> When Apple first launched MagSafe, the company loudly proclaimed they did so because customers kept breaking the connectors that plugged into the laptop. You know, like what’s in the current MacBook.
I have a new MBP and I don't miss the MagSafe, to be honest. Mostly because I have the USB-C power cable connect through a USB-C hub -- what I lose in the usability of MagSafe, is mostly made up in flexibility. And with Apple using the USB-C standard, I can buy any USB-C cable I want, including ones much cheaper and more durable than the Apple-branded cords. I have 3 MagSafe adapters from previous MBPs and they are all worn out at where the wire connects to the adapter block, with no cheap way to replace them.
I don't see how Magsafe and USB-C are mutually exclusive. Also, if Apple wanted to, they could have given their Magsafe adapters pluggable cords, so you don't have to buy a new adapter when the cord frays.
The hatred of strain protectors is the issue here - MagSafe with strain protectors would make me happy. Bare wires, cellotape and dubious safety is what the clean design has actually achieved.
Let's see how the USB-C female connector fares after the same amount of use. Something tells me it'll be busted long before the cable part wears out.
All Apple cables seem to have a weakness where the cable joins to the connector. A short PVC tube is no match for a gradually tapered part found on some Ethernet cables. And the fact that the user usually just yanks the cable instead of pulling on a tiny connector part...
I was originally on board for comments like "If a person buys a MacBook Pro and iPhone, that person cannot connect their iPhone to their new MacBook Pro without buying an adapter or cable."
But I can't remember a time I've plugged my current iPhone into a computer, ever. I had the original iPhone, where I had to plug it in constantly to manage music, sync contacts, and update the OS, but it hasn't been like that in my experience for a while.
I never plug it into my computer to sync, but I often plug it in to charge. Plugging it into the wall to charge would require carrying an adapter, which would be annoying.
Worth noting for folks who don't use Siri that the TouchBar contents are customizable. I was in the same boat as the author, accidentally activating Siri non-stop, and then I figured out I could just remove that button.
System Preferences -> Keyboard -> "Customize Control Strip" button
It’s a bad sign when setup involves turning so many things off.
On iOS for me it’s keyboard clicks (worst feature ever) most notifications, Siri, those notifications that tell me travel time to home every hour and reachability.
Like the author of this article I tried to like it, and just couldn't do it. I use non-touchbar MBP at work, but now only use an iMac at home. Thought I'd miss the portability of a laptop but a year later I haven't missed it at all.
A small but noticable benefit is no longer having an internal debate on whether or not to bring the laptop traveling, since I can't. Being on vacation without a computer (iPhone aside) is the way it should have always been.
This is exactly what I plan to do! After the new year I’m going to buy a new iMac and a full keyboard and a used MacBook Air with the intention of using then as my non work computing environment for as long as I can, hopefully 5-10 years. And maybe by them computing will be in such a different place I never have to worry about a touchbar or shitty MacBook Pro keyboard again.
The elimination of MagSafe is nearly too painful to talk about. It was magical. Now it’s dead.
Here’s how it worked: The power cable was magnetic. Instead of sticking into the laptop, it connected to the side of it. If someone tripped over the cable, the cable would harmlessly disconnect from the laptop.
That feature was really removed? I've accidentally yanked the power cord multiple times on my laptop. MagSafe saved the hardware from major damage.
In my experience MagSafe 2 ruined the MagSafe connector design. It’s nearly impossible to use MagSafe 2 in anything but a stable flat position. Forget using it while laying down.
Also, I work in a metal fabrication workshop, which means the brass contacts and their housing on the laptop side of the MagSafe 2 connector on my MacBook Pro are now blanketed and burned from poor contact due to metal dust interfering with the connector.
There are aftermarket MagSafe type connectors for the new MacBooks. This is a superior design in my opinion because it makes both sides of the connector replaceable.
I had to switch to a newer non-magsafe Macbook Pro, and it has been less of an issue than I had thought. The USB-C cable pops out fairly easily if you (eg) catch it on your foot and drag it, or walk with the computer without unplugging it.
But it's definitely not as good as Magsafe - if the angle of the cable is not out from the computer (say it's being pulled back under the computer) the connector may not pop loose and you might end up with it detaching from the wall charger instead (it's nice that the cable plugs in at both ends). And if you drag the cable there's a good chance the computer will drag a bit, too, rather than staying still like it would when the Magsafe connector detached immediately. So, you could still end up with the computer on the ground because it dragged a bit before the USB-C connector detached.
The most Apple solution to that I can think of will be to create a magnetic USB-C port on the next generation of Macbooks, that will require an additional adapter from magnetic USB-C to USB-C.
> The power cable was magnetic. Instead of sticking into the laptop, it connected to the side of it. If someone tripped over the cable, the cable would harmlessly disconnect from the laptop.
Worth pointing out that there are third-party MagSafe-esque wrappers for USB-C like https://www.snapnator.com/
I use a 2013 MBP and I agree with this article in that I don't really want to "upgrade" to a Macbook without most of those features. In fact, even the 2013 is missing some features compared to the 2011:
* The old style Magsafe, where the cord comes out the back instead of the side. I still feel that one was superior.
* Accessible RAM. I upgraded the RAM in my 2011 from 4GB to 16GB for a fraction of what the 16GB in my 2013 cost pre-installed and soldered to the motherboard.
I can live with these, though. I absolutely will not buy a computer that doesn't have a real escape button - I don't actually use any software on my mac that I couldn't use on Linux, other than Apple Developer software, and that is not my primary function, just something I do sometimes.
Other than that, I do agree that the tabs on the power supply are pretty sweet. I think I would be fine with USB-C power, but it would be kind of nice if they didn't do away with perfectly good QoL features just because.
Is the hard drive and battery still user-swappable on a 2013 MBP? I have a cache of MBAs to last me a decade or two, but I'm always interested in other options if I come across them inexpensively.
What i'd really love is if there was a service where I could pay a technician to take previous generation Macbook Pro with it's excellent keyboard and no touchbar and transplant a new logic board with modern 8th generation intel processor, 16gb of ram and an nvidia max-q gtx 1070 (or AMD equivalent) into it, complete with working USB-A ports. I wonder if it could still fool MacOS into thinking it's a real mac without having to go the hackintosh route.
That would be the perfect laptop.
Does anyone know anyone who has done this? Could you get something like that done in China?
I find the Touch Bar to be incredibly dim and low-resolution compared to the monitor or display of my iPhone.
It doesn't relay a lot of practical use. The removal of basic features like MagSafe and the little power LED's is maddening. The removal of the classic white glowing Apple on the back is practically an announcement that they're not even the same company any more.
I do iOS development for a living, and I'm rocking a 2018 15" MBP, and I'm very disappointed if this is the future of Apple.
I actually really like that the power block can be separated from the charging cable now. Yeah the tabs may have been nice, but the base of the cable would always get mashed.
Good luck getting those in the next MBP. Once a company exceeds a certain size, the normal rules of designing a product for the users stop applying.
Mag safe, headphone jack, multiple USB ports, escape key - why were they removed? Who made these decisions?
I might add a lack of dedicated PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys on larger laptops. There's plenty of space, but no, we are going to use the same keyboard for all of them (makes sense from a supply perspective!)
I might add a lack of dedicated PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys on larger laptops. There's plenty of space, but no, we are going to use the same keyboard for all of them (makes sense from a supply perspective!)
There's plenty of opportunity for normal rectangle keyboards to put 2+ new metakeys below space bar, and almost none of them do.
But what about on a laptop - could there be key chords where the thumbs are on the trackpad? Could you have right_thumb_trackpad_top_right + j/k for PgUp/PgDn (picking from Vim bindings) ?
In answer to your question, that would be asinine. That's one of the few things Apple has (almost) consistently gotten right on their laptops—close the lid, it goes to sleep. Period. I can't describe how frustrating it is to use computers that think they are smarter than you (or are just unable to work properly) and stay on when you close them.
Due to the design of the case, the bottom has bowed out from temperature changes, but the battery is fine.
Shame what they did to the new ones. I ended up getting a Razer Blade 13” to use at home, which seems tantalizing close to what new MacBook Pros should be.
[+] [-] danso|7 years ago|reply
I have a new MBP and I don't miss the MagSafe, to be honest. Mostly because I have the USB-C power cable connect through a USB-C hub -- what I lose in the usability of MagSafe, is mostly made up in flexibility. And with Apple using the USB-C standard, I can buy any USB-C cable I want, including ones much cheaper and more durable than the Apple-branded cords. I have 3 MagSafe adapters from previous MBPs and they are all worn out at where the wire connects to the adapter block, with no cheap way to replace them.
[+] [-] rcthompson|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TheSpiceIsLife|7 years ago|reply
eg. https://www.amazon.com/usb-c-magnetic-adapter/s?page=1&rh=i%...
That'll be the way I'm going moving forward.
See my other comment about my dislike of MagSafe, especially MageSafe 2 here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18258495
[+] [-] lostlogin|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] noncoml|7 years ago|reply
I do miss the Escape key though..
[+] [-] java-man|7 years ago|reply
All Apple cables seem to have a weakness where the cable joins to the connector. A short PVC tube is no match for a gradually tapered part found on some Ethernet cables. And the fact that the user usually just yanks the cable instead of pulling on a tiny connector part...
[+] [-] akerl_|7 years ago|reply
But I can't remember a time I've plugged my current iPhone into a computer, ever. I had the original iPhone, where I had to plug it in constantly to manage music, sync contacts, and update the OS, but it hasn't been like that in my experience for a while.
[+] [-] bunderbunder|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vbezhenar|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] akerl_|7 years ago|reply
System Preferences -> Keyboard -> "Customize Control Strip" button
[+] [-] cpr|7 years ago|reply
Kept hitting the (disabled) Siri virtual button, and it would unhelpfully offer to enable it every time.
Annoying, but at least there's a way out!
[+] [-] lostlogin|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ubittibu|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] strict9|7 years ago|reply
A small but noticable benefit is no longer having an internal debate on whether or not to bring the laptop traveling, since I can't. Being on vacation without a computer (iPhone aside) is the way it should have always been.
[+] [-] throwaway20148|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apo|7 years ago|reply
Here’s how it worked: The power cable was magnetic. Instead of sticking into the laptop, it connected to the side of it. If someone tripped over the cable, the cable would harmlessly disconnect from the laptop.
That feature was really removed? I've accidentally yanked the power cord multiple times on my laptop. MagSafe saved the hardware from major damage.
[+] [-] TheSpiceIsLife|7 years ago|reply
In my experience MagSafe 2 ruined the MagSafe connector design. It’s nearly impossible to use MagSafe 2 in anything but a stable flat position. Forget using it while laying down.
Also, I work in a metal fabrication workshop, which means the brass contacts and their housing on the laptop side of the MagSafe 2 connector on my MacBook Pro are now blanketed and burned from poor contact due to metal dust interfering with the connector.
There are aftermarket MagSafe type connectors for the new MacBooks. This is a superior design in my opinion because it makes both sides of the connector replaceable.
[+] [-] vosper|7 years ago|reply
But it's definitely not as good as Magsafe - if the angle of the cable is not out from the computer (say it's being pulled back under the computer) the connector may not pop loose and you might end up with it detaching from the wall charger instead (it's nice that the cable plugs in at both ends). And if you drag the cable there's a good chance the computer will drag a bit, too, rather than staying still like it would when the Magsafe connector detached immediately. So, you could still end up with the computer on the ground because it dragged a bit before the USB-C connector detached.
[+] [-] elcapitan|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jtbayly|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] TAForObvReasons|7 years ago|reply
Worth pointing out that there are third-party MagSafe-esque wrappers for USB-C like https://www.snapnator.com/
[+] [-] skjdflsiugf|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] trey-jones|7 years ago|reply
* The old style Magsafe, where the cord comes out the back instead of the side. I still feel that one was superior.
* Accessible RAM. I upgraded the RAM in my 2011 from 4GB to 16GB for a fraction of what the 16GB in my 2013 cost pre-installed and soldered to the motherboard.
I can live with these, though. I absolutely will not buy a computer that doesn't have a real escape button - I don't actually use any software on my mac that I couldn't use on Linux, other than Apple Developer software, and that is not my primary function, just something I do sometimes.
Other than that, I do agree that the tabs on the power supply are pretty sweet. I think I would be fine with USB-C power, but it would be kind of nice if they didn't do away with perfectly good QoL features just because.
[+] [-] toomuchtodo|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pentae|7 years ago|reply
That would be the perfect laptop.
Does anyone know anyone who has done this? Could you get something like that done in China?
[+] [-] pickdenis|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lostgame|7 years ago|reply
It doesn't relay a lot of practical use. The removal of basic features like MagSafe and the little power LED's is maddening. The removal of the classic white glowing Apple on the back is practically an announcement that they're not even the same company any more.
I do iOS development for a living, and I'm rocking a 2018 15" MBP, and I'm very disappointed if this is the future of Apple.
[+] [-] eecc|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] prh8|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] matthoiland|7 years ago|reply
Truth .:.
Lies |:|
[+] [-] tutuca|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hprotagonist|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dpkrjb|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] java-man|7 years ago|reply
Mag safe, headphone jack, multiple USB ports, escape key - why were they removed? Who made these decisions?
I might add a lack of dedicated PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys on larger laptops. There's plenty of space, but no, we are going to use the same keyboard for all of them (makes sense from a supply perspective!)
[+] [-] jodrellblank|7 years ago|reply
Mildly unrelated, but many split-keyboard designs put an arc of thumb-keys like this http://xahlee.info/kbd/i04750/keyboardio_m1_rgb_44488.jpg
There's plenty of opportunity for normal rectangle keyboards to put 2+ new metakeys below space bar, and almost none of them do.
But what about on a laptop - could there be key chords where the thumbs are on the trackpad? Could you have right_thumb_trackpad_top_right + j/k for PgUp/PgDn (picking from Vim bindings) ?
[+] [-] tjr|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DerekL|7 years ago|reply
Yes, and then you can put full-sized arrow keys below them in the inverted-T!
[+] [-] nsxwolf|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cpr|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ymolodtsov|7 years ago|reply
Also because I use a cheaper MBP I still have an Esc key. And I don’t have a single dongle and don’t understand why would I need it.
I also love they keyboad very much — would be great if they could make it more reliable but I prefer it to the old one on MBA.
[+] [-] ubittibu|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] calebm|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] AimForTheBushes|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jtbayly|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zwhatever|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] CFM|7 years ago|reply
Due to the design of the case, the bottom has bowed out from temperature changes, but the battery is fine.
Shame what they did to the new ones. I ended up getting a Razer Blade 13” to use at home, which seems tantalizing close to what new MacBook Pros should be.
[+] [-] cpr|7 years ago|reply