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New Macbook or Macbook Pro: which one?

C

charliemarquez

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 22, 2015
3
0
Hi,

My new company will give me a Macbook but I have to decide which one.
I've been using MacBook Pro, but I'm open to the new Macbook.

My user profile is:
- Word, Excel
- Browsing (10 tabs), Mail, Instant Messaging
- Latex editing
- Programming (the code actually runs on cloud servers)
- Heavy SSH usage
- I will be mostly at my desk (with external monitor, keyboard and mouse), but I will also move it for presentations, meetings...

My thoughts:
Macbook Pro is overspecified for me but it better suits my "mobility profile"
New Macbook has enough power for me but I'm afraid about not being "so mobile" to actually need a new Macbook.

Which one would you choose?
 
charliemarquez said:
Hi,

My new company will give me a Macbook but I have to decide which one.
I've been using MacBook Pro, but I'm open to the new Macbook.

---

Which one would you choose?
Click to expand...

Well, if you are anything like me you are not going to believe me and probably end up doing the opposite of what I'm about to suggest.

Here goes: You should buy the Macbook Pro (MBP). If the MBP wasn't an option, you should go for an Air.
You should in essence avoid the new Macbook at all costs for now.

It is not because of the lack of ports. That didn't bother me a bit.

It is because the new Macbook is an inferior piece of hardware compared to the Pro and the Air in every aspect.

In no particular order:

- The keyboard is not good on two levels: 1, too shallow - 2, to narrow feeling, works nicely for kid hands probably
- The screen, it is nice of course, but look at the edges and you'll see the uneven number of pixels in the setup 2304xsomething-rather, gives a quirky feeling to it. It's just not uber top notch like the pro or iMac 5k is. In sharpness it beats the Air of course, but the Air has so many other things going for it
- It's silent, which is really really nice, but it gets hotter than hot and that is never nice
- The screen is too heavy compared to the body which makes it tilt too easily

While the above tangible things are important, the most important thing is this: It's a second rate machine not worthy of Apple to put on the market. It doesn't have that "Wow"-feeling that the Retina 5K gives you when you sit down in front of it, it doesn't ooze quality. It lacks perfection.

So there you have it. Go ahead and make your choice. But like I said, I wouldn't have believed me either. In fact I didn't believe someone I asked for advice who said pretty much the same thing I'm now telling you, perhaps just a tad less eloquent. Fortunately, Apple have superb "return your purchase"-processes so it wasn't the end of the world after all.

Good luck.
 
Get the pro, if you are docking it for desktop work and using it professionally for hours on end you'll appreciate the Pro.
 
Adergaard said:
Well, if you are anything like me you are not going to believe me and probably end up doing the opposite of what I'm about to suggest.

Here goes: You should buy the Macbook Pro (MBP). If the MBP wasn't an option, you should go for an Air.
You should in essence avoid the new Macbook at all costs for now.

---
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Air is not an option for me. I own a MBP (mid 2014) and I really like the retina display. I have it attached to an external screen using the HDMI port and I often end up working on the retina display.
The keyboard should not be an issue for me, I will certainly use an external one.
I liked the "thin client" philosophy of the new Macbook, but all of you suggest to stay with the MBP
 
charliemarquez said:
Air is not an option for me. I own a MBP (mid 2014) and I really like the retina display. I have it attached to an external screen using the HDMI port and I often end up working on the retina display.
The keyboard should not be an issue for me, I will certainly use an external one.
I liked the "thin client" philosophy of the new Macbook, but all of you suggest to stay with the MBP
Click to expand...
As I said in my initial comment, you're probably going to do the opposite of what I suggest :)

It sounds to me you have already convinced yourself that all those stories about how the new Macbook is just not good, is probably wrong, and you simply must have one.

Go for it. Order one now. But for the love of everything that is holy, please keep the packaging it comes in and the receipt because you will send it back. Of that, I'm certain. That is all.
 
Adergaard said:
As I said in my initial comment, you're probably going to do the opposite of what I suggest :)

It sounds to me you have already convinced yourself that all those stories about how the new Macbook is just not good, is probably wrong, and you simply must have one.

Go for it. Order one now. But for the love of everything that is holy, please keep the packaging it comes in and the receipt because you will send it back. Of that, I'm certain. That is all.
Click to expand...

No, I'm good at maths. And counting the suggestions I received so far, it's an overwhelming win for the MBP :)
I think I'll just wait for the gen 2
 
i would get the macbook pro if i were you. i really like the new macbook's but i can't see myself spending all that money when i can get something way more powerful for similar price.
 
I would suggest the pro due to your use case. I'm in total agreement with Dubadai that the MacBook is a companion or a traveling person's computer. If you were at an airport or coffee shop as often as your desk, then your use case would allow for rMB... But I think the HDMI port (presentations, unless they have an Apple TV) and available power due to desk environment would make this a no-brainer for the pro.
 
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