4 ms·

>- Removed the super-useful Magsafe connector >- Added a stupid touchbar no one cares about >- Used a much worse keyboard and trackpad to save like 0.5mm in w

>- Removed the super-useful Magsafe connector >- Added a stupid touchbar no one cares about >- Used a much worse keyboard and trackpad to save like 0.5mm in width; I have 2 of the new Touch Bar MBPs (one for work and one for personal) and those 3 things are something that sold me on the computer after I had purchased it. I had no intention of using the TouchBar and felt like they didn't need to mess with the MagSafe or the keyboard and yet all 3 of these things have won me over. The TouchBar is amazing to me and something that I use regularly (made even better by BetterTouchTool). Being able to scrub through media while still having hands on the keyboard and then switching immediately to editing tools is a godsend for me. The USB-C connector is a much better option, in my opinion, than MagSafe was (even though I really liked MagSafe) simply because it's not a proprietary connector and it's not limited to charging. I'll happily give up a dedicated port for charging when I don't have to buy chargers from Apple and the port doubles as an I/O port. In hindsight, MagSafe was convenient when laptops weighed and ton and could easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. I've had all different laptops for years now and can count on one hand the number of times MagSafe would have saved me a slight bit of trouble. As for the trackpad and keyboard, I much prefer the feel of the new keyboard and I can't tell a difference between the trackpads simply because I prefer the larger trackpad. The "click" feels exactly the same in day-to-day use. The keyboard feels much more stable and even to me and I don't find the travel to be greater to one side of a key or another so it always feels like a solid press. Maybe it's just me but I love the new Macbook Pros. I'd love to see an updated MBA with a Retina display instead of the 12" Macbook but I have no complaints about the Pro line at all and I'm a professional media creator and developer.

rconti 9y ago
As much as I feel like USB-C has been a huge fiasco on my new Touchbar MBP (way more work than I expected), you're right about Magsafe. I tripped on it and flung my 2011 Air onto the floor. No damage, but it's getting pointless, and anyway, those magsafe2-1 converters are useless -- I've bought 5, they all fail.
- deepGem 9y ago
  One disadvantage of magsafe is that siting cross legged and working on your lap is a hassle. The magnet disengages very easily. However I would rather have magsafe than see my 15 inch pro flying in the air when my 4yo trips over the charging cable :)
  - mozey 9y ago
    What? The L-shaped magsafe is ideal for sitting cross legged. All other power connectors jab into the side of my leg. And I've never had the magnet disengage
coldtea 9y ago
>In hindsight, MagSafe was convenient when laptops weighed and ton and could easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. Didn't you get that inversely? It's today's lighter laptops that can MORE easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. Absent a magsafe style solution, the easiness of which a laptop can be pulled down is an inverse factor of its weight. >I've had all different laptops for years now and can count on one hand the number of times MagSafe would have saved me a slight bit of trouble. That's still up to 5 times. And that's with YOUR use cases, others (e.g. less mindful, with pets, with kids, working on cafes, etc) can have it even much worse. But even 1 time, never mind "measurable on one hand" times, of avoiding getting a laptop dented, with broken screen, etc, in a decade is a good ROI.
- dkonofalski 9y ago
  >Didn't you get that inversely? It's today's lighter laptops that can MORE easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. No, but I probably should have been clearer in my meaning. The chargers now plug in via a very tiny port that is easily removed with minimal force. The larger, heavier laptops of the past had the more standard wall-wort plugs that needed to be pulled straight back to remove them. USB-C unplugs too easily to ever be a risk for a computer getting pulled down and computers are too light now to actually disengage the MagSafe ports. It's a tough balance where too powerful of a magnet won't disengage a light computer and too light of a magnet causes the charger to fall off at the lightest touch. As for your second point/question, I was mainly saying that paying a premium for a MagSafe connector is less worth it to me than having a non-proprietary port that is also multi-function since it's very uncommon for the use-case that MagSafe was designed for to happen nowadays with computers. I have yet to hear a current story where MagSafe saved someone's computer or where the USB-C cable trashed someone's computer by getting pulled and not releasing. MagSafe was awesome for its time but I think it's not as useful with today's tech.
  - wallWorth 9y ago
    Where to begin? Okay, so USB-C has a long pull. It’s not a short simple disengage that can occur at any angle. You can’t snap off a USB-C plug by rolling at an angle, without inflicting wear at best, or connector damage at worst. The lighter the laptop, the more likely the laptop will be pulled by the binding of the tension clip, especially if the angle of pull is unintentionally wrong and accidental. That the laptop is lighter is good, because on a bad drop off a table top, there’s less impact damage or probability of screen breakage, but a trip over a cord or an excited pet can still send the laptop flying MORE EASILY, not less. The heavier chasis weight merely means that damage was more readily inflicted on the conductive ring-and-pin DC port itself, or the adapter wire, by serving to anchor the chasis in place, than would a lighter chasis get launched across the room. The lighter chasis means a lesser magnet should be used to link the magsafe connector to the power port, but either way, magsafe wins. It’s the better design every time. Back in the day, the magsafe connector saved multiple fragile components, preventing HDD head crashes, dents, bent plugs, sceen smashes and frayed power cord internals. But now, with SSD drives and gorilla glass monitors, and commodity cords, laptops are more durable and survivable on a drop than years ago. Either way, it’s still extremely disconcerting to drop a laptop, no matter that they can withstand more abuse than the bad old days, and magsafe power connects were a reassuring presence. Fortunately, it’s low technology, and USB-C is an open standard, so after market solutions could jump into the market for a save. It doesn’t have to be an Apple product exclusive anymore. It could be an Otter Box durability sweetener included with their hardened clamshell wrappers, or a Belkin accessory, or whatever dongle-du-jour company puts something out. It’s just that no one has pushed into that area yet.
frandroid 9y ago
> Being able to scrub through media Isn't that something you could do with a modifier key and the touchpad?
- dkonofalski 9y ago
  Technically yes but not in the same way that I can with my Touch Bar since it's completely visual which would not be the case with the trackpad. I also switch tabs in Safari on the Touch Bar and do plenty of other things that are all just quicker and faster with the Touch Bar. On top of that, it's not like I lost the trackpad by having the Touch Bar so I could still do it the way you're describing, if I was inclined to do so.
mxxx 9y ago
i _wish_ i had a proper use case for the touchbar. six months in, still haven't figured out what to do with it, apart from, you know, pretend it's the top row of a keyboard. i sort of forget about the keyboard until i use my old macbook pro and remember what i'm missing out on. and even that one was a step down from the previous gen.
- dkonofalski 9y ago
  Install BetterTouchTool and you can make it do pretty much whatever you want. I like the defaults for stuff like Final Cut Pro and Safari but if you don't use those then there will be limited utility for you outside of regular function keys or media controls.

rconti 9y ago

As much as I feel like USB-C has been a huge fiasco on my new Touchbar MBP (way more work than I expected), you're right about Magsafe. I tripped on it and flung my 2011 Air onto the floor. No damage, but it's getting pointless, and anyway, those magsafe2-1 converters are useless -- I've bought 5, they all fail.

deepGem 9y ago
One disadvantage of magsafe is that siting cross legged and working on your lap is a hassle. The magnet disengages very easily. However I would rather have magsafe than see my 15 inch pro flying in the air when my 4yo trips over the charging cable :)
- mozey 9y ago
  What? The L-shaped magsafe is ideal for sitting cross legged. All other power connectors jab into the side of my leg. And I've never had the magnet disengage

coldtea 9y ago

>In hindsight, MagSafe was convenient when laptops weighed and ton and could easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. Didn't you get that inversely? It's today's lighter laptops that can MORE easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. Absent a magsafe style solution, the easiness of which a laptop can be pulled down is an inverse factor of its weight. >I've had all different laptops for years now and can count on one hand the number of times MagSafe would have saved me a slight bit of trouble. That's still up to 5 times. And that's with YOUR use cases, others (e.g. less mindful, with pets, with kids, working on cafes, etc) can have it even much worse. But even 1 time, never mind "measurable on one hand" times, of avoiding getting a laptop dented, with broken screen, etc, in a decade is a good ROI.

dkonofalski 9y ago
>Didn't you get that inversely? It's today's lighter laptops that can MORE easily get pulled down by the standard laptop charger plug. No, but I probably should have been clearer in my meaning. The chargers now plug in via a very tiny port that is easily removed with minimal force. The larger, heavier laptops of the past had the more standard wall-wort plugs that needed to be pulled straight back to remove them. USB-C unplugs too easily to ever be a risk for a computer getting pulled down and computers are too light now to actually disengage the MagSafe ports. It's a tough balance where too powerful of a magnet won't disengage a light computer and too light of a magnet causes the charger to fall off at the lightest touch. As for your second point/question, I was mainly saying that paying a premium for a MagSafe connector is less worth it to me than having a non-proprietary port that is also multi-function since it's very uncommon for the use-case that MagSafe was designed for to happen nowadays with computers. I have yet to hear a current story where MagSafe saved someone's computer or where the USB-C cable trashed someone's computer by getting pulled and not releasing. MagSafe was awesome for its time but I think it's not as useful with today's tech.
- wallWorth 9y ago
  Where to begin? Okay, so USB-C has a long pull. It’s not a short simple disengage that can occur at any angle. You can’t snap off a USB-C plug by rolling at an angle, without inflicting wear at best, or connector damage at worst. The lighter the laptop, the more likely the laptop will be pulled by the binding of the tension clip, especially if the angle of pull is unintentionally wrong and accidental. That the laptop is lighter is good, because on a bad drop off a table top, there’s less impact damage or probability of screen breakage, but a trip over a cord or an excited pet can still send the laptop flying MORE EASILY, not less. The heavier chasis weight merely means that damage was more readily inflicted on the conductive ring-and-pin DC port itself, or the adapter wire, by serving to anchor the chasis in place, than would a lighter chasis get launched across the room. The lighter chasis means a lesser magnet should be used to link the magsafe connector to the power port, but either way, magsafe wins. It’s the better design every time. Back in the day, the magsafe connector saved multiple fragile components, preventing HDD head crashes, dents, bent plugs, sceen smashes and frayed power cord internals. But now, with SSD drives and gorilla glass monitors, and commodity cords, laptops are more durable and survivable on a drop than years ago. Either way, it’s still extremely disconcerting to drop a laptop, no matter that they can withstand more abuse than the bad old days, and magsafe power connects were a reassuring presence. Fortunately, it’s low technology, and USB-C is an open standard, so after market solutions could jump into the market for a save. It doesn’t have to be an Apple product exclusive anymore. It could be an Otter Box durability sweetener included with their hardened clamshell wrappers, or a Belkin accessory, or whatever dongle-du-jour company puts something out. It’s just that no one has pushed into that area yet.

frandroid 9y ago

> Being able to scrub through media Isn't that something you could do with a modifier key and the touchpad?

dkonofalski 9y ago
Technically yes but not in the same way that I can with my Touch Bar since it's completely visual which would not be the case with the trackpad. I also switch tabs in Safari on the Touch Bar and do plenty of other things that are all just quicker and faster with the Touch Bar. On top of that, it's not like I lost the trackpad by having the Touch Bar so I could still do it the way you're describing, if I was inclined to do so.

mxxx 9y ago

i _wish_ i had a proper use case for the touchbar. six months in, still haven't figured out what to do with it, apart from, you know, pretend it's the top row of a keyboard. i sort of forget about the keyboard until i use my old macbook pro and remember what i'm missing out on. and even that one was a step down from the previous gen.

dkonofalski 9y ago
Install BetterTouchTool and you can make it do pretty much whatever you want. I like the defaults for stuff like Final Cut Pro and Safari but if you don't use those then there will be limited utility for you outside of regular function keys or media controls.