New Apple MacBook Pro and Air – Pricing for South Africa

[Hamster]

Not from what I've seen. Everyone loves the OG mouse.

Not from what I've done.

If you haven't used it day in and day out for years you wouldn't understand. But there's no other trackpad out there that comes close.

 

[CataclysmZA]

Apple just killed bootcamp

https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/jtrmav

 

[Johnatan56]

Not on a MacBook you don't. That trackpad is the shizzz.

Mostly due to the integration (gestures), still prefer a mouse most of the time. Windows also came a long way, and the newer XP trackpad for example is great, OEM finally realized people like large trackpads.

In other news, new MacOS is not great in terms of privacy, and seems the M1 chip will force you to the latest one:

Your Computer Isn't Yours [MacOS]

It’s here. It happened. Did you notice? I’m speaking, of course, of the world that Richard Stallman predicted in 1997. The one Cory Doctorow also warned us about. On modern versions of macOS, you simply can’t power on your computer, launch a text editor or eBook reader, and write or read...

mybroadband.co.za

 

[krycor]

Pricing is pretty decent, but I'll wait for 2nd gen Apple M1 processors if you can.

Never buy 1st gen Apple products.

Apple has a history of problems with the 1st gen of all their new product lines (1st gen Macbook Pro Retina defects, 1st Gen butterfly keyboards, 1st gen 16" MacBook Pro thermals, 1st gen iMac Pro T2 chip failures, 1st gen Airpods audio quality...)

They refine the design come 2nd iteration. Also a lot more apps will be native ARM ready by then.

Yup.. already it seems their are limitations hence the ram is limited to 16GB, storage to 2TB and only 2 thunderbolt ports. Chip seems to have some bandwidth bus limits.

So for the power user it’s a problem. I’d say for others who are on old macs it might be worth jumping to IF they need it and can’t wait for March/April. Even then.. your Adobe suite is in the process of being rewritten & optimized for the new chip so waiting is more ideal.

Wrt M1 chip.. if your use case includes virtualization particularly windows.. then nope. You wanna remain on intel. Just remember you can’t compile code to deploy on intel machines except eg byte code (Java etc).

So spouse uses for Adobe so she may wait for a few months.. me, I need it for side hustle dev but can wait will April which I likely will.

Apple 1st gen products aren’t always bad.. my Apple 1 watch is ok (though I’d replace as soon as they come out with a killer feature.. tempted to get a new one next releas).

 

[quovadis]

Is it just me or is it a little ridiculous that iStore is accepting pre-orders for a device where full payment is required with no delivery window or even indication of when these devices will be available?

 

[Peps]

Also trying to figure out expected availability / delivery - anyone knows?

 

[quovadis]

Also trying to figure out expected availability / delivery - anyone knows?

It looks like they've moved to regular online order now - not sure when the stores will get stock.

 

[Sapphiron]

Although in many cases you're still dealing with old trackpads designed before Precision Driver support was a thing, a panel lottery like no other, and varying amounts of cheap battery, keyboard, and chassis designs. Margins on OEM hardware is in the low double-digit range, and there's very little room to improve the design.

I almost always use or recommend a mouse for productivity anyway, even a mac trackpad cant match a decent mouse.

One trick that I learnt, is to ask the supplier for the serial numbers or service tags of the units they have in stock. That way you can check on-line, which panels they have before you buy.

 

[quovadis]

I almost always use or recommend a mouse for productivity anyway, even a mac trackpad cant match a decent mouse.

For productivity? Nothing beats Apple's trackpad. The PC laptop market has caught up to a large extent but it's still very much lagging behind.

 

[Sapphiron]

For productivity? Nothing beats Apple's trackpad. The PC laptop market has caught up to a large extent but it's still very much lagging behind.

Not with my dumb fingers it's not. Trackpads are terrible if you have 30+ years of muscle memory with mouse use.

I would argue touch screens are more intuitive and mice are more accurate. Trackpad are just a weird in-between thing. Trackpoints make more sense, since they are more integrated with a typing based workflow.

Hopefully, the M2 based Mac's will bring the excellent iPad touch screen hardware to the Mac. Then windows touchscreens might also be forced to get better.

Options are king, each to his own and what he is used to.

 

[quovadis]

Not with my dumb fingers it's not. Trackpads are terrible if you have 30+ years of muscle memory with mouse use.

I would argue touch screens are more intuitive and mice are more accurate. Trackpad are just a weird in-between thing. Trackpoints make more sense, since they are more integrated with a typing based workflow.

Hopefully, the M2 based Mac's will bring the excellent iPad touch screen hardware to the Mac. Then windows touchscreens might also be forced to get better.

Options are king, each to his own and what he is used to.

They're all different forms of input and agreed each to their own. On a mobile device I will still go with a trackpad on an Apple device over any other input for general productivity work especially (and this was the point) compared to the trackpad on a PC/Windows device.

 

[piet70]

Apple just killed bootcamp

Not really.

Craig Federighi says Windows can run natively on M1 Macs but is 'really up to Microsoft'

While the transition to Apple Silicon has been impressively smooth overall for the first M1 Macs, a big lingering question...

9to5mac.com

A little background of the pickle with Windows on M1 Macs is that Microsoft’s current licensing doesn’t allow its ARM version of Windows 10 to be used by Apple (since it’s not preinstalled). And previously, Microsoft said it didn’t have any news to share when The Verge asked about it making a change to allow Boot Camp on ARM Macs.​

As for Windows running natively on the machine, “that’s really up to Microsoft,” he said. “We have the core technologies for them to do that, to run their ARM version of Windows, which in turn of course supports x86 user mode applications. But that’s a decision Microsoft has to make, to bring to license that technology for users to run on these Macs. But the Macs are certainly very capable of it.”​

 

[noxibox]

Universe Direct

Universe Direct: Quality refurbished I.T. Equipment for the South-African Market

www.universedirect.co.za

Has lots and lots of refurbished enterprise grade laptops that put the MBP to shame.

Be careful to equate a crappy consumer grade PC to a MacBook, they are not in the same category.

edit: fixed the url

I just want one that has a huge trackpad, preferably with a glass surface, but at the very least completely smooth.

Everyone uses an usb mouse anyway...

Everyone who lacks the dexterity to use a trackpad?

I almost always use or recommend a mouse for productivity anyway, even a mac trackpad cant match a decent mouse.

One trick that I learnt, is to ask the supplier for the serial numbers or service tags of the units they have in stock. That way you can check on-line, which panels they have before you buy.

I usually advise a mouse for people who don't want to or can't learn to use a trackpad, whatever the reason. A mouse simply can't match a good trackpad, but there is more of a learning curve. Preferably the trackpad should be just below the keyboard. An external one beside the keyboard is the next best thing, but still requires a greater travel distance to use. I of course have my own personal requirements for a mouse - it must be symmetrical so I can use it either side, it must be large enough to rest my hand on comfortably (mean I am not required to grip the mouse)

I don't get the point of those ridiculously tiny mice they sell. They throw ergonomics straight out the window for a small saving of space.

 

[noxibox]

Not with my dumb fingers it's not. Trackpads are terrible if you have 30+ years of muscle memory with mouse use.

I would argue touch screens are more intuitive and mice are more accurate. Trackpad are just a weird in-between thing. Trackpoints make more sense, since they are more integrated with a typing based workflow.

Hopefully, the M2 based Mac's will bring the excellent iPad touch screen hardware to the Mac. Then windows touchscreens might also be forced to get better.

Options are king, each to his own and what he is used to.

A touchscreen is nice, but isn't the best option on a laptop or desktop. Trackpad wins there.

A trackpad is ultimately as accurate as the fine motor control of your fingers.