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To buy or not to buy, this is the question

F

Federico87

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Original poster
May 2, 2016
153
89
Hi there.

I'm in the position of considering the rMB as my next Apple laptop but there're a couple of black spots for which I may need your help to clarify.

I'm reading all over the web that, despite 2015 bad or not-so-good reviews, the 2016 machine performs really well in terms of process speed and multiple application running.

My daily activities includes:
  • web browsing (a lot)
  • mailing (a lot, with heavy attachments)
  • video (no streaming)
  • some photoshop (light and not professional)
Very often some of these tasks got to be carried out at the same time.

Now, I'm still reluctant to move to the rMB for the following:
  1. is it truly a daily machine? Something you can use every single day for the next five years or so without fear of end up with a medium/so-and-so machine? (I know nobody can give me any bullet-proof evidence since it came out just a year ago)
  2. is it reliable or just a "prototype"? Meaning something that has been built to show how far Apple can push the boundaries of SW and HW engineering
  3. The price! absolutely overpriced to me for the power you get

Thank you all

And, if this post is just a duplicate or these information have already been provided and discussed, mods please warn me, redirect and close the thread :)
 
rMB is equal in performance to last years MBA, so yes, its more than capable but with a better screen and more portable. Price? look at the spec for what you get. its pretty on par with MBA and rMBP.
 
it's the same as a 2015 MBA,

eO7uWVm.png
 
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Federico87 said:
Hi there.

I'm in the position of considering the rMB as my next Apple laptop but there're a couple of black spots for which I may need your help to clarify.

I'm reading all over the web that, despite 2015 bad or not-so-good reviews, the 2016 machine performs really well in terms of process speed and multiple application running.

My daily activities includes:
  • web browsing (a lot)
  • mailing (a lot, with heavy attachments)
  • video (no streaming)
  • some photoshop (light and not professional)
Very often some of these tasks got to be carried out at the same time.

Now, I'm still reluctant to move to the rMB for the following:
  1. is it truly a daily machine? Something you can use every single day for the next five years or so without fear of end up with a medium/so-and-so machine? (I know nobody can give me any bullet-proof evidence since it came out just a year ago)
  2. is it reliable or just a "prototype"? Meaning something that has been built to show how far Apple can push the boundaries of SW and HW engineering
  3. The price! absolutely overpriced to me for the power you get

Thank you all

And, if this post is just a duplicate or these information have already been provided and discussed, mods please warn me, redirect and close the thread :)
Click to expand...
1. Read reviews before you update the OS in case there are issues. You should have no problem over the next few years, but as your Mac gets older, you might want to keep it on an older OS for performance.

2. It has no moving parts so it should be fine but no one knows how the board, for example, will handle temperature years from now.

3. Performance is not the MacBook's main selling point. You are paying for a decent amount of power, in a very small, fanless, attractive package.
 
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These are considerations to me, but I understand that with such a new machine and design, nobody can exactly predict what could happen years from now.

It's a huge bet though
 
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Given your usage, there's nothing that the rMB can't handle. I've been using my 2016 daily for the past month and honestly I have no complaints, especially after I got used to the keyboard, which I'm now liking a lot. While there are some people having keyboard and battery issues, those are a minority as in general the rMB has been a solid machine.

Future-proofing is always a moot point because you never know what your needs and usage will be like in the five years. Personally I wouldn't bet five years on it as websites and software tend to get more resource hungry overtime, but then again I got 5.5 years out of my 2010 MBA, so Macs, even the rMB, certainly can have a long lifespan. Either way, Macs have great resale value so I wouldn't think about the lifespan too much - just use it and once it starts to feel too slow for your usage, sell it and get a new one.
 
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Hellhammer said:
Given your usage, there's nothing that the rMB can't handle. I've been using my 2016 daily for the past month and honestly I have no complaints, especially after I got used to the keyboard, which I'm now liking a lot. While there are some people having keyboard and battery issues, those are a minority as in general the rMB has been a solid machine.
Click to expand...

What's daily usage?
 
Federico87 said:
What's daily usage?
Click to expand...

Daily as in my main machine since I've been away from home and my desktop for the past month. My usage isn't very intensive - mostly web browsing with some email and videos (both local and streamed) - but that's very similar to yours.
 
I am using a 2016 m3 version as my daily machine (except for gaming which I have a Windows desktop for). I am using it for videos/Netflix, browsing, some light photoshop (only for exporting vector graphics to .png really) and coding on my apps (used Intel XDK and Xcode).

It handles everything flawlessly except the simulator in Xcode is lagging a bit, but I am not sure if thats a bug between whatever I coded and the simulator in the current version or not. Almost seems like it since the CPU usage is really low while it is lagging.

I have quite a few things open at the same time and multitasking is not a problem at all. I do get Safari or some other Apple program to just stop responding and beach ball forever sometimes, but that is a software bug that came after one of the El Capitan updates, maybe should reinstall OS X?

Usually run the screen at 1920x1200 resolution while working on the built in screen. Getting my bluetooth mouse today so ill set up a docking station at my desktop screen this week to see how smooth that goes.
 
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The speed improvements in CPUs will be incremental in the next 5 years, rather than 50% bump every year for the last two decades, so for people who have used their MBAs for 5 years, rMB will last as much, if not longer. Software companies will have to optimize their products even more due to less and less speed bumps in CPUs and to widen their customer spectrum as nobody will upgrade their computers yearly like before (see declining computer sales every year) which will benefit rMB.
 
I have been using my MB everyday now for about 3 weeks.

Coming from a quad core MBP 2.6i7 16gb Ram Nvidia graphics card etc I was similarly sceptical about performance on a daily basis, but was drawn to the lightweight portable design as more and more of my work is done on the move.

I use it everyday professionally for Unity app development, Xcode software development, Dreamweaver web development, Photoshop image editing, Modo 3d modelling, ZBrush 3d modelling, Sculptris 3d modeling and tons of other things besides and the MB excels in every task I give it.

Worrying about performance really is a non issue - which in itself is amazing.

Obviously as time goes on, you mention 5 years, hardware will get better and things move on to the next great thing.
So committing to something now expecting it to still be great in half a decade is foolhardy.

I felt your major concern was the price. If you are considering buying the MB on 5 year finance then don't! Buy something more in your budget, work hard and then buy the MB down the line if necessary. It is always horrible to hear stories of people over stretch themselves for desirable kit they really can't afford and then have to sell to dodgy people for less than they paid for it to cover debts.

If I have made a misjudgement and money is no issue then go for it. You won't be disappointed by performance versus the portability this little machine gives you.
 
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Does anyone use Screenflick app for video capturing and handbrake for video converting and exporting on the MB? Is this machines capable? I currently use a 2012 Macbook Air....was thinking of changing to the MB.
 
A rMB is more capable than the MBA, so if you can do it now, you'll have no problems doing it on the rMB.
 
where is it said:
I have been using my MB everyday now for about 3 weeks.

Coming from a quad core MBP 2.6i7 16gb Ram Nvidia graphics card etc I was similarly sceptical about performance on a daily basis, but was drawn to the lightweight portable design as more and more of my work is done on the move.

I use it everyday professionally for Unity app development, Xcode software development, Dreamweaver web development, Photoshop image editing, Modo 3d modelling, ZBrush 3d modelling, Sculptris 3d modeling and tons of other things besides and the MB excels in every task I give it.

Worrying about performance really is a non issue - which in itself is amazing.

Obviously as time goes on, you mention 5 years, hardware will get better and things move on to the next great thing.
So committing to something now expecting it to still be great in half a decade is foolhardy.

I felt your major concern was the price. If you are considering buying the MB on 5 year finance then don't! Buy something more in your budget, work hard and then buy the MB down the line if necessary. It is always horrible to hear stories of people over stretch themselves for desirable kit they really can't afford and then have to sell to dodgy people for less than they paid for it to cover debts.

If I have made a misjudgement and money is no issue then go for it. You won't be disappointed by performance versus the portability this little machine gives you.
Click to expand...

The price is not a major concern by itself, meaning I can afford it. What I was trying to say is that with the same amount of cash (or even less) you can get a rMBP (now, can't know new models supposed to be released after WWDC).

I know portability is very different between the two machine (rMB and rMBP), so the rMBP kind of portability would still be acceptable to me, while the rMB would be perfect.

You get my point and why I can't decide? :D
 
Federico87 said:
The price is not a major concern by itself, meaning I can afford it. What I was trying to say is that with the same amount of cash (or even less) you can get a rMBP (now, can't know new models supposed to be released after WWDC).

I know portability is very different between the two machine (rMB and rMBP), so the rMBP kind of portability would still be acceptable to me, while the rMB would be perfect.

You get my point and why I can't decide? :D
Click to expand...


Sounds like your torn between the two.

Considering you are not in any desperate need to make a decision, maybe you can wait until the updated MBP's are released. Then compare the two and make an informed decision.
 
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Federico87 said:
Hi there.

I'm in the position of considering the rMB as my next Apple laptop but there're a couple of black spots for which I may need your help to clarify.

I'm reading all over the web that, despite 2015 bad or not-so-good reviews, the 2016 machine performs really well in terms of process speed and multiple application running.

My daily activities includes:
  • web browsing (a lot)
  • mailing (a lot, with heavy attachments)
  • video (no streaming)
  • some photoshop (light and not professional)
Very often some of these tasks got to be carried out at the same time.

Now, I'm still reluctant to move to the rMB for the following:
  1. is it truly a daily machine? Something you can use every single day for the next five years or so without fear of end up with a medium/so-and-so machine? (I know nobody can give me any bullet-proof evidence since it came out just a year ago)
  2. is it reliable or just a "prototype"? Meaning something that has been built to show how far Apple can push the boundaries of SW and HW engineering
  3. The price! absolutely overpriced to me for the power you get

Thank you all

And, if this post is just a duplicate or these information have already been provided and discussed, mods please warn me, redirect and close the thread :)
Click to expand...

In the last 6 months I've moved to a more mobile setup to say the least than what I used to have, I used to have the 6 Core nMP, then switched to the top of the line 2015 15" rMBP, and now to the 2016 M7 macbook.

Geekbench specs and random "test" numbers and "benchmark" videos aside. This little machine is IMPRESSIVE. Zero Lag doing usual daily activities (Web Browsing/streaming, some photoshop, lots of excel, outlook ETC) I opened a previous FCP movie to make some edits to test the speed and again just impressed.

Once you have played with one/owned one, I personally don't feel its over priced at all, its really a marvel of quality, craftsmanship and speed.

Yes the keyboard takes a day or two getting used to, but after that it again just feels solid.

I understand that WWDC is coming up, well B&H has a 30 day return policy, pick one up and use it and if something gets introduced at WWDC that woo's you, you are still under the return window.
 
ocrane said:
Geekbench specs and random "test" numbers and "benchmark" videos aside. This little machine is IMPRESSIVE. Zero Lag doing usual daily activities (Web Browsing/streaming, some photoshop, lots of excel, outlook ETC) I opened a previous FCP movie to make some edits to test the speed and again just impressed. Once you have played with one/owned one, I personally don't feel its over priced at all, its really a marvel of quality, craftsmanship and speed.
Click to expand...
Yeah I feel the same way, and I just have the m3. Does everything I need as fast or faster than my old MBA, but with a better design and better screen. Very happy with mine.
 
ocrane said:
In the last 6 months I've moved to a more mobile setup to say the least than what I used to have, I used to have the 6 Core nMP, then switched to the top of the line 2015 15" rMBP, and now to the 2016 M7 macbook.

Geekbench specs and random "test" numbers and "benchmark" videos aside. This little machine is IMPRESSIVE. Zero Lag doing usual daily activities (Web Browsing/streaming, some photoshop, lots of excel, outlook ETC) I opened a previous FCP movie to make some edits to test the speed and again just impressed.

Once you have played with one/owned one, I personally don't feel its over priced at all, its really a marvel of quality, craftsmanship and speed.

Yes the keyboard takes a day or two getting used to, but after that it again just feels solid.

I understand that WWDC is coming up, well B&H has a 30 day return policy, pick one up and use it and if something gets introduced at WWDC that woo's you, you are still under the return window.
Click to expand...

Completely agreed re: the notebook. However b&h unfortunately, does not accept laptop returns...found that out the hard way.
 
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