Opinions and recommendations on the new Macbooks?

By slj, 13 July, 2018

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hi.
I'm not sure if this topic should be in the hardware forum instead.
It's about the time where I need to think about getting a new Macbook. I'm not sure on what to get and what would fit my needs.
I bought my current Macbook Air 11 inch in 2014. At this time, this lovely small computer was ment to only work as a travel computer on the go. For a lot of reasons, the computer quickly end up being my primary computer, which still surprise me today. I bought a computer with only 128 gb of storage but upgraded it to 8 gb of ram.
I'm using my computer for a lot of things, which is the reason for I'm surprised the computer even still works. The computer is running 24/7. Used as a desktop computer when I'm at home, with multiple things hooked up to the computer via a USB hub. It also sometimes acts as a server for testing things. When I'm on the go, I use it just like a normal laptop.
To avoid braking the build in keyboard because of my heavy use of the computer, I have bought the wireless keyboard from Apple which I really enjoy using.
I'm using Windows 10 on a virtual machine, which is the reason for I need the extra ram. It runs quite well. To get more storage, I have bought a 256 gb external SSD drive, which works really great for virtual machines. The only down side is I have to take the harddrive with me if I need to use my virtual machines while on the go, but I can live with that.
Currently, my computer still works quite well. The only critical issue is the battery. When viewing the status of the battery in the system report, it says the battery needs service and needs to be changed. It is so critical that my trackpad has been lifted, and the right click, which I use for gaming, does not always work. I know from previous experience on an other Mac, that it's a matter of time before the battery explodes, which is really not fun... I could pay to get the battery replaced, but I think it's time to buy a new computer instead...
I have some questions about the new Macbook Pros, which I would like to hear your opinions and experiences about:
1. The new touch bar: is there a way to use the f keys in a virtual machine without using the touch bar? I assume the touch bar won't work with NVDA in Windows 10.
2. is it worth choosing a computer with a touch bar only to get the better hardware?
3. I both use USB and thunderbolt. I really don't like that the new computers only have USB C. What adapters would you recommend? It feels kind of bad to buy an extremely expensive new computer, and then buy adapters to use my hardware...
Other suggestions and opinions are very much welcome. I look forward to hear from you...

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Comments

By Justin on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

Well, to start things off, The MBP with touch bar works wonderfully, I've had mine for a little under 2 years now. I don't know about the touch bar working with windows, I'd say no. However, if anyone else has a MBP with TB, post something about win 10. I don't use win at all om my mac machines, haven't since 2010. USB adapters... Ok, so when I purchased my MBP 2016 with TB, I bought 2 USB C to USB 3.0 type A adapters in case one dies. I'd say go with that, also, maybe and I'm not 100% sure on this but get a USB C to thunderbolt adapter as well, if that exists, but I'm sure it is available.

By Chris on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

I personally think all the new Apple laptops are absolute crap! I don't like the new crappy butterfly keyboards with low key travel. They also tend to break very easily from what I've heard.
Instead of buying a very expensive new Mac, why not replace the battery in your Air? You can buy a battery from eBay or Amazon and the required T5 Torx and P5 Pentalobe screwdrivers for far less than the cost of a new machine or to have Apple do the job. Once you have everything, you can either do it yourself or if you're not comfortable, have someone do it for you. All you have to do is unscrew the 10 P5 screws on the back of the case, lift the cover, and use the Torx T5 to unscrew the five screws securing the battery. Pull the tab on the battery connector to disconnect it from the socket and lift the battery out. Lay the new one flat inside the Air and connect the connector to the socket on the board. Replace the screws for the battery, put the back cover on and screw the 10 screws back in and you're done.

It's more complicated than it has to be thanks to Apple and their proprietary crap! They would rather have you take it to their authorized people or simply buy a new machine because they want more money.

By slj on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

Thanks for the recommendation of changing the battery. I heard that is very difficult in the 2014 Macbook Airs and later models. I'll check how much it cost to get someone to replace it for me. Have you actually replaced a battery on a Macbook air yourself? I assume you are blind? I think I could replace a battery in a Macbook Pro myself, but the Air is so thin so I won't do it on my own.

By falcon wings on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

all I would like to say that the new macbookpros the 2018 moddles come with an entirely new keyboard layout...

8gb of ram,I5 processor and at least 512ssd config ought to be pretty good. if a new mbp is what you are planning on.
But if win10 is what you want to use,why not just get a new non mac laptop?
and no, the touch bar is unlikely to work on win10 side of things,but it does work well on the mac os side of the street.
hth.

By Chris on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

I had to replace the battery in my 2013 13-inch MacBook Air last April. The process was fairly easy once I knew what to do. I had my dad help me out. There are lots of videos online that describe how to do it. Just look for replace batery in Apple MacBook 11 inch mid 2014. For instance, here's one I found on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHrxy6AMEDs
The screws are really small, so you'll want to put them somewhere safe like a bag so you don't lose them.

By slj on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

@falcon wings Thanks for your reply. I think you misunderstand my first post. I'm using both systems. :) So are you saying that there is no way to use the F keys on the new models with a touch bar when using Windows in a virtual machine?
@Chris: Thank you. I'll take a look at this...

By slj on Monday, August 6, 2018 - 17:12

Hi.
I see the topic has been moved, which is fair if it's not related to the mac OS discussion. But it resulted in I had to check the forum manually, because the new comments didn't showed up on the front page. So I nearly missed the new comments. It would have been nice if the person who have moved the topic has mentioned it in a comment, instead of just moving the topic without saying anything...