Comparison: Which Apple MacBook is right for you?

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    seafox said:
    Eric_WVGG said:
    He's got a security key, those are different. You can't just dump the data onto another flash drive.
    Surely there are contingencies for such events as hardware failure, or even a hardware upgrade (as this would be).
    In the event of hardware failure he would have to visit the IT staff and get a new security device issued -- which would also be USB-A.
    The company picks a security hardware vendor for products that meet their needs at the best price. They pick the company whose products are compatible with over 95% of the computers out there. Maybe the vendor has a USB-C device in the planning. Meanwhile, the company already has unused USB-A devices ready to be used. Why should they have to buy another product just because Steve the special snowflake can't buy a "normal" computer?
    It's a small $10 part already shown in this thread to make the security dongle work.  Single he already has to carry the security dongle leaving the USB-A to USB-C adapter isn't any more of a hassle.

    It's a complete non-issue.
  • Reply 62 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    512ke said:
    512ke said:
    The Mac I already have. MBA i7. 

    The new models don't offer enough of an upgrade over the above to justify the $$$$$. 


    That's not a true statement. It's a tool. Do you need new tools? Then yes, it's worth spending money on your tools. If you don't need new tools, then no, it may not be. But with a range of $1500-2800, I find it hard to take your crit seriously. My last rMBP cost $2500 and had less capacity than these, so I don't really see the beef.
    It's not simply a choice of "do I need this tool?" The reason is that most already have a set of robust tools = our current Macs.  Now here comes Apple offering a new upgraded tool for sale. So one has gotta ask. What's the added value of the new?  What does it let me do new better or faster? Are there ways this new tool is actually worse? What am I gaining, what am I losing and how much will it cost me? It's more complex than buying a new tool. You may need it but you have to really think about how much of that need is just want. And what is the opportunity cost of spending say 3$K for a tool that lets me do the same stuff I can do now marginally better. That's my personal view anyway. I'm not disrespecting yours. 
    If your existing MBP is less than 3 years old then you never needed a new machine anyway.  The 2014 MBP is still current enough to soldier on another year for most pros.  The performance difference from year to year is minimal so obviously anyone with a 2015 MBP isn't going to buy a 2016.

    If your machine is 5 or more years old all the bitching about how the new MBP isn't "pro" is silly since YOU DONT HAVE PRO NEEDS anyway or you would have updated two years ago.

    Pros with 2012 and 2013 MBPs will see a nice bump in performance and weight with the 2016 MBP and will be under AppleCare again.
    pscooter63
  • Reply 63 of 91
    I need to upgrade from my now dead Early 2008 MBP and my next MBP has to last me several years. I'm looking to get the new MBP 15" fully loaded but can't decide if I should get the 2TB SSD or the 1TB SSD and just supplement it with external storage. I will be backing up with external storage regardless though.

    What are the true storage sizes of the 2TB and 1TB SSD's when formatted?

    Also is the dGPU 460 necessary just for driving more than one 5K external monitor or can the dGPU 450 and 455 do this as well?

    Thanks!
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 64 of 91
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    I need to upgrade from my now dead Early 2008 MBP and my next MBP has to last me several years. I'm looking to get the new MBP 15" fully loaded but can't decide if I should get the 2TB SSD or the 1TB SSD and just supplement it with external storage. I will be backing up with external storage regardless though.

    What are the true storage sizes of the 2TB and 1TB SSD's when formatted?

    Thanks!
    What do you mean by "true"? Formatting affects the sizes by such a minimal amount, it's needing to know the mass of all the electrons on an atom instead of just going with the neutron and proton mass.

    If by "true" you are wondering what the BASE-2 conversion is over BASE-10 (1000) used for marketing storage, then 1) it's easy to find any number of calculators online, and 2) you should know that macOS has long since moved to using kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, etc. in its original, BASE-10 format for the majority of their info in their UI. To wit, 1000, not 1024.
    edited January 2017 pulseimagespscooter63
  • Reply 65 of 91
    Soli said:
    I need to upgrade from my now dead Early 2008 MBP and my next MBP has to last me several years. I'm looking to get the new MBP 15" fully loaded but can't decide if I should get the 2TB SSD or the 1TB SSD and just supplement it with external storage. I will be backing up with external storage regardless though.

    What are the true storage sizes of the 2TB and 1TB SSD's when formatted?

    Thanks!
    What do you mean by "true"? Formatting affects the sizes by such a minimal amount, it's needing to know the mass of all the electrons on an atom instead of just going with the neutron and proton mass.

    If by "true" you are wondering what the BASE-2 conversion is over BASE-10 (1000used for marketing storage, then 1) it's easy to find any number of calculators online, and 2) you should know that macOS has long since moved to using kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, etc. in its original, BASE-10 format for the majority of their info in their UI. To wit, 1000, not 1024.
    I mean how much less of 2TB are you really getting from the drive? You're not getting the full 2TB's of storage, so what's the approximate number?
  • Reply 66 of 91
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,038member
    Soli said:
    I need to upgrade from my now dead Early 2008 MBP and my next MBP has to last me several years. I'm looking to get the new MBP 15" fully loaded but can't decide if I should get the 2TB SSD or the 1TB SSD and just supplement it with external storage. I will be backing up with external storage regardless though.

    What are the true storage sizes of the 2TB and 1TB SSD's when formatted?

    Thanks!
    What do you mean by "true"? Formatting affects the sizes by such a minimal amount, it's needing to know the mass of all the electrons on an atom instead of just going with the neutron and proton mass.

    If by "true" you are wondering what the BASE-2 conversion is over BASE-10 (1000used for marketing storage, then 1) it's easy to find any number of calculators online, and 2) you should know that macOS has long since moved to using kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, etc. in its original, BASE-10 format for the majority of their info in their UI. To wit, 1000, not 1024.
    I mean how much less of 2TB are you really getting from the drive? You're not getting the full 2TB's of storage, so what's the approximate number?
    You're actually getting slightly over 2 TB = 2 terabytes = 2 trillion bytes.

    As I stated, if you want to do a conversation from BASE-10 (e.g.:1000) to BASE-2 (e.g.: 1024) there are plenty of online calculators for you to figure out how many TiB (tebibyte) are in a TB (terabyte) of your choosing. Here's one for you:

    YOUR ANSWER SHOULD BE APPROX. 1.82 TiB


    edited January 2017
  • Reply 67 of 91
    nht said:
    512ke said:
    512ke said:
    The Mac I already have. MBA i7. 

    The new models don't offer enough of an upgrade over the above to justify the $$$$$. 


    That's not a true statement. It's a tool. Do you need new tools? Then yes, it's worth spending money on your tools. If you don't need new tools, then no, it may not be. But with a range of $1500-2800, I find it hard to take your crit seriously. My last rMBP cost $2500 and had less capacity than these, so I don't really see the beef.
    It's not simply a choice of "do I need this tool?" The reason is that most already have a set of robust tools = our current Macs.  Now here comes Apple offering a new upgraded tool for sale. So one has gotta ask. What's the added value of the new?  What does it let me do new better or faster? Are there ways this new tool is actually worse? What am I gaining, what am I losing and how much will it cost me? It's more complex than buying a new tool. You may need it but you have to really think about how much of that need is just want. And what is the opportunity cost of spending say 3$K for a tool that lets me do the same stuff I can do now marginally better. That's my personal view anyway. I'm not disrespecting yours. 
    If your existing MBP is less than 3 years old then you never needed a new machine anyway.  The 2014 MBP is still current enough to soldier on another year for most pros.  The performance difference from year to year is minimal so obviously anyone with a 2015 MBP isn't going to buy a 2016.

    If your machine is 5 or more years old all the bitching about how the new MBP isn't "pro" is silly since YOU DONT HAVE PRO NEEDS anyway or you would have updated two years ago.

    Pros with 2012 and 2013 MBPs will see a nice bump in performance and weight with the 2016 MBP and will be under AppleCare again.
    Excellent points...most people are bitching for the sake of bitching! The current Apple line of products from Apple watch to MacBook Pro are the greatest products in the history of mankind! If you're bitching, then we really can't help you. Ugh.
  • Reply 68 of 91
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 4,001member
    trumptman said:
    Take your security key.


    Spend less than you would for a Starbucks coffee.

    Put this on the end.

    Go on about your business with a great laptop.

    The end.
    Except that's the problem - it's not a great laptop; Compare the price/performance of the 2015 MacBook Pro to the 2016. Apple is charging 20% more for a machine with marginal improvements in performance and significantly reduced battery life. The USB A to C issue is certainly solvable, but it's another irritation on top of the other issues; all the more so because it's unnecessary. 
    So all your whining is about a USB-C to USB A adapter? Don't worry your neighbor PC repair shop will give you one for free.

    See above - you obviously didn't read my entire post.
  • Reply 69 of 91
    All I want is a MacBook Air with a Retina display. Is that too much to ask for?
  • Reply 70 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    MplsP said:
    Except that's the problem - it's not a great laptop; Compare the price/performance of the 2015 MacBook Pro to the 2016. Apple is charging 20% more for a machine with marginal improvements in performance and significantly reduced battery life. 
    The base 2016 15" is 20% more than the base 2015 but comes with discrete graphics, faster SSD and brighter screen ignoring the touch bar for the time being.  The performance  improvements are more than marginal from a GPU perspective and when you bump the 2015 to a discrete GPU model the price delta is much less.
    pulseimagesmacplusplus
  • Reply 71 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    designr said:
    Some days it's really difficult to sort out the general consensus on a new Apple product like these new MacBook Pros because the man on the street reviews range from "the greatest thing since sliced bread" to some kind of crime against humanity.
    Some argue the Apple equivalent of sliced bread was a crime against humanity...
    dewmepulseimages
  • Reply 72 of 91
    Nameo_Nameo_ Posts: 34member
    I'm a college student and don't play any graphic-intensive games, so I don't need high end CPU/graphic performance. What I do want, however, is the Retina display and portability, so 12" MacBook would be a great option for me, but there's one major issue: Lack of Touch ID. I have the iPhone 7 Plus & iPad Air 2 and use the fingerprint sensor countless times. If I could do that on my laptop too, then my life would be much easier as I unlock my phone, iPad and laptop ten's, if not hundred's, of times a day. I know the new MBP has Touch ID & Touch Bar, but if I choose MBP then I'm sacrificing portability. Also the price is more expensive. So what I think I'm gonna do is to hold out till 12" MacBook gets Touch ID. So here's my question: Is there a chance that Apple brings Touch ID to 12" MacBook this year or next year? 
  • Reply 73 of 91
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    appex said:
    Apple should make upgradable computers. No more soldered RAM or SSD. No more proprietary SSD. No more programmed obsolescence. Protect planet Earth!
    What nonsense. First, Apple notebooks are serviceable -- just bring it in, like you do your car. Second, when buying a notebook I want as small and fast as is reasonable. If that means not using stock RAM sticks or hard drives and instead using chips, I'm more than cool with that. And evidently as are the legion of MacBook buyers. Third, my MBs get many years of use -- far more than Windows machines, which become crap in short order; I'd bet Windows machines make the landfill sooner than MBs, which means you should be petitioning Dell and HP not to suck instead of posting here.
    You do not get it. It is not just that I want to be able to replace a failed disk without sending it with private data to Apple for days or weeks. It is also that I do not want to pay two or three times more for the very same or even worse RAM and SSD. And I want to be able to increase RAM and use a better faster/larger SSD in the future.
    chia
  • Reply 74 of 91
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    Maybe now that Apple has (probably) abandoned their Apple Car, and design of the space ship is wrapping up, they will actually be able to devote some design time to making a Mac that improves people's lives:  Real People -- rather than a few professionals willing & able to sink thousands of dollars into a marginally better but disposable product with a relatively short lifespan.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 75 of 91
    Why did Steve Jobs hand pick Tim Cook to take over Apple after he died if Steve knew that Tim wasn't an idea's guy but instead a profits man?
  • Reply 76 of 91
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    For me, the advantage of a MacBook of any ilk is primarily in the Apple OS and the Apple support and infrastructure rather than hardware -- because the hardware is primarily off the shelf stuff that any startup can match (or at least match within 80-90%).

    But then I come to the fact that Apple only supports their OS's for 4-5 years.   So, they want me to "buy" a $2,000 commodity with an expected life of 4-5 years?   Essentially they are wanting me to Lease a machine for over $500 a year.   No thank you...   Actually, I can buy a Windows machine for that $500 and use it for about 10 years -- which makes the "lease" on it $50/year rather than $500/year...

    Currently I am using a 10 year old Lenovo ThinkPad (with equivalent build quality to that of MacBooks, maybe better) as a dedicated machine for my financial stuff.  I did upgrade its memory and harddrive.  I also upgraded its OS to 8.1 (I abstained from going to Windows 10 for security concerns) and I expect to use the machine for another 5 years or so...   When new, this machine sold for about the same as an MBP -- but I have received far more service from this than I would have from any MacBook.

    Actually I have two of them, both T60P's.  The 15" one has been taking a vacation these past 6 months since I poured my coffee into its keyboard.  But, a "new", $30  motherboard is arriving for it today -- so it may, hopefully become a serviceable backup.  I've never replaced a motherboard in a laptop before.  But, with Lenovo's excellent manuals telling me exactly how (down to which screw goes into which hole), I am hoping that I can.

    As for "Which MacBook"?  Until Apple masters serviceability and service life, I will stick to Lenovo for my PCs and laptops and Apple for everything else. 
    avon b7
  • Reply 77 of 91
    macplusplusmacplusplus Posts: 2,115member
    Nameo_ said:
    I'm a college student and don't play any graphic-intensive games, so I don't need high end CPU/graphic performance. What I do want, however, is the Retina display and portability, so 12" MacBook would be a great option for me, but there's one major issue: Lack of Touch ID. I have the iPhone 7 Plus & iPad Air 2 and use the fingerprint sensor countless times. If I could do that on my laptop too, then my life would be much easier as I unlock my phone, iPad and laptop ten's, if not hundred's, of times a day. I know the new MBP has Touch ID & Touch Bar, but if I choose MBP then I'm sacrificing portability. Also the price is more expensive. So what I think I'm gonna do is to hold out till 12" MacBook gets Touch ID. So here's my question: Is there a chance that Apple brings Touch ID to 12" MacBook this year or next year? 
    Buy an Apple Watch to unlock your 12" Macbook :-) It works like magic, you don't press anything.
    GeorgeBMacNameo_
  • Reply 78 of 91
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,418member
    fallenjt said:
    To make it short: you troll because...
    Very unthoughtful and inconsiderate of you to say such.  Then again, I often see more disparaging remarks like yours here in the AppleInsider forums versus other forums.  I personally would consider genuine "trolling" to be "bashing others for having expressed opinions of any kind, even well thought out opinions that have respectable spelling, punctuation and grammar."

    Tisk, tisk!
    avon b7
  • Reply 79 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    For me, the advantage of a MacBook of any ilk is primarily in the Apple OS and the Apple support and infrastructure rather than hardware -- because the hardware is primarily off the shelf stuff that any startup can match (or at least match within 80-90%).

    But then I come to the fact that Apple only supports their OS's for 4-5 years.   So, they want me to "buy" a $2,000 commodity with an expected life of 4-5 years?   Essentially they are wanting me to Lease a machine for over $500 a year.   No thank you...   Actually, I can buy a Windows machine for that $500 and use it for about 10 years -- which makes the "lease" on it $50/year rather than $500/year...
    Complete lie.  MacOS Sierra is supported on 2010/2009 Macs so right off the bat that's 6 years.

    2007 macs can run El Capitan.  Support for El Capitan will end after two more major releases of MacOS likely after 2018.

    So 6 years of feature updates and 10+ years of security updates.


    pulseimages
  • Reply 80 of 91
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member
    jdw said:
    fallenjt said:
    To make it short: you troll because...
    Very unthoughtful and inconsiderate of you to say such.  Then again, I often see more disparaging remarks like yours here in the AppleInsider forums versus other forums.  I personally would consider genuine "trolling" to be "bashing others for having expressed opinions of any kind, even well thought out opinions that have respectable spelling, punctuation and grammar."

    Tisk, tisk!
    Very considerate of you to disparage other opinions that USB-C will be mainstream in 2018 as "laughable".  

    With CES 2017 it is clear that there will be an asston of USB-C docks, hubs, drives, devices, batteries hitting the mainstream market in 2017 to support Android, Windows and Macs.  Already in 2016 mid-tier Android phones were down marked for using micro usb in reviews.

    The USB-C spec has been around since 2014, on the Nokia N1, MacBook and ChromeBook since late 2014/early 2015.

    What's laughable is your hypocritical whining about others being inconsiderate of your trollish  postings. 
    Nameo_
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