New models are meant to make old models feel obsolete, but it's the other way around.
Going back to older devices can be a negative experience, as newer models usually come with new features and improvements that should make older models feel obsolete.
Instead, my old MacBook Pro is making my new model feel less useful.
Indeed, Apple has made some questionable changes to its more recent MacBook Pros that I thought I'd highlight.
Check out four things that my old MacBook Pro does better than my newer model:
A reliable keyboard.
Apple's started using its second iteration of its Butterfly keyboards, simply called Butterfly 2, in the 2016 MacBook Pro, and it's been a somewhat divisive feature. The keys are almost completely flat and they're designed to press down more evenly than regular keys. Some love it, others hate it.
I actually quite like the Butterfly 2 keyboard, but it is insanely loud to type on. And it's not quite as comfortable to type on as the chunky keys on my old MacBook pro.
With that said, the Butterfly 2 is more susceptible to problems. My "g" key randomly started double-registering – where I pressed it once and two Gs appear on my screen. Sometimes, my MacBook Pro wouldn't register my "g" key at all. That's incredibly frustrating for someone who's job it is to write. The word "Google" would often appear as "oogle, ggooggle," or simply "oole." I went to CES with this problem, and it was a pain.
Casey Johnston of The Outline experience a similar problem with the space bar on his MacBook Pro. Others began chiming in to report the same issue. Even Business Insider's own Kif Leswing had a similar issue, and also commented how Apple's solution is ridiculous.
Apple's Butterfly keyboard may allow for thinner laptop designs, but it's not as reliable as the good old fashioned keyboards from MacBook Pros of yore.
An "Esc" key.
Why Apple removed the "Esc" key – short for "escape" – on the Touchbar MacBook Pro models is a mystery.
It's been replaced with a touch-button in the Touchbar of my 2016 MacBook Pro, which is OK. But you sometimes have to tap the Touchbar to wake it so it can reveal the Esc key, which means you now need two button presses when you previously only had to do one.
I didn't think this was a big deal until I returned to a keyboard that had a physical Esc key. I use it so often to leave full-screen mode on videos that the Touchbar solution seems like a nuisance.
The MagSafe power connector.
Apple's new USB-C ports for charging lets you charge your MacBook Pro from either the left or right side of my newer laptop, which is actually pretty useful. And it's great that it uses the same USB-C standard as USB-C docks and adapters, which let you plug a wide variety of devices into one single USB-C port.
But the MagSafe charging connector was amazing. Accidental trips over the charging cable posed no risk to your laptop. And it has a small LED light to show you when your laptop was charging or fully charged.
Apple's USB-C cable has no such LED, forcing me to open my laptop to see if it's charged or not. My MacBook Pro is also more vulnerable to trip-related damage. It hasn't happened to my MacBook Pro yet, but it's a matter of time. I tripped on a USB-C MacBook Pro review unit, which sent it tumbling down to the floor. Thankfully it wasn't damaged, as it was a short drop, but the USB-C cable connector was slightly damaged.
It just feels like regression, even if USB-C is inherently better.
Ports. Glorious ports for all my needs.
One thing I truly don't miss about my 2016 MacBook Pro is the USB-C adapter I had to remember to bring along wherever I went.
I'm all for using wireless accessories, and I rarely need to plug anything apart from power into my MacBook Pro when I'm at home. But there are times when I need just one regular USB port, at which point I have to take out the USB-C adapter from work. And that's if I remember to bring it back home. Without the adapter, I'm dead in the water, and I have to use this old 2012 MacBook Pro with all the ports I need built right in.
The solution, of course, is to buy more USB-C adapters. But buying an extra adapter that can get easily lost to make new things work with old things is a pretty poor solution.
It wouldn't be so bad if accessories started using USB-C, like USB-C mice, keyboards, monitors, and anything else you can connect to your laptop. But there are few USB-C accessories to speak of. Even Apple's accessories, like its keyboards and mice, don't come with USB-C cables to complement its new laptops.
Still, the new MacBook Pros have things that I'd never give up.
- I could never go back to the fuzzy, tired screen from my 2012 MacBook Pro. The Retina display on my 2016 model is simply too nice to ever go back full-time.
- The giant trackpad on my 2016 model makes the trackpad on my 2012 model feel tiny and cramped.
- The speakers in my 2016 model are astounding for a laptop.
- It's incredibly thin and relatively light.
- The fingerprint scanner on the Touchbar makes logging in much easier.
- And, of course, the performance of my new model exceeds that of my old one. It's great being able to glide through 20-plus open Chrome browser tabs without any hiccups. As much as I might like to gripe about the shortcomings of my newer model, I could never give up its speed.
Apple still sells one older MacBook Pro model.
If the classic touches and design of the older MacBook Pro are more your style, you're not out of luck. As of the time of writing, Apple still sells one laptop with ports and a decent keyboard. It's a mid-2015 model with 15-inch screen running on a 4th-generation Core i7 processor priced at an over-valued $2000.
You're better bet is to buy it from Apple's Refurbished Mac Store, where you can buy the mid-2015 MacBook Pro for $300 less than a brand new model.
source http://www.pulse.ng/bi/tech/tech-four-things-my-old-macbook-pro-can-do-better-than-my-newer-model-aapl-id7872906.html
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