Apple introduces 8-core MacBook Pro(apple.com)
apple.com
Apple introduces 8-core MacBook Pro
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/05/apple-introduces-first-8-core-macbook-pro-the-fastest-mac-notebook-ever/
1,034 comments
After 8 years of macbooks, after using the 2018 model, I switched to a Dell Precision 5530 running Ubuntu 18.04 and it is awesome. The hardware is great, and having Unix under it all was the only real reason I liked Macs (used to be hardware, too). Granted, I don't need Adobe stuff, or anything else that doesn't run or have an alternative on Ubuntu (although it is dual-booted with Win10, but I've never used it, just keep it for when I want to play a game)
The Macbook pro 2018 was the worst laptop experience I've had in at least 15+ years. So disappointing, but maybe this will let Unix laptops finally start taking real market share.
The Macbook pro 2018 was the worst laptop experience I've had in at least 15+ years. So disappointing, but maybe this will let Unix laptops finally start taking real market share.
What a clusterF is modern Mac hardware:
- Keyboards with much worse action that are more prone to failure (from dust no less) and require replacing the motherboard to fix... all for a Touchbar no one wants and 0.5mm cut in thickness.
- Loss (over the years) of the ability to upgrade the CPU, SSD or memory;
- Display failures due to broken ribbon cables;
- The USB-C clusterF; and
- Loss of MagSafe (this one still hurts).
All for a premium price.
Go back 5 years and you have two great choices:
1. The 13" Macbook Air for under $1500, which was a great compromise of power, portability and affordability; or
2. The 15" Retina Macbook Pro, which was more upgradeable, less failure prone and had a better keyboard.
I bought a 2017 MBP and I deeply regret it. Luckily it hasn't failed yet. If and when it does I may be better off just throwing it away.
How did Apple lose its way so badly here? Serviceability matters. It's too expensive to be a throwaway device.
So who really cares if your throwaway $44k device can now have 8 instead of 6 cores? Really?
- Keyboards with much worse action that are more prone to failure (from dust no less) and require replacing the motherboard to fix... all for a Touchbar no one wants and 0.5mm cut in thickness.
- Loss (over the years) of the ability to upgrade the CPU, SSD or memory;
- Display failures due to broken ribbon cables;
- The USB-C clusterF; and
- Loss of MagSafe (this one still hurts).
All for a premium price.
Go back 5 years and you have two great choices:
1. The 13" Macbook Air for under $1500, which was a great compromise of power, portability and affordability; or
2. The 15" Retina Macbook Pro, which was more upgradeable, less failure prone and had a better keyboard.
I bought a 2017 MBP and I deeply regret it. Luckily it hasn't failed yet. If and when it does I may be better off just throwing it away.
How did Apple lose its way so badly here? Serviceability matters. It's too expensive to be a throwaway device.
So who really cares if your throwaway $44k device can now have 8 instead of 6 cores? Really?
These used to excite me because I've desperately needed 32gb and faster procs and used to upgrade every 2-3 years but now I just yawn at MBP releases. I'm so unexcited by everything about this form factor other than the fact that it has OSX. I'm guessing I'll be on my 2016 until I finally bite the bullet and quit using OSX if they don't make a more compelling package to spend my $3k on in the next few years.
I don't want thinner. I don't want a touchbar. I don't want this oversized touchpad I touch constantly when it's on my lap. I don't want this terrible keyboard solution required due to the desire for thinness. I don't want to carry 3 USBC dongles or to buy a $350 USBC hub at every single desk I have with monitors (home, work). I want a bigger battery. I want more ports. I want less bezel. I want a chassis that doesn't scratch and dent.
I don't want thinner. I don't want a touchbar. I don't want this oversized touchpad I touch constantly when it's on my lap. I don't want this terrible keyboard solution required due to the desire for thinness. I don't want to carry 3 USBC dongles or to buy a $350 USBC hub at every single desk I have with monitors (home, work). I want a bigger battery. I want more ports. I want less bezel. I want a chassis that doesn't scratch and dent.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/21/apple-announces-new-macboo...
"Today, however, [Apple] told me that they’re taking three explicit steps to help with the keyboard situation. 1. The MacBook Pro keyboard mechanism has had a materials change in the mechanism. [...]"
"Today, however, [Apple] told me that they’re taking three explicit steps to help with the keyboard situation. 1. The MacBook Pro keyboard mechanism has had a materials change in the mechanism. [...]"
I own both a 15" Macbook Pro 2017 model with touch bar and a Dell XPS 15" 2017 model. Both have their pluses and minuses. Both needed major repairs. Dell needed logic board and screen replaced. Mac needed logic board and keyboard.
I mainly use the Mac. It's much quieter, has an amazingly vivid and bright retina display, extremely good battery life, best track pad in the industry and the best speakers on any laptop I've ever had. I like the keyboard, I even game on it. I don't get the whole dongle issue but I'm not a heavy user of peripherals. I have two USB-C port extender dongles should I ever need anything from ethernet to firewire 800. I've used them like twice in the last two years.
The Dell is fine, but I'm just not a big Windows fan. The keyboard is kinda meh, the bluetooth is poor, the screen isn't as bright or vivid and has some light bleed and the build has that cheap plastic feel about it. If it was any more reliable than the Macbook, I think I would be persuaded by the argument about the hardware, but both have had problems, both required lengthy repairs, etc. I have extended warranty on Dell and Applecare for the Mac and I needed them for both.
Laptops fail. My PC motherboard with ultra durable components also failed after two years. Heat and dust and micro-imperfections in silicon will do their thing. Sure, Apple made some questionable design choices. It's still a great machine.
I mainly use the Mac. It's much quieter, has an amazingly vivid and bright retina display, extremely good battery life, best track pad in the industry and the best speakers on any laptop I've ever had. I like the keyboard, I even game on it. I don't get the whole dongle issue but I'm not a heavy user of peripherals. I have two USB-C port extender dongles should I ever need anything from ethernet to firewire 800. I've used them like twice in the last two years.
The Dell is fine, but I'm just not a big Windows fan. The keyboard is kinda meh, the bluetooth is poor, the screen isn't as bright or vivid and has some light bleed and the build has that cheap plastic feel about it. If it was any more reliable than the Macbook, I think I would be persuaded by the argument about the hardware, but both have had problems, both required lengthy repairs, etc. I have extended warranty on Dell and Applecare for the Mac and I needed them for both.
Laptops fail. My PC motherboard with ultra durable components also failed after two years. Heat and dust and micro-imperfections in silicon will do their thing. Sure, Apple made some questionable design choices. It's still a great machine.
Wish there was an option to buy a 15 inch with no touch bar. I cannot find any suitable use for it on my current model, and I often hit items inadvertently due to the lack of tactile feedback
I'm currently using the last, best 2015 macbook, and having tried a newer model as a work computer for a short while previously, am dreading the day I need to think about replacing it.
How about this apple. "macbook util". The pro line can keep the thin delicate stuff. Give me the 2015 case, screen, keyboard, and magsafe, with some new internals and a usb-c. I'd happily hand over my money.
How about this apple. "macbook util". The pro line can keep the thin delicate stuff. Give me the 2015 case, screen, keyboard, and magsafe, with some new internals and a usb-c. I'd happily hand over my money.
The arrow keys and touchbar make that machine completely unsuitable for writing code, at least for me. My right hand needs to unconsciously lock on to the arrow keys, and that's just impossible with that layout. There's nothing to grab on to. My new iMac keyboard sits in a drawer collecting dust solely because of the arrow keys.
And the butterfly mechanism is unproven and untrustworthy, I don't care how many times they update it.
They need to go back to using the same keyboard mechanisms for both their desktops and laptops, and they need to go back to the old arrow key layout.
I will wait another year until 2020.
And the butterfly mechanism is unproven and untrustworthy, I don't care how many times they update it.
They need to go back to using the same keyboard mechanisms for both their desktops and laptops, and they need to go back to the old arrow key layout.
I will wait another year until 2020.
8-core CPU, even presumably with HT off after all the recent Intel vulnerabilities, makes me laugh after my personal experience with my late 2016 MacBook Pro 13 touch bar with fastest (at that time) i7. During normal browsing especially with plugged charger, it was heating so much that something in the keyboard was unglueing. The space bar and 'c' produced different clicking sound. I was quite unhappy with that since it was my first experience with Apple products. I took it to Apple Store, they replaced the top part (with keyboard), it fixed 'c' and 'space', but issue appeared in '~' and 'tab'. I took it again to Apple Store, they replaced top part again. And again same issue with different keys. I took it there again, since replacing top case didn't help they proposed to replace whole laptop. I agreed. New laptop had the same issue again so I had nothing to do but wait when Apple will acknowledge the issue. They didn't but started to replace keyboards because of key stucking issue, so I requested a fix again and finally they managed to fix it...
As someone who is desperately wanting to upgrade from a mid-2012. I say big deal.
No better display like oled. Looks like the same keyboard to me. Oh the material has changed? Who cares, it's the same failing mechanism. More CPU eh? Means it'll just get hotter much quicker and there will be more throttling to be fixed via software.
At this rate, for Apple to get my $$$ again they'll have to release a 16" [oled] macbook pro, with a redesigned keyboard and arm chipset so that the body is entirely cool even under load.
Maybe in 2022 I can see myself buying another macbook pro. Man, I can't wait till Tim Cook gets replaced. We need another visionary at he helm of Apple. Someone who will push the envelope again!
No better display like oled. Looks like the same keyboard to me. Oh the material has changed? Who cares, it's the same failing mechanism. More CPU eh? Means it'll just get hotter much quicker and there will be more throttling to be fixed via software.
At this rate, for Apple to get my $$$ again they'll have to release a 16" [oled] macbook pro, with a redesigned keyboard and arm chipset so that the body is entirely cool even under load.
Maybe in 2022 I can see myself buying another macbook pro. Man, I can't wait till Tim Cook gets replaced. We need another visionary at he helm of Apple. Someone who will push the envelope again!
Apple designers need a new mantra, the age-old adage: "Form follows function." As it is, they're choosing a form ahead of time and compromising on function.
The vast majority of users choose Macs because of the great OS and the hardware specs. The "thinness" or "sleekness" is only a nice-to-have, and only if it doesn't require compromise elsewhere.
The vast majority of users choose Macs because of the great OS and the hardware specs. The "thinness" or "sleekness" is only a nice-to-have, and only if it doesn't require compromise elsewhere.
My 2018 Macbook Pro's screen failed. They replaced it for free, but damaged the webcam in the process.
They told me I'd need to pay over 500 dollars to get it fixed since I could not prove it was damaged while switching screens.
I’ll sacrifice myself at the alter of Steve Jobs. I have a 2018 MacBook Pro with a 6-core CPU and 32GB of RAM and I absolutely love it (with exception to the Touch Bar which sucks if you’re a VIM user). Once you get used to the butterfly keyboard you can fly. The light weight makes traveling with a 15 inch laptop a pleasant experience. The screen, speakers, and touch pad are fantastic. I haven’t had a single issue with the keyboard, and I am constant munching on food, getting crumbs in between the keyboard, etc. Dongle life isn’t as bad as it sounds. Put one in your backpack and use it when needed. I also bought the LG 5K monitor and that has been the perfect compliment to this laptop. OK back to drinking more kool aid.
When in God's name will they get rid of TouchBar? I DESPISE IT. Why not add the function keys back and add the touch bar above it? I see that there's space above!
Am I the only one that feels this way?
Am I the only one that feels this way?
Wow, people are really salty about Apple.
I too wish they would make a better computer, but for now I continue to use them because they are the only machine that I can work on with little fuss of setup and go.
I have the 2018 model with the "Keyboard" which has been fine because I use a Bluetooth Mechanical keyboard anyway and a BT Mouse. I have a single cable or "Dongle" that supplies power, 3 displays, 5 USB 3.0 type A, 2 USB Type C, a SD Card Reader and Ethernet. Its also Daisy-Chained to an External GPU and temps stay good. When I need to go portable I just unplug a single cable and go.
I too wish they would make a better computer, but for now I continue to use them because they are the only machine that I can work on with little fuss of setup and go.
I have the 2018 model with the "Keyboard" which has been fine because I use a Bluetooth Mechanical keyboard anyway and a BT Mouse. I have a single cable or "Dongle" that supplies power, 3 displays, 5 USB 3.0 type A, 2 USB Type C, a SD Card Reader and Ethernet. Its also Daisy-Chained to an External GPU and temps stay good. When I need to go portable I just unplug a single cable and go.
I checked their store out of curiosity.
Switching from 512MB to 1TB SSD: +$400
WHY? This is literally the only thing that bothers me about Apple pricing. I get that you pay for the design, I get the quirks like introducing touch bar, everything. But I don't get why upgrading from a $50 to a $100 SSD adds 400 dollars.
Switching from 512MB to 1TB SSD: +$400
WHY? This is literally the only thing that bothers me about Apple pricing. I get that you pay for the design, I get the quirks like introducing touch bar, everything. But I don't get why upgrading from a $50 to a $100 SSD adds 400 dollars.
Just thought I’d chime in to say I’m loving my Thinkpad X1 with Debian.
If you want to install Debian on the X1 it’s pretty easy. Just make sure to fix some of the sleep issues using the (easy) instructions on this page, which in my experience still apply to Debian: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carb...
If you want to install Debian on the X1 it’s pretty easy. Just make sure to fix some of the sleep issues using the (easy) instructions on this page, which in my experience still apply to Debian: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carb...
They can try to cram all the overheating CPU power into the thin chassis as much as they like, but it is lagging so much behind in GPU power.
The top-of-the-line option, a Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2, doesn't seems like it's going to perform much better than an NVidia Geforce GTX 1050[0], and at $350 extra it's twice the cost of a standalone NVidia Geforce GTX 1050.
[0]: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-pro-vega-20.c32...
The top-of-the-line option, a Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4GB of HBM2, doesn't seems like it's going to perform much better than an NVidia Geforce GTX 1050[0], and at $350 extra it's twice the cost of a standalone NVidia Geforce GTX 1050.
[0]: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-pro-vega-20.c32...
Mac user since 1984. Zero problems with my 2017 MBP other than a loose command key that was replaced same-day, within 5 mins after arriving at the store. My company has bought 20+ MBP in the past two years. We’ve had three units with screen issues (stuck pixels etc) that were all replaced on the spot.
None of that outweighs the conveniences of OS X.
I’ve been reading about how Apple screwed the pooch for almost forty years now, and yet they just keep taking over the world...
None of that outweighs the conveniences of OS X.
I’ve been reading about how Apple screwed the pooch for almost forty years now, and yet they just keep taking over the world...
There was a rumor about a new 16.5 inches mbp. I guess that would be another year then.
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/17/apple-plans-new-1...
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/02/17/apple-plans-new-1...
I have the 15" 2018 MacBook Pro and would not recommend one until the following issues are resolved:
- It runs really, really hot. It cannot be used on your lap. I cannot imagine how hot a faster model would be.
- The keyboard is unreliable. I have not had the stuck key problem (yet!), but I do notice occasional crunching like something is stuck in the keys. I do not eat around this machine on purpose.
- The Touchbar is really bad. I wanted to like it. But, it is annoying more times than it is helpful.
- Not having a touchscreen when every other high end machine does seems more and more like a gap that needs to be resolved.
- Windows management continues to be crap in OSX.
There are a lot of good things. The screen is good. The touchpad is top notch. OSX is reliable and fast. But, yeah, the hardware just sucks right now. No way around it.
- It runs really, really hot. It cannot be used on your lap. I cannot imagine how hot a faster model would be.
- The keyboard is unreliable. I have not had the stuck key problem (yet!), but I do notice occasional crunching like something is stuck in the keys. I do not eat around this machine on purpose.
- The Touchbar is really bad. I wanted to like it. But, it is annoying more times than it is helpful.
- Not having a touchscreen when every other high end machine does seems more and more like a gap that needs to be resolved.
- Windows management continues to be crap in OSX.
There are a lot of good things. The screen is good. The touchpad is top notch. OSX is reliable and fast. But, yeah, the hardware just sucks right now. No way around it.
There is zero benefit to more powerful CPUs in MacBooks when the thermal profile of the CPU heatsink design leads to throttling very rapidly.
I'm a few weeks into an XPS 15 after a decade of Apple. I'm really liking it as well. I'm even running Windows 10, of all things— between WSL and native SSH + git and friends on powershell via Chocolatey, I'm finding it surprisingly comfortable.
I think my main frustration is just that a few things about the trackpad aren't quite right. For example, I can't find a combination of settings under Windows which give the physical right-click behaviour that Mac OS has.
I think my main frustration is just that a few things about the trackpad aren't quite right. For example, I can't find a combination of settings under Windows which give the physical right-click behaviour that Mac OS has.
Is it possible to get them without the touchbar? I’ve pounded my poor old MacBook (2013) into submission and the bottom row of keys are starting to not work intermittently. We’ve got a bunch of the newer machines in the office and I just can’t get on with that keyboard and touchbar.
After the keyboard on my 2017 MBP started to fail, I “upgraded” to a 2018 model because I couldn’t afford to be without a machine for a week or longer. Now the keyboard on this supposedly improved model is also starting to go.
For many years I was a very happy Apple customer and even converted several family members to MacBooks. But now that Apple has shown just how little regard they have for their pro customers by trying to sell us this broken keyboard for the fourth time I’m getting off the bus for good. My next laptop will not be a Mac. Thank god I stopped doing iOS development.
For many years I was a very happy Apple customer and even converted several family members to MacBooks. But now that Apple has shown just how little regard they have for their pro customers by trying to sell us this broken keyboard for the fourth time I’m getting off the bus for good. My next laptop will not be a Mac. Thank god I stopped doing iOS development.
How hot will this thing be with 8 cores? Unless they've cut some ventilation holes in the bottom of the laptop. MBPs aren't exactly known for good thermal regulation (my previous one I had to actually undervolt the CPU so it wouldn't overheat while playing games for even < 30m).
Don't see anything re: keyboard so guessing that there aren't any changes there, unfortunately.
Don't see anything re: keyboard so guessing that there aren't any changes there, unfortunately.
A few months after purchase and my MacBook Pro's keyboard has already been in for repairs and the screen glitch is too intermittent to replicate so they won't fix it. A Mac without Applecare+ is foolhardy -- these machines are engineered to fail under normal use -- so this should be considered as part of the base price IMHO. Applecare only covers 3 years so that's the lifetime of the product. That's an expensive value prop.
My colleague's Macbook keyboard broke today. Close to 400 quid to diagnose and fix (we declined, its a huge chunk of the original price). Just ofer 4 years old (which is nothing) and juuuuust out of the replacement programme Apple has for keyboards they knew were faulty.
Lifelong Apple suporter until the past few years. Avoid like the plague.
My colleague's Macbook keyboard broke today. Close to 400 quid to diagnose and fix (we declined, its a huge chunk of the original price). Just ofer 4 years old (which is nothing) and juuuuust out of the replacement programme Apple has for keyboards they knew were faulty.
Lifelong Apple suporter until the past few years. Avoid like the plague.
It's telling that they immediately list these brand new laptops on their page offering extended support for the defective keyboards[1].
Unpopular opinion, but I continue to believe Apple needs to just walk away from the computer business. It's a negligible part of their core phone business, and it shows. I really wish that they'd license the OS to let people (and OEMs) build quality workstations.
[1] https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-m...
Unpopular opinion, but I continue to believe Apple needs to just walk away from the computer business. It's a negligible part of their core phone business, and it shows. I really wish that they'd license the OS to let people (and OEMs) build quality workstations.
[1] https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-m...
My MacBook Air keyboard is a PITA with repeating and spurious keys. The software is buggier ever week. Apps crash, OS X freezes. And I have similar problems with my other Apple devices.
Problem is, it’s still far superior for anyone who needs to do technical and general office work. Tried Linux, doesn’t cut it for the latter. And the industrial design etc is still much better.
So Apple is on this downward trend in quality, and it worries me because there’s no alternative. Are we just going to see productivity drop across the board as Apple gradually regresses back to the mean?
We need more Apple-like companies designing great products.
Problem is, it’s still far superior for anyone who needs to do technical and general office work. Tried Linux, doesn’t cut it for the latter. And the industrial design etc is still much better.
So Apple is on this downward trend in quality, and it worries me because there’s no alternative. Are we just going to see productivity drop across the board as Apple gradually regresses back to the mean?
We need more Apple-like companies designing great products.
iFixit detailed the issues with the screens, which (in Apple's unending quest for "thinness") use a thinner flex cable to connect the display to the rest of the laptop. This thinner cable is prone to breakage, and we are already seeing 2016-2017 MacBook Pros in our shop regularly for this issue.
Since Apple built the flex cable into the display, the only solution (even from third parties like us) is a new display. At $600-$700 each, this is unacceptable.
And, like the keyboards, this is a part that's pretty much guaranteed to fail (unless you basically never open your laptop.)
Apple hasn't announced a fix yet, even with a petition with over 11,000 signatures, and more screens failing by the day.
From the time the keyboard issues happened, I made a strong recommendation to avoid buying these. If you can do your work on a PC, do so. (Personally, I now use a Dell XPS 15 as a "desktop replacement", and kept my old 2013 MacBook Pro around too.) If you need a Mac, consider a desktop version (with a SSD!), or stick with the 2015 or older MacBooks.
Even if you think the keyboard issues are fixed, consider too that this is the 4th generation of these keyboards--and Apple promised that the 2nd and 3rd generation would fix these as well. This plus the screen issues means switching to PC if you need speed should be a serious consideration.
iFixit article on "stage light" display issues/"flexgate": https://ifixit.org/blog/12903/flexgate/