I'm thinking of replacing my 2012 15" cMBP, because quite frankly I'm tired of carrying it around everywhere. I'd like a lighter laptop, and I can get the rMB for $999 via a college student deal at Best Buy. I miiiight wait to see if new MBPs get announced at WWDC, but if it's a full redesign it'll probably be pricey. What do think?
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Still worth grabbing first gen 12" macbook?
- Thread starter BallparkDreamer
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There looks to be a lot change with the 2016 MBP, so it may be prudent to let the dust settle and wait on some unbiased reviews before taking the plunge. As for the Retina MacBook if you can get a deeply discounted 2015, it makes more sense than the current 2016 model as the differences are marginal being basically a minor spec bump.
Personally I planing on waiting to see how Apple develops the MBP, some talk of the 13" with duel fans much like HP`s Spectre which implies a very thin device requiring additional air flow through the chassis to maintain temperature. In many respects I wish Apple would get off the thin & light "merry go round" with the MBP as clearly form over function compromises functionality & reliability. I also strongly suspect the 2017 MBP with Kaby Lake will be a better solution.
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Personally I planing on waiting to see how Apple develops the MBP, some talk of the 13" with duel fans much like HP`s Spectre which implies a very thin device requiring additional air flow through the chassis to maintain temperature. In many respects I wish Apple would get off the thin & light "merry go round" with the MBP as clearly form over function compromises functionality & reliability. I also strongly suspect the 2017 MBP with Kaby Lake will be a better solution.
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I think you're looking at twice that $999 price for any decent MBP that will be available next week. So, if money is tight, the 2015 MB still makes a lot of sense.
I'm kind of holding out for next week, too. Although one of the most appealing features of the MB for me is the fanless design. It seems extremely unlikely that any upcoming 2016 MBP would be fanless, so I keep gravitating back to the standard MacBook.
Thats a 2012 13" Retina, the current 13" Retina only has one fan, as per below;The rMBP 13" already have two fans.
2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro
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Thats a 2012 13" Retina, the current 13" Retina only has one fan, as per below;
2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro
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Why did Apple cheaped out on a fan?
Reduced TDP of the newer CPU simple as that. Apple also likes simple, and simple can be very difficult to achieve with complex machines/devices. Think like this; two fans equal more noise, more likelihood of mechanical failure, more complex design, manufacture & assembly, and reduced margin, Apple likes simple nor is there anything wrong with the premise. Apple didn't get cheap they evolved the system to be more efficient, albeit with a firm helping hand from Intel
What concerns me is that with further reduction in physical size of the MBP, Apple will again need to revert to twin fans, to pull a greater volume of air through ever smaller heat-syncs which will be more prone to being clogged with dust in a few years impairing the cooing process. This can be observed with the current 15" rMBP, for me the real future of thin & light is fanless passive cooling, going too extreme with some notebooks only tends to compromise their functionality, usability and or performance.
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That's why to me it makes sense if Apples new MBP was offered with both M and I processors (A bit like MS SP4) this way the user has more choice and Apple can give better options and even possibly avoid a rMB 13/14 option and finally lay the MBA to bed.Reduced TDP of the newer CPU simple as that. Apple also likes simple, and simple can be very difficult to achieve with complex machines/devices. Think like this; two fans equal more noise, more likelihood of mechanical failure, more complex design, manufacture & assembly, and reduced margin, Apple likes simple nor is there anything wrong with the premise. Apple didn't get cheap they evolved the system to be more efficient, albeit with a firm helping hand from Intel
What concerns me is that with further reduction in physical size of the MBP, Apple will again need to revert to twin fans, to pull a greater volume of air through ever smaller heat-syncs which will be more prone to being clogged with dust in a few years impairing the cooing process. This can be observed with the current 15" rMBP, for me the real future of this & light is fanless passive cooling, going too extreme with some notebooks only tends to compromise their functionality, usability and or performance.
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I bought a 2015 base MacBook refurbished from Apple and I enjoy the heck out of it.
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The premise of Core M & I Core CPU`s is fantastic, offering those with modest computational needs more ports, larger displays and silent operation, however that rather tends to serve the customer, something Apple rarely does, as so effectively illustrated Apple serves itself beyond reproach.
As above Apple likes simple, and with it`s monopoly on OS X you simply get to take it or leave it, or preferably are forced to purchase a more expensive product...
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Yep if we believe the amount of investment etc in MAC's of late has been sub par to me it makes sense:
1) Don't meddle with the rMB it's relatively new and the whole point is small and light a 14" version or whatever is daft
2) MBA is flogging a dead horse and suits Apple whilst it still returns ridiculous margins for a 6-8 year old design
3) New slimmer lighter etc (Sigh) rMBP offered in M all the way up to quad I's starting from 13 and 15" for top spec
Therefore the future IMO should really be just 3 devices
A Svelte rMB at 12"
A multi CPU option rMBP with M to I7 options in 13" (Saves the daft 14" rMB option)
A high end Quad core 15" rMBP with all the bells and whistles
If Apple continue to focus more in their mobile side then at least with this line up incremental updates would be far easier to implement giving user the feeling of a more responsive company IMO
Even now many fence sitters feel something is going to happen next week, but I suspect even if partially announced they could be waiting till Q4 before they hit the shops then another group will be saying wait a couple of months for discount or post Xmas sales etc etc
I do not subscribe to Macs last longer group it's more Apple do not offer significant upgrades to tempt, so many wait longer and sit on their MAC's and money hoping Apple will surprise them
Same here a late release is more likely, possibly staged 13" first followed by the 15" Very much agree, personally I have observed that if you purchase similar spec Windows notebook it`s lifespan is equal to any Mac. The rapid redundancy of Windows based systems is driven by bargain basement hardware, something Apple does not prescribe too. Spec a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon to match a 13" rMB with 512 SSD, it will be significantly more expensive, with equal longevity and a dam site more durable, equally one is a consumer product, one is enterprise focused.
At the end of the the day good hardware design transcends the OS, as ever with much of ones purchasing decisions you get what you pay for, a $500 PC is not a relative comparison to a $2K MacBook Pro.
Apple is now compelled to drive the Mac forward given the recent drop in sales; the vast majority of people are not sitting on an upgrade, they simply view Mac`s as being unattractive due to the high price point and Apple has gone a long way to relegate it "professional" following. In short the current Mac lineup is simply too expensive for what it offers in the face of strong competition, nor do I believe the upcoming 2016 release will do much to improve Apple`s numbers for the Mac.
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True, however Kaby lake having native TB-3 support on chip will make a significant difference to power consumption, also allows for Apple to work out the kinks as frequently 1st Gen MBP`can be problematic. it`s the combination of two factors not a singular observation.
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As an owner of both machines, I will say that the 10-20% performance delta between the 2015 Retina MacBook and the 2016 Retina MacBook makes quite a difference. It's the difference between "almost there" and "definitely enough". I find my 2016 MacBook much more comfortable to use.
Maybe I'm just happy in my ignorance but my prior travel Mac was a 2010 MacBook Air 11" so this is quite an improvement.
I guess for some tasks. But for the average user, a 10-20% spec difference isn't that noticeable. Especially considering the cost savings.
For those who are OS indifferent the like of Lenovo`s new Yoga 900S represents a great deal more value for money, more importantly far more utility & functionality. If the 900S quality is a good as the larger 900 Pro I will definitely purchase the 900S with M7, 256 PCIe SSD, once in a few months upgraded to 1Tb
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Yes I am really drawn to some of the design aspects of the 900S and it includes a full touch/pen screen and a good option over those that do not like full 2 in 1's with detachable KB'
Hope you can put a zippy SSD in
Yoga 900S has a standard M2 slot with reasonable access, so a 1TB PCIe SSD, would be the order of the day
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Yoga 900S has a standard M2 slot with reasonable access, so a 1TB PCIe SSD, would be the order of the day
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That's a nice spec bump in both size and speed
That's a nice spec bump in both size and speed
Another aspect is the 256 Yoga 900S comes with M7 CPU by default, no gouging here, AKA Apple Tax
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I got the 2015 12" base model (1.1 / 8 / 256) for $929 on the Apple Refurbished Store. It's been a month now and this is honestly one of the best base model Apple laptops I have ever used. The perfect complement to my 15" rMBP.
You can wait for WWDC in a few days, if you'd like but I think no matter what Apple announces the following will still be true about the 12":
- Most portable form factor (seriously, this thing is in iPad territory. I don't even think twice anymore about taking my laptop with me when I go out -- a constant question I used to ask myself with my 15")
- Super quick to charge (I get to 100% in a little over an hour), and you can charge it off of a USB power bank (I recommend Anker's USB-C bank it's about $50 on Amazon) -- this might be one of the most underrated features of this laptop!
- Very little heat generation for most tasks, comfortable enough to keep on your lap. It did get a little warm when I was working with small-to-medium sized iOS/OSX apps on XCode. Hitting "build" every minute or so should do it.
- Quietest laptop (the new rMBP will not be fanless). If you're like me, you're used to hearing the fan kick in when watching Netflix -- using the 12" is like driving a Lexus, quiet & refined.
- The lack of ports isn't a big deal, if you don't continuously depend on flash drives, SD cards, USB mice... etc. This is a perfect laptop for the wireless world we are in today. QacQoc sells a great adapter on Amazon, it gives you back every port you were missing from a MacBook Air minus thunderbolt: 2x USB, 1x SD, 1x microSD, and also supports pass-through charging. It fits flush on my MacBook and is also the same color (space gray)! At $45 it's a steal compared to Apple's adapters.
- The 1.1 model is fast enough for most everyday tasks. You'll run into some slowdowns here and there if your workflow involves a lot of iMovie, Photoshop, bloated IDEs, etc. but in my experience it's no different than using the base MacBook Air with 8GB RAM.
- The butterfly keyboard is great. I got used to it in about 2 hours and if you're a touch typer, expect to see your average WPM increase on this machine.
If you were considering selling your cMBP, I'd say hang on to it during the return period of the 12". I specifically bought the 12" to complement my 15 (which I mostly use docked as a desktop). If you have a lot of high-intensity workloads you are not going to be satisfied with this laptop (but then again, would any dual-core MB short of the 3.1 i7 be sufficient?). I purchased this laptop not expecting to use XCode or PyCharm and I'll admit that I was pleasantly surprised by what I can actually throw at this machine and get away with
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