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Waiting for the 2018 MBP
- Thread starter benface
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Please, it's time for a redesigned keyboard
I have to admit, that was pretty clever.
To me the difference between Apple and Dell is between design and execution.
Apple designed a keyboard that was probably intended to both differentiate the product and satisfy perceived hardware needs. The notch seems like a similar design choice. The problem was that the design has lower tolerances for heat/dust/etc. and is also polarizing to begin with. The effect is like putting a lightning rod in the middle of a prairie field.
Dell designs a reasonably priced and specced product, but the assembly quality is all over the place and the customer service experience varies wildly. They build in discounts into their margins to retain sales after delivery delays, unexpected cancellations etc. One anecdote that sticks with me is that they shipped out an early XPS 2 in 1 without a charger. That's a sign that attention to detail is seriously lacking.
Anyway, both companies make good products that are held back by missteps. Let's hope they get back on track soon so the consumer can benefit from real competition.
FYI, these are most likely going to be zero improvement. According to Anandtech, there are no clock speed improvements in the rebadged Polaris mobile chips.
FYI, the 15" MBPs already come with 16GB standard and have for at least a couple of years.
Pretty great specs. I hope Apple delivers something close enough that I don't have to seriously contemplate whether to stick with macOS or not.
BTW why is no one talking about Apple making the switch to AMD here. Their current APUs blow anything intel has out of the water, and an AMD 6 core Ryzen APU + 18 core Vega would even beat an Intel + dGPU. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple goes this route before making an ARM switch, since this would fit nicely with their thin/smaller space obsession.
If AMD can fit 6 cores CPU and half the power of a Vega 56 in an APU that would be a no brainer.
If AMD can fit 6 cores CPU and half the power of a Vega 56 in an APU that would be a no brainer.
Doubtful.. Not just because of the temperatures & issues currently plaguing Ryzen mobile but simply because Apple has deals in place with Intel.
If only Macs had some specially-built power connector. Apple's whole schtick seems to be thoughtful design, so maybe they could design it so that if someone tripped over the cable, it just popped out without tearing your laptop off the desk, or ripping the power cord. :thinking:
In all seriousness, though, Apple sort of backed themselves into a corner hardware-wise when they decided to axe magsafe.
If Apple just made one change to the 2018 MacBook design, outside of the internal upgrades, and updated the keyboard to something like the ones on the wireless keyboards and called it a Butterfly v3 keyboard I think they would get a thunderous applause from the audience! 
Because the only way we are getting AMD procs in Macs is if that “Apple switching from Intel processors in 2020” rumour has been misunderstood, and they are actually going to have AMD make custom chips for them like they do for consoles.
While I would personally love for that to be the case, it’s definitely not something that could happen this year.
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While MagSafe in its past form most likely won't return, I'm actually wondering if Apple planned to bring the iPad's Smart Connector to the MacBooks at some point. The Smart Connector is able to transfer both power and data (so it could theoretically charge your device if Apple would use it as such), it clips together with accessories via magnets (just like MagSafe did, so it would have the same failsafe against tripping over/pulling the cable), it's small enough to fit into the current MBP's edges and it's extremely subtle (basically just three small circles) so design-wise it wouldn't really be an intrusion like some "nasty" extra ports might.
In a way, the smart connector is almost like a "MagSafe 3" port, except that it obviously isn't used for charging the device, only the other way around. If Apple hadn't gone all-in on USB-C with the 2016 MBPs and kept some other ports around, then I could have easily seen this become the MagSafe 2-successor. In fact I wouldn't even rule it out that Apple introduces some version of the Smart Connector in one of the next big MBP redesigns as an alternative charging method – not as a replacement for USB-C charging, but maybe as a supplement for it. They could easily advertise it as some big new innovation and as bringing the iPad technologies over to the Mac, and with how many people miss MagSafe on the new MBPs, there would certainly be a market for it.
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Either this 2018 revision is just a regular drop in upgrade not warranting any leaks; or Apple really is making some second thought changes based on further testing and customer feedback. Will be interesting to see, but as much I love my Mac, I feel like I might be making a u-turn back to Windows when the Surface Book 3 launches.
After using so many Apple laptops for so many years, I dislike the 2017 MBP the most. I just got it today but the first thing I dislike is that I have to add a big adapter to connect to a 4K display. Next, I tried to try out an external keyboard. Then, I found that it has no USB port! I am not sure if I will like the 2018 MBP when it comes out. Most likely it also have these issues.
BTW, a Sales at Apple Store told me that there is a 80% chance that Apple will release a new MBP with keyboard issues fixed next month. Do you think he go reliable source?
BTW, a Sales at Apple Store told me that there is a 80% chance that Apple will release a new MBP with keyboard issues fixed next month. Do you think he go reliable source?
What's stopping you then from getting exactly that computer?
To me, it doesn't seem like Apple are all too far off on power. When they get their CPU+GPU refresh done, it's mainly RAM, screen and price that differs. RAM we've discussed before. Screen maybe should get an update sometime soon, though personally I don't see a need for it. Main thing for me is value, there just isn't quite enough value in the MBP line right now for me to justify the price. And matching that spec sheet wouldn't do anything for me. However, if they made the trackpad compatible with Apple Pen, or integrated iPad to work as a tablet, that's something I'd get some value out of. But beyond that, I think they just have to cut down the price. It's just way too high for what they're (not) offering.
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Speaking of stepping up their game, I still wonder why no one is talking about neither touch screen nor OLED/AMOLED screen for the MBP’s...Apple has surely preconditioned its herd to not even go there for years, and if anybody dares, tons of poor excuses follow. But really, if anything, forget ram etc. touch screen is like THE big differentiator between Apple and PC, and some kind of OLED tech would make a much more visible screen in sun light, making it “even more pro”
I don't know about others, but I find anything that has a touch interface quite clumsy to work with. For phones and pads it works, because you get to remove the keyboard/mouse and you actually get a richer input interface. But for a laptop it's not at all something I personally want. Moving my hands from the keyboard (where I type faster than I speak) and to the screen would just cause interruptions all the time, and a slower process. Or at best an input method that I never use, and would switch off if I could. Not really something I'm interested in paying for.
Better screen, higher resolution, that I could get why people might need, although it's not something very high on my list again.
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Beyond a CPU/GPU refresh and possibly keyboard, I think webcam and screen are the next most likely items to see an update. Which isn't to say that's what I want personally, but it would make sense knowing Apple history. I think anything that changes external casing and such is probably out of the question, so I wouldn't expect new ports or MagSafe or anything like that. I could also see them adding something to do with VR/AR, though I can't say I know what that something would be.
If I were to *wish* for something, it would probably be to be able to use the Apple Pen on the trackpad as a tablet. Or integration with iPad Pro for similar purpose. And lower price, better serviceability, etc, but all of that I find quite unlikely (sadly).
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I would doubt that sales reps in general have any reliable information on updates. Information could leak inside Apple, and some might know more than others. But the ones I've talked to myself know even less than we do in this thread.
Thinking I might want one, I headed to Best Buy last week to look at the new XPS 13. To me, it looked and felt cheap compared to the MBP. I can understand getting an XPS if you need more power for less money, but there's no way I would trade my MBP for it.
The new MacBook Pros are basically Ultrabooks, the best ones on the market IMO. I totally love mine. The thing is, I was looking for a slim and light notebook, not a gaming laptop or a super-duper workhorse. From that perspective, I think Apple has done a stellar job with the new MBPs.
But of course, pro users have other criteria. The good news is that whatever mismatch there currently is between the slim and light MBPs and pro users should pretty much disappear once Apple switches to 8th gen Intel CPUs. The extra cores should offer more than enough power for demanding work on the go. But I also think Apple operates on the assumption that real pros will do most of the heavy lifting on their desktops either in their office or at home.
Heck, no. I love the new keyboard. Just fix the issues with it if at all possible.
I mostly agree with you. I liked the feel a bit, but eventually if you're typing a lot like writing a paper or writing a lot of code it can become fatiguing. I like the stability of the new keyboard and would be ok with it if it was fixed, but I would rather have a redesign because that would potentially give a more cushioned keypress. idk I just didn't like typing on it for a long time but loved typing on it for a short time
Had to edit because weirdly i made this messages seem like it was a quote from han_del_. My bad han_del_. Should be fixed now.
Had to edit because weirdly i made this messages seem like it was a quote from han_del_. My bad han_del_. Should be fixed now.
That guy actually suggested me to try the 2017 model for two weeks and return it for the 2018 model! He said that the 2018 version will have the keyboard issues fixed.
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Have you found any good external keyboard? I tried a few but none beats the 2010 MBP 17" keyboard.
I use a Logitech pro keyboard from their gaming lineup. To me it is literally typing heaven and is what I use on my desktop pc. It has Romer G switches and dumb marketing term aside I find these to be the very best switches for typing. Even compared to the cherry mix brands. Amazing stability and great key travel. Makes coding so much more comfy and I type like 3 times faster ( slight exaggeration).
Edit: also don’t get worried by the rainbow colors and stuff. You can make it pure white led backlit as well if you choose to be more mature than my rainbow seizure fest.
Edit2: I also think this keyboard smokes any ‘09 or ‘12 MacBook Pro keyboards in addition to the 2016. Can’t speak for the other models since I didn’t have them but I’m pretty sure the 2014 13” had looser keypresses since my friends keyboard always felt like **** compared to my firm 2012 keys.
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I don’t know if it would show on Mac notebooks anytime soon, but I also believe that Apple has plans to expand the usage of the smart connector. It seems woefully under-utilised to me right now... I definitely think they will use it as a replacement for their plug-in ports on iOS devices but I don’t know about Macs until they can run enough power for an MBP.
Does anyone know the current watt limits for the smart connector spec?
I previously had this phone:
https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_925-5451.php
Which used a similar connector to the smart connector to allow the case to host the wireless charging coil. When the rumour about the iPhone 7 getting a smart connector came about (ultimately unfounded) I did wonder if Apple would approach this in a similar manner to avoid adding bulk and weight by including it. The 8 plus is pretty heavyweight as it is, needing the glass back and all. It’s an interesting idea that it could scale to MacBooks as a ‘MagSafe 3’ Type idea, it’s certainly small enough to fit. In the end though I think if Apple had any intention of doing it, they would have from the outset.
I'm bullish on it being where they go post-Lightning for iOS devices. I don't see them wanting to do another plug-in port after this (otherwise they could have just done USB-C and helped the adoption rate), but they still need a physical connector for diagnostics & DFU restores.
I don't think power delivery is high enough for Macs yet. Maybe a hypothetical ARM macbook could get it first as they scale up though. I doubt the current incarnation can offer data rates or power over what USB-C & TB3 can do yet so there is no benefit for them to add it for now — so pushing those instead makes much more sense.
Thanks. Are they all in black color? My room has an anti-black theme. I tried Das and Logitech Craft keyboard on my big white desk. Looked kind of ugly.
Wouldnt been any issues if you knew what you where buying, you just seem a bit stupid to get surprised about the usb-c connectors after its been on the macbooks since 2016