With the Air 11" gone the macbook is the best replacement ... but with only one port...
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MacBook Pro First Impressions: A Lightweight 'Engineering Marvel' With Beautiful Screen
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With the Air 11" gone the macbook is the best replacement ... but with only one port...
A lot are like you.
All I wanted was an MBA with an upgraded FHD panel (1920h x 1080 or 1200v) which at 170+ppi is sufficient for a 13", and Skylake chips. Not a game changer. They would not even have had to raise prices.
I am looking at HP now and/or high end Intel/Gigabyte NUCs.
Apple no longer innovates and these prices are war crimes.
That new 13" MacBook Pro sure looks tempting, but I'd have to have a lot of cash, and quite a few adapters. At least the Touch Bar models come with four Thunderbolt 3 ports. I could easily get one of those HooToo USB-C hubs though (with charging, USB 3.0 ports, video output and an SD card slot). And I do like how it still has a very fast dual-core i5 processor and improved graphics. Makes it a much more productive Mac laptop than the 12" Retina MacBook, that's for sure!
But due to budget constraints, and my current needs, I'll probably just try to find a used/refurbished 2012 13" "regular" MacBook Pro. (At least it's got a DVD drive built in, so I don't have to always take my external slim Blu-Ray burner with me!)
I've also downloaded the GarageBand and iMovie updates for my Mac Mini (as I knew they would happen today), and I plan to soon get Final Cut Pro X 10.3 as well. It sure looks cool!
But due to budget constraints, and my current needs, I'll probably just try to find a used/refurbished 2012 13" "regular" MacBook Pro. (At least it's got a DVD drive built in, so I don't have to always take my external slim Blu-Ray burner with me!)
I've also downloaded the GarageBand and iMovie updates for my Mac Mini (as I knew they would happen today), and I plan to soon get Final Cut Pro X 10.3 as well. It sure looks cool!
Depends on what you used it for ... not everyone buy music and films from downloadable sources. But in general I never miss a CD/DVD/BD drive when I'm on the road...
I'm not happy either, but I think lots of people forget that Apple more or less always charge 10-20% extra when they bring out new products ... and then after a few months they will silently upgraded the hardware and lower the price, then all the die-hards have paid premium to get the new stuff ...
That put aside, Apple did actually only bring two new things to the table: a programmable push button bar (without physical buttons) ... B&O remotes used to have a similar thing back in the day. And USB-C connectors. The only thing I actually like is the USB-C connector as over time it will make my life easier - and I tend to have my notebooks 3-4 years between upgrades - this time probably 5 years.
That put aside, Apple did actually only bring two new things to the table: a programmable push button bar (without physical buttons) ... B&O remotes used to have a similar thing back in the day. And USB-C connectors. The only thing I actually like is the USB-C connector as over time it will make my life easier - and I tend to have my notebooks 3-4 years between upgrades - this time probably 5 years.
Microsoft is reinventing the idiocy. It is $1000 more than the iMac for comparable specs.
The circular hockey puck device will prove as useless as the OLED buttons. They are niche, not core.
Intel high end NUCS will be the future for desktops.
For consumer All-in-One.
THE HIGH END HP 27 All in one $1699
http://store.hp.com/us/en/Configure...1&storeId=10151&catEntryId=1501153&quantity=1
Comes in at $600 LESS than the entry level iMac with the i7 option.
Two things of note:
1) The i7 on an HP is a 6700T, not a 6700K. About 20% slower, but 67% uses less electricity and heat, meaning less throttling which is so very common on an iMac.
In the end, this is a minor issue. Most of the time this will not be used; and when you are rendering 5K video, it will take only a little longer, since the iMac is notorious for throttling.
2) The HP screen is 2560 x 1440. I know the Mac has twice that ... but do you ever use it. Admit it, one has to lower the resolution for almost every use.
3) The HP has 2133 DDR4 RAM while the iMac has 1867 DDR3
4) While in theory the HP is limited to 16GB, one can probably use (2x16) to get 32.
HP is offering real competition.
Then check out the Skull Canyone from Intel.
This nuc is amazing can be set up for a mere $1000.
Apple is shooting itself in the foot.
WHAT THEY SHOULD BE CONCENTRATING ON IS BEATING THE Skull Canyon with the Mac Mini
The MAC MINI is the future of technology but the Skull Canyon is winning.
I'm betting a LOT of people that get this new MacBook Pro will get one of these as well...
https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Shutt...7621772&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=usb+c+hub&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Shutt...7621772&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=usb+c+hub&psc=1
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Bluetooth for transferring literally dozens of gigabytes of photos? I don't think so. You can get SD cards now that offer 100MB/s reads and writes, you're never going to get that with Bluetooth or WiFi....Probably they will push bluetooth connections which is wise.fpnc said:They will probably also add back the SD card slot after the pro photographers stop buying MacBook Pros. That beautiful and thin enclosure isn't going to look very good with an SD card reader taped to its cover.
Also, the Touch Bar (IMO) is definitely here to stay, you might call it "niche" but it's probably going to become standard on the Mac and I'd expect that other PC manufacturers will eventually follow that lead. Of course it will need to get better, larger and less expensive.
I like the 12" MacBook and don't mind the single port. I'm somewhat surprised they kept the 13" Air and not the 11.6" but I guess the 13" sold better. At some point (maybe next year) I'm guessing the base Pro will drop to $1299 and the MacBook to $1099 (or maybe the 2015 13 Pro and Air will be the "new 2012" models that get dragged along long enough for inflation to make $1499 the new $1299 and $1299 the new $999).
In any case the MacBook lineup is no more or less cluttered than before. The 11.6" Air is gone but now there is a base MacBook Pro with an Air-class processor (albeit Skylake).
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Not Bluetooth but Wifi speeds are pretty good now. And hard core pros are also more likely to purchase docks. Also, it wouldn't surprise me at all if cameras in the future sport built-in NVMe storage and USB-C ports.
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Since there are 4 ports, there is no need to pay extra for a pass-through charger. An unpowered hub works just as well.
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I have waited this long for this piece of crap?!! My first clue that Apple has screwed up, spending 1/3 of the time on non Mac stuff. This was to be a Mac event. Not an Iphone 7 update or a TV side step. When it came time to talk specs, apple talked in code, for example Skylake = 6th generation I7. What is the actual screen resolution? I don't know because all that was said was it was the best ever. How many times did they beat that dead horse about how small and thin or the 'Touch Bar'? I do not need a light and thin "pro", I need a "Pro" with lots of different ports, large battery, Fast memory, state of the art processors and incredibly fast bus speeds. What Apple gave us was the MacDongle Pro- We have a dongle for that. It does not connect to any of your devices, period. Like someone else mentioned before (sorry to not credit you by name) but did you notice how the demonstrators were so tense while using the Touch Bar? It almost seamed as if there were afraid of it. Apple has had 2 years to get it right, what we got was this steaming pile of crap. I looked hard and they didn't even blush when they listed the prices. Pro? I think not. Pro as in prostitute, more likely.
Apple's upper management should be ashamed.
Apple's upper management should be ashamed.
The Microsoft Surface Studio (MSS) is proof that Apple's overpriced snob appeal is not limited to Apple. In fact the MSS is worse.
In fact, Surface Pros were horrible overpriced from the beginning, even worse than the MBP.
To that end, the real breakthroughs are coming from the lower end market.
The NUCS.
The Intel Skull Canyon has amazing specs.
Yes, you have to spend about $600 above the sticker price of $600 for memory and storage for a total of $1200.
However, for that roughly $1200 you get:
A Skylake i7 Quad Core 6700HQ with iGPU Intel 580
16 GBs of DDR4 RAM (which can be upgraded to 32GBs)
512 GB of of Storage (SSD Sata 3 of SSD NMVe/Pcie your choice. Can be ugraded to 2 x 1 TB)
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXNUC...8-2-spell&keywords=skull+canyon+windows++nmve
This thing blows the high-end MacMini out of the water for hundreds less that the high end MacMini
Has more power, more cores, better iGPU, new DDR4 can be upgraded to 32G RAM, and easily upgraded with more storage.
THIS IS THE FUTURE.
Some observations.
While the 6700K is usually the top end consumer quad core, In the iMac the CPU often overheats and has to throttle. The newer lower powered quad core (eight threads) are theoretically 20% slower, but are designed for laptops, and so can run hotter and throttle less.
These mobile CPUs do not need high end cooling. So the result is that they often come close to the 6700K in real world performance.
Therefore, I am considering desktops that use mobile chips. They are have eight threads, 4 cores, and are a bit slower, but they rarely throttle; they use 60% less power, can often run fanless, and come pretty close to 6700K in performance.
Intel now concentrates more in iGPUs than clock speed so were should see some really magnificent gains.
This is the future.
The intel Skull Canyon NUC uses a 6700 HQ with a very decent iGPU (the Intel 580). The 6700T (with iGPU 530) is used on desktops.
This is the future. Intel and HP are moving in the right direction, while Apple is pricing itself out of business, and Microsoft is even worse.
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Ouch... didn't think of that during the keynote. That magsafe has saved my computer countless times.
Guess you don't watch very many of these announcement events... felt like par for the course to me.
Apple knows everyone hates that butterfly-mechanism keyboard. In the MBP video, Jony mentions something about improving the mechanism (god knows what words he used). Maybe the keyboard has a little more travel than the one from Macbok (12').
So what exactly are you ranting about? That Apple did not remove the 3.5mm thingy on the MacBook Pro? One step at the time. Phones first where it makes more sense. And then on other products. Don't you worry, that is coming.
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Big freaking deal!! Use the 3.5 to lighting converter you get in the iPhone package. First world problem, geee!! If I would find something to complains it would be the ridiculous pricing.
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As for the I/O, Apple could have hit a home run with just these changes:
1.) Introduce a MagSafe version of Thunderbolt 3 that is used for charging and docking the MacBook Pro (you could easily have lost one of the 4 USB-C style Thunderbolt ports to support this feature).
2.) Add an SD card slot that supports the UHS-II standard (156MB/s or maybe even the 312MB/s version). This would be almost as useful as having a second SSD. SD cards are getting both cheap and fast and in my view an SD card slot is pretty much a necessity for any mobile device that is used for media-centric work (audio, video, photography).
3.) Include one Thunderbolt to USB-A adapter with each MacBook Pro (not absolutely required, but given the price of these machines it should be included).
With these changes I don't think there would have been many complaints about the new MacBooks (well, except for price).
Maybe next year, would be a pretty easy upgrade for 2017. Unfortunately, I think next year we'll just get a processor bump since they are probably adverse to any change in the enclosure or motherboard within the first year. That's why the above features should have been done this year.
1.) Introduce a MagSafe version of Thunderbolt 3 that is used for charging and docking the MacBook Pro (you could easily have lost one of the 4 USB-C style Thunderbolt ports to support this feature).
2.) Add an SD card slot that supports the UHS-II standard (156MB/s or maybe even the 312MB/s version). This would be almost as useful as having a second SSD. SD cards are getting both cheap and fast and in my view an SD card slot is pretty much a necessity for any mobile device that is used for media-centric work (audio, video, photography).
3.) Include one Thunderbolt to USB-A adapter with each MacBook Pro (not absolutely required, but given the price of these machines it should be included).
With these changes I don't think there would have been many complaints about the new MacBooks (well, except for price).
Maybe next year, would be a pretty easy upgrade for 2017. Unfortunately, I think next year we'll just get a processor bump since they are probably adverse to any change in the enclosure or motherboard within the first year. That's why the above features should have been done this year.
There's an app ... errr... adapter for that: https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/04/griffin-breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-cable-macbook/
IF the MacMini gets refreshed , expect it to rise to 1500$ minimum, and IF the MacPro is refreshed, expect 6000$ minimum entry price..
Lots of interesting suggestions about PC hardware ( especially from HP ), but the problem is Windows. There's no way I'm going to get that spyware. But for the first time in my life I'm starting to seriously consider going the Hackintosh route...
Lots of interesting suggestions about PC hardware ( especially from HP ), but the problem is Windows. There's no way I'm going to get that spyware. But for the first time in my life I'm starting to seriously consider going the Hackintosh route...
With an iPhone you get a headphone in the package. In the past you could use that for your Mac. Now you 'd need to buy a separate headphone (with standard headphone jack or wireless) to be able to use it on both platforms.
Seems like everyone that used the Touch Bar during the demo was fanatically and ultra careful with the placement of their fingers, looked to me that it is just too small for accurate control.
I'd suggest waiting another year or two because then the Touch Bar will most likely be a little bigger (taller) with Force Touch feedback making it a lot easier to use.
They will probably also add back the SD card slot after the pro photographers stop buying MacBook Pros. That beautiful and thin enclosure isn't going to look very good with an SD card reader taped to its cover.
After having said that, the new Touch Bar is definitely here to stay, in a few more years it may turn out to be one of those features that becomes commonplace on all notebook computers (I say that even though I believe similar technology has been tried and failed before).
As for the lack of a Lightning connector to use with your iOS devices and new Lightning enabled headphones it's never going to happen on a Mac. What they should have done with the new iPhones is to use USB-C rather than Lightning -- brain-dead stupid to remove the analog headphone jack and continue with the Lightning port. They would NOT have had a problem if they had just switched over to USB-C on the iPhone 7 (anyway, will probably happen next year or the following, making all of those Lightning headphone obsolete).
90% of Pro photographers I work with are shooting XQD and CFFast cards.
Sincerely a pro photographer.
I'm pondering whether computer technology will go the way of home appliances like a refridgerator or washing machine. Those are purchased in cycles of 5-10 years (or even longer), as new functionalities are not developed/not needed. Therefore the prices for those devices are comparatively high.
Except from gaming performance, computers have reached a sufficient performance level several years ago. Sufficient for the majority of "normal" users, that is. Desktop PC's have long been on their way out, as they required too much space in people's homes, had a poor WAF and could increasingly easy be replaced by laptops. So the market split into "as cheap as possible" (cheap alternative to a good quality laptop) and "good quality, but for a self-confident price" (the pro's will swallow it, as it pays for itself).
With the ubiquituous Smartphones (and to a lesser extent tablets) and their continuous performance improvements, the need for laptops will also grow smaller and the development of the market will be according to the blueprint of the Desktop PC. Laptops are the new "trucks" in tomorrow's computer world: Required for some, but small in number and thus rather expensive.