The No Touch Bar 13 Macbook Version

[ka-spot]

Now that my beloved auntie has sequestered my trusty 2013 Macbook Pro, I'm now looking for a new laptop . I'm honestly taking a hard look at the none touch bar model and simply upgrade it with 16gb of RAM and more storage.

The none TB Macbook Pro has three things going for me:

1. Longer Battery Life
2. Traditional Keyboard
3. Finally, this model has UNSOLDERED SSD STORAGE. This is a huge deal for me for longevity. Everybody knows that the very first thing to fail in a computer is usually storage. What happens down the line when your expensive touchbar Macbook Pro's SSD fails after Applecare has expired? Replace the whole motherboard? I guess if you upgrade every three years its not a problem but it could be an issue if you are like me and keep yours indefinetly.

If my none touch bar SSD dies in the future after Applecare has expired its more likely that I can get a replacement on ebay or some thrid party vendor and install it myself. When my out of warranty 2013 retina Macbook Pro SSD died, I just sourced a spare from OWC and its up and running again.

This is just speculative on my part but if the second hand market realise they need to replace the whole motherboard if the SSD fails, wont this negatively impact the resell value of the touchbar Macbook Pro in the future?

"**** happens" leads to "get over it" long story short: your SSD (and any other part) can fail in any macbook and also can last (very) long time (soldered or not, but actually may be better to be soldered). if you are interested just google it and read. eg: http://betanews.com/2014/12/05/modern-ssds-can-last-a-lifetime/

 

[Flaxh]

Hi everyone!

Got the MBP two weeks ago and I'm loving it so far! The only downside for me has been the lack of accessories like hubs or cases made just for the 2016 model. Also, the USB-C Displays offer is still pretty limited so I'm wondering if any of you is using the LG 27UD88 as an external display and how's the performance.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bronson372]

"**** happens" leads to "get over it" long story short: your SSD (and any other part) can fail in any macbook and also can last (very) long time (soldered or not, but actually may be better to be soldered). if you are interested just google it and read. eg: http://betanews.com/2014/12/05/modern-ssds-can-last-a-lifetime/

yes if all the time is empty...

 

[vmflapem]

Returning my base model 13" Touch Bar MBP for a non-touch bar MBP. Here are the reasons:

1. For the same price, I can upgrade the non-touch bar MBP to 16GB RAM & 512GB SSD
2. Performance is only slightly 'worse' than the touch bar model. I will be using it for watching youtubes & pdf documenting
3. Better battery life (as a student, having that extra 2 hours of battery life is valuable)
4. Touch Bar is useless, at least for now. Also, I like having an actual ESC key.
5. Touch Bar seems quite buggy and unstable at the moment. Also, I feel like there's going to be a major change/upgrade of the touch bar in the next generation

 

[ka-spot]

Returning my base model 13" Touch Bar MBP for a non-touch bar MBP. Here are the reasons:

1. For the same price, I can upgrade the non-touch bar MBP to 16GB RAM & 512GB SSD
2. Performance is only slightly 'worse' than the touch bar model. I will be using it for watching youtubes & pdf documenting
3. Better battery life (as a student, having that extra 2 hours of battery life is valuable)
4. Touch Bar is useless, at least for now. Also, I like having an actual ESC key.
5. Touch Bar seems quite buggy and unstable at the moment. Also, I feel like there's going to be a major change/upgrade of the touch bar in the next generation

the TB is like the golden watch – unnecessary – and just like the golden watch – will disappear in time
(just an opinion)

"Can't innovate anymore, my ass". just keep on keeping on...

 

[Salaryman Ryan]

"**** happens" leads to "get over it" long story short: your SSD (and any other part) can fail in any macbook and also can last (very) long time (soldered or not, but actually may be better to be soldered). if you are interested just google it and read. eg: http://betanews.com/2014/12/05/modern-ssds-can-last-a-lifetime/

I read the article, it was interesting but not everyone seem to agree, lots of rebuttals in the comments section. I personally want to believe the author's claim though. Still my 2013 Macbook Pro had a relatively modern SSD and that went south right after the warranty expired, so many variables its difficult to tell. And thats my main point. A unsoldered SSD can certainly be easier to replace then a soldered one. CPU, RAM, and GPU seem to last forever so its okay to glue them to the case, its usually storage that dies relatively quickly and needs to be replaced.

I'm personally curious why Apple needs to solder their SSDs in the touch bar versions. What are the technical reasons and advantages? Also why do you think it is better soldered?

 

[Acronyc]

I read the article, it was interesting but not everyone seem to agree, lots of rebuttals in the comments section. I personally want to believe the author's claim though. Still my 2013 Macbook Pro had a relatively modern SSD and that went south right after the warranty expired, so many variables its difficult to tell. And thats my main point. A unsoldered SSD can certainly be easier to replace then a soldered one. CPU, RAM, and GPU seem to last forever so its okay to clue them to the case, its usually storage that dies relatively quickly and need to be replaced.

I'm personally curious why Apple needs to solder their SSDs in the touch bar versions. What are thetechnical reasons and advantages? Also why do you think it is better soldered?

This is just anecdotal evidence, but I've never had an Apple SSD fail on me. My 2010 11" MacBook Air SSD lasted longer than other parts in the machine (screen broke due to a drop by my sibling) and my old 2012 rMBP 15" was still working perfectly when I sold it after four years of use. The newer Macs I've owned - 2015/16 MacBooks and 2014 mini - never had issues as well.

This aside, even though I never experienced a failure they can certainly happen and I definitely feel more comfortable having a removable SSD. It's one reason I'm happy with my choice of the ntbMBP.

I'm also curious though as to if there's any concrete technical proof if the failure rate is lower for SSDs that are soldered than those that are not.

 

[Qwe9203]

Do the Apple stores carry any upgraded configurations beside the base models for the Escape Editions?

 

[ghanwani]

Just picked up my silver 2.0/16/512 today. Amazing machine so far. Super fast compared to my 2010 MBP, great screen (I'm using it in 1280x800 because my eyes are not that good) and great speakers. Love the silver.

Keyboard is noisy. It doesn't bother me, but I can see it bothering the person I'm sitting next to, especially if they're having a bad day.

I chose to not enable FireVault at setup. I think I'm OK with not encrypting files since the device will seldom leave my house.

I plan to load my files and apps manually. Why is it that apps such as dropbox and Skype aren't available in the App Store and need to downloaded from the 'net?

Currently using safari, normally I use chrome. Let's see how long I can stay away from chrome.

I know it's still my honeymoon phase, but barely 2 hours into getting the machine and I'm already thinking of how best to get rid of my old one. 6 years with a laptop is too long.

 

[wchigo]

Do the Apple stores carry any upgraded configurations beside the base models for the Escape Editions?

I think some forum members said they've seen the 2.4/16/512 (or was it 1TB?) version in stores before...

 

[ghanwani]

OK, after using it a bit longer I find that it gets really hot when watching movies (as hot as my 6 year old MBP). Is this expected? Would it help to have a faster processor? Would it help to go touch bar?

 

[Skoopman]

I got my n/TB a few days ago and have to say that it's quite an upgrade from a 2012 MBA. The first thing I did was install TG Pro because I'm paranoid about Macs getting too hot. I hate how Apple prefers a dead silent system to a cool one.

After I installed the app, I thought something was broken because the fans didn't spin at all. I quickly found out that this is normal for the newer models.

Still, I set the fan to always run at around 2,400 rpm and you can't hear it. It also stays cooler that way because it doesn't get warm before the fan spins up.

 

[Lou-X]

I got my n/TB a few days ago and have to say that it's quite an upgrade from a 2012 MBA. The first thing I did was install TG Pro because I'm paranoid about Macs getting too hot. I hate how Apple prefers a dead silent system to a cool one.

After I installed the app, I thought something was broken because the fans didn't spin at all. I quickly found out that this is normal for the newer models.

Still, I set the fan to always run at around 2,400 rpm and you can't hear it. It also stays cooler that way because it doesn't get warm before the fan spins up.

This is actually my last concern before buy. But at the end I don't think that will be wise pick the tb version only because it has two fans and could keep lower temperatures on longer stressful work.

 

[wchigo]

OK, after using it a bit longer I find that it gets really hot when watching movies (as hot as my 6 year old MBP). Is this expected? Would it help to have a faster processor? Would it help to go touch bar?

A faster processor wouldn't help with that and instead could be more detrimental as it may end up generating more heat. FWIW I haven't had any issues like this on my 13" non-TB MBP.

Are you watching movies located on your hard drive or on the web? If on your drive, are you using QuickTime or some other player? If on the web, does it involve the use of flash?

I found with my old 2013 rMBP the fans would spin up and get hot if I watched movies with VLC, but didn't have that issue with QuickTime. For mkv files I eventually switched to using mpv, which helped in both battery life and heat. For the web I usually use Safari with flash disabled, as flash is not efficient and as such is usually a battery life killer as well.

 

[Flaxh]

Hi everyone!

Got the MBP two weeks ago and I'm loving it so far! The only downside for me has been the lack of accessories like hubs or cases made just for the 2016 model. Also, the USB-C Displays offer is still pretty limited so I'm wondering if any of you is using the LG 27UD88 as an external display and how's the performance.

Thanks in advance.

Reposting because the display is on sale atm and I'm really considering the purchase but would like to get some feedback first, mainly about how the laptop handles the 4K screen performance wise and if the LG charges the MBP or not.

 

[rafalp]

I've decided to bite it and ordered the MBP-Escape with memory bumped to 16 gigs. I'm doing webdev mostly, writing php/python/javascript, running databases, sometimes media processing via ffmpeg/imagemagic/pillow. I'm now on mid 2010 with core 2 duo 2.3, 3 gigs ram with hdd and gf320m, and its okay for most of time, except for moments when its not, but even then this is mostly due to lack of SSD and puny memory.

I was strongly considering the base 15-inch 2016 due to extra juice and bigger screen (helps a lot when you are looking at mockups/artboards/psd's), but I was weary of dropping so much money at device like this, moving to bigger size device and finally dealing with new and unproven technology that, after trying it at store, didn't talk to me.

 

[Hyloba]

Reposting because the display is on sale atm and I'm really considering the purchase but would like to get some feedback first, mainly about how the laptop handles the 4K screen performance wise and if the LG charges the MBP or not.

I have a Dell at the moment which suits me fine, but I did look at the LG one because I would prefer the one cable solution above all dongles. However I decided to wait because the build quality of that specific LG screen is quite low. White glossy plastic at the back and the monitor is reported to be wobbly when typing.

 

[ghanwani]

A faster processor wouldn't help with that and instead could be more detrimental as it may end up generating more heat. FWIW I haven't had any issues like this on my 13" non-TB MBP.

Are you watching movies located on your hard drive or on the web? If on your drive, are you using QuickTime or some other player? If on the web, does it involve the use of flash?

I found with my old 2013 rMBP the fans would spin up and get hot if I watched movies with VLC, but didn't have that issue with QuickTime. For mkv files I eventually switched to using mpv, which helped in both battery life and heat. For the web I usually use Safari with flash disabled, as flash is not efficient and as such is usually a battery life killer as well.

This was on the web using Safari.

 

[Ma2k5]

So far I have no complaints about the non-touch rMBP.

I wonder though, if anyone else here, would be really tempted by the 12" rMB if it got refreshed next year with:

- Kabylake (so native 10 bit 4k HVEC processing)
- Thunderbolt capability (currently it doesn't have any)
- Butterfly keyboard v2
- Improved webcam (to match the rMBP series)
- The faster SSD's
- P3 screen

What is most intriguing for me is, the new P3 screen means 30% less battery usage, so this could mean the refresh would either result in pretty long battery run times, or they will shrink the laptop and make it even thinner/smaller.

I remember using the 12" and it was very nice to use/handle, I only had returned it thinking that in June/July they might release a new rMBP (which they didn't).

 

[xraydoc]

I've posted a number of messages in this thread and others with my praise of the 13" nTB model. Still love it. That hasn't changed. However, I had the opportunity to check out a friend's 15" model. Yes, it's big, but very impressive.

Since I have a 12.9" iPad Pro which is essentially the same size as the new 13" MBP, I'm oh so very tempted to make an exchange. Most of the time I carry my iPad to work anyway, so a laptop that's the same size (screen-wise) might be a little redundant.

Existential crisis, to be sure. And yes, a first world problem. But the 15" is quite an impressive machine.

My local Apple Store has the 2.7/16/512/455 model in stock, and think I'm going to head over there to check it out.

 

[Lou-X]

I have a Dell at the moment which suits me fine, but I did look at the LG one because I would prefer the one cable solution above all dongles. However I decided to wait because the build quality of that specific LG screen is quite low. White glossy plastic at the back and the monitor is reported to be wobbly when typing.

I'm wondering which one is the best deal for the new 13 nTB atm: the LG 27ud88-W or the Dell P2715Q.

I read about imperfect color accuracy about the LG, but on the other hand it's newer, usb-c, freesynch.. and I think looks great.

 

[justabirdy]

Typing this from my new Silver 2.0/16GB/512GB! Loving it so far, it feels so fast.

 

[benz240]

I've posted a number of messages in this thread and others with my praise of the 13" nTB model. Still love it. That hasn't changed. However, I had the opportunity to check out a friend's 15" model. Yes, it's big, but very impressive.

Since I have a 12.9" iPad Pro which is essentially the same size as the new 13" MBP, I'm oh so very tempted to make an exchange. Most of the time I carry my iPad to work anyway, so a laptop that's the same size (screen-wise) might be a little redundant.

Existential crisis, to be sure. And yes, a first world problem. But the 15" is quite an impressive machine.

My local Apple Store has the 2.7/16/512/455 model in stock, and think I'm going to head over there to check it out.

It makes sense to be looking at the 15" if you already carry an iPad pro with a similar sized display as the 13", but in my experience the 15" didn't really give me that much more screen real estate to work with, and certainly not enough to negate some of the critical flaws of that machine. One being the trackpad - it is TOO big. Palm rejection is adequate, but it is bigger with the same sized keyboard...I don't understand the logic behind this design decision.

Furthermore, the battery life was similar if not worse than what I get with my non-TB 13". For a larger, heavier, bulkier machine, I would expect there to be a tremendous improvement in battery life. For example, the plus sized iPhones are a bit unwieldy (in my opinion) but the improvement in battery life is more than enough to make up for this. I didn't feel the same way about the 15". The increases in GPU and CPU performance are cancelling out whatever gains in battery size you get when moving up to the 15". Unless you NEED the increased power for software demands, I just think it's not worth it.

 

[moosington]

I spent a good 15 hours of work this week on the laptop and everything has been pretty good. I still don't see the 10-16 hours of battery life other people are getting, but I'm getting around 8 which is pretty good. For the most part, I run VPN and RDP when I work, or safari and maybe iTunes when I'm not.

Even then, I'm really happy with this laptop. I saved $500 over my TB model so I got a PS4Pro instead. It's definitely the nicest laptop I've ever owned. No regrets!

 

[ewkid]

Love my NTB, no need for a $300 smiley bar