
I go back to my old macbook air from my new macbook pro – because it was better - banyek
http://blog.balazspocze.me/2018/01/28/going-back-to-my-macbook-air/
======
BugsJustFindMe
Every single one of these stupid blog posts goes a little something like "I
wanted a 13 inch laptop but I got this 15 inch one instead just so I could
gripe about how big it is" or "I don't like the touchbar but I got the one
with the touchbar anyway just so I could gripe about it." or "I hammer my
digits into the pavement like the smiting fist of an angry god at every
keypress and now my fingers hurt."

And this guy. This fucking guy. He says all three, because he prefers the Air
with its hot-garbage-even-when-it-was-brand-new screen.

If you want a 13" laptop without a fucking touchbar, then get the 13" one
without the fucking touchbar. It's an option that you chose not to get.

~~~
Anderkent
What's your problem with the airs screen?

I work on a macbook pro, mostly because 'modern' 'everything-must-docker'
software development seems to require 16GB ram and an i7 to run anything. But
for everything else, whether video or web, I come back to an early 2015 air. I
definitely sympathise with the OP.

~~~
BugsJustFindMe
1440x900 with poor color fidelity and narrow viewing angles was already subpar
in every aspect in 2013 for a 13 inch screen, and is a slap in the face in
2018.

------
kylehotchkiss
I got the 13in 2016 MacBook Pro sans-touchbar and absolutely love it. The
screen is lively, USB-C has made traveling much easier (don't need dedicated
charger, can use Anker USB-C battery to top laptop off), the build quality
feels substantially better than my old Macbook Air, and the battery life has
been fantastic. I've seen a lot more of these rants crop up and end up
confused since my own experience has been substantially different.

The only negative thing has been needing to buy/carry an external hub for
USB/SD cards (I use it maybe monthly).

~~~
phil21
If I didn't need 15" this is exactly what I would have done - I actually like
the 2016 MBP 15", but the touchbar is utterly useless and a regression from
having a physical escape key.

I honestly don't know how you (the article author) could have a problem with
the touchpad though - it's an improvement in every regard. Quite happy to do
away with the mechanical bits there for better reliability, and it's very
difficult for me to feel a difference. One of the better parts of the laptop
to be sure.

USB-C is fine - with the large caveat of _Apple fucked the rollout up
horribly_ \- things like not shipping reliable working HDMI<->USB-C adapters
at launch date are inexcusable. After those initial pains though, USB-C is
amazing for portability - I'm always near a charger now, and my 15W phone
chargers I have in every room of the house do fine to either charge it
overnight or simply not lose battery life while working.

I can certainly wish there was integrated HDMI and USB-A, but then again I
also don't miss those _that_ often after getting a dock for work.

My largest complaints are the regressions in battery size from the 2015 15"
rMBP, the keyboard, and the stupid and utterly useless Touchbar I was forced
to pay for. That and the corresponding lack of ESC key. I do however love the
Touch ID - and won't buy another laptop without something like it.

If the next MBP doesn't come with a physical escape key I plan on seriously
attempting to make Linux work again if the hardware is out there to do so.

~~~
sidyom
You're able to modify the touchbar (control strip?) to always have an escape
key, if it bugs you as much as it does me.

~~~
mbreese
I just remapped caps lock to esc. Works great, but it takes me a minute to get
my mind back around when I’m back using my normal (wired Apple) external
keyboard.

------
makecheck
I’m sure I would agree with all gripes against the Touch Bar, _except_ I
frequently see articles complaining about things that are technically
customizable.

For instance, yes many actions are useless or easy to hit accidentally, etc.
but you can change what’s on the Touch Bar.

~~~
ricardobeat
Have you found any useful applications for it? I’ve had mine for over six
months now and still find it kind of useless.

The fact that it “adapts” to the focused app implies that it would do
something useful for that app, which is rarely the case. It also seems
impossible to customise it to look exactly like it’s physical counterpart all
the time for the same reason.

That, and it’s much _slower_ and clumsier for actions like changing volume or
skipping a track, which I do dozens of times a day. Can’t wait to exchange for
non-touch model (company policy yada yada, probably same problem as OP).

~~~
makecheck
The dynamic switching is one of its fundamental problems because I don’t like
peripheral vision distractions. Fortunately, the bar can be configured to be
static.

It’s amazing how _little_ movement it takes to catch your eye’s attention (one
reason why ads are almost always annoying if they have any catchy color or
move in any way, even if they’re not in your face).

Therefore, I don’t want the icons on the keyboard changing how they look. I’m
probably _not_ looking at the keyboard, I’m looking at the screen and that
just makes me look at the keyboard again.

And sadly, it’s not like you even need a Touch Bar to have dynamic behavior in
every application; _function keys are already dynamic_.

------
smrtinsert
Just got one of these. The keyboard feels like a cheap Bluetooth add on, the
touch bar is like a state of the art touch screen phone from 2004 in bar form,
and the touch pad picks up my palm all the time.

Not a happy camper.

~~~
bawana
doesn't apple still make a macbook pro without the touchbar?

~~~
curmudgeon9
Yes but it's the May 2015 model.

~~~
lineheight
June 2017.

[https://support.apple.com/kb/SP754?locale=en_US](https://support.apple.com/kb/SP754?locale=en_US)

~~~
needcaffeine
Now can I get it with the fancy gpu? :(

------
AdeptusAquinas
"And as a heavy vim user, I really don’t need a physical escape button for
sure". Is that a complaint? There is a feature I don't need in my specific
circumstances - but which is widely necessary for other people - therefore the
product is bad? The escape button isn't niche like the touch bar - seems like
a real stupid thing to complain about.

~~~
Brian_K_White
And now we all know who has never used vim. ;)

A vim user needs the esc key approximately as often as the Enter key.

~~~
timrichard
...or likely has it mapped to Caps Lock.

------
godfrzero
These UX problems aside, am I the only one who feels like the latest
generation has performance problems? My 2013 Air ran DotA, Sublime, iTerm and
Chrome just fine. The 13" 2017 Pro that I'm using now heats up if I'm just
using Sublime, and the fan even turns on. The 13" 2015 Pro didn't have this
problem either.

~~~
BugsJustFindMe
Consider the possibility that you have a faulty one. It does happen. Apple,
like every other manufacturer, will be resistant to the suggestion, though.

Fwiw, I don't experience anything like what you describe on a 16GB 2017 13"
without touchbar.

------
pensatoio
The MacBook Air has been woefully insufficient for years now. How about trying
the 13" MBP and forego the touchbar? Maybe try the 2017 MacBook? The MacBook
is very much better than the air in every single conceivable way.

~~~
banyek
I have an 1.7 Ghz i7 processor, and 8 GB of ram. I mostly use a browser and an
iterm in my workflow, this macbook air will be still enough for years. And my
biggest problem with that machine was the keyboard, which is not good for me.

------
srrge
I had the Touch Bar 13" MacBook Pro and this actually is a f*cking piece of
shit. The battery life is laughably low, the Mac itself is slow. The Touch Bar
is a failure. Even the form factor is horrible (to me) and the USB-C ecosystem
is close to inexistant.

I gave it to an new employee bought a refurb 2015 MacBook Pro and I am so
delighted now.

