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This is a stink-bomber update, imho. I am awfully glad I upgraded to a loaded mid-2015 15" MBP when I did. After reviewing what apple has just farted out into the marketplace it occurs to me that had I waited the year-and-a-half for this iteration I probably would have gone over to B&H and opted to source the same 2015 machine I now use.

The extra power from a current processor excepted, there is very little about this new machine that I am lusting over or need. And the 100.00 in extra outlay for dongles dongles dongles and a ******* extension cable are really insulting after the price increases.

Apple has not yet felt or acknowledged the brunt of public frustration concerning the Qualcomm/Intel iPhone radio fiasco, let alone justifying the pricing structure for this new round of portable computers. But zooming out and looking at the cost-cutting gig they seem to be running across the board paints a frustrating picture for some consumers.
 
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As I sit here with a mid-2014 MBP 15" Retina that couldn't run Safari on YouTube pages due to the big GUI crash issue that would lock up the machine when closing tabs or windows (until a couple of months ago when it was finally fixed) and is NOW is suffering from the well-documented issue where the touchpad won't depress due to the 2 year old battery bloating and pushing up from underneath, I find it hard to justify the old cost, let alone the new one.

My old Mac Pro (cheese grater) was a power-horse...one minor issue after 8 years. My G4 tower never had an issue...my G3 Tower before that...never an issue.

If Apple would stand behind issues at least, the cost would make sense. At this point, I don't feel like I'm getting the same premium product for the premium price.

You're comparing a laptop to desktops. Of course there's far less chance of trouble in the desktop.
 
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I wonder how much the lack of the glowing logo will hurt Apple.

Every time you see a shot of, for example, a DJ using a Mac as his DJ computer, you will see the glowing white Apple logo there. It stands out big time and provides so much free product placement and advertising. Same thing with pretty much any photo of a bunch of people using laptops. The Macs stand out.

The lack of the glowy logo is a bit sad for me, but not a huge deal. But it may hurt Apple in the long run.

Hmmm! I am not really sure. iPhones have never had glowing logo and they have always been popular. That said, I still don't understand the reason for removing it. Kind of silly.
 
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Some valid reasons to remove the glowing logo:

- battery life is now at a premium. why waste it?
- the mbp is getting thin enough that the excess light might actually affect the screen display (which would just make all the visual upgrades moot).
- the "Apple" reason: courage :p seriously though, it's getting a little tired. A lot of people I know cover theirs with a more personalized sticker anyway. Although I guess for people who see their mbp as a status symbol it's like shooting yourself in the leg. *shrug*

The extension cable thing does bother me though. I absolutely use it for everything, and to charge an extra $19 for such a fundamental, useful piece of equipment is just greedy.

Your first and second points are moot as the logo is actually lit by the same backlight which drives the display.
 
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I like this "best ever" new MBP so much, I'm gonna keep my 2010 MBP -- with ports galore... USB, Firewire, ethernet, SD card, magsafe power, DVD -- a bit longer. Then, because this new MBP is so "pro" and is such a "big, big step forward," I'll have to start looking at PC's. Thanks, Apple, for "innovating!"
 
most people probably don't use it - simple.
is that a scientific study you did there? I work in a room with 7 people all using macbook pros - and they ALL use them.
Anecdotal at best - but what is your backing for your statement?
Why not include a USB adapter instead of charging so much more for it - cause guess how many people are going to need those? I would imagine quite a bit more then who will need the power extension.
 
I always been huge fan of apple, but all this stuff with no more computer updates for forever and then this half ass'ed update with a huge price increase and lack of basic stuff like the powercord extension or any dongles for all these new ports they are coming out with, and most of all they just throw away the magsafe connection!?

I have to honestly say, and i thought i would never say this, but this is the first time i'm actually thinking about switching to pc. And I feel really bad for thinking that, but this also is really bad, this is not the apple I used to know. I didnt want to believe it was all about the money now, but this seems very obvious right now. I am very dissapointed to say the least.
 
You can still attach any old AC power cable to the brick. I've got the cable from my old broken AEBS on my MacBook charger. Even better, my brother uses one that also provides another AC power outlet on the end.
 
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I wonder how much the lack of the glowing logo will hurt Apple.

Every time you see a shot of, for example, a DJ using a Mac as his DJ computer, you will see the glowing white Apple logo there. It stands out big time and provides so much free product placement and advertising. Same thing with pretty much any photo of a bunch of people using laptops. The Macs stand out.

The lack of the glowy logo is a bit sad for me, but not a huge deal. But it may hurt Apple in the long run.


I remember when at university walking into the lecture and the lights were dim and seeing all the glowing Apple logos. It was an awesome effect haha. That was back in 2011 oh how I miss Apple from then
 
Found this, which looks a lot better.
The touch bar the same height as the keyboard rows.
Wonder if Apple may do this in the future as it looks much better than the current narrow strip
2qmkk6h.jpg
 
What bothers me the most is that Apple didn't explain why they remove stuff.

When Steve Jobs released Mac Book Air without optical drive it was controversial, but you could see that he had thought about it a lot, why you needed an optical drive in the past and why it was not the case anymore. He also had alternative solutions, like an external optical drive that you could buy and software that would allow you to use another computer's optical drive, including Windows machines.

What was wrong with MagSafe? Why no SD reader? Why no backlit screen? Why the price hike?

Since Steve passed away they don't explain anything anymore on stage. It's all about the show and their products being "awesome" and "the best X ever".
 
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I wonder how much the lack of the glowing logo will hurt Apple.

Every time you see a shot of, for example, a DJ using a Mac as his DJ computer, you will see the glowing white Apple logo there. It stands out big time and provides so much free product placement and advertising. Same thing with pretty much any photo of a bunch of people using laptops. The Macs stand out.

The lack of the glowy logo is a bit sad for me, but not a huge deal. But it may hurt Apple in the long run.

I don't think Apple needs the Apple logo for brand recognition anymore as it did in 1999.

To be honest, I've always found it pretty silly and toy-ish, I welcome its departure.
 
Not read the entire thread so do not know if this has been mentioned.

The lack of the extension and the loss of the magsafe surely just increases the chance of an accident and a need for an insurance claim/repair. Well done Apple, well done.
 
How many on here wouldn't be better off buying last years model for a discount instead of the newest model?
First of all, the old rMBP 15" did not get cheaper, second, there is no 4GB GPU option for it. But it is worth a consideration, esp. if some dealers start reducing prices. While I would like to have USB-C/Thunderbolt3 to be ready for future devices, it is not something I really need right now.

Update: Actually for the price difference, one could almost get a Thunderbolt2 PCIe External Graphics Card for the heavy GPU work and be able to choose and upgrade the GPU any time or use it on different machines.
 
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As I sit here with a mid-2014 MBP 15" Retina that couldn't run Safari on YouTube pages due to the big GUI crash issue that would lock up the machine when closing tabs or windows (until a couple of months ago when it was finally fixed) and is NOW is suffering from the well-documented issue where the touchpad won't depress due to the 2 year old battery bloating and pushing up from underneath, I find it hard to justify the old cost, let alone the new one.

My old Mac Pro (cheese grater) was a power-horse...one minor issue after 8 years. My G4 tower never had an issue...my G3 Tower before that...never an issue.

If Apple would stand behind issues at least, the cost would make sense. At this point, I don't feel like I'm getting the same premium product for the premium price.


Dude, apple didn't give you a replacement?
 
For everyone steamed about the lack of power cable, do yourself a favor and just go buy a PS1 / PS2 power cable at Walmart for $3. They fit in the Mac charging block fine. They are lighter and they have a small plug without the ground post. Trust me, if you ever work in different countries and have to use adapters, a simple two-prong plug will save you a lot of headaches when having to fit your cable into a crowded powerstrip or a spot where the heavy charging block will fall out of a vertical socket.
 
For everyone steamed about the lack of power cable, do yourself a favor and just go buy a PS1 / PS2 power cable at Walmart for $3. They fit in the Mac charging block fine. They are lighter and they have a small plug without the ground post. Trust me, if you ever work in different countries and have to use adapters, a simple two-prong plug will save you a lot of headaches when having to fit your cable into a crowded powerstrip or a spot where the heavy charging block will fall out of a vertical socket.


I like to keep my grounding.
 
What's that I hear off in the distance? Oh yeah, the sound of tiny feet stomping with righteous indignation. Another day, another moan. Wahhh....

Exactly. If people like us are willing to pay for these things, why the hell shouldn't Apple charge for them? It's good for profits, and I applaud them for doing it. Hell, if Apple could persuade people to pay for premium packaging for the full unboxing experience I'd support it.

Apple needs to make as much money as possible in order to continue innovating and investing in the future.
 
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