MacBook Pro 2016

[Dave245]

Ok so those of you who have received your new MacBook Pro's, have you any issues with the battery life? how pleased are you with your new machines and would you recommend it to a friend or family member?
With all the negative things going around about the new MacBook Pro's, i thought i would start a thread asking your opinions and experiences, either good or bad.

Also would you recommend it to someone such as myself who is currently using a 2011 MacBook Pro.

EDIT: feel free to mention your opinions on things like the Touch Bar, how thin and light it is and so on.

 

[maflynn]

would you recommend it to a friend or family member?

It depends on their needs, budget, proclivity towards OS X. I always based my recommendations on computers on what the other person's requirements and wants are.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Great screen, best sound ever, best keyboard ever, industry leading design, massive I/O speeds with no internal bottleneck.

A few graphics driver bugs that some people worry about that will be fixed with updates.

Battery life is great but I never unplug for more than a couple of hours anyway so I don't care if it does or doesn't last 10 hours.

Price. If you have ever bought a Leica then you know why you paid that much. Disposable cheap items are planet killers. I think price and quality should go hand in hand and people should hold on to product for as long as possible.

 

[happyhippo1337]

Price. If you have ever bought a Leica then you know why you paid that much. Disposable cheap items are planet killers. I think price and quality should go hand in hand and people should hold on to product for as long as possible.

That's why every part of the MacBook is glued or soldered and makes switching the entire logic board essential even for a 10$ repair. Dude, I can't even take it anymore ....

 

[deliriumxy]

I still don't get it. Why not buy a Razer Blade instead? at the same price point as a 13" tbMBP you get twice the ram, a quad core processor, and just as much disk space. Plus you get an Nvidia dGPU; see here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/co...3api=1876,72666272882,,&A=details&Q=&pcur=CAD

Aside from macOS, what possible rational reason would someone choose to buy a 2016 gimped battery tbMBP over a Razer Blade or something else that is more powerful than the tbMBP at the same price? Unless everyone is like Mark Cuban rich or something, I don't know. The value youre getting just seems inferior to comparable products.

 

[0388279]

Ok so those of you who have received your new MacBook Pro's, have you any issues with the battery life? how pleased are you with your new machines and would you recommend it to a friend or family member?
With all the negative things going around about the new MacBook Pro's, i thought i would start a thread asking your opinions and experiences, either good or bad.

Also would you recommend it to someone such as myself who is currently using a 2011 MacBook Pro.

EDIT: feel free to mention your opinions on things like the Touch Bar, how thin and light it is and so on.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

That's why every part of the MacBook is glued or soldered and makes switching the entire logic board essential even for a 10$ repair. Dude, I can't even take it anymore ....

Sure I agree with that sentiment but from a recycling and tech support POV it's a cleaner solution.

 

[Dave245]

I still don't get it. Why not buy a Razer Blade instead? at the same price point as a 13" tbMBP you get twice the ram, a quad core processor, and just as much disk space. Plus you get an Nvidia dGPU; see here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1297279&gclid=CPrqnezMitECFRC5wAod0x8Oqw&is=REG&c3api=1876,72666272882,,&A=details&Q=&pcur=CAD

Aside from macOS, what possible rational reason would someone choose to buy a 2016 gimped battery tbMBP over a Razer Blade or something else that is more powerful than the tbMBP at the same price? Unless everyone is like Mark Cuban rich or something, I don't know. The value youre getting just seems inferior to comparable products.

Because they run Windows, people like Mac's for a variety of reasons, myself included. I love the Mac because they last longer with less maintenance, and in the long run cost far less to run, but you pay that premium when purchasing a Mac.

 

[Ma2k5]

Great screen, best sound ever, best keyboard ever, industry leading design, massive I/O speeds with no internal bottleneck.

A few graphics driver bugs that some people worry about that will be fixed with updates.

Battery life is great but I never unplug for more than a couple of hours anyway so I don't care if it does or doesn't last 10 hours.

Price. If you have ever bought a Leica then you know why you paid that much. Disposable cheap items are planet killers. I think price and quality should go hand in hand and people should hold on to product for as long as possible.

Previous MacBooks lasted 5+ years easily - do you feel the current MacBooks can equal that feat with its non removal design (something the older generations took advantage of to sometimes even be reliable machines 10 years on)?

 

[0388279]

I have had my 2016 MBP15 (2.9 GHZ, 1TB, 460) for about a month. I like the laptop as it is very fast. With the implementation of 10.12.2 battery issues are non-existant and I am getting 10 hours plus with light use and the brightness of the display set to two thirds. At this point the touch bar does not have much in a way of utility but expect to improve in the future. I am still learning how to best type on the new keyboard and am still developing a lighter touch. I have no USB C peripherals and had to purchase a couple of dongles for use with USB A devices and HDMI. The only negative that I can find on the 2016 is that I can hear the fans all the time where I could not hear them at all on late 2013 rMBP15--they were on just could not hear them.

I am not an Apple fanboy. Do not listen to the naysayers. This is a fine machine.

Donald Barar

Update. To be more objective on fan speed. I downloaded an application called "Macs Fan Control" and installed on my 2013 and 2016 laptops. On both machines, the base running speed is 2,000 and 2,160 RPM on the right and left fans respectively. Can not hear them at all on the 2013 and on the 2016 there is always hint of a whisper of fan noise. Must be the difference in dimensions and physical design that makes the fan noise more noticeable on the 2016 compared to the 2013.

 

[Dave245]

Previous MacBooks lasted 5+ years easily - do you feel the current MacBooks can equal that feat with its non removal design (something the older generations took advantage of to sometimes even be reliable machines 10 years on)?

This is a good point, my 2011 MacBook Pro is still running and my 2012iMac is still running. Both are machines I've used every day, the 2011 MacBook Pro saw me through 4 years of university, it's a great machine that has never let me down (in comparison to my experiences with Windows machines).

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Previous MacBooks lasted 5+ years easily - do you feel the current MacBooks can equal that feat with its non removal design (something the older generations took advantage of to sometimes even be reliable machines 10 years on)?

I'd like all computers to last at least 10 years, but practically speaking users very rarely will stay with a laptop that long. So we can only really speak about shorter term usage of 5-6 years and recycling. Those older machines might last longer but they are an environmental nightmare to dispose of. We don't realise this because we are so distant and shielded from the waste disposal and landfills.

 

[Sully]

I still don't get it. Why not buy a Razer Blade instead? at the same price point as a 13" tbMBP you get twice the ram, a quad core processor, and just as much disk space. Plus you get an Nvidia dGPU; see here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1297279&gclid=CPrqnezMitECFRC5wAod0x8Oqw&is=REG&c3api=1876,72666272882,,&A=details&Q=&pcur=CAD

Aside from macOS, what possible rational reason would someone choose to buy a 2016 gimped battery tbMBP over a Razer Blade or something else that is more powerful than the tbMBP at the same price? Unless everyone is like Mark Cuban rich or something, I don't know. The value youre getting just seems inferior to comparable products.

Time will tell if the Razor computers are comparable . My 2007 Mac lasted a long time. I'm hoping my new one will have the same build quality.

I looked really hard at the Razor computers. There's a lot of spec for the money. But, if you research them for longer than 10 minutes, you'll see that their build quality is inconsistent and their customer service is not existent. That's what scared me away. Razor is a relatively small, niche company and ultimately I felt buying from them was too much of a risk since I use my computer to run my business.

 

[Ma2k5]

I'd like all computers to last at least 10 years, but practically speaking users very rarely will stay with a laptop that long. So we can only really speak about shorter term usage of 5-6 years and recycling. Those older machines might last longer but they are an environmental nightmare to dispose of. We don't realise this because we are so distant and shielded from the waste disposal and landfills.

What I'm worried about is - any component failure requires a brand new logic board. And with no upgrades permissible, their is a chance the computer might become redundant in a few years.

It feels like I am battling against time with having single component failure or inefficient capabilities requiring a new computer altogether or a new logic board at the very least.

Apple isn't the only one to go BGA of course, although they have a much more extreme version of it. Apples focus seems to have shifted more to consumer/prosumer for the MacBooks for profit - and I have no complaints about that as which busines isn't in it for the money. It works for iPhones but people are happy to change their phones every 2'ish years.

I'm just trying to envisage customers opinions on MacBooks in 3-5 years time. They had a really good run so far from 2010 onwards in terms of getting a reputation - but some of the recent changes might affect this reputation negatively I fear.

Will see how it pans out. Don't want macOS to die.

 

[montanaco]

I upgraded from a 2011 MBP for the new 13" TB model, and 100% I feel that it was worth it. I don't think there is one thing I can say the 2011 model did better. This guy is faster, more durable, has better battery, better screen, keyboard, and speakers, better gpu, the list goes on. If you can afford it (or do the Barclay Card payment plan) then I definitely recommend upgrading. If I had to think of one thing I missed it would be the SD slot, but that's an easy fix anyway.

 

[bericsson]

I still don't get it. Why not buy a Razer Blade instead? at the same price point as a 13" tbMBP you get twice the ram, a quad core processor, and just as much disk space. Plus you get an Nvidia dGPU; see here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1297279&gclid=CPrqnezMitECFRC5wAod0x8Oqw&is=REG&c3api=1876,72666272882,,&A=details&Q=&pcur=CAD

Aside from macOS, what possible rational reason would someone choose to buy a 2016 gimped battery tbMBP over a Razer Blade or something else that is more powerful than the tbMBP at the same price? Unless everyone is like Mark Cuban rich or something, I don't know. The value youre getting just seems inferior to comparable products.

Razer Blade base models ship with a 1080p screen. Need to add $300 for a QHD+ screen.

As mentioned above, Razer is a small company compared to Apple. I had problems with their peripheral a few years ago and was not happy with their support. Apple, on the other hand, has been quite good on customer service (as long as you have Apple Care).

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

What I'm worried about is - any component failure requires a brand new logic board. And with no upgrades permissible, their is a chance the computer might become redundant in a few years .

It feels like I am battling against time with having single component failure or inefficient capabilities requiring a new computer altogether or a new logic board at the very least.

Apple isn't the only one to go BGA of course, although they have a much more extreme version of it. Apples focus seems to have shifted more to consumer/prosumer for the MacBooks for profit - and I have no complaints about that as which busines isn't in it for the money. It works for iPhones but people are happy to change their phones every 2'ish years.

I'm just trying to envisage customers opinions on MacBooks in 3-5 years time. They had a really good run so far from 2010 onwards in terms of getting a repudiation - but some of the recent changes might affect this reputation negatively I fear.

Will see how it pans out. Don't want macOS to die.

We all worry about component failure but in that case Apple is at the mercy of its suppliers too.

Let's applaud Apple for having pushed for thinner batteries that can be molded and shaped so they utilise more space inside a laptop. This was a massively important step that some people don't understand when they say they want a removable battery. If they want a battery that can be removed they are essentially asking Apple to order large amounts of lithium and other components that, if sold, will one day be very difficult to safely recycle. If unsold, then that's an financial and environmental loss.

Imagine how many old Apple laptop batteries are out there. We don't see them face to face. If we could we would see damage to soil and eco-systems. We would also see desperately poor people with no safety equipment picking batteries apart for scrap. That's why we need products that can last and are easy to recycle safely and locally.

 

[Ovedius]

I like your typo in the poll.
"Defiantly not", fitting in a way, please don't change it

 

[Dave245]

I upgraded from a 2011 MBP for the new 13" TB model, and 100% I feel that it was worth it. I don't think there is one thing I can say the 2011 model did better. This guy is faster, more durable, has better battery, better screen, keyboard, and speakers, better gpu, the list goes on. If you can afford it (or do the Barclay Card payment plan) then I definitely recommend upgrading. If I had to think of one thing I missed it would be the SD slot, but that's an easy fix anyway.

That's interesting to read, I have the 2011 MacBook Pro and have been thinking about upgrading but I'll wait until next year I think. The Touch Bar sounds really interesting, plus the difference in screen from my 2011 MacBook Pro will probably be better, and the SSD inside will be much faster than the standard HDD I've had in it since I ordered in 2011. It's been a great machine tho. Saying that so is my 2012 iMac Apple products just seem to last.
[doublepost=1482508728][/doublepost]

I like your typo in the poll.
"Defiantly not", fitting in a way, please don't change it

Typo?
[doublepost=1482508908][/doublepost]

I like your typo in the poll.
"Defiantly not", fitting in a way, please don't change it

I see it now, spellcheck changed it from definitely

 

[Ovedius]

I see it now, spellcheck changed it from definitely

Thought as much, it's just one of those words that seemingly always get autocorrected wrong

 

[montanaco]

That's interesting to read, I have the 2011 MacBook Pro and have been thinking about upgrading but I'll wait until next year I think. The Touch Bar sounds really interesting, plus the difference in screen from my 2011 MacBook Pro will probably be better, and the SSD inside will be much faster than the standard HDD I've had in it since I ordered in 2011. It's been a great machine tho. Saying that so is my 2012 iMac Apple products just seem to last.

Yeah my 2011 had been upgraded to 8gb of RAM and a 1tb fusion drive. Ran great up until the last month or so I had it. The Touchbar is definitely a cool tool Imo, and in Photoshop is really helpful. It's one of those things thats cool now but as time goes on I can only see it getting better and better. And depending on how good the next MBP refresh is (assuming it even happens lol) I'm contemplating selling this one and upgrading. But we'll see!

 

[JustinRP37]

I absolutely love my tbMBP 15 inch, however, it is already the least reliable Mac I have ever owned. You never know what the hell to expect when it wakes up attached to an external monitor. Will it turn on or will the touchbar freeze up? The touch bar is wonderful, however even that has glitches sometimes. So yes, it is a love hate relationship. It is disappointing because it is so very much like Windows with the random glitches. I really hope some software updates will fix these issues as they are totally killing the experience for me. It is like they rushed the project, which for a company of its size is shocking because it really feels like there are barely any employees working on Macs these days. Anyway, bottom line is I love the machine but hate the glitches. I am upgrading from a late 2008 model, so long over due. I personally wouldn't have upgraded to this machine is I was coming from a 2011 or newer with all these glitches.

 

[maflynn]

Because they run Windows, people like Mac's for a variety of reasons, myself included

But if family or friends don't have such a feeling, then the Razor or Dell are perfectly fine options. I don't try to force people to a mac is they're content with Windows, that usually ends badly for them and me, i.e., they get frustrated and I'm suddenly I'm on 24 hour tech support to handle everyone of their OS X/Mac questions and frustrations.

 

[Ma2k5]

I'm using an FHD XPS 13 right now - I got to say, Apple, bring back Matte option! This thing is so bright at 20% I actually thought I had it at 70%+! No glare/reflection, it's truly a dream for those who use it mainly for reading (and possibly gaming, glare and reflection really affect gaming).

Guess glossy because of better colours and it being targeted at designers. But wow...

 

[coolbreeze]

If the vacuum that is MR didn't exist, you'd buy it, use it and love it. So, stay off of here unless you want constant negativity.

It's a nice, if expensive machine. I had an XPS 9550 and it was beautiful, but Dell's BIOS updates were wholly unreliable. Seemed to break more than they fixed. Unfortunate.