Nervous about buying 13" MacBook Pro 18

[forge002]

Im wanting to buy a 2018 13" TB MacBook Pro but just about everything im reading there is alot of negativity surrounding the new models particularly things like temps and throttling etc. I get for some people the lack of ports is an issue and so is the non-upgrade ability of Ram or SSD. But is one of the main reasons the fact that Apple charge a premium for their products means they are much more scrutinised?

At the moment i can get the base 13" MacBook TB 2018 model for a good discount using back to school and selling the headphones that come with it which brings the price down from £1750 to around £1450. At this price im finding it difficult to find alternatives that have a similar performance, that have good displays and trackpad, are extremely portable and have the option to use egpu if i so wish. Plus the fact if i have problems i can go to Apple stores and get help.

For me personally i would not say im a Mac fanboy or anything like that but i do enjoy Apple products, i have iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch. They all do exactly what i need and i find them genuinely great products. I have tried alternatives but nothing feels quite as good.

I guess my main question am i just being paranoid in that many of the possible problems are relatively minor issues that do not occur for everyone?

 

[sky87]

I got a 2018 13" last month (i5/16GB/1TB), which is also my first ever Mac...

I've not had any major issues with it so far.

Minor issues:
- First week or two the temperatures were pretty high, I suspect this might be indexing (or whatever it is) especially after I transferred a lot of my stuff over.
- Sometimes the palm rest feels quite warm - which feels odd to me coming from a Windows laptop that was somewhat gaming oriented and so tended to run very cool when doing normal things. But according to istat menus the temperature is never that high even when the palm rest feels warm?
- I had the issue of battery drain during sleep - but did a few tweaks to my settings, changed my hibernatemode/etc in terminal, reset SMC/NVRAM, and now it seems to be fine. I must admit this was way more trouble than I had anticipated though...

So far pretty happy with my Macbook. Loving the trackpad - this is the first trackpad I've ever used that is better than a mouse. And loving the integration with the rest of my life (iPhone/iPad, photos on iCloud, iTunes, etc...)

 

[sosumi99]

Since you've been around these forums for a while, you probably know how it works: the folks who come here tend to be much more demanding and obsessive, and many (or maybe "some") are more knowledgeable than the general consumer. The expectation is high and so is the scrutiny, and they'll hold Apple's feet to the fire whether Apple deserves it or not.

I don't think the 2018 13" MBPs have generated any more controversy than previous versions -- it's clear that these are definite improvements over the previous versions, and while there have been some issues on launch, Apple has largely been able to fix them with software updates. The vast majority of buyers don't experience the issues, and as you point out, Apple has a generous return policy and the best support in the industry, so you're in decently good hands.

 

[A_ardvark]

I had the 13 inch 2018 macbook pro for a month, 16gb of ram and 512 storage. Excellent machine. Speedy and light. The new keyboards are much nicer than the 2017 versions I tried before. I would recommend it.

I returned mine recently because I found the screen to be a little too small for everyday use. I do a lot of transcribing so I was having a little trouble trying to cram two windows into one screen. I opted to spend a little more for the base 15 inch. If my workflow was different or I had a more settled office situation where I could have a large monitor I would have happily kept it.

Edit: Also, the speakers on the 13 inch are ridiculously good for a small machine.

 

[Glmnet1]

I bought one and returned it because of a few things:
- Speakers crackling in Bootcamp. Probably fixed in the latest update though, I didn't have time to test.
- OS animations are choppy when used with an external 4k screen scaled. Would require spending even more on an eGPU.
- Price is really high for what it is, IMO.
- Touch Bar is useless. I bought it thinking it was cool and that I would find some use for it but no, it really is useless.

I'm a Mac fan and have been since I bought my 2011 MBP. I waited a long time for them to release the 2018 MBP and was super excited when I bought it but this device hasn't met my expectations.

But it obviously depend on your needs. For me, I think a desktop and a cheaper laptop will be a smarter way to spend my money.

 

[svgn]

Mine 13" base model is flawless. It gets warm, but that's pretty normal, it is very hot here and I don't have an AC. Idle temps 30-35 C, browsing and video watching 35-45 C. I am using it almost for a full week and still haven't heard the fans. Don't overthink it. It comes with a warranty.

 

[Gamer-Dad]

My original MacBook Pro was the 2018 i5/512GB/8GB. Computer was flawless. Returned it for the 15" for the extra screen size. Lightly warm to the touch, had great performance.

 

[Wingzfan61]

Just upgraded my 2017 i5/256gb/8gb nTB to the 2018 i5/512gb/8gb TB. I can't comment on long term results obviously but during work today I noticed huge advantages compared to the 2017 for my use.

I go into every tech purchase with one thing in mind. I know some people have had issues but I prefer to find out for myself how it works for me. If I find issues within my return period then it will go back. If I find issues after my return period then it will go to Apple. So if you like it, get it and see for yourself what you think. Worst case you have to return it.

The only thing I notice is the 2018 does run hotter than the 2017. Im typing this and running iTunes and im at 46C so Im not concerned but I do notice the difference when on my lap. The highest I saw today while running some work programs was 58C.