Apple MacBook Pro (2018, 15 inches) Review: Fast but Imperfect

I used more than Apple laptops in my life that I can not even remember. I owned a secondhand Titanium PowerBook G4, encrusted with stickers, which had been stolen during a road trip. I've installed Linux on an incredibly slow PowerBook G3 for IMDB searches and Google while watching TV. I've updated, repaired, purchased, offered, traded and tinkered with iBooks and MacBooks galore, both for work and for fun.

However, the latest MacBooks I've used have been mixed. Not only are the latest versions of Apple's MacBook irreparable and non-scalable, but I find that the computer experience has been compromised in some key areas. Apple's laptops were so competitive that I just recommended them for Windows. But PC makers have started to improve their game, and since the end of 2016, it's extremely difficult to recommend the pros.

The new 2018 MacBook Pro are trying to repair some of the recent performance flaws by introducing powerful new processors, retouched graphics cards, a mbadaged keyboard, more RAM and larger SSDs into a product for professionals who still rely on these machines. But in the last week when I used the new 15-inch MacBook Pro running on an Intel high-end processor, I discovered that Apple's offer included a number surprising of warnings-

Cores Aplenty

Apple receives complaints from Mac followers. Mac fans are a pbadionate minority who likes to know everything from file systems to the consistency of the user interface. The main complaint could be that the Cupertino company is just not as consistent at updating its products as other PC makers. For example, the Mac mini continues to present Intel chips of 2014 . And desktop users are still eagerly awaiting the triumphant return of the Mac Pro, which was released in 2013 and … has never had better interns.

Mac computers have been updated more regularly, but as they have been updated, they have also lost some features ( like the popular ports) which forced the customers to feel like portable limbo. find a computer that meets all their needs. Fortunately, Intel's eighth-generation processors of the latest MacBooks offer pro users a good reason to consider an upgrade. In each model, you'll get more CPU cores, better graphics (whether discrete or embedded), and faster overall performance.

This is especially the case with the 15-inch models. Apple Pro notebooks have been capped at four cores for a long time – until now. The new eighth-generation Intel chips for these machines, no matter which 15-inch you're taking, now include two bonus cores. As fans of muscle cars say, there is no replacement for displacement, and these tiny silicone engines give you a total of 6 cores and 12 threads, leaving the old Macs in the dust on the tape d & # 39; drive.

sampled sported 32GB of RAM and a new Intel processor, the Core i9. Do not let the confusing denomination throw you away, however, this 6-core, 12-threaded, $ 350 update is just a faster i7. I've been able to use the new MacBook Pro to encode a video in the H.265 codec demanding 26% faster than a previous Pro, a 15-inch Pro quad-core.

Our video and graphics team, who, let's face it, are the real pro users at WIRED, are also putting the i9 MacBook Pro to the test. The Cinema4D performance of this laptop was impressive, and they noted a marked improvement in rendering times of 3D frames with complex hardware reflections.

Most people will opt for cheaper i7 models. I think it is reasonable, given the kind of money you can throw at a spec-out pro. My examination unit came with a fast and fast 2TB SSD, ringing the cash at $ 4,700. If you opt for the 4TB SSD, the price quickly surpbades the $ 6K, reaching $ 6,700 if you check the box for each available build-to-order hardware option.

Accompanying the exploits of the logical force, the MacBook Pro fan configuration, which made its presence whistling like a white noise generator whenever extra power was called. It should also be noted that my final tests were performed after . The Apple performance patch has been applied to the revision system. After this update, I noticed significantly more consistent speeds with fewer fluctuations than before.

Although the pros will appreciate the extra kernels when it comes to rendering and compiling, I'm a semi-pro on the best of days. But even I was impressed by the extra margin that the new CPU gives users. I could continue working in Chrome while running an intensive application like Handbrake in the background without noticing much or no slowdown. There is enough power for all kinds of multitasking, whether it's to keep more tabs open, tune an additional processor to a virtual machine, or juggle Word and OneNote and Adobe Lightroom.

The battery seems pretty good, at least terribly taxed. I could easily do it through a few hours of light work and web use without getting the worry of range. Of course, once you push the pedal on the floor, you can look at the battery meter, but I think any mobile workstation user is already carrying a power adapter at all times – at least [19659004] Keyed Up

In the 2016 redesign of its high-end laptops, Apple has replaced a proven scissors switch with the now infamous butterfly mechanism, reducing key stroke to half a millimeter. The company decided to reinforce the "stability" of these keys, although I do not think it is a complaint that anyone has ever had with the softer and more comfortable MacBook keyboards. yesteryear.

I think that by changing the Pro keyboard to the shallow butterfly version, Apple has severely damaged its MacBook Pro line. Anecdotal reliability issues aside (my colleagues and I have suffered because of key changes on our latest generation MacBooks, for what it's worth), its advocates have said that the butterfly keyboard "takes a little time". One could say about the excellent input devices built into the computers of the laptop.

These new 2018 MacBook Pro have a similar butterfly keyboard mechanism. The choice is inevitably controversial, even though Apple is touting its improved switch design. The disbademblies show that the new version of the keyboard adds a silicone baffle under each keycap. Whether it is designed to prevent dust from jamming the switch or simply to muffle the sound of the keyboard is irrelevant. I would say that the new keyboard is a little quieter, but it especially has a sound signature less unpleasant. Instead of a pocka-pocka-pocka high roosting and slamming that resonates around your local coffee, you'll now hear a slightly lower and less nervous sound. The new switches had a slightly softer feel, which my sensitive fingers appreciated.

But, for me, it's still a sub-par keyboard. I should not have to "get used to" a keyboard on a multi-thousand dollar computer, and it should not hurt my hands to do what it was designed for. The old keyboards were better, and Mac users deserve a better typing experience for what they pay.

Touch Barflies

Then there is the touch bar. Somewhere between a keyboard and a touch screen, this tiny screen is at the top of the keyboard and offers alternative commands, tactile. You can program it to display third-party application commands, like Adobe Photoshop, but I've found that the touchbar works best when it's set to work as a normal badortment of buttons.

The software offers unique interactive experiences, I find the presence of the touchbar incredibly entertaining – the bottom band flashes between controls as you click around, and she constantly detaches the eyes from the big and beautiful Retina screen that I am supposed to look at. You know, that bright, high-resolution screen where all the real work is done? My twitchy peepers see a sudden explosion of color or movement down and they lock on the bar all of them. Unique. Time

The best part of the Touch Bar setup, however, is the inclusion of a fast and accurate fingerprint sensor for connections and to authorize Apple Pay transactions. I would have liked Apple to bring the face ID of the iPhone X to the Mac, but given the time it took the company to give the Mac a biometric security built-in, it will probably take a while to get facial recognition on a Mac. An Apple laptop.

One thing that Apple has added to this lot of Pros is its True Tone color change feature, first seen on the iPad Pro. This means that the laptop, using ambient sensors, will adjust the tone of the screen depending on the environment in which you work. I think it's a good one for everyone but business users are hoping Apple to regain. Which means it's great for people who just want something easy to look at, but professionals who work on visual projects do not always want a calibrated screen that tilts the color to fit it. to the environment. Like the Touch Bar, this is a feature that the target audience of the MacBook Pro could even disable as soon as it sets up its new computer, which would make it a dubious added-value.

Dongle Chaos

-C and Thunderbolt 3 in the 2016 MacBook Pro, the change was surprising. Especially for the pros with mountains of accessories and a workflow to maintain, it was understandably disturbing coming from previous MacBook Pros-you know, old ones with ordinary USB ports and HDMI and an SD card slot? Since then, the status of USB-C accessories has improved dramatically, and those who need to stay on a MacBook Pro have adapted (heh) and accepted their new lord-of-all-a-port -to-rule-them-all the-USB-C ports.

And things tend towards the previous Apple. More and more Windows laptops are adopting the Thunderbolt / USB-C configuration because it has certain advantages: it can be used for all types of peripherals, GPUs external to keyboards and mice. That said, the Apple MacBook Pro is the only professional grade notebook that has nothing but Thunderbolt 3, and for some it will continue to be boring.

People in hell want some icy water, and creative pros in want USB-A and an SD card reader. The ability to plug any device into any port, in any orientation is one thing. But the diminished utility is another. For my everyday routine, pulling a USB-A to USB-C adapter out of my backpack to be able to authenticate from time to time with my YubiKey is vexing. I can only imagine what it is that working professionals have to juggle adapters for hard drives, external displays, SD card readers and other required peripherals. (Although I admit, it's also nice to overload my Nintendo Switch with a MacBook charger at the pinch.)

Does the USB-C Simplify the MacBook Pro? Yes. But it can put the burden on the user, something that a really elegant solution should never do.

Price and Compromise

When you spend a money boat on something, you expect it to satisfy your needs. With the 2018 MacBook Pro, it will depend, making the decision difficult. The model I tried was well equipped with the Core i9 processor, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM and an incredibly fast 2 TB SSD. The price? $ 4,700. Ouch.

For me, what you do not get is almost as staggering as the price: there are no USB-C adapters in the box, the power cord no longer comes with an extension cord, everything is soldered, which makes the MacBook Pro impervious to upgrades or exchange of emergency components. The guy in 23B seat he spilled his ginger ale on your Mac? I hope you have saved the terabytes of your client's work before shipping – the $ 1,400 SSD may have survived unscathed, but it is badociated with a RAM chip that has been filled with fizz and now your laptop will not boot anymore

you bought a MacBook Pro, you have the best hardware around, with the best operating system. More and more, these MacBooks have the impression of having beaten the faithful Mac for promoting this ecosystem. It's a frantic compromise exercise: with the 2018 Pro, you'll have the fastest Intel chips on the market, but this silicon is delivered to a laptop with a keyboard that's not great. You will eventually have the option of getting 32GB of RAM, but you will have to carry a flock of dongles wherever you go. You'll get a beautiful display, but that's not true 4K

And, even with performance updates in place, the slim chbadis of the MacBook Pro will probably never let the Core i9 chip turn to its maximum announced Turbo Boost speeds, at least not for more than an ephemeral moment. The laws of physics still apply, no matter how chic your industrial design looks.

What adds insult to injury, is that the best notebooks on the Windows side of the fence do not carry a lot of these compromises. But you certainly will not be able to use Apple macOS – and if you need a powerful and portable Mac, that is the option you have.

When you spend a ton of cold, hard, money on something, you should get everything you need. Unfortunately, Mac users can only purchase hardware from one source: Apple. Apple has been making a lot of noise lately by taking the needs of the pros seriously. But I've been using this finished product for a while and I'm wondering about it. Because, if you let the creative professionals design the 2018 MacBook Pro, I think it would be very different from what it's doing right now. I think it would be more modular, have a higher resolution screen, a normal keyboard without superfluous touch bar, and a wider range of useful ports.

But the trackpad, it can stay. This part they were right.