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Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
LOL! This is a funny thread. My 2015 Macbook Pro absolutely crushes anything I want to do with it. Office. Photoshop. Web browsing. You name it, my paltry 16GB of RAM, 256GB hard drive, and two-year old quad-core CPU, handle it with absolutely no issues. Come to think about it, my 1996 Volkswagen GTI absolutely crushes my transportation needs as well!!


For that type of usage you'd be fine with a 2011 Air...
 

coolbreeze

macrumors 68000
Jan 20, 2003
1,809
1,554
UT
And Dell BIOS updates crush their own machines.

-former 4k 9550 owner...the most unstable machine I've ever owned. Happily sold at a catastrophic loss. The machine just couldn't be trusted. I hope the pharmacy school student I sold it to hasn't lost too much work...
 

BlueGoldAce

macrumors 68000
Oct 11, 2011
1,951
1,455
And Dell BIOS updates crush their own machines.

-former 4k 9550 owner...the most unstable machine I've ever owned. Happily sold at a catastrophic loss. The machine just couldn't be trusted. I hope the pharmacy school student I sold it to hasn't lost too much work...

Exactly, except I didn't suffer a lose financially. I bought it on a huge sale at 900, and sold it for 970 via Reddit hardware swap. 4K, i5, 256gb, 8gb ram, etc.

I just could trust it to retain my machines state (work, open windows, etc) whenever it would sleep or hibernate. It would randomly crash and shut down. It just wasn't reliable enough.

Love my windows 10 desktop, and I would buy an iMac for various reason....but for laptops Apple still is best, for now.
 

Drecca

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2010
252
66
A good comparison to the 13" MBP models, I think. I haven't really thought of the SB PB as direct competition for the 15" models, though. The performance lags, and the screen, even though it has higher resolution, is significantly smaller.

Yes and no. In terms of pure hardware, I think it's a valid comparison, even if it's dual core vs quad core. The GPU is significantly better in the SB PB though. Having a dGPU in a smaller package than the 15 inch is very cool.

As for screen, I sort of agree with you. I got used to it quickly because I travel every week, so the form factor works better for me. YMMV as always. But the quality of the screen is equal. They're both very nice screens.

One thing no one mentions is the 3:2 aspect ratio. On a laptop used for productivity work, it's a really good aspect ratio that I did not even think would be useful. But it really is.
 

chriscrowlee

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2015
1,333
1,468
San Diego, CA
Kaby lake CPU
32GB RAM
GTX 1050 GPU
4K Touchscreen

Looks like MBP badly needs a refresh or this could get embarrassing quick

Let me count the times in history when Apple has beat out PC in a spec war. Oh, NEVER.

Could get embarrassing quick? No embarrassing is when I'm on a plane and the guy next to me pulls out a Dell XPS and the screen looks like you could fry chicken on the grease pools, and the finger smudges on the black trackpad look like a murder scene, and it loads windows and I see the screen say the app closed unexpectedly and he has to reboot.

Don't compare spec for spec. Windows is incredibly inefficient... Or if you really feel that way, go out and buy one. See ya back here in a week. Trust me, been there done that.
 

Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
Let me count the times in history when Apple has beat out PC in a spec war. Oh, NEVER.

Could get embarrassing quick? No embarrassing is when I'm on a plane and the guy next to me pulls out a Dell XPS and the screen looks like you could fry chicken on the grease pools, and the finger smudges on the black trackpad look like a murder scene, and it loads windows and I see the screen say the app closed unexpectedly and he has to reboot.

Don't compare spec for spec. Windows is incredibly inefficient... Or if you really feel that way, go out and buy one. See ya back here in a week. Trust me, been there done that.

Given the previous XPS was showered in awards and glowing reviews... and even the best MBP16 reviews can be described as "tepid", I'm not sure many agree.
 

chriscrowlee

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2015
1,333
1,468
San Diego, CA
Given the previous XPS was showered in awards and glowing reviews... and even the best MBP16 reviews can be described as "tepid", I'm not sure many agree.

Then why do you have a Mac and not a Dell? LOL.

Every review of the Macbook Pro 2016 (I own the "ultimate" 13") is favorable. I think you interpret any criticism as a negative review, or "tepid" ... but almost every review is the same "It's the most amazing machine apple has ever produced, but has some trade-offs, and is very very expensive" .... which I think is the same sort of review any "premium" product (a Mercedes, a Prius, a Tesla, iPhone, Verizon, Dior, etc etc etc).
 

Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
Then why do you have a Mac and not a Dell? LOL.

Every review of the Macbook Pro 2016 (I own the "ultimate" 13") is favorable. I think you interpret any criticism as a negative review, or "tepid" ... but almost every review is the same "It's the most amazing machine apple has ever produced, but has some trade-offs, and is very very expensive" .... which I think is the same sort of review any "premium" product (a Mercedes, a Prius, a Tesla, iPhone, Verizon, Dior, etc etc etc).


I have two Macs (Air13 and a MBP15) and they're both great machines. My partner has last year's XPS 15, and it's a great machine I've always used both OS, and they both have their charms and flaws.

If I upgraded this year, it'll likely be an XPS. The gulf between them is becoming silly (especially as my pipeline has rendering and Adobe). With this new XPS with Pascal you can pay half the price for twice the grunt. Apple are walking off a cliff.

My line of thinking isn't unusual.
 

chriscrowlee

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2015
1,333
1,468
San Diego, CA
If I upgraded this year, it'll likely be an XPS. The gulf between them is becoming silly (especially as my pipeline has rendering and Adobe). With this new XPS with Pascal you can pay half the price for twice the grunt. Apple are walking off a cliff.

My line of thinking isn't unusual.

Nice knowing ya! Have fun in those Dell forums. ;-)

But seriously, no, your line of thinking is NOT unusual, it's the way 90% of the world thinks. Apple has 10% marketshare, so to expect most to think Apple is best is absurd. Plenty of people buy cheap Android phones because they accomplish the tasks they need done, and they come with a better price. Does that make them better? Maybe. I've used windows many times and I would never call it superior in any way. Control Panel ("customization" or whatever Win 10 calls it), it a mess to find anything.

But to each his own. I've owned every MBP since 2005 (I upgrade every year) and this is the best Mac I've ever owned. If the Apple Ecosystem isn't for you, there are TONS of more powerful, and more cost effective options out there to meet your budget.
 
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Macalway

macrumors 68040
Aug 7, 2013
3,885
2,410
Nothing wrong with thrift, and avoiding the diminishing return of luxury items.

These threads are useful, in that they show that there are other, often more reasonable, options still of high quality. Never warmed to Dell myself, but HEY!, save a few bucks.
 
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Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
Nice knowing ya! Have fun in those Dell forums. ;-)

But seriously, no, your line of thinking is NOT unusual, it's the way 90% of the world thinks. Apple has 10% marketshare, so to expect most to think Apple is best is absurd. Plenty of people buy cheap Android phones because they accomplish the tasks they need done, and they come with a better price. Does that make them better? Maybe. I've used windows many times and I would never call it superior in any way. Control Panel ("customization" or whatever Win 10 calls it), it a mess to find anything.

But to each his own. I've owned every MBP since 2005 (I upgrade every year) and this is the best Mac I've ever owned. If the Apple Ecosystem isn't for you, there are TONS of more powerful, and more cost effective options out there to meet your budget.

It makes me sad though: for nearly a decade the "Apple tax" was objectively worth it. They made superb best-in-class machines.

Now not only have others caught up, but Apple have slumped... and increased in price. I have no idea why they're throwing it all away.
 
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richinaus

macrumors 68020
Oct 26, 2014
2,379
2,132
I have two Macs (Air13 and a MBP15) and they're both great machines. My partner has last year's XPS 15, and it's a great machine I've always used both OS, and they both have their charms and flaws.

If I upgraded this year, it'll likely be an XPS. The gulf between them is becoming silly (especially as my pipeline has rendering and Adobe). With this new XPS with Pascal you can pay half the price for twice the grunt. Apple are walking off a cliff.

My line of thinking isn't unusual.

Wouldn't a desktop be a better solution for rendering though. Or on the cloud rendering, or use Remote Desktop to log in to the desktop?

Yes the speed is great but I still will stay with Apple for laptops for the forseeable future and improve my desktop situation - I have never had one let me down in using them for 15 years now despite any negative reviews etc.
 

Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
Wouldn't a desktop be a better solution for rendering though. Or on the cloud rendering, or use Remote Desktop to log in to the desktop?

Yes the speed is great but I still will stay with Apple for laptops for the forseeable future and improve my desktop situation - I have never had one let me down in using them for 15 years now despite any negative reviews etc.

I have a desktop for major work, but on-the-fly rendering at whiplash speeds is wonderful.
 

Tubamajuba

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2011
2,186
2,444
here
Let me count the times in history when Apple has beat out PC in a spec war. Oh, NEVER.

Could get embarrassing quick? No embarrassing is when I'm on a plane and the guy next to me pulls out a Dell XPS and the screen looks like you could fry chicken on the grease pools, and the finger smudges on the black trackpad look like a murder scene, and it loads windows and I see the screen say the app closed unexpectedly and he has to reboot.

Don't compare spec for spec. Windows is incredibly inefficient... Or if you really feel that way, go out and buy one. See ya back here in a week. Trust me, been there done that.
I went through about seven different laptops spread across four different brands before I remembered that there is a reason why Macs are more expensive. I would much rather use my 4 year old MacBook Pro that looks and runs brand new than try to find a Windows laptop that doesn't have severe backlight bleed, dead pixels, a crappy touchpad, or any combination of those things. Macs don't have crappy touchpads, and I can physically walk into any Apple store and exchange my MacBook if I have backlight bleed, dead pixels, or any other manufacturing defect instead of mailing it in or taking it to a third-party "manufacturer authorized" depot of questionable quality.

My desktop will always be a Windows PC, but my laptop will always be a Mac.
 
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montanaco

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2016
293
316
It makes me sad though: for nearly a decade the "Apple tax" was objectively worth it. They made superb best-in-class machines.

Now not only have others caught up, but Apple have slumped... and increased in price. I have no idea why they're throwing it all away.

Price is extremely comparable to last year's models. The nTB costs the exact same as last year's model, and it out specs it (ports aside).

Apple is still worth it by far. Reviews only tell so much, what is the actual user experience? I've read a lot more about xps issues and returns than I have with the new MacBook.
 

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,231
19,125
If I upgraded this year, it'll likely be an XPS. The gulf between them is becoming silly (especially as my pipeline has rendering and Adobe). With this new XPS with Pascal you can pay half the price for twice the grunt. Apple are walking off a cliff.

Where does this twice the grunt coming from? The 1050 isn't that much faster than the 460 pro, and its performance advantages are mostly due to higher clocked memory. It's also a more power-hungry card. I've been testing out my new 460 over the last two days and I'm very impressed about what AMD has accomplished. So much power in the 35W envelope is incredible.
 

Drecca

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2010
252
66
I went through about seven different laptops spread across four different brands before I remembered that there is a reason why Macs are more expensive. I would much rather use my 4 year old MacBook Pro that looks and runs brand new than try to find a Windows laptop that doesn't have severe backlight bleed, dead pixels, a crappy touchpad, or any combination of those things. Macs don't have crappy touchpads, and I can physically walk into any Apple store and exchange my MacBook.

True for Microsoft stores too. With complete care (their version of apple care), it's the same exact thing. Not only that, but it also covers accidental damage too.

I made sure before buying my SB what the warranty covered, how repairs worked, etc. Microsoft copied, and then offers more, than Apple does.

Agree with you on Dell though. I had one of the first XPS versions in 2007, and the GPU burned out. 4 weeks without my laptop. Never buying Dell again. But Microsoft is beating Apple at its own game.
 

chriscrowlee

macrumors 65816
Aug 10, 2015
1,333
1,468
San Diego, CA
It makes me sad though: for nearly a decade the "Apple tax" was objectively worth it. They made superb best-in-class machines.

I question if you've really owned a PC if you don't think Apple still is top of the heap in nearly every aspect. I'd encourage you to go "experience" the Windows ecosystem for a month and check back with us and report findings.

For many, the appeal is primarily driven by reliability, which hands down Apple leads in almost every metric. Then comes ecosystem. Good luck with a PC ecosystem. Kiss iMessage goodbye... oh wait, you can use google hangouts or whats app. LOL, have fun with all that!
 

Tubamajuba

macrumors 68020
Jun 8, 2011
2,186
2,444
here
True for Microsoft stores too. With complete care (their version of apple care), it's the same exact thing. Not only that, but it also covers accidental damage too.

I made sure before buying my SB what the warranty covered, how repairs worked, etc. Microsoft copied, and then offers more, than Apple does.

Agree with you on Dell though. I had one of the first XPS versions in 2007, and the GPU burned out. 4 weeks without my laptop. Never buying Dell again. But Microsoft is beating Apple at its own game.
To be fair, the Surface Book is the only laptop that matches or beats the MacBook Pro in my eyes. But yes, the Microsoft Store is definitely the place to go for Windows machines. Unfortunately, there isn't a conveniently located store to me.

Regarding Dell, I really, really want to like their laptops. On paper, they're fantastic. But I've seen some of the worst hinge design, keyboards, and backlight bleed from them. An Inspiron 15 that I was looking at had a 4K screen, but the hinge was so bad that the entire casing flexed when you opened the laptop. The particular Inspiron 15 I bought was a different model with slightly better hinges but the worst backlight bleed I've ever seen on a display- the bottom right corner of the screen was almost yellow when displaying dark colors.

Also, Lenovo. They do so many things right. But I bought the IdeaPad Y700, and it had a touchpad that kept jumping around when I tried moving the cursor. After trying various Lenovo and Synaptics OEM drivers, a BIOS update finally did the trick- until a reboot. I return the laptop and try a display model- sure enough, that one had the same issue as mine. Lenovo will finally be putting Precision Touchpads in their laptops starting this year, so hopefully that aspect of their laptops will improve.
 
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