No 14" display w/reduced bevel or WiFi6? ... that would have made it near perfect :-( I will no longer buy any new phones/computers that do not support WiFi6 (heck they're already moving to WiFi 6E), I'm upgrading my router this year. At least an option for 10th gen Intel have been added - add this processor across all Mac lines, please. Still selling 256GB drives? Seriously, WTF - please stop making these things. I have a new iMac, already used 350GB with just base app installs.
Razer fit a GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q 4 GB into their 3 lbs laptop with a 25W Ice Lake i7 CPU. They also have the option for a 120 Hz or 4K display.
As well, AMD's 4000U series (up to 8 cores and 16 threads at 15 W) is hitting the market with far better performance than this in both CPU and iGPU performance.
Apple fixing their keyboard is nice, but this is a very weak update.
The problem with a dGPU in a 13" laptop, where there's not much room for a big battery, is battery drain. The Razer you cite is optimized for gaming, which isn't Apple's thing. I can't find any claims for how long its battery lasts under load, but my guess is that its usage case calls for AC power to be connected for any kind of extended use with the dGPU active. I do see that the Razer calls for a 100W AC power supply, which seems...troubling.
Leave it to Apple to half-do something. Why still have 8th-gen chips in 2 of the 3 base configs? Why not have 10th-gen chips in all the new configs? 8th-gen is slowly fading off the horizon, yet you have to spend $1800 just to get an i5 10th-gen chip? One can buy a Dell laptop with a 10th-gen i5 for $500. It's hardly "premium" (by PC/Windows standards, anyways).
A 10th-gen i5-based MBP13 with 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM for $1299 would have been a natural upgrade.
I suspect cost was the biggest reason. Most people don't care about the generation of CPU anyways and if they did they'd get the 16" version. People will buy the 13" regardless. This is essentially a non-issue.
Apple did better job upgrading to 16" MBP and 13" MBA. My son was waiting for 14" MBP upgrade but disappointed as new 13" base model not worth upgrading to( 8th gen,2 ports) or spending $1799 for 10th gen processor( comes with 16gb ram,512gb ssd, 4 ports).
My guess is Apple's MAC/BOOK team now focusing to next upgrade with ARM.
Quick question. I need a Macbook Pro without Touch Bar. Is any model available now?
"Need"?
No, other than maybe old stock in the retail chain, or possibly a refurb — either of which would mean settling for the old keyboard. Not a good idea.
Other than price, there's no obvious reason to prefer the non-TB version of the MBP. If you don't like the TB, just ignore it. It's not in the way. And with the TB you get the fingerprint reader, which is well worthwhile, and with this new MBP the physical ESC key has now been restored, which matters to some people.
"No obvious reason to prefer the non-TB version..." How about the very obvious loss of the physical function keys that the TB replaced? I know many people in the video production community who hate the TB, and will opt to work with an older non-TB model if offered a choice. I take your point about the keyboard, itself, now being improved, plus Touch ID, but the TB has been a very controversial "improvement" to say the least.
Really disappointed not seeing the 16" being upgraded to the 10th gen processors, ATI, or a better GPU. The 13" is a weird product. To me it seems you're better off buying the Air, because a "Pro" machine with integrated graphics doesn't really seem appealing at all.
All great news! Except for that stupid Touch Bar - it’s a waste of space for most users. The old key configuration was much better. Nevertheless, this looks like a fabulous machine.
Razer fit a GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q 4 GB into their 3 lbs laptop with a 25W Ice Lake i7 CPU. They also have the option for a 120 Hz or 4K display.
As well, AMD's 4000U series (up to 8 cores and 16 threads at 15 W) is hitting the market with far better performance than this in both CPU and iGPU performance.
Apple fixing their keyboard is nice, but this is a very weak update.
The problem with a dGPU in a 13" laptop, where there's not much room for a big battery, is battery drain. The Razer you cite is optimized for gaming, which isn't Apple's thing. I can't find any claims for how long its battery lasts under load, but my guess is that its usage case calls for AC power to be connected for any kind of extended use with the dGPU active. I do see that the Razer calls for a 100W AC power supply, which seems...troubling.
Exactly! This is comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended). These are 2 totally different laptops meant for 2 totally different things. KITA just always want to shit all over Apple and does it every time they get a chance with piss poor spec comparisons.
But I thought, according to most people on this form, Apple's keyboard was flawless? Don't start to tell me it was just a PR thing.... At least Apple acknowledged the issue and fixed it... just a shame it took so long.
Yes, there is a subset of people here for whom Apple can do no wrong and the gospel according to Tim Cook is not to be questioned.
Apple is not perfect but I can count on one hand the number of times they've admitted mistakes. It's just not something they do. The progression of MacBook keyboards and some glancing comments by Phil Schiller are as much proof you'll see that the butterfly keyboard was a bomb.
So...they just swapped out the keyboard, LED screen and the CPU and memory! It probably took Apple engineer in charge about 1/2 hour to do and have it go to quality control. Will Apple give us a gold MacBook Pro color?
They fixed a couple of the biggest deficiencies/problems: a crappy keyboard and insufficient storage which have both been brought up to Apple standards.
Whoever that engineer was, he deserves a nice raise!
Agree. This is an incremental but important upgrade. Although one could also argue that the keyboard was simply brought up to the standard that it should have had in the first place.
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
So...they just swapped out the keyboard, LED screen and the CPU and memory! It probably took Apple engineer in charge about 1/2 hour to do and have it go to quality control. Will Apple give us a gold MacBook Pro color?
They fixed a couple of the biggest deficiencies/problems: a crappy keyboard and insufficient storage which have both been brought up to Apple standards.
Whoever that engineer was, he deserves a nice raise!
Agree. This is an incremental but important upgrade. Although one could also argue that the keyboard was simply brought up to the standard that it should have had in the first place.
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
So...they just swapped out the keyboard, LED screen and the CPU and memory! It probably took Apple engineer in charge about 1/2 hour to do and have it go to quality control. Will Apple give us a gold MacBook Pro color?
They fixed a couple of the biggest deficiencies/problems: a crappy keyboard and insufficient storage which have both been brought up to Apple standards.
Whoever that engineer was, he deserves a nice raise!
Agree. This is an incremental but important upgrade. Although one could also argue that the keyboard was simply brought up to the standard that it should have had in the first place.
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
Really disappointed not seeing the 16" being upgraded to the 10th gen processors, ATI, or a better GPU. The 13" is a weird product. To me it seems you're better off buying the Air, because a "Pro" machine with integrated graphics doesn't really seem appealing at all.
Here we go with the what does Pro mean shit. Ever think that not everyone needs a dGPU? Even "pros"? If they did, they could always use an eGPU at their desk if they happened to need more GPU performance and also have a nice light travel laptop at the same time.
Wov! no 14",no WiFi 6. Minor spec-bump upgrade. Nothing to be excited about. Base model looses 2 TB ports, no 10th gen processor option; Could have released at the same time as Macbook Air. Will wait for the next upgrade with 14",ARM,WiFi 6.
That's the problem with Apple's "We don't talk about unannounced products" philosophy. Other people do talk about it, and then these expectations get set in the mind of the consumer. Then when Apple updates the products, they don't match the expectations. I wonder if there was a problem with the 14" screens, or was this the plan all along.
Quick question. I need a Macbook Pro without Touch Bar. Is any model available now?
"Need"?
No, other than maybe old stock in the retail chain, or possibly a refurb — either of which would mean settling for the old keyboard. Not a good idea.
Other than price, there's no obvious reason to prefer the non-TB version of the MBP. If you don't like the TB, just ignore it. It's not in the way. And with the TB you get the fingerprint reader, which is well worthwhile, and with this new MBP the physical ESC key has now been restored, which matters to some people.
"No obvious reason to prefer the non-TB version..." How about the very obvious loss of the physical function keys that the TB replaced? I know many people in the video production community who hate the TB, and will opt to work with an older non-TB model if offered a choice. I take your point about the keyboard, itself, now being improved, plus Touch ID, but the TB has been a very controversial "improvement" to say the least.
How many is "many"...like 1 or 2?
There are many people who consider the Touch Bar nothing but a gimmick, and it's hard to argue that anyone 'needs' the Touch Bar, either. After using it for 2 ½ years I would agree. The thing is most people never use function keys, either, so it didn't make a ton of difference. If you use software that took advantage of function keys then it definitely does.
Adding a physical escape key is a plus, but one of my biggest complaints is that I not infrequently over reach a bit when typing so when I try to type on a number key my finger will brush agains the touch pad and add an autocorrect word or something similar. Overall, the annoyances of the Touch Bar are about the same as the benefits for me.
Quick question. I need a Macbook Pro without Touch Bar. Is any model available now?
"Need"?
No, other than maybe old stock in the retail chain, or possibly a refurb — either of which would mean settling for the old keyboard. Not a good idea.
Other than price, there's no obvious reason to prefer the non-TB version of the MBP. If you don't like the TB, just ignore it. It's not in the way. And with the TB you get the fingerprint reader, which is well worthwhile, and with this new MBP the physical ESC key has now been restored, which matters to some people.
Maybe he spends all his time emulating a VT-220 terminal and is addicted to those physical F-keys. I'm sure there are 2 or 3 users out there with that use case. Yes, Apple has "abandoned" those (niche) users. Oh well.
So...they just swapped out the keyboard, LED screen and the CPU and memory! It probably took Apple engineer in charge about 1/2 hour to do and have it go to quality control. Will Apple give us a gold MacBook Pro color?
They fixed a couple of the biggest deficiencies/problems: a crappy keyboard and insufficient storage which have both been brought up to Apple standards.
Brought up to Apple standards? It was Apple who released the ones with the deficiencies/problems.
Comments
I will no longer buy any new phones/computers that do not support WiFi6 (heck they're already moving to WiFi 6E), I'm upgrading my router this year.
At least an option for 10th gen Intel have been added - add this processor across all Mac lines, please.
Still selling 256GB drives? Seriously, WTF - please stop making these things. I have a new iMac, already used 350GB with just base app installs.
At least they put back the physical escape key and the Touch ID is genuinely useful.
How many is "many"...like 1 or 2?
The 13" is a weird product. To me it seems you're better off buying the Air, because a "Pro" machine with integrated graphics doesn't really seem appealing at all.
Apple is not perfect but I can count on one hand the number of times they've admitted mistakes. It's just not something they do. The progression of MacBook keyboards and some glancing comments by Phil Schiller are as much proof you'll see that the butterfly keyboard was a bomb.
Agree. This is an incremental but important upgrade. Although one could also argue that the keyboard was simply brought up to the standard that it should have had in the first place.
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
Either way, I'm not complaining - after using the butterfly keyboard for 2 ½ years I'd be willing to upgrade just for the keyboard!
There are many people who consider the Touch Bar nothing but a gimmick, and it's hard to argue that anyone 'needs' the Touch Bar, either. After using it for 2 ½ years I would agree. The thing is most people never use function keys, either, so it didn't make a ton of difference. If you use software that took advantage of function keys then it definitely does.
Adding a physical escape key is a plus, but one of my biggest complaints is that I not infrequently over reach a bit when typing so when I try to type on a number key my finger will brush agains the touch pad and add an autocorrect word or something similar. Overall, the annoyances of the Touch Bar are about the same as the benefits for me.