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Macbook 2016 - disappointing experience.
- Thread starter joelank
- Start date
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For me, I like the RMB's keyboard and light weight, I will be a spectator enjoying the global meltdown if the Pro goes that route. I would appreciate a RMB with a 14" screen size though.
BJ
I stand by my statements. You put the words in your own mouth.
BTW...Who doesn't love bananas.
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No one argue with BJ, as usual he knows everything and we are all wrong.
Yeah, a 14" with the same thinness and weight would be the only thing that would get me excited enough to replace my current model.
Thank you.
@boltjames
Don't miss the part here about the new "MacBook-esque keyboards"...
Major MacBook Pro revamp could replace function keys with OLED touch bar
Except for the lack of travel, my impression when I tried it was that the butterfly keyboard is really good. I really enjoyed typing on it except for the fact that after a while I felt it would make my fingers sore. So if the new MBP keyboard adds a little bit of travel, I think it'd be fantastic. But if they are as shallow and hard on the fingers, then I think that would be a disaster. At least, I wouldn't want one. Then again, maybe I'm wrong. I only tried it in store. Maybe I'd get used to typing on it after a while, and maybe it wouldn't make my fingers sore. But I doubt it.
I'm curious, what brand/model do you have in mind that has a retina screen in that size/weight class? Best I could find was the Asus Zenbook 3 but according to Endgadget:
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Re novelists (well writers anyway), Matt Gemmell would beg to differ.
As a general response to you though, I had to scratch my head. If you're right about the use case for this device: i.e. a portable, accessory device to another computer isn't the iPad a better option?
Also I don't see this as being a device purely about portability. The 11 inch Air is highly portable. The rMB is a design statement: Apple wanted to create a fanless, thinner laptop with coloured aluminium because they they are transitioning from Industrial Design to fashion-driven jewellery.
I, and many others, have a feeling the rMB will replace the Air as Apple's consumer laptop once they can get the price point and to match and performance near enough to make the rMB usable.
Price is still far off, but in terms of performance rMB already matches or exceeds the latest MBA.
Interesting thanks. I didn't find the results overly compelling though. I've read elsewhere that mX CPUs have to ramp up - and stay ramped up - to output enough performance and that costs battery and heat.
A lot of the real-world performance gains are likely due to disk and RAM speed, which is faster than what's in the MBA - mostly because Apple deliberately haven't updated that line.
Even if real-world performance is on par, overall experience is severely compromised for many users because of that god-awful keyboard and the lack of IO.
As I've said on another thread. That computer is not worth $2000AUD; it's not worth half of that. It's not good enough to be my daily driver and it's too expensive to be an accessory device.
... and for many users the keyboard is fine (or great) and many have no need of multiple ports, so that's down to whether it fits your needs or not. Different strokes for different folks.
Worth is a relative thing. None of us can speak for others as to what something is or isn't worth. Many people here seem to be buying them, so apparently they think it's worth the price.
If you don't think it's worth it to you, then certainly move on to some other product that better fits your needs and budget. What other things do you announce to the world you don't think would give you enough value relative to price?
It's called turbo boost, all cpus for the past decade uses it.
You now know it can actually perform better, does it while being fanless and consume less watts. But, you're trying real hard to find excuses not to like the rMB. MBA is dying and soon to be dead. rMBP refresh will soon be as light as an air. rMBP seems to fit you more since you like ports, but realistically normal consumers don't use the ports often.
Macbook, or apple in general, has always been priced higher than it's equivalent competitor's hardware. Maybe you're used to cheaper macbook air because apple has been doing so by not giving it the more expensive retina screen.
Good points, yes, I agree. It does come down to personal preference, as indeed your preferences do too.
I really, really wanted the rMacbook when it was announced as an accessory writing machine. I've notebooks in this class (11-12 inches) for nearly 20 years from Apple, IBM/Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba.
I tried it, I really wanted to like it but it wasn't for me. I could have lived with the single port to be honest, I loved the screen, I loved the weight but I had a visceral dislike of the keyboard and trackpad. The keyboard/trackpad has polarised people. My work laptop is a Thinkpad, so if you know anything about those machines, you may appreciate where I'm coming from in terms of what I expect from a high-end laptop keyboard.
It's in that context, where I place my sense of worth and value - very subjective points, I know. Not the price (though, I think its too much for too little and Macro Arment and John Gruber both said as much on the latest Talk Show), but rather the deficient functionality.
If they are selling very well in the US then I'll concede that Apple's strategy has worked. Based on limited research, they are cheaper in the US (even when you factor taxes and conversion rates) and you have many retailers there that offer discounts below Apple's RRP. That simply doesn't happen here (and New Zealand too for the record).
In Australia, they've priced themselves out of the market thanks to our weakened dollar. I live in a city of 4 million people and have seen 2 in the wild. I see many, many more MBAs, MBPs and, worryingly, more and more MS Surfaces.
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Yes, I know what turbo boost is and yes, boosting eats battery. But that's fine; so long as it doesn't have to boost much. I agree that the Macbook is a remarkable piece of engineering.
Actually though, as noted previously, I really wanted to like it because of it's size and portability. No, seriously, I really, really wanted to like it. I've never owned a laptop bigger than 13.3 inches and I've owned a lot of laptops over the last 20 years.
I agree the MBA is dying but I don't have to like it. Because of Apple's directions in laptops I've jumped off the notebook bandwagon and now use the desktop/tablet combination. The Mac mini gives me plenty of power and IO. The iPad gives me a portable retina screen that I've paired to a keyboard I like. It works for me.
If I had to go back to having a single device, then yes, the 13 inch MBP would now be my first choice, though 13 inches is on the upper limit of what I like a in laptop. I agree with the normal consumers not needed the power and IO, but then if you use that argument, you may as well get them to use an Android tablet, Chromebook or cheap WIndows 10 laptop - which is playing out in the market. I'm a developer though and Apple's hardware directions has me feeling disappointed to say the least.
As for price...
I'm not adverse to paying top dollar for an Apple product. Since switching in 2003 I've dropped over 10K on Apple computers and iThings. For much of that time, Apple gave us products that were well-featured as well as aesthetic but in recent years, you've got to admit that we're paying more for less function.
The keyboard definitely takes getting used to but I don't understand the complaints about the trackpad. It feels just like any other Mac trackpad except it has the "extra" force touch setting. You can even change the level of perceived resistance. It really does feel like it clicks.
I love the keyboard as it allows for incredible fast typing speeds. And since I never plugged anything into my rMBP, I love the minimalistic approach on IO, too.
If you don't like it: don't buy it. I, for my part, couldn't care less about that 1,4k price tag, given that the inferior and far less sexy Air only costs about 33% less. Honestly, I don't get all that fuss - it's a highly-specialised notebook for people who want maximal portability. For those who prefer raw power, there's the MBP; for those who are on a tight budget, there's the Air.
I realize that it is all personal preference, but I personally love the keyboard on the new MacBook's. I owned the 2015 m5 and now the 2016 m7 and they are both great little machines. Besides the typical email and web surfing one Safari and Chrome, I run Office 2016 and Scrivener mostly. I use it to write my novel and short stories so I do a lot of typing on it. I love the keyboard and the way it feels. It did take about a week to get "good" at it but now I can barely stand to use other more "regular" desktop and laptop keyboards. So maybe, give it some time the next time, since I am pretty sure that Apple will use this keyboard on all future MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
Yeah I'm curious about this as well...I get the keyboard is very polarizing, but the trackpad doesn't seem any different to me. What is causing people to not like it?
Just wanted to point out something - even though Apple will no longer release future Macbook Airs, that doesn't excuse the current models from being absolutely wonderful. I bought the base model for $800 - there aren't that many ultrabooks out there for this price, and 12 hours of battery life on top of that is still supreme. The 2015 MacBook Airs can easily last someone 5-7 years, especially due to the fact that the batteries are easily replaceable, instead of having to pay Apple $400-500 to replace the top case as well.
Where'd you come up with that number? A guess posted as fact?
Apple's published charge $199 for out-of-warranty battery replacement on 12" Macbooks. See https://support.apple.com/mac-notebooks/repair/service/pricing
Went to an Apple Store with my friend actually who was quoted for the price. The battery is attached to the case, so instead of 200, it's 400. I'd advise you to actually know what you're talking about instead of copying and pasting numbers.