Reviews are out for the Macbook Pro with Touch Bar

[Wowereit]

yes 9 hours you get outside when the brightness is much higher and 10-11 when indoors

That's what the non TB model is getting with light usage, so it can't be possible to achieve with the one with TB.
- 10% smaller battery
- 28W CPU vs. 15W although the difference want be that big during light usage when CPU is between idle and like 20%.
- a Retina Touch Bar to power
- a small ARM chip to power
- another Alpine Ridge controller

Each of those things isn't that significant, but combined it will take a hit on the battery life.
- 1h less for smaller battery
(following numbers are mostly pulled out of thin air and should be seen as an example)
- 1h less for higher wattage CPU, even during low usage
- 0.5h less for powering another smaller Retina display
- 0.5h less for ARM chip, Alpine Ridge and other added components with at least passive power draw

Those numbers are only a guess, but a very conservative one which would explain at least 3h less battery life.

 

[skids929]

Read most reviews, makes me wonder how crazy I am to put 3k€ on a 13TB 16/1tb :/

Completely cray cray

 

[mattopotamus]

I don't know if it was mentioned here before but cnet tested the battery life and the 13" TB lasted even longer than the 15" (all around 10 hrs)

The problem with those battery test are they are test. Maybe in the past that could be a reflection of real world usage or close to it, but the issue this time around is the TB is off during these test since they are just running loops and not actually using the laptop.

 

[Mythos99]

Now i'm scared for the battery life on the 15 MBP. Excited to hear in the next days what real life users have to say about it.

 

[justinf77]

The problem with those battery test are they are test. Maybe in the past that could be a reflection of real world usage or close to it, but the issue this time around is the TB is off during these test since they are just running loops and not actually using the laptop.

Exactly. I fear that the standardized, automated battery testing is going to yield very misleading results compared to real world usage. When you're actively using the laptop, the touch bar just won't shut off at all, and that could have a significant effect on battery life. I think that's what's going on in these reviews, but it's still too early to say anything for certain until we start getting more user feedback.

 

[tubeexperience]

Why has none of the reviewers taken off the bottom case and take photos of the interior?

 

[sbpax]

Wow even Mossberg says this is not a Pro machine anymore. Apple, if Mossberg says that you definitely have a problem.

I have a 13TB on order and I'm torn, since it's close to A$4000. I'll probably get it and return if it doesn't live up to the standards, even though I have inflating pre-order numbers for Apple.

 

[jackoatmon]

dunno if anyone already shared this, but the AppleInsider review is considerably more detailed than most others (on par but different to Ars)

They're loyalists, so don't expect much whinging, but they make some interesting points about the Metal architecture and GPU offloading – something I personally am very excited about:

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/14/review-apples-late-2016-15-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar

 

[dugbug]

Im impressed after reading the reviews that the 15" is the same size as the 13" air. I did not fully appreciate that when preordering.

I cancelled my order and got a 15".

Also on the touch bar particularly, they seem very promising for those reviewers that dedicated to trying it out (6 colors, pogue, etc). As a touch typist, I always look down at function keys and as a developer, terminal and xcode are always burying cool things behind shortcuts I fail to memorize. Definitely looking forward to this and 1password integrating with touch id.

 

[jackoatmon]

Wow even Mossberg says this in not a Pro machine anymore. Apple, if Mossberg says that you definitely have a problem.

Guaranteed that dude has never edited a video.

He states:

"the Pro, once mainly aimed straight at people who do especially taxing work like professional video editing or serious design"

when in reality Macbook Pros have never been a mainstay (or even a real option) for video editing before. Design, yes, it has been a mainstay for many years. And this certainly wont change that.

 

[sbpax]

Guaranteed that dude has never edited a video.

That dude? You have no idea who Mossberg is, do you? Look it up to avoid feeling like an ass later.

 

[manhattanboy]

Has anyone seen reviews for the i7 13 inch model? Just curious about performance.
Thank you.

 

[mattopotamus]

Has anyone seen reviews for the i7 13 inch model? Just curious about performance.
Thank you.

Reviewers were given base models. You are gonna have to wait for forumers

 

[jackoatmon]

That dude? You have no idea who Mossberg is, do you? Look it up to avoid feeling like a fool later.

I don't care who he is. It's just silly to say the MBP has been a thing for pro video editors. They all use Mac Pro, or more recently iMac if they're in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[dugbug]

That dude? You have no idea who Mossberg is, do you? Look it up to avoid feeling like an ass later.

I think Mossberg missed on that too. The MBs are better than the previous gen, why are they not at least capable at doing the same job as before, particularly with their focus on supporting 5k monitors.

I think the prices are where apple swung and missed. The rest appears to be a well crafted piece of kit.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Im impressed after reading the reviews that the 15" is the same size as the 13" air. I did not fully appreciate that when preordering.

I cancelled my order and got a 15".

Also on the touch bar particularly, they seem very promising for those reviewers that dedicated to trying it out (6 colors, pogue, etc). As a touch typist, I always look down at function keys and as a developer, terminal and xcode are always burying cool things behind shortcuts I fail to memorize. Definitely looking forward to this and 1password integrating with touch id.

Woah. The 15" is pretty much the same size as the 2015 15", albeit thinner.

Footprint is the same:

2016:

• Height: 1.55 cm (0.61 inches)
• Width: 34.93 cm (13.75 inches)
• Depth: 24.07 cm (9.48 inches)
• Weight: 1.83 kg (4.02 pounds)3

2015:

• Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
• Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm)
• Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
• Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04 kg)2

 

[sbpax]

I don't care who he is. It's just silly to say the MBP has been a thing for pro video editors. They all use Mac Pro, or more recently iMac if they're in the Apple ecosystem.

Well, you should care. He's the guy who Jobs used to go to and show new Apple products before bringing them to market. For many years.

Also, do you have a source on your claim? Because it's not, you can't just say all or you're going to get laughed at.

 

[dugbug]

Woah. The 15" is pretty much the same size as the 2015 15", albeit thinner.

Footprint is the same:

2016:

• Height: 1.55 cm (0.61 inches)
• Width: 34.93 cm (13.75 inches)
• Depth: 24.07 cm (9.48 inches)
• Weight: 1.83 kg (4.02 pounds)3

2015:

• Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
• Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm)
• Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
• Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04 kg)2

I said 13" air not the 13" pro. Im used to an air, so I was pleased that the 15" was so close (even if it was already close by last years, I was not int he market and not really aware of it)

 

[jackoatmon]

Well, you should care. He's the guy who Jobs used to go to and show new Apple products before bringing them to market. For many years.

Also, do you have a source on your claim? Because it's not, you can't just say all or you're going to get laughed at.

You're right that I shouldn't paint with such a broad brush, and for that I apologize. But for homeslice to say the past machines were "targeted at professional video editors" is such a wild overestimation of previous Macbooks and a rather odd thing to conclude if you're around video people a lot. I remember 5 years ago when the talk was, "holy ****, you're editing on an iMac? You're crazy not to have the Mac Pro tower." And people with the new 27"es at the time were like, nah it's actually great. Now we're possibly seeing that happen again – but this time to a form factor you can actually pick up and walk around with!

The source on my claim is that I've been editing video since I was 12 in 1995 and we ran the AV club and we literally cut tape and spliced it together.

Sure some random people use the MBP for video editing here and there. And sure there are directors who do quick footage trimming and montage on the go. But once you get into post, once you get into studios, final cuts, it's rare if close to unheard of. For the pros who have been using MBPs in the past for video, in virtually all cases they would be taking those rough cuts and putting them into stationary machines for post & final. I guess maybe if we're talking about just doing 1080p videos for Youtube without any colour grading or effects to speak of, yeah ok whatever.

Now, well, who's to say? These machines may just bring Apple laptops into the pro world in a big way.

 

[tubeexperience]

Someone open the bottom case and see if the SSD is soldered or not.

Seriously, how come none of the reviewers checked this?

 

[skids929]

Woah. The 15" is pretty much the same size as the 2015 15", albeit thinner.

Footprint is the same:

2016:

• Height: 1.55 cm (0.61 inches)
• Width: 34.93 cm (13.75 inches)
• Depth: 24.07 cm (9.48 inches)
• Weight: 1.83 kg (4.02 pounds)3

2015:

• Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
• Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm)
• Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
• Weight: 4.49 pounds (2.04 kg)2

The differences between those two models is more signicant than you think by just looking at the numbers. The new 15 should be much more manageable and easier to transport over the last years model. Weight, volume and footprint-wise

 

[tubeexperience]

The differences between those two models is more signicant than you think by just looking at the numbers. The new 15 should be much more manageable and easier to transport over the last years model. Weight, volume and footprint-wise

You forgot to add the weight of all the dongles.

 

[skids929]

You forgot to add the weight of all the dongles.

lol...I am not sure how many of these I am actually going to need. I am a casual user who just wants the most years out the machine. Not a power user who will be hooking stuff up to it. Maybe the iPhone one. I am thinking there will be an onslaught of USB-c devices hitting the market shortly, so maybe the real issue might also be the fact we have to buy all new peripherals?

 

[Abaganov]

Im impressed after reading the reviews that the 15" is the same size as the 13" air. I did not fully appreciate that when preordering.

I cancelled my order and got a 15".

Also on the touch bar particularly, they seem very promising for those reviewers that dedicated to trying it out (6 colors, pogue, etc). As a touch typist, I always look down at function keys and as a developer, terminal and xcode are always burying cool things behind shortcuts I fail to memorize. Definitely looking forward to this and 1password integrating with touch id.

where did you get that info that its the same size as the air 13? it doesn't make much sense to me as its just slightly smaller then the 2015 15 inch pro model ,
you can see size comparison between those 2 models on top of each other in this video , 2:25

 

[skids929]

where did you get that info that its the same size as the air 13? it doesn't make much sense to me as its just slightly smaller then the 2015 15 inch pro model ,
you can see size comparison between those 2 models on top of each other in this video , 2:25

He dropped a $4700 laptop! Way to unbox! Best one I've seen!