Macbook Pro (2016)
Discussion
My 2012 MB Pro Retina has just passed it's fourth birthday and still going strong, apart from the screen coating issue. Never had any computer last as long without feeling incredibly slow and clunky.
Unlike all my previous Windows PCs it's still worth about 40% of the initial cost. I don't think Dell or MS machines will match that, ever.
However, mine spends 95% of it's time deskbound with the lid closed, attached to a couple of big screens and USB Lan/kbd/mouse. And 99% of the time, running Windows 10 via Bootcamp.
Unlike all my previous Windows PCs it's still worth about 40% of the initial cost. I don't think Dell or MS machines will match that, ever.
However, mine spends 95% of it's time deskbound with the lid closed, attached to a couple of big screens and USB Lan/kbd/mouse. And 99% of the time, running Windows 10 via Bootcamp.
silentbrown said:
My 2012 MB Pro Retina has just passed it's fourth birthday and still going strong, apart from the screen coating issue. Never had any computer last as long without feeling incredibly slow and clunky.
A lot of people have the misconception that it's magic Apple hardware that makes this possible but it's not as the hardware they use in their machines isn't really that special and in most cases not really that powerful or a generation or two behind. It has more to do with Apple's OS which is based on a custom, lightweight, pretty stable and locked down version of Linux which isn't prone to so many virus\malware attacks which makes it seem like they just run and run forever.Windows and it's random bloatware, malware, viruses and multiple rogue processes that seem to accumulate over time are responsible for the slow down of machines 90% of the time. I work in the industry and have seen 10 year old Linux machines be more stable and perform-ant then a 1 year old Windows build despite the massive disparity in hardware due to how bloated and vulnerable Windows is.
Guvernator said:
As a poster stated above, they seem to be obsessed with thin and light at the expense of everything else. Apple already have a slew of thin, light laptops, the Pro should be the bigger more powerful cousin for those that want it.
Even then the current Macbook pro is still thinner and lighter than most of it's competition so it's more than good enough in that department. They need to stop obsessing over the ergonomics so much and give it some real horsepower to compete with the top end Windows laptops, especially at the premium they charge for them.
Thin, light and powerful are still hard to do with current tech due to heat management issue so on the Macbook Pro at least they need to start prioritising. I'm not saying turn it into some beastly gaming rig, you can still keep it slick and classy looking but just not obsess over every last millimetre at the expense of grunt.
Agree with the obsession about thin and light. Cost is debatable as a decent windows laptop is not cheap at all. Trouble is many people are conditioned to think £400 is all you ever need to spend...Even then the current Macbook pro is still thinner and lighter than most of it's competition so it's more than good enough in that department. They need to stop obsessing over the ergonomics so much and give it some real horsepower to compete with the top end Windows laptops, especially at the premium they charge for them.
Thin, light and powerful are still hard to do with current tech due to heat management issue so on the Macbook Pro at least they need to start prioritising. I'm not saying turn it into some beastly gaming rig, you can still keep it slick and classy looking but just not obsess over every last millimetre at the expense of grunt.
I suppose it's inevitable that we wait longer and longer for Apple to refresh models. With the massive importance of iOS I suppose they are now more like Nokia in the boom times than a computer manufacturer.
Guvernator said:
silentbrown said:
My 2012 MB Pro Retina has just passed it's fourth birthday and still going strong, apart from the screen coating issue. Never had any computer last as long without feeling incredibly slow and clunky.
A lot of people have the misconception that it's magic Apple hardware that makes this possible but it's not as the hardware they use in their machines isn't really that special and in most cases not really that powerful or a generation or two behind. It has more to do with Apple's OS which is based on a custom, lightweight, pretty stable and locked down version of Linux which isn't prone to so many virus\malware attacks which makes it seem like they just run and run forever.Windows and it's random bloatware, malware, viruses and multiple rogue processes that seem to accumulate over time are responsible for the slow down of machines 90% of the time. I work in the industry and have seen 10 year old Linux machines be more stable and perform-ant then a 1 year old Windows build despite the massive disparity in hardware due to how bloated and vulnerable Windows is.
I agree with the views on thinness - the MacBook is incredibly thin, the MBP doesn't need to be thin at the expense of power and connectivity.
Guvernator said:
silentbrown said:
My 2012 MB Pro Retina has just passed it's fourth birthday and still going strong, apart from the screen coating issue. Never had any computer last as long without feeling incredibly slow and clunky.
A lot of people have the misconception that it's magic Apple hardware that makes this possible but it's not as the hardware they use in their machines isn't really that special and in most cases not really that powerful or a generation or two behind. It has more to do with Apple's OS which is based on a custom, lightweight, pretty stable and locked down version of Linux 
And OS X (while related) isn't "based on" Linux at all. https://www.quora.com/Is-Mac-OS-X-essentially-buil...Prior to Windows 7, I'd 100% agree with you. But Win 7 and 10 don't seem to suffer the same degradation over time.
silentbrown said:
You skipped the bit where I said I run Windows 10 in Bootcamp almost exclusively. And OS X (while related) isn't "based on" Linux at all. https://www.quora.com/Is-Mac-OS-X-essentially-buil...
Prior to Windows 7, I'd 100% agree with you. But Win 7 and 10 don't seem to suffer the same degradation over time.
So... you're saying your MBP lasts ok because windows is good? And OS X (while related) isn't "based on" Linux at all. https://www.quora.com/Is-Mac-OS-X-essentially-buil...Prior to Windows 7, I'd 100% agree with you. But Win 7 and 10 don't seem to suffer the same degradation over time.
As above, had plenty machines last over 6 years without a problem. A stationary laptop will suffer little from 4 years of use ime.
My MBP looked worn and torn after 3 years of carrying it with me all day (everything still worked though), as did my HP. My samsung I sold recently looked mint after those years of use. Jury's not out on the XPS yet but I did buy a dbrand skin for it as I'm afraid it's going to be as scratch prone as my MBP.
https://dbrand.com/shop/dell-xps-15-skins
silentbrown said:
You skipped the bit where I said I run Windows 10 in Bootcamp almost exclusively. And OS X (while related) isn't "based on" Linux at all. https://www.quora.com/Is-Mac-OS-X-essentially-buil...
Prior to Windows 7, I'd 100% agree with you. But Win 7 and 10 don't seem to suffer the same degradation over time.
Didn't know that, always thought it was based on Linux. My point still stands that OS X is leaner, more secure and less prone to attack then Windows and this is from someone who works on Windows environments for a living so no bias. And OS X (while related) isn't "based on" Linux at all. https://www.quora.com/Is-Mac-OS-X-essentially-buil...Prior to Windows 7, I'd 100% agree with you. But Win 7 and 10 don't seem to suffer the same degradation over time.
My 2 year old Windows 7 laptop slowed to a crawl about 6 months ago to the point where I had to do a clean install so went to Windows 10. The clean install of 10 made it much better again but I've not been using it for long enough so the jury is still out on it, come back in a year or two and I'll let you know.
Electronics do degrade over time as well, not a huge amount but things like memory slowly get slower as they reach their max read/write cycles, I've always pondered if Apple use higher quality components that last better due to heat cycles, age etc.
But then I also remember they're a company out to make profit, and they probably don't at all.
The primary thing of any Apple product is the OS, it has to be as it's exclusive to them, and OS X is just top notch, I've been using it for going on 8 years now, I've never felt like I needed to do a clean install to speed the machine up or remove loads of junk that gets installed. Secondary is design/build quality, which is also usually above competitors but of course there are some gorgeous windows machines and android devices out there. Thirdly is specs, which due to the OS isn't usually as important, Apple devices always seem to do more with less.
Saying that I'd love an updated MacBook Pro that goes back to being a bit more 'Pro' whilst an updated MacBook drops in price and ups in spec a little so that it is all the computer someone needs unless they are actually using it for things like content creation, rendering etc.
But then I also remember they're a company out to make profit, and they probably don't at all.
The primary thing of any Apple product is the OS, it has to be as it's exclusive to them, and OS X is just top notch, I've been using it for going on 8 years now, I've never felt like I needed to do a clean install to speed the machine up or remove loads of junk that gets installed. Secondary is design/build quality, which is also usually above competitors but of course there are some gorgeous windows machines and android devices out there. Thirdly is specs, which due to the OS isn't usually as important, Apple devices always seem to do more with less.
Saying that I'd love an updated MacBook Pro that goes back to being a bit more 'Pro' whilst an updated MacBook drops in price and ups in spec a little so that it is all the computer someone needs unless they are actually using it for things like content creation, rendering etc.
I'd say the MacBook fits that requirement already. The only time I need to fire up my iMac is for processing photos in Lightroom, but that is as much to do with the bigger screen and harddrive as processing power. General day to day work, coding/light photo editing/web browsing etc is fine on the MacBook - mine is the 2015 model, not the slightly updated one from earlier this year.
Guvernator said:
A lot of people have the misconception that it's magic Apple hardware that makes this possible but it's not as the hardware they use in their machines isn't really that special and in most cases not really that powerful or a generation or two behind. It has more to do with Apple's OS which is based on a custom, lightweight, pretty stable and locked down version of Linux which isn't prone to so many virus\malware attacks which makes it seem like they just run and run forever.
Windows and it's random bloatware, malware, viruses and multiple rogue processes that seem to accumulate over time are responsible for the slow down of machines 90% of the time. I work in the industry and have seen 10 year old Linux machines be more stable and perform-ant then a 1 year old Windows build despite the massive disparity in hardware due to how bloated and vulnerable Windows is.
So in a nutshell, the Apple tax is worth it in the long run. Even though the hardware isn't at the cutting edge, a second hand Mac will sell for a premium too meaning your next purchase isn't such a hit financially.Windows and it's random bloatware, malware, viruses and multiple rogue processes that seem to accumulate over time are responsible for the slow down of machines 90% of the time. I work in the industry and have seen 10 year old Linux machines be more stable and perform-ant then a 1 year old Windows build despite the massive disparity in hardware due to how bloated and vulnerable Windows is.
Craikeybaby said:
I'd say the MacBook fits that requirement already. The only time I need to fire up my iMac is for processing photos in Lightroom, but that is as much to do with the bigger screen and harddrive as processing power. General day to day work, coding/light photo editing/web browsing etc is fine on the MacBook - mine is the 2015 model, not the slightly updated one from earlier this year.
Well yes, I did a year of a Photography Degree on a 2011 MBA, but many people seem to think they aren't enough, and with a little bit more power they'd be more than enough for most. The more important thing is the price dropping.ZesPak said:
So... you're saying your MBP lasts ok because windows is good?
Not quite... My previous Windows machines tended to have pretty short lives. When a machine slowed to a crawl due to aforementioned bloat or slow OS (XP, Vista, etc) it was often easier/cheaper to just replace it with new than try and fix it. And PC tech was moving pretty fast then so performance gains were significant at each generation.But now it feels like we've reached the level of 'good enough' for 95% of users. Unless you're gaming or running intensive processing jobs that tie up the machine for hours on end the difference between a 2013 computer and a 2016 aren't hugely significant. Internet speed is probably a bigger limiting factor for most people.
JustinP1 said:
You know for the next week or so Apple are replacing the screens for free?
Was aware they were doing that for some customers but heard of 45-day turnaround being quoted 
For me it's just not worth the hassle. I rely on it too much to voluntarily part with it for a few days, let alone several weeks.
silentbrown said:
JustinP1 said:
You know for the next week or so Apple are replacing the screens for free?
Was aware they were doing that for some customers but heard of 45-day turnaround being quoted For me it's just not worth the hassle. I rely on it too much to voluntarily part with it for a few days, let alone several weeks.
My MBP needed a new logic board and my local non-Apple but Apple certified centre did it in a week by bringing it in.
k up then mcflurry, some of us have been waiting ages!I have a 2013 Haswell rMBP which was top spec at the time... top CPU, 16GB, 1TB flash etc.
For a three year old device it still seems decent especially after wiping it recently for the first time and putting a clean install of Sierra on.
Am still interested to see what comes out next and what sort of gains are made with performance - I use mine predominantly with Lightroom and 50MP photos from my DSLR so more CPU grunt, 32GB RAM and even faster storage would be welcome.
For a three year old device it still seems decent especially after wiping it recently for the first time and putting a clean install of Sierra on.
Am still interested to see what comes out next and what sort of gains are made with performance - I use mine predominantly with Lightroom and 50MP photos from my DSLR so more CPU grunt, 32GB RAM and even faster storage would be welcome.
theboss said:
I have a 2013 Haswell rMBP which was top spec at the time... top CPU, 16GB, 1TB flash etc.
For a three year old device it still seems decent especially after wiping it recently for the first time and putting a clean install of Sierra on.
Am still interested to see what comes out next and what sort of gains are made with performance - I use mine predominantly with Lightroom and 50MP photos from my DSLR so more CPU grunt, 32GB RAM and even faster storage would be welcome.
You're actually looking for GPU upgrades if working with Lightroom, the CPU isn't doing much there.For a three year old device it still seems decent especially after wiping it recently for the first time and putting a clean install of Sierra on.
Am still interested to see what comes out next and what sort of gains are made with performance - I use mine predominantly with Lightroom and 50MP photos from my DSLR so more CPU grunt, 32GB RAM and even faster storage would be welcome.
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