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You do realise that the new 16” is only ~0,5 mm thicker than the last generation? About one sheet of paper thicker? The design itself makes it look thicker because it not slimming towards the edges like the previous generations.
 
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One of the most important factors for me with a laptop is size and weight.

If I didn’t take it anywhere then I’d get an iMac.

This new MBP is way too big for my liking.

Then… get an AIR because that’s what that is geared toward. Clearly you aren’t a professional or you would be drooling over this thermal solution and happy that thiccc > thin’n’hot.

And if 0.5mm (edge of paper, a strand of hair) thicker than the last Gen is too much to handle then clearly you are someone who complains just to complain.
 
I really don’t like how thick and big it is. Tempted to get the older 16-inch, but it has the Intel chip. Meh. I don’t know what to do.
For the love of God, don’t get the 2019 16”. It’s a horrible laptop. Hot, loud and much slower than the 2021 (and I found the sharp edges that make it look slim made it quite uncomfortable to carry). If you want the visual illusion of slimness, get a MacBook Air. If you want actual performance, these can’t be beaten. They run at the speed of a 2019 Mac Pro with 16-core Xeon and they’re laptops! They’re insane. If that doesn’t get you excited, you don’t need one in the first place.
 
For the love of God, don’t get the 2019 16”. It’s a horrible laptop. Hot, loud and much slower than the 2021 (and I found the sharp edges that make it look slim made it quite uncomfortable to carry). If you want the visual illusion of slimness, get a MacBook Air. If you want actual performance, these can’t be beaten. They run at the speed of a 2019 Mac Pro with 16-core Xeon and they’re laptops! They’re insane. If that doesn’t get you excited, you don’t need one in the first place.
I have the 2019 16”, it is the best laptop I have owned but I would not suggest you buy it, if you do not specifically need an Intel CPU.

Objectively the size difference is very small. It is primarily an optical illusion where the tapered edges on the lid and the bottom are now square. So even if the max height is about the same the edges are much higher on the new model.

I assume that this is to fit the HDMI connector and the 1080 camera.

Given all the complaints about form over function the last five years you would think people would rejoice over this change :rolleyes:
 
Apple:
“I heard all your complaints. Therefore we designed the following improvements/upgrades over the previous 16” model:

1. Improved Audio/Video experience
2. Better Camera
3. More port options w/ TB4 and Magsafe!
4. Fast Charging
5. 120 Hz display w/ProMotion
6. The most powerful ARM SoC chips ever designed and used in a laptop computer that you’ll absolutely struggle to get the fans to kick on with. We’re talking almost desktop quality GPU performance. Stream 7 feeds of 8K video. Dedicated ProRes encode/decode engines, 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, 64 GB unified memory….and much, much more…

However, we need to increase the thickness by 0.02 inches!”

Apple hater:
“It’s just too thick and the notch is so ugly, I’m cancelling my order!”


(Some) people will complain, no matter what, even when they get what they want.

Personally, I’m ecstatic that Apple have finally given up on the ridiculous crusade to make everything as thin as a pancake. Give me practically and function any day of the week.

This is finally the MacBook Pro I’ve been waiting for - ever since I lasted six months with the first generation of the Touch Bar, and swore to never again buy an Apple laptop which had it. Unless of course it was in addition to the function keys.

I’ve honestly been happy with my M1 Air these past 11 months or so. It has exceeded my expectations at every turn.

But Apple have finally got around to making the 16” MacBook Pro I’ve been asking for, for half a decade now. So it looks like it will be by by lovely little MBA. The MacBook Pro is going on my Christmas list :D

Also, what’s with the Notch complaints? It’s adding real estate, not taking it away. Would you prefer a non-notch design, with a thicker top border and smaller screen? Or maybe a much bigger laptop, to push the camera outside of the screen and into the chassis, again, with a bigger border at the top?

I’m happy with it, just as I am on iPhone. Sure it would be great to have awesome quality, under-screen cameras and sensors. But we’re just not there yet on the quality front.

So, in the meantime, I’ll take a section of the top menu which can’t be used as display space. I’m still getting a 16” non-notch screen area, which has more useable space, as the menu bar isn’t within it. Happy days.

I’ve even seen complaints about Apple including an SD reader ‘in this day and age’. I get it, not everyone is going to have use for them, but some of us do still use them - a lot.

I have to haul out an SD to USB-C adapter every other day. Whether that’s cards from my cameras (yeah, I could use USB but I like to save the battery), drone, or transferring files to my extensive collection of vintage computers and consoles, most of which I’ll use floppy/cassette emulators and so on, in order to save the fragile, ancient software.

I still get files from clients and even family and friends, on SD Cards. Not everyone is willing, or able to (for security reasons) use things like cloud storage. So SD cards and USB drives still have their uses.

Even things like flashing operating systems onto SD for my HP Microserver, or Raspberry Pi’s. I’m glad they’ve decided to add one back, I know mine will get plenty of use - my only complaint as far as it’s concerned is that they used an older standard for it.
 
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I have the 2019 16”, it is the best laptop I have owned but I would not suggest you buy it, if you do not specifically need an Intel CPU.
I do need an Intel CPU for running Windows VMs but I don’t need much performance (I just need it for some Cisco courseware and GNS3, which isn’t very demanding). I’m currently using my 2009 iMac to run VMware Fusion but I also have a pair of old Mac minis with VMware that could also run the guests. I think I’ll be replacing the iMac as soon as the new 27” replacement comes out and also replace my 2015 13” MBP with the 14” M1 Pro.

I couldn’t get rid of the 2019 16” fast enough - it became hot and loud as soon as you tickled the CPU even slightly (maybe there was something wrong with mine?). The 2015 MBP is much slower but rarely spins the fans up. The new machines give me peace as well as performance, I really can’t complain.
 
Is no one else seeing how janky the back of the device is. The lid and hinge are not flush with the top case. It looks unfinished and almost bent out of shape. It's noticeable on a number of unboxing. I hope to God mine isn't like that, although I suspect it will be...?!
 

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Is no one else seeing how janky the back of the device is. The lid and hinge are not flush with the top case. It looks unfinished and almost bent out of shape. It's noticeable on a number of unboxing. I hope to God mine isn't like that, although I suspect it will be...?!
If you go back to the video, you’ll see it’s paper inside the case playing visual tricks.
 
Apple said:

"The most powerful ARM SoC chips ever designed and used in a laptop computer that you’ll absolutely struggle to get the fans to kick on with. We’re talking almost desktop quality GPU performance. Stream 7 feeds of 8K video. Dedicated ProRes encode/decode engines, 400 GB/s memory bandwidth, 64 GB unified memory….and much, much more…"

Hoping a "GPU nerd" who knows Apple's desktop product line and checked specs of the new MBP help put that "almost desktop quality" into perspective. Which applications would it affect? Would only 3D / video pros notice for high production work? Or would it be noticeable in day-to-day use of the casual user? App developers? Gamers? 3D/Video amateur enthusiasts for occasional work?

The 2021 MBP M1 Max configuration supports up to 4 monitors... That's two more monitors than the late 2020 M1 Mac Mini supports. Does GPU in MBP high-end configuration also underperform a desktop? How might high-end MBP GPU might compare to a best-guess about the forthcoming 2022 Mac Mini M1?
 


A new video posted to YouTube today offers viewers perhaps the best real-world look yet at Apple's latest 16-inch MacBook Pro.

macbook-pro-2021-handson.jpg

Update: The video has been removed.

The eight-minute video, narrated in Vietnamese, shows the new MacBook Pro's display notch, thinner bezels, full-size keyboard, and additional ports in close-up, as well as the thicker design, all of which are compared side by side with a 15-inch Intel MacBook Pro. It also shows the new MacBook being weighed, coming in at the expected 2.1kg.

The new MacBook Pro models have been available to order since Monday and will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, October 26. Pricing starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model.

(Thanks, Hugo!)

Article Link: New Video Provides Extensive Hands-on Look at New 16-inch MacBook Pro [Updated]
Newbie Here. What add'l notch hardware would it take to have Face ID. Or is something Apple could turn on at some point?
 
I couldn’t get rid of the 2019 16” fast enough - it became hot and loud as soon as you tickled the CPU even slightly (maybe there was something wrong with mine?). The 2015 MBP is much slower but rarely spins the fans up. The new machines give me peace as well as performance, I really can’t complain.

I heard that the later Radeon 5600M configuration runs much better than the other options. Is that really the case?
 
That display is thick enough to house all the components for Face ID - Apple is just holding it back to get you to upgrade. I am definitely waiting until 2025 before I upgrade my notebook again. But, might get the base 16 inch second generation for brother.
Sounds like you're reasonably happy with whatever macOS setup you have if you can wait 3 years. For people who are inclined to upgrade sooner, year(s) of waiting for Face ID on a MacBook is a lot of wait little gain IMO. Particularly because macOS can unlock a Mac with Apple Watch, if you're wearing the watch, and configured that feature. With that setup, you're logged-in pretty fast after waking the locked Mac. For me, that obviates Face ID's most frequently needed convenience. And for considerably rarer online purchases and authenticating to other clients, the new MBP line has Touch ID. That probably isn't a big hassle if you're not doing it every time you sit down. Also, if you have an Apple Watch, macOS lets you use the watch to authenticate Apple Pay transactions, but even that's too much trouble compared to one's thumb on the MBP for a moment when buying something. Beats pulling a credit card out of the wallet (such as when buying more Apple equipment ;-) )
 
I have the 2019 16”, it is the best laptop I have owned but I would not suggest you buy it, if you do not specifically need an Intel CPU.
My 2019 i9 16" was a hot loud mess of a laptop. Even when idling the second you connect an external monitor the fans would turn on. For music production it was unbearable. Replaced it with a dead silent iMac Pro and couldn't be happier.
 
If you look at their photos of the display dissected (from Apples own unveil) there are no miniLED's at the level the Notch is. Essentially where the menubar goes, there are no miniLED's. The array only begins below the notch.

EDIT: Seems this may not be the case and just when they showed it off the top bar was black.
Can you imagine the complexity of making sure that the notch-bar's regular LEDs didn't also illuminate the top of the Mini LED array.
 
And dust, bits of debris etc that might land right in there… be interesting to see how these new machines hold up over time
My 2014 MBP, which I don't baby and just wire the keyboard by pressing hard with a damp cloth, has no scratches int eh keyboard area. I suspect why it will be fine is that even if debris is in that area, nothing is pressing it against the metal top-plate.

Can someone with a several year old space grey MacBook confirm is the keyboard area gets scratched up over time.
 
3D rendering - you don't mind this being a desktop replacement, when those fans kick in, you will be glad its thick enough for great air flow so you are not throttled and can keep working. You likely even have a Mac Pro or iMac too. Again, its likely gonna be stationary.

The fans! The noise! That was a great post of yours documenting the use-cases. But I mean the other kind of fans, in the chassis. I haven't had an MBP for many years. Forgot about the fans switching on and how loud they might be. Another tradeoff I didn't consider. I'm considering upgrading my Late 2020 M1 Mac Mini to a maxed-out 2021 MBP. My use is primarily software development at a desk with a multi-monitor setup. But my 2020 Mini doesn't support enough monitors nor memory. I need the memory for virtualization and multi-tasking, plus lotta cores for fast parallel builds. That leaves the advantage-tradeoffs between seldom-needed portability of the MBA vs. connectivity of forthcoming Mini M1 Max, relative noise, and GPU performance. I wonder if the next Mini will be quieter than the 2021 MBP M1-max? If so, that's actually a big deal. My other question is about GPU power. Apple says notebook is almost desktop quality. I don't know what that really means. I don't do 3D rendering no video much but don't like the idea of sitting around tapping my foot when I do but I'm clueless about weighing all that.
 
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Newbie Here. What add'l notch hardware would it take to have Face ID. Or is something Apple could turn on at some point?
nope. FaceID uses a special camera sensor as far as I am aware. A true Depth sensor from memory?
 
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