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I'm somewhat disappointed with the 2012 redesign of apple products...(MBP included)
- Thread starter cntwtfrmynwmbp
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Apple's entire design philosophy this go around is that the machine should fade out of focus and the content is king.
I was disappointed that they didn't make the lit up apple change from white to all the colors of the rainbow. And why haven't they replaced the keyboard with a touchscreen yet? How does Apple intend to stay ahead of the competition without adding this stuff? When the Retina Macbook Pro was announced I was like "That's it? The best consumer screen on a laptop ever? BORING! I'm getting an android...err Windows computer."
Firstly, from a design perspective, what would a redesign achieve when it's only for the sake of a redesign?
Given that Ive is a disciple of Dieter Rams and adheres to his "ten principles of good design", Where does your idea fit in with that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams#Rams.27s_ten_principles_of_.22good_design.22
Also, keeping the same design is good from a consumer point of view as it helps prop up the resale value as the design is still current and not out-dated.
Why do you think pretty much every vehicle manufacturer redesigns their products every couple of years? It's to artificially date the look of existing cars to encourage consumers to purchase the latest model.
Who really cares about minimising overhead? Oh I don't know...how about pretty much every company on the plant...
If it ain't broke don't fix it. This is a saying i stand by, too many times companies change a product be it software or hardware for the sake of change and end up with an inferior product. If you have the perfect formula stick to it. The current MBP and MBA designs are great, actually alot of company's are clearly using it as "inspiration" for their own laptops.
No, I actually wasn't arguing. I said it very nicely so if you're curious then this is what "arguing" would sound like.
That is the stupidest answer I ever heard. You're completely avoiding reality if you believe that the changes for the MagSafe 1 to the MagSafe 2 were required or even more practical.
Take a look at the different connector (rumored) to be used in new iOS devices.
Not only does it SIGNIFICANTLY shrink the wasted space of the old dockconnectors both internally and externally, it also reduces the pins from 30 to 9 which makes it a more efficient connector for future products. So, while it may be inconvenient for legacy users, the long term benefits are easy to see and accept since they can be justified without making up excuses.
But now look at the MagSafe vs MagSafe 2.
These are the exact same connectors with the only difference being the connector housing being made incrementally smaller with the actual pin layout being the same. No new features are introduced, no new functions and no added convenience. It is purely an aesthetic decision that results in legacy MagSafe users to buy a $10 connector that actually causes unnecessary problems since we now are dealing with two sets of magnets surrounding a tiny unnecessary piece (especially with the MBA where the size change makes even less sense)
See. That would be someone arguing with you. And the difference between arguing and politely making a point doesnt need to be measured in millimeters.
Actually it can supply a higher voltage of around 20v, and increasing the voltage means lowering the current for the same power (Watts). Lower current results in lower heat wastage.
Er, no. Power is directly proportional to voltage and current. If the overall power remains the same there is no change in "heat wastage."
Weren't there reports of people complaining that the old magsafe connectors were not detaching from the laptops readily enough? Likewise, some people are stating that they find their new magsafe comes out too easily.
That seems like one reason behind the new design - you want it to come out easily so the whole laptop doesn't get dragged down together with it when someone accidentally walks into your cable. In that sense, it was required, albeit a tad impractical in that it seems to work too well now.
Likewise, why should anyone ever need a magsafe adaptor? All new laptops come with their own power charger; why would you want to use your old charger on your new laptop?
Er, no. This is why heavy duty appliances like ovens and driers run 220v instead of 110v. 1000 watts at 120v is about 10 amps of draw, whereas 1000 watts at 220v is only ~5amps.
Edit: to clarify, more amps = more heat. Put 15 amps down a wire sized for 10amps and tell me it's not hot...
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You are correct in that 220V appliances require less current for the same power rating as a 110V appliance. However, this is somewhat irrelevant in this case, because the power is the same.
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You've avoided the issue, but you are correct in that 220V appliances require less current for the same power rating as a 110V appliance. However, this is irrelevant, because the power is the same.
But by all means, please keep attempting to argue with basic physical equvations (like P = VI). I can't wait to see what you all come up with.
Guess I didn't get my edit in time for you to see
Edit: to clarify, more amps = more heat. Put 15 amps down a wire sized for 10amps and tell me it's not hot...
Fair enough. I have edited out my standard smart-assery in acknowledgement of your overly reasonable comments. However the "wire size" argument also doesn't really apply here either. The voltage and current changes are so small that I'd be highly surprised to see any change in heat signature from the Magsafe vs. Magsafe 2 unless the internal circuitry changed drastically as well.
I agree that the difference in heat loss on the cable between MagSafe versions is probably negligible at best.
The magsafe is not the product you're buying. You're buying the laptop. The design changed which consequently required a smaller charger. The charger is smaller and thinner as a direct result of the laptop being smaller and thinner. They could have made the laptop wedge shaped like the air and kept the old magsafe, but that isn't what they wanted to do.
I don't care enough to go back and read my original post, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with design aesthetics of the slimmed down macbook lines, current and future models.
The original magsafe is a hindrance to any Apple designer that wants a thinner, consistent profile on a macbook.
I don't see how that's stupid. What would be stupid is a magsafe 1 on the new 15" rMBP, or the rumored 13" rMBP.
The last time I had to deal with an Apple genius was when I had a swollen battery in my cMBP that was "probably caused by a different generation magsafe". IE the one I got with my original 2008 MBP. So maybe there's more of a reason to the switch than your narrow-mindedness will allow you to see.
Oh, and just because you say something nicely doesn't mean you're not arguing, and the computers are measured in millimeters, not our discussion. Or were you trying to witty?
There is plenty that can be done to radically change the design, but it requires radical advances in technology. For example:
1) No keyboard, just voice recognition.
2) No trackpad, just gesture recognition in the air.
3) No screen, just projection onto your eyeball.
4) All in a device the size of a pen or a pair of eyeglasses.
#1 and 2 are almost here. #3 and 4 are a few years off.
None of which are viable changes to make now or could have been included in the 2012 products, which is what people are referring to. Of course as technology advances in the future there will be changes. But at the moment, none of the four items you listed are ready to be used in a mainstream device.
But does the charger's wattage fit the bill, regardless of Magsafe size? (And as my ACD uses the older Magsafe connector, a lot of people will be SOL unless Apple puts out an adapter... that would be nice to see...)
But the puny 85W power supplies were too small for the 2011 MBPs, and both 15" and 17" models throttled down when the CPU was taxed. (the 15" moreso, because the 17" has a larger battery, which is why Macworld reported the 17" being faster in benchmarks, despite having identical hardware. The battery compensated for the power supply, which got red hot to the touch... that is not a good design, to say the very least... if the PSU gives 85W, the battery 90W or whatever, and the CPU needs 95W, it's going to draw more than what's available and taxes the hardware... I'm amazed such a design defect got through engineering... notebookcheck.net had a couple of great articles on the 2011 models and I found the one for the 17" version...
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review...-GHz-quad-core-glare-type-screen.50346.0.html
Overall, it's not a bad design, the MBPs, but the 2012 does do some thing right (they fixed the uneven backlighting, sources say the amount of thermal grease applied to the CPU isn't overkill anymore, some proper vents were added along with a new fan design that reportedly gets the units running much cooler under load... HUGE kudos to Apple on that... I love their hardware but the nitpicks make me love it less than I otherwise could...)