7 ms·

Just to chime in. Since the displeased are always loud. I got my maxed out TouchBar MBP 15" about two weeks ago and I'm really happy with it. It replaces a Mid

by jstsch 10y ago

Just to chime in. Since the displeased are always loud. I got my maxed out TouchBar MBP 15" about two weeks ago and I'm really happy with it. It replaces a Mid-2010 MBP 17". It's light, fast and has a gorgeous screen. After a week, I even prefer the new thin keyboard versus the old. My external keyboard feels like trudging through mud. No trouble hitting the ESC-key on the touch bar. The context awareness of it is actually pretty great. For USB-connectivity I simply bought a few convertors on AliExpress for about 70 cents each. How often do I plug those in? Almost never. Everything is wireless these days. Except for those two 5K screens coming soon... but I wish Apple would release them for € 200 more with a nice alu bezel ;) or 5K iMacs with target display mode, that'd be fine too.

TruthSHIFT 10y ago
I'm glad you're having a good experience with the new MBP. However, I wouldn't plug a $.70 adapter into a $3000 computer. Maybe you should splurge and spend $10 on the Apple adapter.
- rcavezza 10y ago
  Although price can sometimes be an indicator of quality, it doesn't necessarily mean quality. I think this is especially true when the alternative higher priced product has a lot of "Brand Value" that can be attributed to the higher price.
  - exhilaration 10y ago
    Since cheap USB-C cables and chargers are known for destroying laptops [1] I would heed the parent's advice. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11021665 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11021665
  - mikestew 10y ago
    In the case of Apple-branded adapters, it has been demonstrated time and again that they actually put some thought into their adapters so that your device or house do not catch on fire. Not so much with the $0.70 ones. Maybe, likely not, but hey, you saved $9.70 that you can apply to your home owners insurance premium!
    - DanBC 10y ago
      Are there any Apple brand adaptors available for $10.40?
      - mikestew 10y ago
        I was going to edit my original comment, but then your subtle catch wouldn't be nearly as humorous. I'll leave it there as a monument to my lack of skill in ad hoc math.
    - youngtaff 10y ago
      This is where Apple really confuse me… They obviously put lots of thought into their adapters but everyone fails where the cable enters the charger - I'm about to buy my third in just over three years and the cable on my daughter's actually melted through where it shorted inside. Why could they never be bothered to address this well know issue give them thought they put in?
  - darpa_escapee 10y ago
    You'd be appalled at what gets sold online as acceptable adapters and chargers.
- derefr 10y ago
  This is one of those cases where it's good to know a bit of electrical engineering. If an adapter, connector, cable, etc. is both "passive" (i.e. isn't doing anything clever in there with ICs that consume some of the power sent along the line) and "digital" (i.e. has transmission semantics which moot RF interference as long as the cable is within a proscribed length and between powered switches) then it doesn't matter whether you pay $0.70 or $70 for it. For example, an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable. If an adapter/cable/etc. is "digital" but "active"—like, for example, a USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter—then it might do the wrong thing, which in extreme cases (e.g. the https://www.usbkill.com https://www.usbkill.com) can damage your devices. But, most data-transmission PHY layers (Ethernet, USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, etc.) are built to protect host devices against most "dumb mistakes" that might be made by a peer device or a piece of infrastructure (and things like lightning strikes, shorted sockets, and chewed-through cables besides.) You really have to intentionally try to make a USB Killer to make a USB Killer. Now, if (at least one end of) an adapter is analogue, then you're basically screwed and should be very scared of cheap kit. Basically, don't trust $0.70 DACs. There's a reason there's no such thing as a $0.70 USB audio or USB wi-fi receiver: these are the sort of things where the correctness of the DAC is all that stands between your computer and a huge current.
  - wlesieutre 10y ago
    Even with passive devices, there's a risk that it's miswired and will connect things that should not be connected to each other. Most famously, earlier this year the Google engineer who reviews USB-C cables had one fry both his Chromebook and USB-PD analyzer. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds-usb-type-c-cable-thats-so-bad-it-fried-his-chromebook-pixel/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds...
    - derefr 10y ago
      USB-C cables aren't (exclusively) passive! USB-C cables can carry the signalling protocol for, among other things, Thunderbolt 3.1, which is an active protocol (requires powered ICs in the cables), and thus can't simply be opto-isolated by the modems on either side like a purely-passive protocol would be. A given USB-C cable might be a passive component and still be able to wreck the system it's a part of, if the system is active—that is, if the system is constrained from protecting itself against damage by simply re-defining line voltage at each medium change. This is a compromise most people don't usually realize they're making when they favour the addition of an active "feature" to a previously-passive spec. For example, Ethernet used to be a pure-passive, easily non-ground-referenced wiring standard. But then PoE came along...
- jstsch 10y ago
  Nah. USB-C to USB3.0-A is trivial. It's just a simple electrical connection, without any signalling logic (correct me if I'm wrong). Also, I like that it's just a conversion plug versus a cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LAIXI-USB-Type-C-Adapter-Male-to-USB-3-0-Female-Adapter-with-OTG-Function-for/32757099029.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LAIXI-USB-Type-C-Adapter-Mal...
  - wlesieutre 10y ago
    Just because it's trivial doesn't mean someone can't screw it up and destroy your computer: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds-usb-type-c-cable-thats-so-bad-it-fried-his-chromebook-pixel/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds...
wlesieutre 10y ago
Similar boat, my 13" (not maxed out) touch bar MBP arrived last week. The touch bar works really well. I didn't anticipate this, but it's really slippery. Feels almost like it's coated in teflon. Your finger just glides on it, moreso than the trackpad. Wouldn't have occurred to me, but the slightly rougher surface gives your finger a better feel for trackpad movement. On the touchbar, it's very wide and 1-dimensional, and the low friction is perfect. The screen is impressive. DCI-P3 does great reds, and better greens than sRGB (but not quite as saturated green as Adobe RGB's). It's also very bright. I rarely feel like I have to set it for maximum brightness, even when I'm plugged in. Keyboard is great. It took me maybe a few hours to get used to it, and I like it better than the previous MBP keyboards. Being able to plug in the power cord on either side isn't the biggest deal, but it's nice to have. When your outlet is on the right side, you just plug it straight in. No more looping the cord around and into the far side. My previous laptop is a 13" MBA (2011), and the new MBP is both smaller and faster. Honestly, I don't use external devices that much, and when I do, I'm at my desk 99% of the time. USB-C is no big deal to me. Right now I'm still carrying USB-A cables because that's what my power bank is, so carry a one USB-A to USB-C cable that I can use to connect my iOS things to the laptop, or in case I need to connect to someone else's external drive or something. My personal flash drive has both types of connector. Probably won't be getting any of the fancy thunderbolt screens, but I may invest in a thunderbolt docking station to get power, ethernet, and my existing displayport screen all running on one cable. Awaiting reviews on any of those, and need to confirm that they handle DisplayPort multi-stream transport for 4K@60Hz.
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  Another thing: I'm used to this with my phone, but being able to plug stuff into the computer without checking whether the cable is oriented the right way is totally cool. http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388 http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388 no more.
pentae 10y ago
So far my Macbook Pro 13" fully loaded has done a great job of replacing my Macbook Air. What does bug me though after spending over $2.5k (sales tax) for a brand new 'state of the art machine' I can't even play the new Civilization 6 on 1024x768 resolution and lowest possible settings without the computer fan on full blast to stop it from basically melting. It's utterly pathetic.
- haar 10y ago
  Why did you get a 13" when they have no dedicated graphics card? Assuming you have the best on-board graphics for the 13" MBP it isn't much better than the minimum requirements for Civ 6: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Iris-550-Mobile-Skylake-vs-Nvidia-GeForce-GTS-450/m129148vsm7762 http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Iris-550-Mobile-S...
  - pentae 10y ago
    Portability, mainly. I didn't buy it to play civ on, and it's a good thing too-it's basically unplayable. Graphically, there's not much thats special or impressive about the game so its quite surprising it can't even run it without having a heart attack.
revelation 10y ago
This is about the Surface, I'm not sure what motivates you to post an impromptu review of a MBP here.
- metafunctor 10y ago
  Did you read the article? This is about how Microsoft is saying the new MBP is so bad that users are switching to Surface en masse. It's entirely relevant to bring up the point that not everyone hates the new MBP.
  - revelation 10y ago
    No, the anecdotal experience of a single person with zero attempt to put it into a broader context is still entirely unhelpful.
    - wlesieutre 10y ago
      If you're looking for statistical significance, Microsoft's "We have numbers but we're not telling you what they are" isn't helpful either. As another counterpoint, of the 4 people I know who had a Surface Pro, 2 still have it, and 2 eventually sold it to switch back to either a MacBook or iPad Pro. A 5th person got a SP1 from a family member and put Linux on it. We're not looking at a strictly 1-way Mac to Surface user flow here.

by jstsch 10y ago

TruthSHIFT 10y ago

I'm glad you're having a good experience with the new MBP. However, I wouldn't plug a $.70 adapter into a $3000 computer. Maybe you should splurge and spend $10 on the Apple adapter.

rcavezza 10y ago
Although price can sometimes be an indicator of quality, it doesn't necessarily mean quality. I think this is especially true when the alternative higher priced product has a lot of "Brand Value" that can be attributed to the higher price.
- exhilaration 10y ago
  Since cheap USB-C cables and chargers are known for destroying laptops [1] I would heed the parent's advice. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11021665 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11021665
- mikestew 10y ago
  In the case of Apple-branded adapters, it has been demonstrated time and again that they actually put some thought into their adapters so that your device or house do not catch on fire. Not so much with the $0.70 ones. Maybe, likely not, but hey, you saved $9.70 that you can apply to your home owners insurance premium!
  - DanBC 10y ago
    Are there any Apple brand adaptors available for $10.40?
    - mikestew 10y ago
      I was going to edit my original comment, but then your subtle catch wouldn't be nearly as humorous. I'll leave it there as a monument to my lack of skill in ad hoc math.
  - youngtaff 10y ago
    This is where Apple really confuse me… They obviously put lots of thought into their adapters but everyone fails where the cable enters the charger - I'm about to buy my third in just over three years and the cable on my daughter's actually melted through where it shorted inside. Why could they never be bothered to address this well know issue give them thought they put in?
- darpa_escapee 10y ago
  You'd be appalled at what gets sold online as acceptable adapters and chargers.
derefr 10y ago
This is one of those cases where it's good to know a bit of electrical engineering. If an adapter, connector, cable, etc. is both "passive" (i.e. isn't doing anything clever in there with ICs that consume some of the power sent along the line) and "digital" (i.e. has transmission semantics which moot RF interference as long as the cable is within a proscribed length and between powered switches) then it doesn't matter whether you pay $0.70 or $70 for it. For example, an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable is an HDMI cable. If an adapter/cable/etc. is "digital" but "active"—like, for example, a USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter—then it might do the wrong thing, which in extreme cases (e.g. the https://www.usbkill.com https://www.usbkill.com) can damage your devices. But, most data-transmission PHY layers (Ethernet, USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt, etc.) are built to protect host devices against most "dumb mistakes" that might be made by a peer device or a piece of infrastructure (and things like lightning strikes, shorted sockets, and chewed-through cables besides.) You really have to intentionally try to make a USB Killer to make a USB Killer. Now, if (at least one end of) an adapter is analogue, then you're basically screwed and should be very scared of cheap kit. Basically, don't trust $0.70 DACs. There's a reason there's no such thing as a $0.70 USB audio or USB wi-fi receiver: these are the sort of things where the correctness of the DAC is all that stands between your computer and a huge current.
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  Even with passive devices, there's a risk that it's miswired and will connect things that should not be connected to each other. Most famously, earlier this year the Google engineer who reviews USB-C cables had one fry both his Chromebook and USB-PD analyzer. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds-usb-type-c-cable-thats-so-bad-it-fried-his-chromebook-pixel/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds...
  - derefr 10y ago
    USB-C cables aren't (exclusively) passive! USB-C cables can carry the signalling protocol for, among other things, Thunderbolt 3.1, which is an active protocol (requires powered ICs in the cables), and thus can't simply be opto-isolated by the modems on either side like a purely-passive protocol would be. A given USB-C cable might be a passive component and still be able to wreck the system it's a part of, if the system is active—that is, if the system is constrained from protecting itself against damage by simply re-defining line voltage at each medium change. This is a compromise most people don't usually realize they're making when they favour the addition of an active "feature" to a previously-passive spec. For example, Ethernet used to be a pure-passive, easily non-ground-referenced wiring standard. But then PoE came along...
jstsch 10y ago
Nah. USB-C to USB3.0-A is trivial. It's just a simple electrical connection, without any signalling logic (correct me if I'm wrong). Also, I like that it's just a conversion plug versus a cable: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LAIXI-USB-Type-C-Adapter-Male-to-USB-3-0-Female-Adapter-with-OTG-Function-for/32757099029.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/LAIXI-USB-Type-C-Adapter-Mal...
- wlesieutre 10y ago
  Just because it's trivial doesn't mean someone can't screw it up and destroy your computer: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds-usb-type-c-cable-thats-so-bad-it-fried-his-chromebook-pixel/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds...

wlesieutre 10y ago

Similar boat, my 13" (not maxed out) touch bar MBP arrived last week. The touch bar works really well. I didn't anticipate this, but it's really slippery. Feels almost like it's coated in teflon. Your finger just glides on it, moreso than the trackpad. Wouldn't have occurred to me, but the slightly rougher surface gives your finger a better feel for trackpad movement. On the touchbar, it's very wide and 1-dimensional, and the low friction is perfect. The screen is impressive. DCI-P3 does great reds, and better greens than sRGB (but not quite as saturated green as Adobe RGB's). It's also very bright. I rarely feel like I have to set it for maximum brightness, even when I'm plugged in. Keyboard is great. It took me maybe a few hours to get used to it, and I like it better than the previous MBP keyboards. Being able to plug in the power cord on either side isn't the biggest deal, but it's nice to have. When your outlet is on the right side, you just plug it straight in. No more looping the cord around and into the far side. My previous laptop is a 13" MBA (2011), and the new MBP is both smaller and faster. Honestly, I don't use external devices that much, and when I do, I'm at my desk 99% of the time. USB-C is no big deal to me. Right now I'm still carrying USB-A cables because that's what my power bank is, so carry a one USB-A to USB-C cable that I can use to connect my iOS things to the laptop, or in case I need to connect to someone else's external drive or something. My personal flash drive has both types of connector. Probably won't be getting any of the fancy thunderbolt screens, but I may invest in a thunderbolt docking station to get power, ethernet, and my existing displayport screen all running on one cable. Awaiting reviews on any of those, and need to confirm that they handle DisplayPort multi-stream transport for 4K@60Hz.

wlesieutre 10y ago
Another thing: I'm used to this with my phone, but being able to plug stuff into the computer without checking whether the cable is oriented the right way is totally cool. http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388 http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388 no more.

pentae 10y ago

So far my Macbook Pro 13" fully loaded has done a great job of replacing my Macbook Air. What does bug me though after spending over $2.5k (sales tax) for a brand new 'state of the art machine' I can't even play the new Civilization 6 on 1024x768 resolution and lowest possible settings without the computer fan on full blast to stop it from basically melting. It's utterly pathetic.

haar 10y ago
Why did you get a 13" when they have no dedicated graphics card? Assuming you have the best on-board graphics for the 13" MBP it isn't much better than the minimum requirements for Civ 6: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Iris-550-Mobile-Skylake-vs-Nvidia-GeForce-GTS-450/m129148vsm7762 http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Iris-550-Mobile-S...
- pentae 10y ago
  Portability, mainly. I didn't buy it to play civ on, and it's a good thing too-it's basically unplayable. Graphically, there's not much thats special or impressive about the game so its quite surprising it can't even run it without having a heart attack.

revelation 10y ago

This is about the Surface, I'm not sure what motivates you to post an impromptu review of a MBP here.

metafunctor 10y ago
Did you read the article? This is about how Microsoft is saying the new MBP is so bad that users are switching to Surface en masse. It's entirely relevant to bring up the point that not everyone hates the new MBP.
- revelation 10y ago
  No, the anecdotal experience of a single person with zero attempt to put it into a broader context is still entirely unhelpful.
  - wlesieutre 10y ago
    If you're looking for statistical significance, Microsoft's "We have numbers but we're not telling you what they are" isn't helpful either. As another counterpoint, of the 4 people I know who had a Surface Pro, 2 still have it, and 2 eventually sold it to switch back to either a MacBook or iPad Pro. A 5th person got a SP1 from a family member and put Linux on it. We're not looking at a strictly 1-way Mac to Surface user flow here.