3 ms·

The non-touchbar model has (IIRC) a weaker processor, and removes two of the USB-C ports for no reason aside from Apple's strong desire that you not buy it (ins

by ashark 9y ago

The non-touchbar model has (IIRC) a weaker processor, and removes two of the USB-C ports for no reason aside from Apple's strong desire that you not buy it (instead paying way more for a Touch Bar you don't want, to get those two ports and higher speed back) Plus it's still a little more expensive than the previous base model at launch, I think, despite being worse in quite a few ways.

adjkant 9y ago
True, but that worse processor and -2 USB-C ports that I would never use thanks to having to have a hub anyways saves $500. Enough to upgrade the processor to an i7. > Plus it's still a little more expensive than the previous base model at launch, I think, despite being worse in quite a few ways. Besides USB-C, what else is worse compared to the previous model? I had the model before, so not too familiar.
- ashark 9y ago
  Mostly the lack of ports. We had to buy a ton of new monitors at work because most of our existing ones wouldn't work or didn't work well, even with adapters. If you travel with them you have to carry adapters, because there's only about a 1% chance any given monitor you need to plug into on the road is USB-C. Ditto anything else you might need to plug in. Including your friggin' iPhone. Chance of my doing that with my personal equipment, dropping hundreds on top of the (now higher) price of a new MacBook? Precisely zero. My 2015 will have to serve me until they get their shit together, most of my stuff is upgraded to USB-C anyway (guarantee that's more than 5 years off), or I give up and switch to Arch or something. Some people love the keyboard, some people hate it, so call that a wash. I recently had to use a two-generations-ago MacBook keyboard (last model with an optical drive, I think) after getting very used to 2014+ and the current ultra-thin one, and... I actually liked that one better than both the newer ones, and I don't hate the newest one, it's just less nice to use than the one two generations ago. Also gets crippled by specs of dust, seemingly, which is annoying.
  - adjkant 9y ago
    Yeah, all of that's fair. I would do the same as you, but my old one was on its last legs. In the end, I spent $150 on adapters and have been good to go on my personal setup since, traveling and at home. I'm sure this is a lot bigger nightmare at work. To me in daily life, everything seems fine sans USB-C and touch bar. It's a one-time price hassle that sucks but in the end doesn't end the world. I travel with one adapter that has USB's, HDMI, and a USB-C on it and have yet to run into any issues with it. I wish Apple actually made decent hubs that didn't cost a small fortune, and I do hope they get their shit together next model as well. I just think that the sky isn't falling. You said it was worse in quite a few ways, but I think it's really just 1-2 big ones that can be fixed. > We had to buy a ton of new monitors at work because most of our existing ones wouldn't work or didn't work well, even with adapters. The biggest issue is the adapter market is absolute shit. I got lucky with two good ones.
    - ashark 9y ago
      > I just think that the sky isn't falling. You said it was worse in quite a few ways, but I think it's really just 1-2 big ones that can be fixed. Well, it was several ports they replaced :-) But yeah, it's not that I think the new ones are junk or anything. I have one for work. It's fine if you have USB-C stuff with it and if making sure you have that crap is someone else's problem, and expense. There's just no way I'm paying more for one of them than the previous model, for my personal laptop, because I use every port on there all the time—except the Apple ones (lightning/displayport? I can never keep the names straight) and don't have a single USB-C device in my house. If the new model came with a really great multiport hub/dock thingy to get us through this (multi-year) port transition period that'd at least make it less off-putting.

by ashark 9y ago

adjkant 9y ago

True, but that worse processor and -2 USB-C ports that I would never use thanks to having to have a hub anyways saves $500. Enough to upgrade the processor to an i7. > Plus it's still a little more expensive than the previous base model at launch, I think, despite being worse in quite a few ways. Besides USB-C, what else is worse compared to the previous model? I had the model before, so not too familiar.

ashark 9y ago
Mostly the lack of ports. We had to buy a ton of new monitors at work because most of our existing ones wouldn't work or didn't work well, even with adapters. If you travel with them you have to carry adapters, because there's only about a 1% chance any given monitor you need to plug into on the road is USB-C. Ditto anything else you might need to plug in. Including your friggin' iPhone. Chance of my doing that with my personal equipment, dropping hundreds on top of the (now higher) price of a new MacBook? Precisely zero. My 2015 will have to serve me until they get their shit together, most of my stuff is upgraded to USB-C anyway (guarantee that's more than 5 years off), or I give up and switch to Arch or something. Some people love the keyboard, some people hate it, so call that a wash. I recently had to use a two-generations-ago MacBook keyboard (last model with an optical drive, I think) after getting very used to 2014+ and the current ultra-thin one, and... I actually liked that one better than both the newer ones, and I don't hate the newest one, it's just less nice to use than the one two generations ago. Also gets crippled by specs of dust, seemingly, which is annoying.
- adjkant 9y ago
  Yeah, all of that's fair. I would do the same as you, but my old one was on its last legs. In the end, I spent $150 on adapters and have been good to go on my personal setup since, traveling and at home. I'm sure this is a lot bigger nightmare at work. To me in daily life, everything seems fine sans USB-C and touch bar. It's a one-time price hassle that sucks but in the end doesn't end the world. I travel with one adapter that has USB's, HDMI, and a USB-C on it and have yet to run into any issues with it. I wish Apple actually made decent hubs that didn't cost a small fortune, and I do hope they get their shit together next model as well. I just think that the sky isn't falling. You said it was worse in quite a few ways, but I think it's really just 1-2 big ones that can be fixed. > We had to buy a ton of new monitors at work because most of our existing ones wouldn't work or didn't work well, even with adapters. The biggest issue is the adapter market is absolute shit. I got lucky with two good ones.
  - ashark 9y ago
    > I just think that the sky isn't falling. You said it was worse in quite a few ways, but I think it's really just 1-2 big ones that can be fixed. Well, it was several ports they replaced :-) But yeah, it's not that I think the new ones are junk or anything. I have one for work. It's fine if you have USB-C stuff with it and if making sure you have that crap is someone else's problem, and expense. There's just no way I'm paying more for one of them than the previous model, for my personal laptop, because I use every port on there all the time—except the Apple ones (lightning/displayport? I can never keep the names straight) and don't have a single USB-C device in my house. If the new model came with a really great multiport hub/dock thingy to get us through this (multi-year) port transition period that'd at least make it less off-putting.