Apple continues to amaze: the new generation MacBook Pro managed to anger not only the fans of the brand, but also to ordinary users that macOS had seen only in pictures. How — to sell for 150 000 a weak laptop without a single “normal” port, they said. In the Playground talk about how to live with a bunch of adapters and did the touch buttons better than the physical.
As always
Contrary to the held Apple to redesign the MacBook, it still has common features with the old company laptops and the same recognizable profile. All rather prosaic and external changes: the body was smaller, thinner and lighter. And the Apple on the lid ceased to glow, and many fans have taken to heart.
A nice bonus is the ability to choose colour between silver and “gray space”. No gold and pink options no laptop, because Apple is positioning it as a machine for professionals, and in all such attention should not be here.
Due to the changed dimensions of the Pro — the thinnest full-fledged Apple computer (typewriter MacBook 12 does not count). Dry figures for the 13-inch version is as follows: 1.49 x 30,41 x 21.24 inch and 1.37 kg. For comparison, the last MacBook Pro the following parameters: 1.8 x 31.4 x 21.9 cm and 1.58 kg. The difference seems not so big, but after new models all other company laptops seem incredibly healthy. The same things with the 15-inch model.
Because of the obsessive desire for Apple to gain the coveted few millimeters went under the knife many details. The first of these was that the glowing Apple has suffered and keyboard, which is especially insulting. It’s not even in the new “Butterfly”, and that the key height is approximately the same as the MacBook 12: they have little speed, large area and minimum distance between buttons. For these reasons, to get used to the keyboard pretty hard, and at first it is necessary to monitor each click. But even after that due to the low profile keys happen embarrassments.
Below the keyboard is huge trackpad with Force Touch. Despite the impressive size, the practical benefits of this innovation is not enough: after a while notice that you don’t use half of the available area of the panel.
With a bunch of adapters
Especially hurting the very professionals for whom the device. The laptop got rid of all the usual ports, where there were four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C and a headphone Jack. Is to say goodbye to a magnetic MagSafe charging standard USB ports, card reader and many other useful inputs.
Now for comfortable use MacBook adaptor needed, and quite a lot. Moreover, Apple included offers nothing except a two-meter USB cable With USB-C. That is, users will have to organize their own comfort, which is not very Apple Way. Everything you need is already on the shelves at a reduced price, which is valid until the end of the year. Thus, the universal adapter with HDMI, USB-C and USB-A is 4090 rubles, and USB-C/USB-A will cost 800 rubles.
And here on the scene of third-party manufacturers of all kinds of adapters and dongles. Now, a huge number of devices that offer the options of use of the ports of the MacBook. And this seems to have a certain charm. You can make your computer, created entirely by himself, and for different tasks have a different set of ports. But it all sounds rosy in theory only.
In practice it turns out that to connect the phone, pendrive, monitor Yes, do anything — you need to keep ready an adapter. And if the adapter is not, nothing happens. Why to create some kind of perfect system for everyone, when the ports old MacBook was more than versatile and allow you to connect anything without much fuss?
A dark stripe Apple
The main feature of the new MacBook was an additional touch screen at the top of the keyboard with the fingerprint scanner Touch ID. It replaces a number of F1-F12 and aims to ease the life of the professional who chose MacBook 2016. But while Touch Bar little use in reality. The best thing you can do is to set default to the standard function keys and use the Touch Bar as if nothing has changed.
The main problem is that the developers have not yet prepared their application to work with Touch Bar, so to use that the touchpad area of nowhere. And those functions that are implemented in standard applications, simply duplicate what could be done with a mouse on the screen, without having to take a look at the keyboard.
And in the ultra pull?
You can choose from several modifications of the new MacBook. When talking about the 13-inch models with Touch Bar, there may be a dual-core Intel Core i5 2.9 GHz and 3.1 GHz or i7 with 3.3 GHz. For the schedule in all cases, meets built-in card Intel Iris Graphics 550. Memory can be either 8 or 16 gigabytes. In the benchmark version of the notebook all show very high results for its characteristics, but it is not the most important thing.
These capacities are quite enough to work with video editing and other time-consuming programs — in particular, due to the insane SSD, which delivers more than 1,300 megabytes per second when recording, and two thousand megabytes when reading. The system itself works without any problems and is not overloaded with a large number of open processes. But to play on it will not work, and even Civilization VI on minimum graphics settings gives about 20 frames per second.
The version with a 15-inch features is somewhat interesting: Quad-core Intel Core i7 2.6 GHz or 2.9 GHz and discrete graphics card Radeon Pro 450/455/460. In this configuration it is already possible to play, but buying a MacBook is not for that.
The issue is is that autonomy. It was announced that the MacBook Pro 2016 will be able to work 10 hours, but it is not so. With moderate use of the computer it pulls only 4-5 hours is a remarkably low result. Judging by the forums, the problem is common, and it is unknown whether it will be solved.
***
MacBook Pro 2016, perhaps, was the most controversial Apple product in recent years. Someone will say that this laptop is ahead of its time, and the Apple industry is moving forward. But so far it looks more like an experiment designed to assess the readiness of the market to innovations like the touch strip below the display and versatile ports.
Endlessly indignant from the fact that users will have to purchase the adapter, but it came to nothing lead. In addition, Apple will now release only these laptops, it is hoped that other manufacturers will pick up the idea and the manufacturers of peripherals will have to move EN masse on a USB. as for the Touch Bar, the technology will be able to appreciate fully only when the developers begin to release updates for their programs.
Of the main advantages of the new MacBook Pro remains a brighter screen and chassis that has become smaller, thinner and lighter. However, if you remember that 13-inch version of the MacBook with Touch Bar is from 145 000, and the 15-inch — from 190 000, it becomes quite clear, why buy the last generation of “proshek”.
