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The No Touch Bar 13 Macbook Version

febLey said:
Anyone using coconutBattery here?
How much mAh does your Design capacity display?
Click to expand...
4790 mAh

Captura de pantalla 2016-12-15 a las 7.45.14 p.m..png
 
Anyone go from Touchbar model to non touchbar ?

Touchbar aside how was the speed drop down in actual usage ? UI graphics speed (changing spaces, going into mission control, etc). Is there anything you miss ? The two microphones, USB ports. Or aghast even the touchbar ?
 
So I received my shiny new laptop and I have been playing with it for the past 48 hours. Since many people are on the fence and there are many misconceptions/rumours regarding this generation of laptops, I thought I'd share some insights.
  • Battery Life was good as I managed to get >=10 Hours. But the battery indicator (a.k.a remaining time) was utter *****. It constantly showed that I had less than 3 hours remaining but eventually lasted ~ 7 hours on a 60% charge. So no surprises apple has barred the time remaining feature via the new update.
  • My work load as a data science grad student was mostly comprised of compiling and running python & R code, reading PDFs, multiple tabs open (on safari), simultaneous MS office (excel+word+powerpoint), couple of video tutorials running on loud speaker. Its a reasonable work load. No fans.
  • Screen brightness was at 60% which is pretty solid with the new ultra bright screen.
  • Loud speakers are fantastic. I stopped using headphones. Its so good for a 13' laptop.
  • Keyboard needs a bit of getting used to. But nothing impossible.
  • Keep a cleaning cloth coz the space grey is a magnet for smudges & fingerprints.
  • Overall very glad with the purchase.
I hope this review helps with anyone on the fence regarding the new rMBP 13s.

Cheers,
DW.
 
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Thanks for chiming in brother! If I decide to stay with Mac in the next year, the base non Touch is probably what I'll end up getting. Tried the touch bar for a bit and just didn't like it. Found it to be a distraction if anything.

Any issues at all with your MacBook? Graphics issues, overheating, etc? I think the thing that surprised me the most was how not awful the keyboard was. Just goes to show it pays to try it out before criticizing

I am a bit concerned about the specs for the price. They seem really...not impressive for $1500. Have you felt the machine was under powered at all? Driven a 4K display yet?
 
racostaf said:
4790 mAh
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's what mine says. Thought my battery was damaged, because it was draining relatively fast.
Turns out it was Chrome that ate my battery. Now I'll try Opera as my main browser with it's battery saver mode.
Unfortunately I can't stand using Safari.
 
I know they are very different machines, but the one thing I've been very grateful for since switching to a 15" model has been the four ports and the fact they're on both sides of the case.
 
ascender said:
I know they are very different machines, but the one thing I've been very grateful for since switching to a 15" model has been the four ports and the fact they're on both sides of the case.
Click to expand...
That's really the only thing that bothers me, only 2 ports and both on the same side. But aside of that I love it.
 
No graphics issues (and I don't game at all if it helps).
No overheating also.
And I don't power any external displays so cannot comment on 4k displays either.
The power is good. I run a lot of scientific experiments etc since I am in CS grad-school. So far haven't felt any lags. Most of my heavy simulations are done on AWS so at most I compile big amount of code which it handles well due to the lightning fast SSD.
But what I can tell you regarding the $1500 price tag is that, if you try to configure a 2015 rMBP 13 (even before the new machines were released) for the 256GB config it comes up to the same price. So I don't think there has technically been a price bump as per the mainstream media. You can say it was true for the touch bar models though. Do go for this machine its fantastic and feels super premium as well as a joy to use everyday.I hope this helps with any of your purchase decisions.

P:S-> Installed the latest updates and I kid you not I have been working on this machine un-plugged for almost 12 hours since a full charge last night and still have 30% remaining with 60% brightness.
 
Dexter4 said:
But what I can tell you regarding the $1500 price tag is that, if you try to configure a 2015 rMBP 13 (even before the new machines were released) for the 256GB config it comes up to the same price.
Click to expand...

Agree and think this fact gets overlooked a lot...

2015 rMBP with 256GB SSD = $1,499
2016 rMBP with 256GB SSD = $1,499
 
Has anyone had any problems with this non-touch bar, base model?

The 15" has had a string of things like battery life and GPU glitches but I have net seen anything about this one.
 
Polarised said:
Has anyone had any problems with this non-touch bar, base model?

The 15" has had a string of things like battery life and GPU glitches but I have net seen anything about this one.
Click to expand...

My experience has been excellent. 12.0 and no graphical glitches whatsoever. Battery life seems good too
 
no major change with battery life for my ntb 8/512 with newest os update but it has remained around 10hrs with approx 6watts draw (50-60% backlight) using safari/ms office. with chrome/youtube draw increases though
 
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Polarised said:
Can you charge it with an external battery pack?
Click to expand...

they exist - search "usb-c battery pack" on amazon.

but not all of them work with macbook charging so read the reviews carefully. i'll probably invest in one in a few months that i can use for my ntb mbp13 and iphone7+ while on the occasional travelling i do...waiting for prices to come down a bit. the battery life of both are so good don't need it for my day-to-day
 
all the problems the 15" dudes and touchbar dudes are having makes me very happy i went with nTB.
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jksu said:
they exist - search "usb-c battery pack" on amazon.

but not all of them work with macbook charging so read the reviews carefully. i'll probably invest in one in a few months that i can use for my ntb mbp13 and iphone7+ while on the occasional travelling i do...waiting for prices to come down a bit. the battery life of both are so good don't need it for my day-to-day
Click to expand...

most people need to be patient for hubs and batteries.
 
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raqball said:
Agree and think this fact gets overlooked a lot...

2015 rMBP with 256GB SSD = $1,499
2016 rMBP with 256GB SSD = $1,499
Click to expand...

disagree.

2015 rMBP 256GB with full TDP performance CPU and GPU = 1,499

2016 rMBP 256GB with 15w TDP CPU, cheaper 540 graphics, 2 less ports, crippled wifi = 1,499

2016 rMBP 256 with full TDP performance CPU and GPU with 4 ports and non crippled wifi plus TB = $1,799
 
Polarised said:
Oh.. :(. How much slower?

Is it due to the Sierra version or hardware? Surely the wifi antenna is in the same place as the touch bar version?
Click to expand...
Like 680 mbit vs 750 mbit for the older model. If you notice that difference you must have an insanely fast Internet connection..
 
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