I must agree functionality is very important. I am glad these computers pack a bit of a punch now, but I am unhappy about other things. Hoping my 2014 lasts quite a while.
On 8/13/18, 'Devin Prater' via MacVisionaries <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote: > Well, I care about sound and functionality, but you’re right otherwise. > Sound quality and 3D/surround sound is a big thing for me. > >> On Aug 13, 2018, at 6:12 AM, Raymond Foret Jr <rforet7...@comcast.net> >> wrote: >> >> No wonder some sighted people are so shallow. All they care about is the >> damn screen! We tend to care about actual functionality. Is it any >> wonder they’re such dunderheads? >> >> >> Sent from the first computer with built-in screen reader access for the >> blind: >> >> Sincerely, >> >> The constantly barefooted Ray >> >>> On Aug 12, 2018, at 8:05 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu >>> <mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>> wrote: >>> >>> Comment: First impressions after nearly a month with Apple’s 2018 >>> 13-inch >>> MacBook Pro, 9 to 5 Mac >>> By Chance Miller >>> >>> Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pro has been available for almost a month now and >>> despite the fact that the update was announced via a press release, this >>> year’s revision brings some notable changes. While everything looks the >>> same >>> on the surface, the 2018 MacBook Pro packs more power, an improved >>> keyboard, >>> and more. >>> Switching from a 12-inch MacBook >>> For the past year, I’ve been a loyal user of Apple’s 12-inch MacBook. >>> While >>> I was fond of its small and easily portable profile, I grew tired of the >>> cramped 12-inch screen size and inferior processor and other internal >>> specs. >>> Coming to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, I was worried the added weight and >>> thickness would be jarring – but what I’ve actually found is that the >>> added >>> screen real estate and processing power are more than worth the >>> additional >>> heft. >>> The 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs in at 3.02 pounds, which compares to the >>> 2.03 >>> pounds of the 12-inch MacBook. While a 50 percent increase in weight may >>> seem like a lot on paper, it really comes down to your needs. >>> Personally, >>> I’m at a point where I’d rather have additional power and screen real >>> estate >>> than a machine that is 1 pound lighter. >>> >>> In fact, a few times over the last three weeks with the 13-inch 2018 >>> MacBook >>> Pro, I’ve wondered if I would like the 15-inch model even more. In >>> general, >>> however, I’ve been able to qualm this internal questioning by adjusting >>> the >>> resolution of the display. By default, the MacBook Pro 13-inch ships at >>> a >>> scaled resolution that appears like 1440×900. Personally, I’ve found it >>> incredibly beneficial to change this setting to the next step up, which >>> “looks like” 1680×1050, according to Apple. >>> Ultimately, what I’ve found is that for my needs, the 13-inch MacBook Pro >>> is >>> a perfect size. As a student, I get the portability I need, paired with >>> enough screen real estate and horsepower underneath the hood for >>> anything >>> I’ll throw its way. >>> True Tone makes a difference >>> On the surface, the addition of True Tone technology doesn’t necessarily >>> sound like a big change. Much like on the iPhone and iPad, however, it’s >>> hard to go back once you’ve experienced it. >>> True Tone is Apple’s display technology that automatically adjusts the >>> color >>> and intensity of your display (and Touch Bar) based on your >>> surroundings. >>> Apple touts that True Tone makes things “appear more natural,” with more >>> of >>> a yellow tint than the classic blue tint of most computer displays. >>> The True Tone technology in MacBook Pro (2018) uses advanced >>> multichannel >>> sensors to adjust the color and intensity of your display and Touch Bar >>> to >>> match the ambient light so that images appear more natural. >>> Just because I’m a fan of True Tone, however, doesn’t mean it’s for >>> everyone. On a pro-grade machine, there are plenty of use cases where >>> True >>> Tone just doesn’t make sense – including photo and video editing, >>> graphic >>> design, and much more. >>> Thankfully, Apple makes it relatively easy to disable True Tone. Simply >>> head >>> to System Preferences, choose “Displays” and look for the True Tone >>> check >>> box. Once you uncheck True Tone, you’ll immediately notice a difference >>> in >>> your display’s temperature and color. >>> For me, True Tone support has been a long time coming for the Mac – but >>> it’s >>> nice that Apple makes it easy enough to disable in instances where it >>> doesn’t make sense. >>> Keyboard >>> >>> Ah, the controversial keyboard. I don’t really have a lot to say here as >>> I’ve been a fan of the Butterfly keyboard. I was an early adopter of the >>> 12-inch MacBook when it first launched in 2015, so I’ve become accustomed >>> to >>> it over the years. >>> The improvements Apple has made since 2015 are certainly notable. This >>> time >>> around, the company touted that the keyboard is “quieter,” while >>> teardowns >>> revealed that the new keyboard actually features an additional silicon >>> membrane to prevent debris from getting under the keys. >>> This change fixes the biggest problem I had with the Butterfly keyboard: >>> keys getting stuck because of debris like crumbs getting underneath. >>> Perhaps >>> it’s because I’ve used the Butterfly keyboard for three years, but I’ve >>> grown very fond of the low key travel and have no complaints there. >>> In terms of quietness, there’s certainly a very subtle difference, but >>> nothing worth writing home about. It’s still louder than the old MacBook >>> Pro >>> keyboards, but I personally don’t think that’s a huge issue. It is, >>> however, >>> hard to ignore that Apple likely isn’t touting the true improvements of >>> this >>> year’s keyboard design due to legal reasons and the multiple class >>> action >>> lawsuits it faces. >>> As someone who is a fan of the Butterfly keyboard, Apple has done >>> nothing >>> but make improvements since 2015. I’d personally wager that the keyboard >>> is >>> now to the same quality of the much-loved 2015 MacBook Pro. Not everyone >>> will be a fan of it, but I no longer have any complaints. >>> Touch Bar >>> In 2016, my colleague Ben Lovejoy wrote that he wondered if Apple had >>> “invented a cool piece of tech and then tried to figure out what it’s >>> for” >>> when it added the Touch Bar to the MacBook Pro. >>> Two years later, I can’t help but wonder the same thing. I see no >>> obvious >>> issue with the Touch Bar, but no obvious benefit. Some things like >>> adjusting >>> the volume and brightness are a bit easier, as is iTunes audio control, >>> but >>> some features like autocorrect and word prediction are rather pointless. >>> One has to wonder what the future of the Touch Bar really is. So many >>> pro >>> users have expressed disdain for it, and many simply set the display to >>> show >>> traditional function keys. Apple hasn’t made any notable improvements to >>> how >>> its applications embrace the Touch Bar, either. Is it possible the next >>> hardware redesign will ditch the Touch Bar altogether, or majorly revamp >>> the >>> concept? Only time will tell, but I personally would not be surprised. >>> Battery life >>> >>> It’s time for Apple to double down on MacBook Pro battery life. As >>> you’ll >>> remember, when the new Touch Bar line of MacBook Pros launched in 2016, >>> a >>> flurry of users raised concerns about poor battery life. Apple’s response >>> to >>> these issues was to remove the “time remaining” estimate from the >>> battery >>> widget. >>> At the time, Apple said it conducted an internal investigation and >>> concluded >>> that there were no hardware flaws with the MacBook Pro. This year, Apple >>> says it has actually increased the battery capacity of the MacBook Pro, >>> but >>> that additional battery power is eaten up by more power-hungry >>> processors. >>> In my use – which consists of web browsing, writing, light photo >>> editing, >>> and audio consumption, I’m generally able to net just around or slightly >>> under 5 hours of battery life with the 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro. This is >>> a >>> stark comparison to Apple’s “up to 10 hours” claim for the MacBook Pro. >>> Personally, I’m longing for the day when Apple doubles down on MacBook >>> Pro >>> battery life. With many Windows PCs nowadays easily netting 7-10 hours >>> of >>> battery life, what I’ve been experiencing with the 2018 MacBook Pro just >>> doesn’t cut it anymore. While it’s possible my decision to bump the >>> screen >>> resolution is affecting battery life, my preliminary testing and >>> research >>> shows it doesn’t have a big effect, if any. >>> One little trick that I have discovered, via Marco Arment, is a utility >>> called Turbo Boost Switcher Pro. What this app does is disable Turbo >>> Boost >>> in an effort to extend battery life. Personally, I have it set to >>> automatically disable Turbo Boost when my MacBook Pro is running on >>> battery >>> power. In doing this, I’m generally able to push runtime closer to 6 >>> hours >>> rather than 5. >>> Of course, this is simply a band-aid for a bigger problem – which is >>> that >>> Apple either needs a bigger battery or improved power management for the >>> MacBook Pro. Nevertheless, for my personal use, the loss of Turbo Boost >>> is >>> certainly worth the added battery life when on the go. >>> Is the base model the way to go? >>> Coming from a 12-inch MacBook, I decided that the base model 13-inch >>> MacBook >>> Pro would be more than enough power for me. And in many cases, that has >>> turned out to be right. >>> My 2018 MacBook Pro features a 2.3GHz quad-core 8th generation Intel Core >>> i5 >>> processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz and Intel Iris Plus Graphics >>> 655. >>> Further, it’s packing 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. >>> In my use, there haven’t been many things I’ve thrown at the MacBook Pro >>> that it can’t handle. The only time I notice sluggishness is when I have >>> a >>> slew of Safari tabs and applications open. Thus, if I had upgraded any >>> aspect of my base MacBook Pro, I wish it had been the RAM. Apple charges >>> $200 to double the amount of RAM to 16GB – and if I had to tell people >>> to >>> upgrade one thing, RAM would be it. >>> Perhaps most notably, this year marks the first time that the 13-inch >>> MacBook Pro features a quad-core processor. With the 2018 refresh, Apple >>> doubled the 13-inch processors from two cores to four, while the 15-inch >>> machine now packs 6 cores. >>> Does this mean the base MacBook Pro is perfect for everyone? Absolutely >>> not. >>> For the people who truly fall into the “Pro” field as Apple describes, >>> the >>> base model is most likely not enough. For me, however, being far from a >>> “Pro” at anything, the base model MacBook Pro is more than enough power. >>> Wrap up >>> >>> Apple’s definition of “Pro” has certainly evolved over the years. Since >>> this >>> body-style MacBook Pro was introduced in 2016, things have gone anything >>> but >>> smoothly. Many have balked at the Touch Bar, USB-C ports, keyboard, and >>> more. >>> This year, despite not changing the body style, Apple has addressed >>> perhaps >>> the biggest keyboard concern, and packed more power under the hood than >>> ever >>> before. USB-C has evolved dramatically since 2016, and despite the >>> dongle >>> jokes that still write themselves, the transition has gone more smoothly >>> than many had hoped. >>> Is the 2018 MacBook Pro perfect? Absolutely not. Like I said, I’m >>> waiting >>> eagerly for Apple to address lingering battery life concerns, while >>> Touch >>> Bar usability is also still lacking. Ultimately, however, this year >>> marks >>> several important steps forward for the MacBook Pro – and hopefully it’s >>> a >>> sign of things to come. >>> >>> Original Article at: >>> https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/11/2018-macbook-pro-impressions/ >>> <https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/11/2018-macbook-pro-impressions/> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >>> Visionaries list. >>> >>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >>> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >>> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >>> >>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark >>> at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >>> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >>> >>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: >> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries >> <https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac > Visionaries list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. 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