New 15" MacBook Pro vs. New 15" Dell XPS

[Sanpete]

Yeah, good point about the keyboard. Forgot about that. IMO Apple spends too much time worrying about carrying a laptop vs using a laptop.

For the life of me, I don't understand how a laptop that weighs .5 lbs lighter and 3 mm thinner is any more or less "portable." That word drives me nuts. If you can't carry around a 4 lb laptop cause it's noticably heavier than a 3 lb one, you need to worry more about lifting weights and less about computers.

Infuriates me. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the keyboard. Definitely hear a lot of complaints, but I've noticed that a lot of people that actually own one quickly warm up to it.

Personally, I'd prefer a bit more travel, and I'd sacrifice a mm or two, especially if it netted me even better battery life, but I've definitely warmed up to it. There's no question I can type faster, and I like the size of the actual keys. I don't get people that complain about the noise, but if I'm gonna talk about coil whine I have to be consistent (though keyboard noise honestly doesn't bother me like coil whine for whatever reason).

But yeah, it definitely grew on me, and from most people I've interacted with, they feel the same. Fair complaint though.

A lot of the complaints from people who actually own the new MBP are about the keys starting to make annoying clicking sounds after the keyboard gets hot. Does seem to be an issue that Apple missed somehow. Numerous threads about it here.

I personally prefer the machine to be as light as possible, more when it's actually on my lap than when I'm carrying it. A lot of people opt for the 13" because of the size and weight.

 

[getbretweir]

The fact is that for many people like myself, USB Type-C doesn't provide much advantage over USB Type-A and there is little incentive to buy USB Type-C devices.

Agreed. It's one of those things that you don't need, but once you have it you're glad you do and how everybody catches up sooner than later.

I told you I have a Nexus 6p, and as you know it has USB-C. Android Central is a site I used to visit more, and 16 months ago Nexus owners like myself were on the forums taking about how great it was.

Of course the Samsung owners would talk about how it's not ready yet, and they'd have to buy all new adaptors, this and that.

Fast forward to when Samsung got USB-C and those same people now talk about how it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My personal opinion is that yeah, it might have gotten out of the gate a little early, and at the very least they could've included an adaptor, but there's never a perfect time for these transitions to begin.

Eventually it'll be all USB-C and we'll all be taking about how we used to have to use an HDMI for this, and a micro USB for that, and we'll wonder how we were able to manage without.

Until then, it'll be inconvenient and they'll be done bumps in the road. But it is inevitable. It's already happening, albeit sooner than some people hoped.
[doublepost=1486541279][/doublepost]

A lot of the complaints from people who actually own the new MBP are about the keys starting to make annoying clicking sounds after the keyboard gets hot. Does seem to be an issue that Apple missed somehow. Numerous threads about it here.

I personally prefer the machine to be as light as possible, more when it's actually on my lap than when I'm carrying it. A lot of people opt for the 13" because of the size and weight.

Good point. I have it on my lap a lot and definitely appreciate the lighter weight ... especially when I'm watching football laying on the couch. I usually use my phone for keeping track of fantasy though, but yeah, the lighter weight is definitely appreciated.

I didn't know about the key noise when heating up. Interesting.

 

[tubeexperience]

Agreed. It's one of those things that you don't need, but once you have it you're glad you do and how everybody catches up sooner than later.

I told you I have a Nexus 6p, and as you know it has USB-C. Android Central is a site I used to visit more, and 16 months ago Nexus owners like myself were on the forums taking about how great it was.

Of course the Samsung owners would talk about how it's not ready yet, and they'd have to buy all new adaptors, this and that.

Fast forward to when Samsung got USB-C and those same people now talk about how it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

My personal opinion is that yeah, it might have gotten out of the gate a little early, and at the very least they could've included an adaptor, but there's never a perfect time for these transitions to begin.

Eventually it'll be all USB-C and we'll all be taking about how we used to have to use an HDMI for this, and a micro USB for that, and we'll wonder how we were able to manage without.

Until then, it'll be inconvenient and they'll be done bumps in the road. But it is inevitable. It's already happening, albeit sooner than some people hoped.
[doublepost=1486541279][/doublepost]

Good point. I have it on my lap a lot and definitely appreciate the lighter weight ... especially when I'm watching football laying on the couch. I usually use my phone for keeping track of fantasy though, but yeah, the lighter weight is definitely appreciated.

I didn't know about the key noise when heating up. Interesting.

USB Type-C on mobile devices are different from USB Type-C on PCs.

People generally accept technology when the benefit is apparent.

For phones (that previously use Micro USB) USB Type-C offers the benefit of fast charging.

Compatibility is not much of an issue since people don't generally connect mouse, keyboard, printer, etc to their phones.

For PCs, compatibility is a huge concern and USB Type-C doesn't provide apparent benefits like it does on mobile devices.

 

[Sanpete]

For PCs, compatibility is a huge concern and USB Type-C doesn't provide apparent benefits like it does on mobile devices.

You don't think 40 Gb/s and [bi-directional] 100W power are beneficial?

 

[TrueBlou]

I stopped watching at, "I don't think The MacBook Pro will be as tough as the Xps 15"

That stupid comment was bad enough, but then he followed it up with the "$500 plastic pc's are built better than the MacBook Pro" quote. Which frankly reeks of, well, *****.

Have these people ever owned a MacBook Pro, do they realise how long the actually last?
I've nothing against Windows systems, I own one. But for Christs sake, try not to be so blatantly obvious that you're trying to sell Dell systems to line your own pockets.

After that I deemed it to be totally unworthy of my viewing time and I'm reasonably sure the rest of the "fair comparison" would be full of more such complete and utter arse gravy.

 

[mcomp112]

I stopped watching at, "I don't think The MacBook Pro will be as tough as the Xps 15"

That stupid comment was bad enough, but then he followed it up with the "$500 plastic pc's are built better than the MacBook Pro" quote. Which frankly reeks of, well, *****.

Have these people ever owned a MacBook Pro, do they realise how long the actually last?
I've nothing against Windows systems, I own one. But for Christs sake, try not to be so blatantly obvious that you're trying to sell Dell systems to line your own pockets.

After that I deemed it to be totally unworthy of my viewing time and I'm reasonably sure the rest of the "fair comparison" would be full of more such complete and utter arse gravy.

The guy in the video is a Dell shill. The comparison is complete nonsense.

 

[tubeexperience]

You don't think 40 Gb/s and 100W power are beneficial?

All of which can also be done on USB 3.1 Type-A while also maintaining backward compatibility.

 

[TrueBlou]

All of which can also be done on USB 3.1 Type-A while also maintaining backward compatibility.

USB 3.1, even Gen 2 is only 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 3 on the other hand is 40Gbps. PD is the same for both of course at 100W.

 

[Sanpete]

All of which can also be done on USB 3.1 Type-A while also maintaining backward compatibility.

Not that I've seen. Could you give an example?

 

[leman]

I am wondering, why do people compare the MBP to XPS rather than the Precision 5520? The XPS is more clearly a budget-oriented machine, with a gaming GPU (yes, its faster than what MBP uses, duh) and no CPU customisation. In contrast, the Precision allows one to choose a CPU and also, like the MBP, uses professional GPUs.

All of which can also be done on USB 3.1 Type-A while also maintaining backward compatibility.

USB 3.1 is 10Gbs max and Type A doesn't support alternative modes.

 

[getbretweir]

USB Type-C on mobile devices are different from USB Type-C on PCs.

People generally accept technology when the benefit is apparent.

For phones (that previously use Micro USB) USB Type-C offers the benefit of fast charging.

Compatibility is not much of an issue since people don't generally connect mouse, keyboard, printer, etc to their phones.

For PCs, compatibility is a huge concern and USB Type-C doesn't provide apparent benefits like it does on mobile devices.

Fair enough. I can see how some people might think that so I can see where you're coming from.

I do think there are some benefits not only limited to mobile devices. Speed, power, reversible and versatility to name a few.

I'm not here to convince you or anyone else with compatibility issues. I can obviously see how that's an inconvenience. But for me personally, I don't have those issues, and I've enjoyed USB-C for awhile now. I'm anxious for the rest of the world to catch up.

It'll be interesting to see what they do with this year's iPhone. If they really want to speed up the technology, that'll have a greater impact than anything else.
[doublepost=1486549890][/doublepost]

All of which can also be done on USB 3.1 Type-A while also maintaining backward compatibility.

USB-C isn't just about speed, it's having one port that can do everything.

I look forward to connecting my MBP with two 4k displays with only one cable. All while charging my laptop at the same time and using my monitor as a hub. The faster we get there the better, and if I have to use an adaptor or two in the meantime I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

That's just me though!

 

[maflynn]

At first I thought this was my thread as I was looking at potentially a 15" laptop, while I'm consider a dell and a MBP, his "review" and I do put it in quotes seems nothing more then a sales pitch for Dell.

While I have no problem with his promoting some of the advantages that Dell has (and yes it does), he in no way touches upon what the advantages that the MBP enjoys. Very biased and not very helpful, and this is coming from someone who's looking into a Dell vs. MBP

The only salient piece he has (he worded it poorly), is the fact that you get current componets (kaby lake) for less money. That is a huge advantage that dell enjoys.

 

[GtrDude]

The majority of complaints I've heard about the MBP are 1) price, 2) ports, 3) touch bar and 4) specs.

5) The keyboard feel
6) Battery life
7) No faster than the 2015 MBP but more expensive
8) Trackpad palm rejection
9) Screen flickers, has colored stripes
10) Fan noise
11) Keyboard sometimes squeaks, not the same sound on every key
12) Sometimes keys don't register and the laptop has to be held upside down to get it back, or use compressed air.
13) Random freezes (something that usually doesn't happen to Mac's)
14) Touch bar freezes
[doublepost=1486570692][/doublepost]

What are some things you have that uses USB Type C?

I don't even have a single thing.

Lol......neither do I.

People are saying that in two years everything will be USB C and wow look how forward thinking Apple is.

In that case why doesn't Apple just make another upgrade to their MBPs all USB C in two years and NOT NOW!!!
[doublepost=1486571390][/doublepost]

I am wondering, why do people compare the MBP to XPS rather than the Precision 5520? The XPS is more clearly a budget-oriented machine, with a gaming GPU (yes, its faster than what MBP uses, duh) and no CPU customisation. In contrast, the Precision allows one to choose a CPU and also, like the MBP, uses professional GPUs.

I hadn't thought about the Dell Precision.

I like that new 5000 series.

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-laptops

 

[tubeexperience]

USB 3.1, even Gen 2 is only 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 3 on the other hand is 40Gbps. PD is the same for both of course at 100W.

USB Type-C ≠ Thunderbolt

USB Type-C is just an interface like USB-Type-A is.

I did made a mistake and USB 3.1 (Type-A and Type-C) both support only 10Gbps.

I am wondering, why do people compare the MBP to XPS rather than the Precision 5520? The XPS is more clearly a budget-oriented machine, with a gaming GPU (yes, its faster than what MBP uses, duh) and no CPU customisation. In contrast, the Precision allows one to choose a CPU and also, like the MBP, uses professional GPUs.

Dell Precision has Intel Xeon processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics. Apple doesn't have anything similar.

USB 3.1 is 10Gbs max and Type A doesn't support alternative modes.

My mistake. USB 3.1 (Type-A and Type-C) both support only 10Gbps.

Not that I've seen. Could you give an example?

My mistake. USB 3.1 (Type-A and Type-C) both support only 10Gbps.

 

[Sanpete]

Myth over facts. Some complaints are subjective, which is fine. Some are just made up or greatly exaggerated.

6) Battery life

Battery life for the 15" "reviewed" in the video is good, very likely better than for the new XPS, definitely better than the old one.

7) No faster than the 2015 MBP but more expensive

The dGPU is a lot faster, and there are easily a dozen other improvements.

8) Trackpad palm rejection

Works fine for most people. I haven't had any problem with it.

9) Screen flickers, has colored stripes

No it doesn't. Only a few defective ones, from any year, do that.

10) Fan noise

Fan noise is less than the XPS 9550, which runs hotter. Don't know about the 9560 yet.

12) Sometimes keys don't register and the laptop has to be held upside down to get it back, or use compressed air.

Nonsense. That would be rare.

13) Random freezes (something that usually doesn't happen to Mac's)

Again, not a usual issue.

14) Touch bar freezes

Again, not common.

People are saying that in two years everything will be USB C and wow look how forward thinking Apple is.

In that case why doesn't Apple just make another upgrade to their MBPs all USB C in two years and NOT NOW!!!

Not likely everything will be USB-C in two years, but USB-C is already far more useful than the alternatives.
[doublepost=1486572955][/doublepost]

Dell Precision has Intel Xeon processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics. Apple doesn't have anything similar.

I don't think that's why they aren't compared more often. We don't know much yet about how powerful the chips are. The new one can't be compared yet as it isn't hasn't been seen much. Its predecessor, the 5510, could have been compared to the 2015 MBP, but it was more expensive without much to show for it outside the enterprise program is was part of, so the cheaper and more similar XPS got most of the comparisons. And still will, probably. We'll see.

 

[leman]

Dell Precision has Intel Xeon processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics. Apple doesn't have anything similar.

Precision has an option to use a low-end Xeon, for an additional price, but most of its CPU selection are consumer CPUs, of the same tier that Apple uses (I am talking about Precision 5520 which is the same class as the MBP, not its bigger cousins). And Radeon Pro is a workstation-level GPU, just as a Quadro is, just from a different vendor. BTW, the pro GPUs Apple includes with the higher-end MBP are more powerful than the Quadro M1200 in the Precision 5520 . The M1200 is essentially a GeForce 950M GTX with workstation features enabled.
[doublepost=1486580081][/doublepost]

5) The keyboard feel
6) Battery life
7) No faster than the 2015 MBP but more expensive
8) Trackpad palm rejection
9) Screen flickers, has colored stripes
10) Fan noise
11) Keyboard sometimes squeaks, not the same sound on every key
12) Sometimes keys don't register and the laptop has to be held upside down to get it back, or use compressed air.
13) Random freezes (something that usually doesn't happen to Mac's)
14) Touch bar freezes

Friend, we have 8 2016 MBPs by now, a mix of 13" and 15". None of which shows any of the "problems" you talk about. My personal 15" is an upgrade from a 2015 model and shows about 25-30% increase in CPU-intensive data prep and statistical workflows and over 100% in graphical applications. Which frankly, is an insane upgrade. Its also the quietest computer I have ever used and the battery life is consistently better than any 15" Mac have had before. So forgive me, but I do have to raise my eyebrow when looking at your list.

P.S. One of the 13" indeed suffered from poor battery life in the beginning, but the latest OS X update fixed it.

 

[GtrDude]

Friend, we have 8 2016 MBPs by now, a mix of 13" and 15". None of which shows any of the "problems" you talk about..

That's great.

 

[radus]

I sold my Precision 5510 after buying and testing the 15" Macbook Pro 2016 why:
the MBPro is much, much quieter (most important difference for me)
4 thunderbolt 3 ports -- much better connectivity, and more flexible
btw. the hdmi of the Precision is 1.4 only
both MacOsX and Windows on the MBPro
2TB SSD on the Mac
longer battery time

I miss the Precisions touchscreen a little bit - but can live without it!

 

[HerbertDerb]

OR

One could wait for Kaby Lake upgrade, with bigger battery and the "1-rev growing pains" will be fixed...?

 

[Charlesje]

I sold my Precision 5510 after buying and testing the 15" Macbook Pro 2016 why:
the MBPro is much, much quieter (most important difference for me)
4 thunderbolt 3 ports -- much better connectivity, and more flexible
btw. the hdmi of the Precision is 1.4 only
both MacOsX and Windows on the MBPro
2TB SSD on the Mac
longer battery time

I miss the Precisions touchscreen a little bit - but can live without it!

Indeed, before buying the new mbp I was comparing it to the 6920hq dell precision, and the noise level of the fans make it ultimately unsuitable for artistic or scientific use (at least audio use). The quieteness of the 2016 to me is its biggest advantage over the previous generation and in fact, any other laptop. If you like to concentrate while using a lot of cpu power, please use headphones, or the 2016 (dont want to sound like a fanboy