The Verge: The MacBook Pro is a lie

[Marshall73]

The Verge like **** like this, its all flamebait to get more and more page hits, always has been. These guys never stop on their love in with google mail, phones etc and tear in to Apple wherever possible because a lot of (generally poor) people hate Apple and their products. There is nothing new here, they churn it out every time.

 

[AdonisSMU]

The verge saw an opportunity to generate clicks by misleading people. The new MacBook Pro is more Pro than any other Laptop.

Trying to compare a new pro vs and old pro seems like a fruitless endeavor. One seeks to address current and future needs of pros and the other seeks to address past and current needs of pros.

 

[vlug]

Love seeing all the people who have obviously purchased a new MacBook Pro defending it to justify their purchase.

Hey look, it will probably be a good laptop even if it is a dongle magnet, but it is NOT a PRO anymore.

 

[tryrtryrtryrt]

I've been throwing facts left and right, no one cares.

But ok, if you insist:

"The updated MacBooks from Apple have newer chips, but not that much newer, with Apple using yesteryear’s Intel Skylake CPUs and not this year’s Kaby Lake."

The author should know Kaby Lake in MacBook Pro class still don't exist. Same for, say, Surface Book, which was also just updated - with a Skylake i7.

less compatible than ever before

A matter of opinion. Not true, they have the largest number of universal ports.

For consumer or casual use, that’s perfectly adequate, but "for a developer work machine, 16GB is the uncomfortable minimum requirement,"

A matter of opinion. While there are workflows that require more, saying that 16Gb is "adequate for casual use" is plain wrong.



Etc. etc.

What author means is that CPUs in MBP late 2016 should have been used either in MBP late 2015 or MBP early 2016 as in 9-12 months earlier. Kaby Lakes will be available early 2017. Apple put themselves in a position they cannot not update in late 2016 and the only CPUs that would not be deemed outdated are Iris Pro Skylakes which Apple didn't use even though their counterparts were used for several generations previously.

Out of the box MBP 2016 is less compatible with current and short-term future devices. With dongles it can achieve all that any other laptop with 1 or 2 Thunderbolt 3 laptop can but other laptops with "just" 1-2 TB3 AND USB-C, USB 3.0, mDP, HDMI etc can achieve it without dongles. Using full TB3 port to connect a flash card is somewhat a waste. Using all TB3 ports to connect docks is quite too much - what will you connect, 8 4K displays? So yes, it is less compatible and offers functionality that is not necessary. Laptop CPU just cannot process that much high-speed devices like 4*40Gbps simultaneously.

As for 16GB he does not say everyone needs 128GB and no less. I would not bat an eye if Apple started RAM choices in MBP with 8 GB. But providing an OPTION of 32GB is crucial and the author is right in saying that 16GB is currently "the uncomfortable minimum requirement for a developer work machine".
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because a lot of (generally poor) people hate Apple and their products

Ahahahaha. Generally poor people who buy top-spec MBP 15" every 1-2 years. Along with an iMac 5K.
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The verge saw an opportunity to generate clicks by misleading people. The new MacBook Pro is more Pro than any other Laptop.

Trying to compare a new pro vs and old pro seems like a fruitless endeavor. One seeks to address current and future needs of pros and the other seeks to address past and current needs of pros.

Facts. Do you have any?
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Love seeing all the people who have obviously purchased a new MacBook Pro defending it to justify their purchase.

Hey look, it will probably be a good laptop even if it is a dongle magnet, but it is NOT a PRO anymore.

Not everyone is like that. I purchased it as well even though I want the truth to be heard.

 

[jackoatmon]

the whiners are just trying to convince themselves not to be

 

[MH01]

Its a shame that The Verge publishes articles by obviously incompetent writers. Already the fact that he complains about Apple not using (the slower) Kaby Lake chips discredits his entire argumentative enterprise. And what worth are the complains that there are barely any performance increases. Or complains about 'power sipping AMD graphics' before we even had an chance to compare Pascal to Polaris at low TDPs.

What's your view on the 16 GB ram max , in a 2016 ...might as well call it 2017 "pro" machine .

 

[aevan]

Hey look, it will probably be a good laptop even if it is a dongle magnet, but it is NOT a PRO anymore.

Because you said so. I'm sorry - I didn't know. Well then, I guess it's not a pro laptop anymore because you said it. Plain and clear, for everyone to see. You see, I thought it was a pro laptop, because I am going to use it for all that stuff at work that brings me money - you know, usually reffered to as "pro" stuff - but until now I didn't know your personal opinion on this. If only I had known....

 

[MH01]

just saying...

And Tim is doing to apple , what Steve did to Microsoft , just saying ...

 

[neoelectronaut]

I miss the Macbook Air. decent computers for the average consumer that didn't get ridiculous in price.

The 12" starting at $1299 is just absurd.

 

[rtr1985]

If you buy, resell, and buy again, rather than waiting until your computer is on the last leg of its life, it's a pretty reasonable difference if you account for how much you use it.

 

[maflynn]

just saying...

Except that the iPhone was a huge success because Apple cut the price of the iPhone (by way of subsidizes), for the MBP, they raised the price.

Plus you're quoting a competitor who's very job is to marginalize he competition, heck Cook does that all the time with Android.

The difference now, is that the very customers that apple is trying to entice are saying its not a good fit for their needs.

 

[leman]

What's your view on the 16 GB ram max , in a 2016 ...might as well call it 2017 "pro" machine .

Its sufficient for my professional needs. I work with fairly large data sets and I do not believe that I can make my code work faster if I had more working memory. I know that other users might have different needs. Those who look for heavy artillery and need it now have a decent choice of other laptops on the market.

 

[tryrtryrtryrt]

Because you said so. I'm sorry - I didn't know. Well then, I guess it's not a pro laptop anymore because you said it. Plain and clear, for everyone to see. You see, I thought it was a pro laptop, because I am going to use it for all that stuff at work that brings me money - you know, usually reffered to as "pro" stuff - but until now I didn't know your personal opinion on this. If only I had known....

You see, with this kind of logic the most pro machine is some 1200-1500 Windows laptop far from the top one. Because you can do all the same things on it and yet it costs two-fold less. I mean i3 CPU can do the same as i7 CPU, just in a little more time. Difference between SATA SSD and PCI-E SSD is quite negligible for 99% of users who use Pro laptops, hell, even Fusion Drive is quite OK for most in this perspective. Display? Only those who extensively work with colour really need top ones. Etc etc.

But still all of us demand more. And pay more. Do you happen to know why?

Because there is certain expectation something must work this fast, this long, this good etc.

This expectation for the new MBP is relatively the same as for the old one with small changes only due to generational update of CPU, SSD, display etc.

The problem is that new MBP underdelivers these expectations yet costs more.

 

[tryrtryrtryrt]

Its sufficient for my professional needs. I work with fairly large data sets and I do not believe that I can make my code work faster if I had more working memory. I know that other users might have different needs. Those who look for heavy artillery and need it now have a decent choice of other laptops on the market.

If it were not sufficient for your professional needs now yet it were in the last generation would you just switch or be frustrated that Apple removed your professional needs even though retained the overall description and mentality that implies those?

You see, it being sufficient for your professional needs does not invalidate any of the points said in these threads. Because I haven't seen anyone saying "Apple should've made everyone use 64GB even though they don't need it". All I see is that everyone is glad that it suits your needs, everyone is just not glad that it no longer suits (as in it suited them for several generations in a row) theirs.

 

[vlug]

Because you said so. I'm sorry - I didn't know. Well then, I guess it's not a pro laptop anymore because you said it. Plain and clear, for everyone to see. You see, I thought it was a pro laptop, because I am going to use it for all that stuff at work that brings me money - you know, usually reffered to as "pro" stuff - but until now I didn't know your personal opinion on this. If only I had known....

+1 for your sarcasm

But you, calling yourself a pro, doing all that pro stuff, well after reading a few of your posts like...

A story about ports

Leads me to believe your a child or in college.

Go read some of the reviews by actual professionals venting their frustration with this model and the overwhelming complaints from long term customers and then don't just take my word for it.

The model is under spec'd and overpriced and if Apple were going to wait this long to upgrade they might as well waited for the lower power 32gb memory and a new CPU. Whilst not taking the piss on the price.

 

[jackoatmon]

it no longer suits their [needs].

this is categorically wrong

in literally every objective measure this laptop is superior to its predecessors

 

[febernovo]

The problem here is that the Macbook Pro was loved by "Pro" users, so to see it demoted to the same kinda "Pro" step up that the iPad to the iPad Pro have is a little hard to swallow.

I understand many of you feel super strong defending Apple decisions but what Vlad is sharing is a very honest and shared opinion among many.

I'm used to pay the Apple Tax and could go up to 3k for an upgrade to my Pro 15" but this update seems to miss some of the features that added value to my premium choice, the Magsafe connector, SD Card Slot and usable ports to present (HDMI and MiniDisplay).

They are adding a better screen, that touch bar and the build quality seems improved from handling the 13". I need to warm up to this upgrade I'm stuck on the Apple ecosystem so I'll upgrade most likely to a spec up 13" but most consumers are not stuck to Apple ecosystem and the old Pro's appealed to a broader audience and that is what most developers and reporters are writing about the old "Pro" was very versatile the new one... you need dongles to make it so.

 

[tryrtryrtryrt]

this is categorically wrong

in literally every objective measure this laptop is superior to its predecessors

Name a few.

 

[aevan]

A story about ports

It's called humor (maybe bad, I don't know, I'm not a comedian).

Last time I checked, it has nothing to do with being a professional. But neither does ports or the amount of RAM and yet, here we are.

I am a pro, because I live from my work. Nothing more, nothing less. Apparently, you're a pro because 16Gb is not enough and because you can't take a joke without calling people "a child". I am yet to ascend to your level of professionalism.

 

[cube]

- iPad will be Pro when it runs OSX and has some more ports.
- MBP will be Pro when it is a mobile workstation
- MP will be Pro when it has internal expandability again

 

[jackoatmon]

Name a few.

 

[tryrtryrtryrt]

LOL. Apparently an American justifying his opinion by giving a non-American a link to a biased CNN channel youtube video of political nature where the respondent asks specific question and the interviewer (I suppose this is the interviewer, sorry if I'm wrong) cannot respond anything except factually untrue statement "all of them". Again I want to stress I'm not an American so I mostly don't care Hillary or Trump, but this situation here, in this thread, in your post is just purely laughable.

Also funny that it mirrors the situation in this thread. There are those who give factual information and those who just say "doesn't matter, I love it, you're wrong".

 

[MH01]

The verge saw an opportunity to generate clicks by misleading people. The new MacBook Pro is more Pro than any other Laptop.

Trying to compare a new pro vs and old pro seems like a fruitless endeavor. One seeks to address current and future needs of pros and the other seeks to address past and current needs of pros.

What exactly makes it more pro than any other laptop ?!! I pre-ordered and mine arrives next week....but to claim this is the most pro laptop .....no....my old 17 " MacBook Pro is more pro than this will ever be.

 

[xmonkey]

I don't believe anyone has once used a Xeon in their high-end laptops either. This is the first generation of Intel mobile Xeons.

Got it, I assumed we were all talking about the 6770HQ as that was the subject of most discussion in the Waiting for Skylake thread. There wasn't a whole lot of talk about using Xeons from what I recall. The prices on some of those Xeon configurations from HP/Lenovo are making my head hurt. The 15" is already pretty pricey as-is, I couldn't take much more. Unless Apple flipped the script and went with ECC RAM (is this even available with LPDDR RAM?) I'm finding it hard to see the benefits, outside of iGPU performance, of using them given what those workstations are going for. The 6770HQ hits a great mark for price/performance in my view and it's definitely a bit frustrating they weren't able to make that happen.

 

[aevan]

LOL. Apparently American justifying his opinion by giving a non-American a link to a biased CNN channel youtube video of political nature where the respondent asks specific question and the interviewer (I suppose this is the interviewer, sorry if I'm wrong) cannot respond anything except factually untrue statement "all of them". Again I want to stress I'm not an American so I mostly don't care Hillary or Trump, but this situation here, in this thread, in your post is just purely laughable.

Also funny that it mirrors the situation in this thread. There are those who give factual information and those who just say "doesn't matter, I love it, you're wrong".

I'm not American and I think it was a great response.

And CNN may or may not be biased, it has nothing to do with the point he was making.