Marco Arment Argues the 2012—2015 MacBook Pro is 'Best Laptop That Has Ever Existed'

[Envo]

He’s an idiot...I’ve listened to their ATP podcast and it’s just non-stop complaining.

Sure, some people don’t like the new MacBook Pro models for various reasons and that’s fine. My advise would be, move on. Either buy a $1700-2000 computer or not. Feel lucky you have the ability to do so. We’re living in the greatest era in humankind and he’s complaining about a keyboard, ports and minutiae.

If you're bringing your Mac to Genius Bar over and over for every two or three months, because of the faulty keyboard, you would complain about it too. Actually, I want to love this machine; really, while it's works it can be usable. But that's not the case...

 

[Mc0]

He’s an idiot...I’ve listened to their ATP podcast and it’s just non-stop complaining.

Sure, some people don’t like the new MacBook Pro models for various reasons and that’s fine. My advise would be, move on. Either buy a $1700-2000 computer or not. Feel lucky you have the ability to do so. We’re living in the greatest era in humankind and he’s complaining about a keyboard, ports and minutiae.

Exactly my thoughts. Other people can even afford mbp. First world problems it is!

 

[avanpelt]

He’s an idiot...I’ve listened to their ATP podcast and it’s just non-stop complaining.

To each their own. Personally, I think ATP and Daring Fireball are two of the best Apple-related podcasts out there these days. Too many podcasters are in full-blown "Apple worship" mode and it's nauseating to me. The ATP crew and Gruber seem to be much more willing to state their opinion when they feel that Apple has missed the mark.

I stopped listening to iMore after Peter Cohen left because he was the only one left on that podcast who refused to kiss the ground Tim Cook and Jony Ive walk on.

 

[mrmiagi]

My mid-2012 MacBook Pro with retina and SSD is still kicking ass and running flawless except for the battery which is showing its age. However, apple is replacing the battery for free when they get the parts in that were in short supply. Absolutely no reason to upgrade. The 2012 MBP is a great laptop.

 

[karmazynowy]

Why do I need to buy an additional cables? It should be a no brainer. I buy a new MbP, I buy a new mouse. The cable that is included with the mouse doesnt allow me to connect it to the new mbp. What is the point to have this cable it I need to buy a different one?
[doublepost=1510783670][/doublepost]As a person who uses both, I know that you get less with 2017. Same performance and a lot less comfort. But you pay more.

Do you remember your first replay to my comment?

I've been asking these "professionals": "Show me the device you cannot connect, a professional one". Still waiting for an answer...
Can you connect iPhone X to the 2017 MBP?

Is there something about additional cables?
I am still waiting for the answer.

 

[Icaras]

Wrong. The best laptop that ever existed is the PowerBook G5...

 

[Nozuka]

i'm sure the new macbooks are great or better.
but my 2012 macbook is so good and still very fast, that there's just no need to upgrade yet.
i don't think i've ever had a laptop for this long and it was still performing this well...

 

[James_C]

He is right. I loved my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro 15". I now have the Late 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 15". I don't really use the Touch Bar and it is a hinderance in certain apps, as it is too easy to brush your hand over one of the touch sensitive keys. I miss the Mag Safe connector and I prefer the keyboard in the prior Mac Book Pro. I do also miss the backlit Apple logo. The only improvements I like are Touch ID, the display, Larger SSD and more memory, compared to the 2012 model that I had. Don't hate it enough to go back to the old design as Apple only sell that now with integrated graphics.

 

[satchmo]

IMO, it really won't take much to make the current MacBook Pros almost perfect.

Except that someone in charge is too fixated on thinness.

How many of the often mentioned shortcomings (keyboard travel, keyboard noise, lack of ports, shorter battery life) can be attributed to the lack of space?

Tip a bit more of the focus away from form over to function, and we've got a winner. Sadly, me thinks Jony's ego won't allow that to happen.

 

[bruinsrme]

I had a 2015 and thought it was nice.
The track pad was a great upgrade from the 2014.
With that said, the 2017 blows it away.
Using the MBP at home and at work I find that both had hubs for convenience, one for work and one for home.
Both had their own keyboard and mouse.
The 2017 is one plug versus 2 for the 2015.

I like the 2017 keyboard and trackpad much more than the 2015.

 

[napabar]

The best Mac laptop ever was the 1998-1999 Wallstreet/PDQ version. They were the last Macintosh of any kind to support Apple's floppy drive (critical for making 400K/800K disks for vintage Macs), support LocalTalk (again, critical for network sharing among vintage Macs), and the rainbow Apple logo. No contest.

 

[Mollan]

It definitely is.
Apart from the price (+50% increase in 3 years!), there are no valid reasons to switch between 2012 and 2017 version.

 

[winglet69]

Have to agree wholeheartedly with the analysis. My typical upgrade cycle was every major new generation around the three-year point when the Applecare was running out, since the early 90's. That ended with my current machine, 2013 15" MB Pro. 16GB RAM, the faster proc at the time, and 1GB SSD upgrade from OWC. I fully expected to pick up a new one after waiting (and waiting, and waiting) but when they released the current ones I was totally..."meh".

It's not complaining or hating on the new ones. There simply is no compelling reason to move from this one to a new one. Same RAM, similar screen, slightly faster processor. Less ports, worse keyboard (subjective, yes) expensive as hell. Trying to think of a more over-hyped less-needed feature than the Touch Bar...

 

[QCassidy352]

lWe’re living in the greatest era in humankind and he’s complaining about a keyboard, ports and minutiae.

That sentiment would suggest that roughly 99% of posts and articles on macrumors should be deleted.

 

[radiology]

Agreed. That is why I'm not giving up on mine anytime soon.

 

[kazmac]

Subjective, but the 2012-2015s were the only Mac laptop models I nearly purchased. I remember seeing the first Retina screens on the 2012 models, I was this close to buying them several times. From someone who isn't a laptop person, that was pretty big.

The keyboard and price points of the 2016-2017 models aren't my thing; if I couldn't buy a 2015 15" MBP and could only buy a laptop, I'd consider an HP Spectre.

 

[Nabby51]

Yes.
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m?fnode=97

Yes, but doing so requires something called a "cable," which is a wire with connectors on the ends. One connector plugs into the iPhone, one into the MBP. Voila!

So both of you are telling me that the solution is to give Apple more money? Meanwhile with older MacBooks you could plug the iPhone directly with the cable it came with. Also USB-C as a standard is still a dumpster fire. There are still very few good USB-C peripherals out there.

Progress is nice but Marco is making some valid points. The guy has used the touchbar 15” and no touchbar 13” of the latest generation MacBooks for extended periods of time and they he thinks they are both meh machines. He switched back to a 2015 model and things like the battery life and the not so dongle life are still better.

My company provides engineers with Macs and they all have the same complaints about the new models. Where are all the ports?
Can you make magic happen so my battery life is like my old 2013 MacBook. Dropping around 30% battery capacity makes a huge difference.

Also, to this day I have not heard a single good reason why people love the touchbar. I do hear the comment once in a while but no one has been able to articulated why. The only thing that I can think of is touchid but that did not justify a $300 premium over the previous models.

 

[riverfreak]

Everyone knows that the Titanium PowerBook was the best laptop ever made, followed closely by the original Air. When Jobs pulled the Air out of the envelope, I fell out of my chair.

 

[x-evil-x]

You may have a single port, but you need an adapter for the iPhone, an adapter for the networking, an adapter for the monitor, a power port that will send your mac flying if you trip over it, an adapter for your external hard drive, an adapter for RAID, etc.

I'm glad that I'm using the "best laptop that has ever existed," lol.

Plenty of hard drives use usb-c I have one. I have the usb-c to lightning cable to as I wanted to fast charge my phone sometimes which the new charger for the MacBook Pro does.
I have one adapter a hyperdrive that gives me everything I need.
The dongle hate really is nothing. I like being able to charge from the right side too.
Hardrive speeds alone this machine kills the previous models.

 

[logicstudiouser]

I got a maxed out 2015 model with AMD M370X in mid February from Apple's refurbished store, arrived in new condition. Was upgrading from my late 2011 17".
Covered until 2020 will AppleCare extension. Very happy with it so far. Ethernet dongle is the only extra I need to carry around.

 

[mzeb]

I upgraded from a 2015 13" MBP to a 2017 13". I like the 2017 better but only by a small margin. I do like the new form factor better as well as the keyboard now that I'm used to it. When iPhones support USBC and I can carry around one charger for both MBP and iPhone I'll be very happy. That said, the Touch Bar is "meh" and the gigantic trackpad isn't anything exciting. BUT, space grey, awww yeah

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Hmm. I thought that was common knowledge. Current MBP is good but it’s not a pro laptop. It’s a mid-size SUV with lots of chrome and running boards. The 2012-15 is a Ford 150 extended cab.

 

[radiology]

Totally agree with Marco. Newer ones have way too many design compromises with little reward to show for it, and the new keyboard, whether you like the feel of it or not, is a disaster. 30%+ failure rate at our place, ridiculous price to fix it. Price is irrelevant as all have been done under warranty and they’ll get junked after 3 years, but maaan I wouldn’t like to be a personal user of those keyboards outside the warranty period. The keyboard is a ticking time bomb.

Do you work for Microsoft?

 

[Glockworkorange]

Although I've never owned an Apple laptop, I can appreciate their tenancy to just move forward. I wouldn't call it "courage" but I think there's something said for taking the lay of the landscape and designing your products around where the industry and markets are heading, not where they are now.

IMO, the only thing Apple should have kept was magsafe (it being proprietary and all). It always seemed like a great feature. Couldn't Apple have just slimmed down the connector a little?

They could've made a new, super thin generation of MagSage---call it MagSafe 3---and left the four thunderbolt ports

 

[Michael Scrip]

Ok, I should ask it differently. You buy a new MBP and you buy magic mouse 2. You come home. You need to charge it. Can you do it?

I've read all your posts. And I mean ALL your posts. You're correct. The cable included with the Magic Mouse 2 cannot plug into the current MBP without adapters.

There are no USB-A ports on the new Macbook Pro. You know that. We know that.

But somewhere in your home is a charger with USB-A ports on it. Like... every charger in the last 10 years has USB-A ports on it.

You're making it sound like it's impossible to charge the Magic Mouse 2 if you own a current Macbook Pro.

It's not.

I know you don't like what Apple did with regards to ports. But it happened. Time to move on.