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The No Touch Bar 13 Macbook Version
- Thread starter Abaganov
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Yes, I worked in Xcode this morning on the absolute base model (2.0 / 8 gig). There's absolutely good working performance, I don't get much difference compared to my 2015 5K iMac. The fast SSD makes a huge difference and seems to make up for the somewhat slower CPU.
I agree with this. The cpu is decent, but the SSD, which is a huge bottleneck in overall performance, really is noticeable. Really highlights the importance of fast storage memory.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My Macbook Air actually runs Xcode pretty well too with the exception of launching the iPad Pro simulator. Moving from screen to screen in the iPad Pro simulator is quite sluggish. Android emulator is a real pain as it takes like forever to load.
I don't have experience with the Android emulator, but I you want me to you can send me an example iPad project which is sluggish on your Air. It's no problem for me to test it and to share how it behaves in the simulator on my basic nTB.
Hello everybody, the non touchbar mbp is the only machine I really am considering and I will go to see it in the store soon. I would go for 16/256 and i7 probably.
I followed ifix tear down and they said the SSD is removable but proprietary. What does it mean? Could we upgrade it in the future? I think we will not be able to put a Samsung, but will other companies(or apple?) provide the upgradable part?
I followed ifix tear down and they said the SSD is removable but proprietary. What does it mean? Could we upgrade it in the future? I think we will not be able to put a Samsung, but will other companies(or apple?) provide the upgradable part?
The SSD é removable but it's a proprietary format anyway, so I guess it can't be upgraded by the user (or at least for now). The good thing is that you can save it in case you need to replace the logic board.
The i7 is a waste of money... read here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2-0-ghz-i5.2017208/
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What do you all think about this configuration with the discount? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1294079-REG/apple_z0sw_mll427_bh_13_3_macbook_pro_space.html
They also don't charge shipping or tax
They also don't charge shipping or tax
@applepizzaz4u If you know you will need the SSD space and the extra RAM for regular heavy load usage, that price would be a good move. If not, it doesn't make sense to get more just to say you have more, as it would be wasted money. And for those in the resale choir, unless one recoups what one paid for said product, resale song and dance is illogical and a waste of money as well.
I've noticed how loud these speakers are, and that the sound is coming out of exhaust vents apparently. It seems that the touch bar version has the sound coming out of the sides. It's rather difficult to visualize how these speakers can even make sound, looking at the iFixit teardowns, but it would be fun to compare the sounds between TB and wo/TB (great for watching videos, BTW)
I'm quite happy with this machine minus the ports, any port "stations" coming soon that are easy on the eye? 
I'm quite happy with this machine minus the ports, any port "stations" coming soon that are easy on the eye?
For now the best ones I've seen are the ones offered by OWC and satechi
It's basically the same situation that we had with the previous model years. Apple unfortunately doesn't sell the proprietary SSDs separately. There's a grey market of (mostly used) Apple SSDs, but they're expensive and you never know if they are worn out or have faulty cells. There have been one or two 3rd party replacements, but they were also expensive and had reliability issues and slower performance than the Apple originals.
Bottomline: Don't count on being able to upgrade the SSD later.
I finally got a chance to go to the local Apple Store and play with the touchbar. I'm 150% glad/happy/satisfied I got the non-touchbar version. Even the Apple Store employees I talked to said that they had traded in their 15" touchbar version for a non-touchbar.
Here's what I really don't get. After seeing how thin and short the touchbar is, why couldn't they have added it on TOP of the function keys. There's definitely room on the 15" and I think enough room on the 13".
To a T, every employee I talked to (only 3, but still) said the #1 thing that pissed them off was the escape key not being tactile. The 2nd was have to look away from the screen to look at the touchbar.
I also noticed, when using it, I used the middle of the bar about 90% of the time. I can't say it would happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of that bar gets overused and ends up craping out (like spacebar, WSAD, etc., used to do when people first started playing games on old school keyboards).
Here's what I really don't get. After seeing how thin and short the touchbar is, why couldn't they have added it on TOP of the function keys. There's definitely room on the 15" and I think enough room on the 13".
To a T, every employee I talked to (only 3, but still) said the #1 thing that pissed them off was the escape key not being tactile. The 2nd was have to look away from the screen to look at the touchbar.
I also noticed, when using it, I used the middle of the bar about 90% of the time. I can't say it would happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of that bar gets overused and ends up craping out (like spacebar, WSAD, etc., used to do when people first started playing games on old school keyboards).
Thanks for the reply, it was exactly what I was looking for (comparison with older gen).
That is sad, was hoping about to go for the 256 with the future upgrade in mind.
Anyone going with the 128gb/2.7/8gb model for $1299?
What are the differences between the processors and graphics in terms of performance? I see the speeds but know that clock speeds are not the whole picture.
I'm not a power user and I don't have a lot of media. If I need extra storage I could either utilize cloud storage (box, dropbox, google drive) or buy and external hard drive. Obviously there is a break even point with a cloud storage subscription but both seem to be cost effective options compared to spending an extra $200.
What are the differences between the processors and graphics in terms of performance? I see the speeds but know that clock speeds are not the whole picture.
I'm not a power user and I don't have a lot of media. If I need extra storage I could either utilize cloud storage (box, dropbox, google drive) or buy and external hard drive. Obviously there is a break even point with a cloud storage subscription but both seem to be cost effective options compared to spending an extra $200.
That's the 2015 rMBP though. If you wanted to go that route, it might be more economical to look into refurbished units as you might be able to get better specs at around the same price range...
You're right, I assumed it was the 2016! Should have known by the different picture format
Nice, your convincing. But the way you make is sound, you would be crazy to buy the touch bar
And, I'm pretty sure you could find an Apple retail employee who would recommend it. Just a hunch. Also, the move from a 15" $2500 machine to a 13" $1300 machine might have other motivations.
I have the non-touch bar myself, but it would be nice to try the touch bar eventually; assuming there's not a riot at Apple destroying the plant.
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possibly upgradeable down the line from 3rd party (ie. owc) but not for sure and definitely costly. spend the money on the i7 towards a 512gig drive for future proofing (and you'll get a faster drive)
Yeah probably I could do that: 16gb/2.0/512gb. I think this could be my workhorse for next years.
The owc hub looks perfect for a powerful setup, I'm wondering how many external displays this machine can handle at max. (i know what Apple says but I'm more interested in external setup enthusiasts)
Do you think 2 x 1080 + 1 x 4k could work with it? What about 2x 4k +1 x1080p?