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Yes to this. I'm an audio professional, I run my own studio currently with a MacPro but I like to work away from home too & look forward to this years potential cpu & ram upgrades to the MacBook pro 15. We use large orchestral, synth, drum/percussion sample libraries that can quickly use 16GB plus of RAM, with multiple tracks of 30 plus being played back (calculated) in real time & at very low latency.... 6 core & 32GB ram anyone?

Still a small percentage of actual users who are able to live off audio. Mac has moved from being a niche pro product to something that looks more like a prosumer computer. The same happened to DSLR, most of the cameras sold are to prosumers, the dad or the art student who want better than phone quality snaps. The diehard photojournalist we once knew from Time and National Geographic before memory-cards replaced film has been outwitted by drones, iPhones and short video. Medium and large format cameras is still used by Pros, but they are in the 10k+ range and require an optimised desktop computer with multiple Xeon cores and chunks of memory to crunch the depth and pixels. I guess you have a similar situation with your music production, but again, a very small percentage and the desktop will always be your go-to solution. I love my desktop. For work on the road I usually jot down ideas, comments and changes I want on my iPhone, then let the thoughts get ripe before I try them out in a sitting or two on my desktop and large monitor.

I have never been able to replace the greatness of a desktop computer with a laptop. There is always a compromise. Ports, power and stability is simply superior on desktops. I love just pushing the power button and everything is connected and in place for me to start my day.
 
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Went from all Windows to all Apple in 2010. My mid-2010 15" MBP has been doing the GPU kernel panic thing for the past 2 years or so, so I only use it when traveling for leisure. I'm limping along with a Mac Mini. I've since graduated and am earning enough that if Apple had something that met my needs, I could justify a $10k Mac if it met my needs/wants. But Apple doesn't seem any closer to producing a machine that I want.

Things I want but will probably not get (more like wishful thinking and "screw you apple" type of things):
  • Ethernet. I will not do any banking over wifi. Never have, never will.
  • Upgradeability. I'd prefer to drop standard SSDs and RAM in as I please. The extra $500 or so premium is annoying out of principle. It's just a more expensive nickel and diming, and it's irritating that I *have* to do that at the time of purchase.
  • A decent GPU. Or a proper docking station with eGPU. The Sonnet is promising.
Things I want that I feel Apple is missing the boat with:
  • USB3. Sure, I can buy a dual port memory stick. My colleagues might want to share something on USB. What am I supposed to do? Find a dongle? Please.
  • The original keyboard. I never asked for a thinner MBP. If I did, I'd be shopping for a MBA. I'd rather have good key travel with stability vs. crap key travel with stability.
  • RAM limitations. I've been using 16GB since 2010, and I've been tapping it out since 2010. I don't even do developer-level or gamer-level stuff. I just have a ton of browser tabs and a few instances of citrix for work.
  • Magsafe. Seriously, it was one of the most innovative features. I rarely trip over a cable, but on that one occasion, I'd curse Apple for ditching magsafe.
My wife has been a die-hard Apple fan for her entire life. She converted me, and it made a lot of sense to join the Apple ecosystem since the iPhone dovetailed very nicely into our careers. Even she is frustrated that the entire product lineup is less appealing than her 2013 MBP. If I don't see something appealing this year, I'm going back to Windows +/- hackintosh compatible hardware, and I'll probably move to android. It's too bad, I bet reviewing MRIs on a P3 panel would have been lovely.
 
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I actually find the XPS aesthetically better than the current MBPs! But I mean the XPS 2018 whenever that comes out with hex core chips.

Bascially if I don't have an option to buy the next MBP 15" without a touch bar but with the powerful spec I will be buying something else with real keys. Probably the next version of the Dell.

my only issue with the XPS 15" is the webcam placement and the Carbon Fiber looking palm rest with it becoming a finger oil magnet. I am waiting for the 2018 MBP to be shown off to make a final decision. I have to buy a laptop this year. Really want a mac again, because VMware on a Mac lets me do more then VMware on Windows (types of OSes to run). Since I do lots of testing and Network Admin stuff.
 
the same thing...just they took their time to make a review based on months of use

No I don't think so - this one has new features and reviews of the October one are long out. the October one was basically the quad core chip stuffed into a 2017 machine body. This seems to be entirely new range. Also on their website now I can't access the XPS 13" specs - they seem to be updating it.

Yup - all new design just announced:
https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-13-2018/preview/

Christ Apple would need to get with the program

Edit: They claiming 20 hrs battery life on it
 
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Wow, the form factor of this new XPS is amazing! It's smaller, thinner and lighter than a 13" MacBook Pro, and still offers a (presumably) larger battery. It would be too amazing if Apple could make the MBP smaller, lighter and add a larger battery too, but I assume we're looking at the 2020 refresh here, rather than the 2018 one. :(

Edit: Their battery life tests seem quite ... interesting, if I might say so. Quote from Dell's website:

You'll experience the longest battery life of any 13-inch laptop*—up to 19 hours, 46 minutes* on a Full HD model when using Word or Excel.

So, yeah ... where exactly can I get the 20 hours you advertise? Not on the 4k model, and not if I do anything on the notebook (even web surfing consumes more power than using Word).
 
Wow, the form factor of this new XPS is amazing! It's smaller, thinner and lighter than a 13" MacBook Pro, and still offers a (presumably) larger battery. It would be too amazing if Apple could make the MBP smaller, lighter and add a larger battery too, but I assume we're looking at the 2020 refresh here, rather than the 2018 one. :(

Edit: Their battery life tests seem quite ... interesting, if I might say so. Quote from Dell's website:



So, yeah ... where exactly can I get the 20 hours you advertise? Not on the 4k model, and not if I do anything on the notebook (even web surfing consumes more power than using Word).

Haha of course. But the same is true on macs too - if you do anything that spins the fans you won't get the claimed battery life. FYI PcWorld say the 4k XPS will get 11hrs:
Dell said, is still pretty awesome, with the new laptop rated at about 11 hours on the most power-hungry configuration: Core i7, 16GB LPDDR3, 1TB SSD and 4K panel. The power-sipping version with a Core i5, 4GB of LPDDR3, 128GB SSD and 1080p screen, will hit 19 hours and 46 minutes, according to Dell.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/324.../dell-surprises-with-a-redesigned-xps-13.html
 
Haha of course. But the same is true on macs too - if you do anything that spins the fans you won't get the claimed battery life. FYI PcWorld say the 4k XPS will get 11hrs:

Yep, that's true, but I would expect the high-end config to last shorter than the MacBook Pro. Having said that, Dell puts a 52 Wh battery in a notebook that's smaller and, even at its thickest point, much thinner than the MacBook Pro, which uses a 49.2 Wh battery. Apple obviously uses larger fans to cool the 28W CPUs they're using, but shouldn't they still be able to put in a slightly bigger battery in a notebook with a volume so much larger?
 
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If there was any truth to the rumours Apple had originally planned to put a terraced design battery in the latest MacBook Pro design, but ran into some last minute problems. There is hope for considerably better battery life without a complete redesign yet.

That all said, if they were last minute problems you’d have expected to see that make an appearance in the 2017.
 
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Yep, that's true, but I would expect the high-end config to last shorter than the MacBook Pro. Having said that, Dell puts a 52 Wh battery in a notebook that's smaller and, even at its thickest point, much thinner than the MacBook Pro, which uses a 49.2 Wh battery. Apple obviously uses larger fans to cool the 28W CPUs they're using, but shouldn't they still be able to put in a slightly bigger battery in a notebook with a volume so much larger?
yep, lets see what Apple will do with this new gen..we compare now a fresh new Dell with intels latest vs an old gen
 
Meh, I've waited too long to get my first MacBook. From what I'm hearing from ya'll, this current generation isn't very good. Should I wait a bit longer? I'm eyeing the Dell XPS13 heavily right now but need Xcode. *sigh* Tips?
 
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Hey I remember you from the Skylake thread. How's your 2016 holding up? Is the battery life issue fixed. I remember you did like photo editing and stuff so you had to have been straining the 10 hour promise at least a little bit even after patches?

I'll be perfectly honest: the only time I use the laptop on battery is when I bring it to class for taking notes, which is not particularly demanding. I find that I get 6-8 hours most of the time, but I've never gotten a full 10. 6-8 is fine for the purposes I use. When I do more demanding work, like photo editing, I seem to always have it plugged in, so I'm afraid I can't help you much there.

Overall, I do still like this laptop. While I don't prefer the new keyboard, mine has been working fine: no stuck keys, no squeaking noises. My only real complaint (which I had shortly after I bought it) is when my hand accidentally touches the larger touch bar and I lose my place in my typing (this happens because I have tap-to-click enabled). But this is rare and not a serious knock against it. It's just something that never happened with my previous model.
 
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Yes, the new keyboard is a mess.

Still, I'll wait to see if the 2018 MacBook Pros have an improved keyboard system. Because THEY KNOW something's wrong with it.

Not having any issues with my keyboard.

I knew someone would reply something like this!!!!

I'm glad your keyboard is fine. I had a 2017 13" MBP for two weeks, and its keyboard was also completely fine. And several users in this forum, fortunately, don't have serious issues with the keyboard. But for too many people, there are some issues with the new keyboard: stuck keys, non responding keys, repeated key imput... and there are too many users with this kind of problems. And in the Genius bar, they know this happens more than what it's expected to happen.

So, I'm glad you are not having any issues with its keyboard, but there is a design flaw with the butterfly mechanism and it needs to be solved ASAP.
 
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A little bit off topic, but what's up with Dell's Europe-pricing? And yes, the screens, GPUs and everything else is the same between these two models.




Also, that's less than half the price of the equivalent MacBook Pro.
 
Wow, the form factor of this new XPS is amazing! It's smaller, thinner and lighter than a 13" MacBook Pro, and still offers a (presumably) larger battery.

Personally a 15" laptop is not that portable. I would love a 13" MacBook Pro that is powerful enough to edit 4K video in both Final Cut Pro X and occasionally Premiere Pro. I wonder what is the realistic best graphics cards Apple could include? Probably a 2GB card of some sort but surely a 4GB or 6GB card can fit in it?
 
Meh, I've waited too long to get my first MacBook. From what I'm hearing from ya'll, this current generation isn't very good. Should I wait a bit longer? I'm eyeing the Dell XPS13 heavily right now but need Xcode. *sigh* Tips?

Wait if you can wait. Dell just threw down the gauntlet frankly, others including Apple will have no choice but to respond or loose market share.
 
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Personally a 15" laptop is not that portable. I would love a 13" MacBook Pro that is powerful enough to edit 4K video in both Final Cut Pro X and occasionally Premiere Pro. I wonder what is the realistic best graphics cards Apple could include? Probably a 2GB card of some sort but surely a 4GB or 6GB card can fit in it?

I severely doubt that Apple would put a dedicated GPU inside the 13" MacBook Pro. Not because of space, but because of cooling and battery concerns. We'll probably get similar GPU performance to the current Iris Pro in the next version. Best case would probably be an improved Intel GT3e or even a GT4e iGPU.
 
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I'd love:
- a Ryzen 7 2700u (or maybe special version just for apple) in the next 13" MBP
- FaceID
- a couple extra hours of battery life

Apple won't respond to Dell and HP.

If people can live with Windows they will always pick an XPS. Save $1000 and get better performance, build and battery if you opt for 1080p. If you can tolerate Windows you would have to be stupid to buy a Mac.

Apple makes its money from those of us that can't.

Every time I try to like Windows some stupid MS decision sets me off. Like having to use registry commands to get Candy Crush off my system. Can you imagine? I keep my Surface Pro for work, reading comic books, playing sudoko and crossword puzzles. That's as much as I can handle.

Apple gives people a free U2 album and there are riots in the streets. MS forces a never ending torrent of crap ware down people's throats and they just accept it.

Anyway, Apple has shown time and time again they are not too moved by trends in the industry (Convertibles, 2 in 1, Touch) when it comes to their PCs. They execute their vision and let the market decide.
 
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