyone else's to this point.

As for all the problems posted here... it gives me hesitation too, but I do notice there is a core group of people that like to harp. And I would guess most other people come here only when they have problems.

 

[dapa0s]

i had an i9. the i7 mini is better for logic - runs more stable, runs more quiet, and has better track count. no-brainer.

I'm thinking about it, but I think I really want it to be mobile, since I move cities every few months. Especially over the summer, where I spend months in my home town, then go on 2-3 weeks vacation etc., I think I would really want it to be portable. I'd rather just get an iMac with a screen attached to it if I'm getting a desktop already.

You are fine. You come here and these forums are littered with horror stories. What you don't see are all the posts from users that have no issues, well, because they are enjoying there products. Doesn't mean there aren't problems. Its a manufactured product. There will be good ones and bad ones, from the same lot/batch, within 1 # of the serials.

As for studio production, the MBP 13 would be fine. I would at go for at least the 512GB model, unless you plan on external storage.

Thanks for the reassuring post, I did get a great customer service and no problems while returning my products. Like I just pointed at the flaw, the people at the store acknowledged it immediately and I just got a replacement/my money back. So even if I get a non functioning MBP 13, I'll just replace it for a good one.

And the prices in Europe are pretty high - a refurbished 2018 Macbook Pro 13 here in Austria costs less than 1700€, while the 15 inch base version costs around 2350€. That's a 650-700€ difference (around $800), and for that price I can just buy an additional guitar, or better studio speakers, headphones, audio interface etc.

The last survey I saw from Consumer Reports, which covered Apple laptops through 2017, still had them as the most reliable brand in terms of problems in the first two years (10% of laptops had problems). Also, AppleInsider had an article last year related to the keyboard, and found returns for the 2016+ laptops was lower than previous generations, even with the increased keyboard problems.

Of course 2018 models have yet to be proven, but Apple's track record is still better than anyone else's to this point.

As for all the problems posted here... it gives me hesitation too, but I do notice there is a core group of people that like to harp. And I would guess most other people come here only when they have problems.

Great to know, thanks!

 

[_Kiki_]

Any computer is only reliable while its warranty is still active. Failure rate for premium laptops are 20-25% in first two years and Apple is not an exception. Current lineup has some known bugs and design weak points (e.g. slightly higher potential keyboard failure chance).

Bottomline: as reliable as any other similarly priced computer.

premium laptops with premium problems

Where is your stats about reliability? you can't claim something without any data

 

[leman]

Where is your stats about reliability? you can't claim something without any data

Here are some links for you:

https://www.rescuecom.com/news-press-releases/rescuecom-2018-computer-reliability-report.aspx
https://www.geckoandfly.com/6311/th...p-survey-best-netbook-reliability-comparison/
https://www.squaretrade.com/laptop-reliability-1109/

 

[Plutonius]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting either the 13 inch touchbar 2018 macbook pro now, or the 5k iMac.

I want to use it for logic pro x, I've been a musician for 20 years, and I want to learn how to record and mix better.

I can't decide between the two, though I decided that I don't want the mac mini.

I travel often, but not too much, and honestly, if the new iMac was out I would just buy that, but now the decision is much harder. Or if I knew that the Macbook Pro will just work and not have some weird issues, I would buy that tomorrow.

Any ideas or tips?

Sorry if messed up by asking here, I'm new.

You are generally safe if you buy directly from Apple with the 14 day return policy.

Buy what you want and verify that it has no issues when you get it.

 

[ales876]

MBP 2018, 15" User since OCT.

No issues at all. As others mentioned you always read about stuff that doesn't work than about stuff which works.

 

[cfdlab]

While any hardware purchase can turn bad due to random manufacturing defects, the 2016 and later macs have a large number of issues as seen on these forums. It is definitely not noise, they do have many problems and it is a matter of luck in my view whether you will be fine or not. The keyboard and bridge os are the prominent ones. After all apple has an official KB replacement program for 2016-17 and they have not really changed the design in 2018 models. Not everyone who has problems will come on these forums to complain. In fact most mac users will never show up on these forums. So the actual number of problems could be still larger. It is definitely good to do some research before buying.

If you can afford it and really need it now, then go ahead and buy it. Probably good idea to buy applecare also due to large number of issues with current models.

 

[T_Oscura]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting either the 13 inch touchbar 2018 macbook pro now, or the 5k iMac.

I want to use it for logic pro x, I've been a musician for 20 years, and I want to learn how to record and mix better.

I can't decide between the two, though I decided that I don't want the mac mini.

I travel often, but not too much, and honestly, if the new iMac was out I would just buy that, but now the decision is much harder. Or if I knew that the Macbook Pro will just work and not have some weird issues, I would buy that tomorrow.

Any ideas or tips?

Sorry if messed up by asking here, I'm new.

If you are using an external USB 2 audio interface, don't buy any of the recent Mac models (MBP2018, MM2018). For me, internal speakers was fine on the MBP, but external interface had audio dropouts until I disabled Wifi. I leave some links here, where you can read more about the issues. iMac 5k don't have these problems, also thunderbolt interfaces seems to work fine.

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=27964&p=2

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.php?id=26881&p=4

https://www.gearspace.com/board/mus...h-sierra-mojave-coreaudio-overload-bug-6.html

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/audio-interface-issues-with-2018-macbook-pro.2159141/

 

[afir93]

I've had one issue so far: since a few weeks ago, I've noticed some dark stains/spots on the the screen that are mostly visible with bright colors. Might be a corroding flex cable, might be the display panel itself, might be something else entirely – I'm going into more detail in a separate post, along with a picture of it. Either way I'll bring it into a service provider sometime soon and get it fixed.

Other than that however, I had no issues at all so far. Had my 2018 MacBook Pro 15" since launch. No keyboard issues (I actually love typing on the butterfly keyboard, very tactile and satisfying to type on), and also zero kernel issues (and I oftentimes leave my MBP in standby with external drives connected, which seem to be the situations that cause issues for many of the affected people).

 

[dapa0s]

If you are using an external USB 2 audio interface, don't buy any of the recent Mac models (MBP2018, MM2018). For me, internal speakers was fine on the MBP, but external interface had audio dropouts until I disabled Wifi. I leave some links here, where you can read more about the issues. iMac 5k don't have these problems, also thunderbolt interfaces seems to work fine.

Oh, great to know, thanks.

 

[SDColorado]

I've had one issue so far: since a few weeks ago, I've noticed some dark stains/spots on the the screen that are mostly visible with bright colors. Might be a corroding flex cable, might be the display panel itself, might be something else entirely – I'm going into more detail in a separate post, along with a picture of it. Either way I'll bring it into a service provider sometime soon and get it fixed.

Other than that however, I had no issues at all so far. Had my 2018 MacBook Pro 15" since launch. No keyboard issues (I actually love typing on the butterfly keyboard, very tactile and satisfying to type on), and also zero kernel issues (and I oftentimes leave my MBP in standby with external drives connected, which seem to be the situations that cause issues for many of the affected people).

That isn't an insignificant problem though. I don't know how much of it might also be a result of your phone, but screen uniformity in general looks awful. Hopefully, they will replace the display for you.

 

[puma1552]

The current MBPs will go down in history as the least reliable to date, and Apple's had some reliability doozies in the past (2010 dGPU, etc). People can whiff my post away with anecdotal evidence that their machine is fine after a few weeks (lol) or the max possible 6 months, but the amount of utter failures you see here proves otherwise.

Put it this way, Apple knows the gen 2 butterfly keyboard is junk, did absolutely nothing to fix the mechanism, wrapped each key in silicone, and sold half this forum a turd wrapped in silicone and called it gen 3. Apple should be ashamed of themselves for continuing to sell products that they know de facto are faulty, which is exactly what they did with the 2018 release. Make all the excuses you want for Apple, but they literally took a known defective keyboard, wrapped a membrane around it, and did absolutely zero to fix the root mechanism cause of all the problems. Nobody at Apple seems to have any training on actual root cause analysis.

 

[kebrone]

I've been reading constant complaints online, and I was wondering is it just confirmation bias? I've had to return an Apple watch series 4 the other day after 10 days of use for a new one (mine had a malfunctioning screen), and recently I returned two brand new mac mini's 2018 with the i5, since they literally weren't working after a day - the i3 was working great, it was lacked in power. My Airpods also randomly stopped working, and Apple said it's their fault, and I'll get new ones. All of this left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting either the 13 inch touchbar 2018 macbook pro now, or the 5k iMac.

I want to use it for logic pro x, I've been a musician for 20 years, and I want to learn how to record and mix better.

I can't decide between the two, though I decided that I don't want the mac mini.

I travel often, but not too much, and honestly, if the new iMac was out I would just buy that, but now the decision is much harder. Or if I knew that the Macbook Pro will just work and not have some weird issues, I would buy that tomorrow.

Any ideas or tips?

Sorry if messed up by asking here, I'm new.

Dont buy it. I returned recently my new macbook pro. Hardware issues. Battery issue. Iphone 8 battery problems. Airpods double tap not working. Apple products not so good anymore.