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New Macbook Pro Base - disappointed and returned

R

raven69

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 4, 2016
1
6
I owned a 2016 Macbook 12" and sold it just before the new 2016 MacBooks came out to buy the new Pro. I was able to purchase a base Macbook Pro 2016 in an Apple store.

The good - screen is definitely better/brighter and the new space grey looks great.

The undecided - I'm not sure the reduced size is of any benefit. I suppose its a bit easier to transport but its really not night and day like the 12" is to the rest of the product line. Like many other posts they should have maintained the previous size and more ports. The bigger trackpad seemed like a great new feature but in real use not so much for me.

The bad - 1 port on my macbook 12" is bad but almost expected based on the size. 2 ports on the pro is not good when compared to the old unit. I hate the keyboard even more on the new Pro than my 12" - some say its improvement over the 12" but not for me. I found the enter key to be extremely clicky and loud, and it annoyed the hell out of me. The price is whacked - I am in Canada and over $1900 for the base unit with what I got is no way worth it.

Needless to say I returned the 2016 Pro unit and went back to the 12" and couldn't be happier, especially having some extra money in my pocket. Yes I am missing out on the power and slightly larger screen size but I am ok waiting slightly longer for the same tasks to complete. I really didn't find anything the 12" couldn't handle.

Unfortunately for now I am tied to the mac ecosystem as I hate Windows hardware compared to Apple. I definitely don't like where Apple is heading however as this is the first new product line that I have returned within days.
 
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raven69 said:
I owned a 2016 Macbook 12" and sold it just before the new 2016 MacBooks came out to buy the new Pro. I was able to purchase a base Macbook Pro 2016 in an Apple store.

The good - screen is definitely better/brighter and the new space grey looks great.

The undecided - I'm not sure the reduced size is of any benefit. I suppose its a bit easier to transport but its really not night and day like the 12" is to the rest of the product line. Like many other posts they should have maintained the previous size and more ports. The bigger trackpad seemed like a great new feature but in real use not so much for me.

The bad - 1 port on my macbook 12" is bad but almost expected based on the size. 2 ports on the pro is not good when compared to the old unit. I hate the keyboard even more on the new Pro than my 12" - some say its improvement over the 12" but not for me. I found the enter key to be extremely clicky and loud, and it annoyed the hell out of me. The price is whacked - I am in Canada and over $1900 for the base unit with what I got is no way worth it.

Needless to say I returned the 2016 Pro unit and went back to the 12" and couldn't be happier, especially having some extra money in my pocket. Yes I am missing out on the power and slightly larger screen size but I am ok waiting slightly longer for the same tasks to complete. I really didn't find anything the 12" couldn't handle.

Unfortunately for now I am tied to the mac ecosystem as I hate Windows hardware compared to Apple. I definitely don't like where Apple is heading however as this is the first new product line that I have returned within days.
Click to expand...

So to summarise, you returned the new MBP because you didn't like the keyboard.

All your other complaints are stuff you would know without actually buying the machine (like only 2 ports).

Fair enough, keyboards are a personal thing I guess.
 
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Yes the keyboard is a personal thing. I would be curious as to the percentage of pro vs con.

That would be telling as to Apple's present corp. culture.

Maybe it's just the age old struggle between the artsy vs practical, and artsy is winning :D
 
I am in love with the latest mac wireless keyboard. It took some getting used to with the shorter pressing distance but now my fingers just glide thru typing anything I want as fast as I think it. It is just so effortless and comfortable. I also love the minimalist aluminum enclosure, and the rechargeable battery, and how it can double as a wired keyboard when plugged in if bluetooth is off for whatever reason. It is a flexible, beautiful design even without considering the typing speed improvement. I have not tried the new laptop keyboards but I can't believe apple would drop the ball after releasing this near flawless desktop keyboard.
 
spacebro said:
I am in love with the latest mac wireless keyboard.
Click to expand...

I love the mechanical keyboard on my PC - none of these new styled keyboards can come anywhere near the feel of a true mechanical switched keyboard. But I suppose some people would say it takes far too much effort on their part to use a mechanical keyboard.

Ergonomically the Magic Mouse is the worse :apple: product ever IMO - I can't use that mouse, its just way too flat. The old corded Apple mice were SO much better! Progress is not always good. :(
 
Howard2k said:
Do you use a touch screen on your tablet or still rocking the chisel? :D
Click to expand...

LOL - yes to the touch screen, no to the pencil nor the keyboard. Either its a computer, or its not! And if the iPad is ever to be considered seriously as a "Pro" it needs mouse/trackpad support.

Similarly - on a computer, I don't care for a touch screen. So the touch bar is totally not solving any problems for me. Computer = KBM. Tablet = touch.
 
neteng101 said:
I love the mechanical keyboard on my PC - none of these new styled keyboards can come anywhere near the feel of a true mechanical switched keyboard. But I suppose some people would say it takes far too much effort on their part to use a mechanical keyboard.

Ergonomically the Magic Mouse is the worse :apple: product ever IMO - I can't use that mouse, its just way too flat. The old corded Apple mice were SO much better! Progress is not always good. :(
Click to expand...

I have the latest magic mouse too and was not able to incorporate it into my workflow. I would try to use it as a trackpad and get frustrated that the top surface was too small. It should be a mouse or it should be a trackpad. How ridiculous would it be if they made a trackpad but you could also move the whole thing like a mouse? That is the magic mouse.

I am interested in getting an expensive mechanical keyboard, every 6 month or so I'll research it again. I can't find anything with a short pressing distance and all the options have giant keys that look like dice. I can't find a nice aluminum enclosure, seems like there isn't anything that doesn't have bulky, ugly plastic enclosures. I went into a startup the other day and most of the keyboards their devs had looked completely ridiculous. One guy had a pastel rainbow, another guy had a glowing rainbow light under the keys. It looked ridiculous to me and yet they still have the long pressing distance and ugly dice shaped keys of a stock $10 dell keyboard. I am willing to spend a lot of money on a better keyboard, I just don't see any better keyboards available for any price.
 
I have both the 12" MacBook and I'm typing this on the new MBP. I'm the fastest typist I know (except for my Mom who was a demon on an IBM Selectric typewriter); the keyboard on the MBP is louder but I think it's better.

The only interesting behavior is my right palm rests on the trackpad and sometimes it interferes with the mouse pointer. It's rare and doesn't seem to happen any more, so I must have changed how I rest my wrist without thinking about it.

For the OP, I'm curious. So you sold your MacBook then returned the MBP, then purchased another MacBook?
 
spacebro said:
I can't find anything with a short pressing distance and all the options have giant keys that look like dice.
Click to expand...

This is true - mechanical keyboards can be ugly as sin and they are LOUD clicky clicky click as you type on them!
 
raven69 said:
The undecided - I'm not sure the reduced size is of any benefit. I suppose its a bit easier to transport but its really not night and day like the 12" is to the rest of the product line. Like many other posts they should have maintained the previous size and more ports. The bigger trackpad seemed like a great new feature but in real use not so much for me.

The bad - 1 port on my macbook 12" is bad but almost expected based on the size. 2 ports on the pro is not good when compared to the old unit. I hate the keyboard even more on the new Pro than my 12" - some say its improvement over the 12" but not for me. I found the enter key to be extremely clicky and loud, and it annoyed the hell out of me. The price is whacked - I am in Canada and over $1900 for the base unit with what I got is no way worth it.
Click to expand...

This is good news for me; I love mechanical keyboards and it sounds like the new MPB keyboard might be similar to a thin mechanical. Also coming from a 2008 macbook the new pro will be night and day in terms of weight. Sounds like a fantastic machine.
 
crassapple said:
This is good news for me; I love mechanical keyboards and it sounds like the new MPB keyboard might be similar to a thin mechanical. Also coming from a 2008 macbook the new pro will be night and day in terms of weight. Sounds like a fantastic machine.
Click to expand...

It's nothing like a mechanical keyboard. I have a few real ones. Trust me when i say the macbook pro keyboard is crap.
 
I bought this model last night and I rather like the keyboard on this computer. I have a corsair k70 vengance for my gaming desktop and its very different from that. But for a laptop its really good. Just a personal preference.
 
I experimented with the new keyboard today at the Burlington Ma Apple Store. It is different from the older MBPr, but I had no difficulty typing on it and my hands found the keys and I was touch typing no issues. Keyboards have a personal preference and not everyone is happy with a particular keyboard. I remember back in the 70s when the noisy mechanical keyboards were very popular.
 
The problem isn't that you cannot type fast on the new keyboard. The problem is that it feels really cheap and it isn't a pleasant experience for most people.
 
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Mechinyun said:
It's nothing like a mechanical keyboard. I have a few real ones. Trust me when i say the macbook pro keyboard is crap.
Click to expand...

That's too bad, I mostly type on a Model M connected to my macbook and monitor, but the old style macbook keys are fine. I'm sure I'll adjust to the new ones.
 
motime said:
The problem isn't that you cannot type fast on the new keyboard. The problem is that it feels really cheap and it isn't a pleasant experience for most people.
Click to expand...

The purpose of a keyboard is input and control. It does that well. As for feeling cheap, that's not my impression, but that's highly subjective and what I may think is wonderful others may hate.

My advice is anyone interested in the MBP take a visit to the local Apple Store, if you can, and try the keyboard yourself. They do have a 14 day no questions asked return policy as well.
 
spacebro said:
I am in love with the latest mac wireless keyboard. It took some getting used to with the shorter pressing distance but now my fingers just glide thru typing anything I want as fast as I think it. It is just so effortless and comfortable. I also love the minimalist aluminum enclosure, and the rechargeable battery, and how it can double as a wired keyboard when plugged in if bluetooth is off for whatever reason. It is a flexible, beautiful design even without considering the typing speed improvement. I have not tried the new laptop keyboards but I can't believe apple would drop the ball after releasing this near flawless desktop keyboard.
Click to expand...


It's actually nothing at all like the new Magic Keyboard. That thing is pretty great, though. The 2016 MBP keyboard is louder with a good bit less travel.
 
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