So now that the dust has settled. How do you feel about your 2018 MacBook Pro purchase?

[princ2]

Honestly.

I've said on this forum that I'm about to purchase MBP 2018 13" 16/512/i5 but I'm close to abandoning buying Mac completely.

Just looking at plain 'price/value I'm getting' comparison I am not even getting dedicated GPU. In Poland, this MBP with student discount is 10300 PLN. This is, give-or-take 2416 Euro / 2802 USD. That really is a huge amount of money and I am the person that often spends a lot on tech. So for this money, I am NOT getting dedicated GPU. I do get 4-core GPU but in my workflow, I don't get to use 4 cores that often - FCPX utilizes GPU much more than cores/CPU power.

Admittedly it gives me some level of satisfaction to have a machine which looks like that, but I don't think this factor alone is worth it.

I am looking for a new laptop and daily driver in times when I don't have access to my PC. I still have MBP 13" 2012 i5/8/512 but that is mostly owned by my wife and it doesn't work that well, to be honest. Burned pixels are visible on its LCD. When I bought it in 2012 I was sure that it 100% would be a reliable machine, with no audio/any kind of issues. From what I am reading on this forum now is that things are different now - people are only buying new MBP and they're getting replacement after replacement after replacement.

What's your thinking? What would you do in my situation? Open to discussion here.

 

[hajime]

A few days in and one of my keys is already sticky-spongey-stuck when compared to the rest of the keys. :-(

I came from a 2016 MBP (just sent it in for a cleaning) and I can say that the Keyboard is nicer, but, now as my "o" key keeps messing up my rhythm, it's not completely fixed.

Kinda pissed. This keyboard is a self-own.

So, are you saying that the 3rd gen keyboard is not completely free from the issues previous gen butterfly keyboard had?

 

[Lord of the Pies]

Honestly.

I've said on this forum that I'm about to purchase MBP 2018 13" 16/512/i5 but I'm close to abandoning buying Mac completely.

Just looking at plain 'price/value I'm getting' comparison I am not even getting dedicated GPU. In Poland, this MBP with student discount is 10300 PLN. This is, give-or-take 2416 Euro / 2802 USD. That really is a huge amount of money and I am the person that often spends a lot on tech. So for this money, I am NOT getting dedicated GPU. I do get 4-core GPU but in my workflow, I don't get to use 4 cores that often - FCPX utilizes GPU much more than cores/CPU power.

Admittedly it gives me some level of satisfaction to have a machine which looks like that, but I don't think this factor alone is worth it.

I am looking for a new laptop and daily driver in times when I don't have access to my PC. I still have MBP 13" 2012 i5/8/512 but that is mostly owned by my wife and it doesn't work that well, to be honest. Burned pixels are visible on its LCD. When I bought it in 2012 I was sure that it 100% would be a reliable machine, with no audio/any kind of issues. From what I am reading on this forum now is that things are different now - people are only buying new MBP and they're getting replacement after replacement after replacement.

What's your thinking? What would you do in my situation? Open to discussion here.

I'm not buying a Mac in the future either. The value for money is utterly atrocious, and Windows 10 has hugely closed the gap with macOS.

Nope - going to be upgrading to a desktop Windows machine. For the same money as a top end iMac I can get a much better i7 desktop processor, a GTX 1180 (launching soon), a nice big monitor, better speakers, no thermal issues, play games, upgrade components as needed beyond that etc. Can't justify the Apple tax when we're being nickel and dimed so hard, and when the designs severely compromise thermal performance in pursuit of aesthetics.

 

[princ2]

I'm not buying a Mac in the future either. The value for money is utterly atrocious, and Windows 10 has hugely closed the gap with macOS.

Nope - going to be upgrading to a desktop Windows machine. For the same money as a top end iMac I can get a much better i7 desktop processor, a GTX 1180 (launching soon), a nice big monitor, better speakers, no thermal issues, play games, upgrade components as needed beyond that etc. Can't justify the Apple tax when we're being nickel and dimed so hard, and when the designs severely compromise thermal performance in pursuit of aesthetics.

This exactly. I have 1080 Ti PC built just last year. The problem with it - it's not mobile. And sometimes I just hate sitting around at home in front of a computer.

 

[Lord of the Pies]

This exactly. I have 1080 Ti PC built just last year. The problem with it - it's not mobile. And sometimes I just hate sitting around at home in front of a computer.

A colleague of mine has the Gigabyte Aero 15X laptop. Perhaps give it a look. It's an amazing machine, and what I would probably buy if I was sticking to laptops.

- very modern display design
- 144Hz colour accurate 1080p display
- 8th gen i7
- 16GB memory
- GTX 1070
- 512GB M.2 storage
- useful ports all over
- insane battery life (truly bonkers black magic)
- really nice keyboard

He can use it for everything. It's relatively thin, doesn't suffer from thermal throttling, can max out any modern game at 1080p, the refresh rate looks amazing for games and he doesn't need a hundred dongles. Oh, and it was cheaper than a MacBook Pro. This is the way to go imo.

 

[princ2]

A colleague of mine has the Gigabyte Aero 15X laptop. Perhaps give it a look. It's an amazing machine, and what I would probably buy if I was sticking to laptops.

- very modern display design
- 144Hz colour accurate 1080p display
- 8th gen i7
- 16GB memory
- GTX 1070
- 512GB M.2 storage
- useful ports all over
- insane battery life (truly bonkers black magic)
- really nice keyboard

He can use it for everything. It's relatively thin, doesn't suffer from thermal throttling, can max out any modern game at 1080p, the refresh rate looks amazing for games and he doesn't need a hundred dongles. Oh, and it was cheaper than a MacBook Pro. This is the way to go imo.

Wow. Great suggestion. Thank you, looking into it

 

[pubmsu]

It def runs 2 monitors better than the 16.

Can you pls elaborate on this point? In what ways it runs 2 monitors better than the 16 model and what type of monitors are you using?

 

[melb00m]

Wow. Great suggestion. Thank you, looking into it

I also moved away from the MBP completely, private and business. That was completely unthinkable just two years back, when I was absolutely convinced that the MBP line are the best laptops on the market. But since the 2016 release, hardware (and also Mac OS) have gotten much worse and much more expensive.

I privately use a 2018 Thinkpad X1 Carbon now, which is a wonderful machine. Compact (but still with a nice keyboard and good port selection), sturdy, powerful, great matte display. I love it. If you just sometimes need dedicated graphics, there is a "Thunderbolt Graphics Dock" available, which is a docking station with built-in GTX 1050. Or you can get a Thinkpad T480s, which has a variant with built in dedicated Nvidia graphics (20L8S02E00). Both machines are available in heavily discounted student editions.

After many complaints, I got my 2017 MBP 15" from my employer exchanged to a Lenovo P51 workstation just yesterday. Finally I can work efficiently again. The MBP gave me so many problems that I can no longer consider that machine a real pro machine at all. It looks great though and is comparatively light to carry around. The P51 is a hefty beast, but you can't have everything. At least it doesn't have thermal issues...

 

[xxray]

Wouldn't have pulled the trigger without the 500-600 dollar discount I got.

How did you get such a discount?

 

[NachoSH]

A colleague of mine has the Gigabyte Aero 15X laptop. Perhaps give it a look. It's an amazing machine, and what I would probably buy if I was sticking to laptops.

- very modern display design
- 144Hz colour accurate 1080p display
- 8th gen i7
- 16GB memory
- GTX 1070
- 512GB M.2 storage
- useful ports all over
- insane battery life (truly bonkers black magic)
- really nice keyboard

He can use it for everything. It's relatively thin, doesn't suffer from thermal throttling, can max out any modern game at 1080p, the refresh rate looks amazing for games and he doesn't need a hundred dongles. Oh, and it was cheaper than a MacBook Pro. This is the way to go imo.

The Aero 15X is expensive too, and it has this really big bezel in the lowest part of the screen (which I think it's horrible). Also only 1080p resolution (4K if you pay more), much slower ssd... And it's heavier, thicker and bigger than a MacBook Pro. Not commenting about the trackpad, that no laptop can beat the MacBook's trackpad.

The Aero is only a better option than the MBP if you need graphics performance.

 

[SDColorado]

The Aero 15X is expensive too, and it has this really big bezel in the lowest part of the screen (which I think it's horrible). Also only 1080p resolution (4K if you pay more), much slower ssd... And it's heavier, thicker and bigger than a MacBook Pro. Not commenting about the trackpad, that no laptop can beat the MacBook's trackpad.

The Aero is only a better option than the MBP if you need graphics performance.

The Dell XPS has that big bezel on the bottom too. I know why Dell does it, the cameras gotta do somewhere in the Xfinity Edge design, but I still don’t like it.

One thing I was sure about after looking at several laptops, is that once you get used to retina or 4K, it’s awfully hard to go back to 1080p again. That and display on the Aero 15x never gets bright enough for my liking. Probably OK for gaming and movie watching though

 

[anshuvorty]

I had to return my 2018 13-inch MBP. It all began when my Airpods wouldn't maintain a connection with my MBP. I went to my local Apple store and the Genius ran diagnostics and determined that the Bluetooth chip was faulty. Obviously, this isn't right and the best thing they could do was swap it but it would take 3-4 weeks. Or I could return it and reorder it again and only wait 10 business days for the new machine.

So here I am waiting for the new machine.

 

[Chairman.Jobbie]

Got my 15" 16gb/512/2.6 a few days ago and I love it. I'm coming from MacBook Pro 13" 8/512/2.6 2013.

I love the extra screen space for web and leaving a lot of web tabs open without any lag, and it is much faster generally. I dont have any intensive usage but I use it a lot so im pretty happy working with a fast deluxe machine.

I thought at one point id move to iPads exclusively but nothing beats a laptop. Still love my iPad Pro for mobility / quick stuff / consumption.

The keyboard is fine so far. I like it. Don't mind the flatness compared to old laptop - probably better. Got top model as I wanted the True Tone screen. I actually like the Touch Bar as well.

Super expensive, but what do you do if you want MacOS and the best machine?
Wont upgrade again for 5 years and ill be using it a lot every day so cost per hour will be low over its lifetime.

Cost per day for 2013 model is 76p per day.
Cost per day for 2018 model is £1.48 per day if kept for 5 years.. expensive!
(assuming my maths is correct)

 

[princ2]

Got my 15" 16gb/512/2.6 a few days ago and I love it. I'm coming from MacBook Pro 13" 8/512/2.6 2013.

I love the extra screen space for web and leaving a lot of web tabs open without any lag, and it is much faster generally. I dont have any intensive usage but I use it a lot so im pretty happy working with a fast deluxe machine.

I thought at one point id move to iPads exclusively but nothing beats a laptop. Still love my iPad Pro for mobility / quick stuff / consumption.

The keyboard is fine so far. I like it. Don't mind the flatness compared to old laptop - probably better. Got top model as I wanted the True Tone screen. I actually like the Touch Bar as well.

Super expensive, but what do you do if you want MacOS and the best machine?
Wont upgrade again for 5 years and ill be using it a lot every day so cost per hour will be low over its lifetime.

Cost per day for 2013 model is 76p per day.
Cost per day for 2018 model is £1.48 per day if kept for 5 years.. expensive!
(assuming my maths is correct)

What about those audio issues lots users have recently?

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ners-experiencing-crackling-speakers.2131577/

 

[Chairman.Jobbie]

What about those audio issues lots users have recently?

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ners-experiencing-crackling-speakers.2131577/

I haven't noticed any sound issues so far and I've watched videos and Netflix. Its only been 2 days of ownership but I definitely haven't had the youtube vids demonstrating sound faults eg. crackling - no way. Hopefully I don't.

I started with the fresh install and loaded all updates before anything. Then I moved my personal files over separately. Ive setup my usage so its never difficult to migrate or copy personal stuff off the machine quickly, the rest is in iCloud.

 

[princ2]

I haven't noticed any sound issues so far and I've watched videos and Netflix. Its only been 2 days of ownership but I definitely haven't had the youtube vids demonstrating sound faults eg. crackling - no way.

Interesting. Good to know at least SOME portion of users don't have those issues at all. Please do let us know once you encounter any.

 

[anshuvorty]

Interesting. Good to know at least SOME portion of users don't have those issues at all. Please do let us know once you encounter any.

For what it's worth, I had a 13-in MBP that also didn't have these audio issues that are being mentioned. The problem that I had with mine, that eventually resulted in me returning the laptop, was that the Bluetooth module was defective and my AirPods wouldn't maintain a connection.

I eventually decided to reorder the same config again and hoping that this time, the machine remains in a working state. I am waiting for the laptop to arrive.

I hope that helps.

 

[navaira]

No crackling.

The only problem I have is the trackpad being too wide. I am used to scrolling with two fingers with my hand at a specific angle, and on this MBP that means a third finger inadvertently lands on the trackpad. So I have to scroll with my wrist bent in a way that just screams "RSI is coming".

 

[lympero]

I still have some issues like cracking sound which I hope it will be resolved with a software update. Other than that it has greatly boost my productivity as it’s lightning fast so I’m happy so far.

 

[Newtons Apple]

No crackling.

The only problem I have is the trackpad being too wide. I am used to scrolling with two fingers with my hand at a specific angle, and on this MBP that means a third finger inadvertently lands on the trackpad. So I have to scroll with my wrist bent in a way that just screams "RSI is coming".

Maybe try elevating the back of the laptop slightly. Makes it much more comfortable for me.

 

[ascender]

Very pleased with my 2018 model, its addressed a couple of the weaker points of the 2016 one I had - keyboard in particular, but also the quad core CPUs now - I've switched over to USB-C cables and monitor some time ago, so I love the improvements like the True Tone display.

I've got no issues with hardware or software.

 

[midouglas]

I still have some issues like cracking sound which I hope it will be resolved with a software update. Other than that it has greatly boost my productivity as it’s lightning fast so I’m happy so far.

Same, it’s happened while running intensive applications alongside music playback software eg. Spotify. But maybe 3/4 times in the space of a week. Seems completely software related.

 

[Marketh]

I haven’t had any issues with kernel panics or with audio. Knock on wood it’s a perfect machine and I couldn’t be happier with it.