Had it for a few days now and absolutely love this thing. Silver, i7 2.7, 16/512. Coming from a 2012 rMBP i7 2.6/16/512, so I actually wasn't expecting huge differences in performance. Haven't REALLY pushed this thing yet, but I don't anticipate the machine will have any problems handling the 36mp files out of my d810, or the bit of 4k video editing I'll be doing.
The Good:
Battery life:
I've been consistently getting 10-11 hours with normal usage for internet, youtube, word processing at >50% brightness. Simply awesome battery life and all my fears about it from reading others' experiences have been put to rest.
Keyboard:
Also was initially a little scared that I wouldn't like the keyboard, but it didn't take long for me to get used to it. Like others have mentioned it really requires more of a 'gliding' typing action rather than a firm pressing action. Accuracy for me is similar to the older keyboard, and though the sound is a little bit louder it's not unreasonable and actually quite satisfying.
Screen:
Noticeably brighter. Better colors. Slightly sharper.
Hard Drive:
The drive is blazingly fast. I don't know the numbers but file transfers feel almost 50% faster than my 2012 SSD.
Speakers:
Loud, clear, great. No complaints.
Feel:
The laptop just feels solid and well put-together. I had a Dell XPS for a few months and the build quality and trackpad 'feel' was just not up to the standards of the MBP.
The not-so-good:
Trackpad:
It's too big! The palm rejection works great except when it doesn't. I've found the cursor jumping around the page because of inadvertently touching the trackpad while typing. Quite annoying if you're not watching the screen while you type! I don't know if there's a reasonable fix to this. Also not a fan of the force touch.
Also a minor quibble but I wish they hadn't changed the size of the left/right keys. It's slightly more difficult to feel for them now without looking.
Touchbar:
I can definitely see the potential here once App integration becomes more widespread. However, now it seems quite cumbersome to have to look down at the thing to change brightness and volume. Also, where one would be able to immediately change brightness/volume with a direct push of the button, now requires pushing the arrow on the toucher first to expand the icons, and then adjusting the slider (for volume) or pressing the icons, all while looking at the thing the whole time. Further customization options are necessary. I wouldn't mind if there was an option to just lock the touchbar in a layout similar to the previous-gen keyboard.
edit: looks like I just didnt know how to use the thing properly!
Magsafe:
I don't have a problem with USB-C ports, but I definitely wish they had kept Magsafe for obvious reasons.
Conclusion:
Even with the faults, I still love this thing. It's just an overall pleasure to use which so far hasn't been duplicated in any other PC laptop that I know of. I'm quite confident this computer will last me comfortably for at least the next four years.
The Good:
Battery life:
I've been consistently getting 10-11 hours with normal usage for internet, youtube, word processing at >50% brightness. Simply awesome battery life and all my fears about it from reading others' experiences have been put to rest.
Keyboard:
Also was initially a little scared that I wouldn't like the keyboard, but it didn't take long for me to get used to it. Like others have mentioned it really requires more of a 'gliding' typing action rather than a firm pressing action. Accuracy for me is similar to the older keyboard, and though the sound is a little bit louder it's not unreasonable and actually quite satisfying.
Screen:
Noticeably brighter. Better colors. Slightly sharper.
Hard Drive:
The drive is blazingly fast. I don't know the numbers but file transfers feel almost 50% faster than my 2012 SSD.
Speakers:
Loud, clear, great. No complaints.
Feel:
The laptop just feels solid and well put-together. I had a Dell XPS for a few months and the build quality and trackpad 'feel' was just not up to the standards of the MBP.
The not-so-good:
Trackpad:
It's too big! The palm rejection works great except when it doesn't. I've found the cursor jumping around the page because of inadvertently touching the trackpad while typing. Quite annoying if you're not watching the screen while you type! I don't know if there's a reasonable fix to this. Also not a fan of the force touch.
Also a minor quibble but I wish they hadn't changed the size of the left/right keys. It's slightly more difficult to feel for them now without looking.
Touchbar:
I can definitely see the potential here once App integration becomes more widespread. However, now it seems quite cumbersome to have to look down at the thing to change brightness and volume. Also, where one would be able to immediately change brightness/volume with a direct push of the button, now requires pushing the arrow on the toucher first to expand the icons, and then adjusting the slider (for volume) or pressing the icons, all while looking at the thing the whole time. Further customization options are necessary. I wouldn't mind if there was an option to just lock the touchbar in a layout similar to the previous-gen keyboard.
edit: looks like I just didnt know how to use the thing properly!
Magsafe:
I don't have a problem with USB-C ports, but I definitely wish they had kept Magsafe for obvious reasons.
Conclusion:
Even with the faults, I still love this thing. It's just an overall pleasure to use which so far hasn't been duplicated in any other PC laptop that I know of. I'm quite confident this computer will last me comfortably for at least the next four years.
Last edited:
