The Beanster Blog

Dong~~~!!! Each time I boot / re-boot my MacBook Pro I hear the garbled chime because of my busted speakers. I re-boot multiple times a day because I use Windows on Bootcamp. I am really tempted to trade-in this 2012 Retina MacBook Pro 15inch and up & downgrade (basically compromise) to a 2015 Retina MacBook Pro 13inch. I've ruled out the MacBook Air 13inch as I really love the Retina display on my current system and can't see myself going back. Why not the 2016 MacBook Pro 15inch? Well I've pretty much convinced myself that USB-C might need a few more years before it's mainstream. And the cost, oh the cost. For the spec I want it's going to be 2x as much as the 2015 rMBP 13inch I'm eyeing. I do believe that my computer usage has changed quite a bit since 2012. I really haven't been playing that much games on my computer anyway. No change:  Retina display  8Gb RAM  USB-A x 2  SDXC  HDMI  MagSafe 2 Pros:  Smaller & Light...

I have been thinking... It might be a good idea to wait until 2017 to revisit the MacBook Pro upgrade issue. I am hoping that Apple will cut the price next year 2017 once the pent up demand for the super expensive notebooks starts to subside. Besides, it will be more economical to wait for USB-C to become the present rather than the future. Maybe "dongle hell" can be minimized. By the way, if the next iPhone and iPad comes out with USB-C, I think it will force other companies to adapt USB-C faster. I'm not sure if Apple is ready to replace lightning tho. Let's see how courageous they really are. I will just have to make do with my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro which is still working well apart from the annoyance of busted speakers.

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing 2015 Retina MacBook Pro to replace my Mid-2012. I get to keep USB-A, HDMI, SDXC, and MagSafe. I'm not sure if this is the correct path to go but I haven't come to terms with the dongle fiasco that is the 2016 MacBook Pro. I really want TouchID tho, but it's not putting me over the edge. The only thing I am sure about is 256Gb is not enough. For my use case, which means dual booting into Windows. I think 512Gb should be minimum, especially since modern Mac components can no longer be upgraded. Another thing I am considering is going with a 2015 MacBook Air 13in. While this will be a downgrade in the screen and horsepower department. It will be a boost in the up time department and the weight will be less. Alas, this would also mean no more games for me. Which makes me a bit sad. I could treat the MBA as an interim notebook while everyone gets used to USB-C. Or I could stick it out with my Mid-2012 and it's busted spe...

Should users be forced to live in "Dongle Hell" while Apple forces everyone to evolve & adapt into the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 era? Why did we have to lose MagSafe, USB, HDMI, SDXC, all at the same time? Why is the system RAM limited to 16Gb? Why is the GPU not NVIDIA? Why can't you plug your 2016 iPhone 7 or 7+ to a 2016 MacBook Pro without purchasing a USB-C to lightning cable or USB-C to USB dongle. BTW your 2016 Lightning EarPods  also won't work with the best laptop ever. Why do we need to use dongles? Would it be less painful if the 2016 MBP had two USB-C and two USB? Apple Inc., is anorexic. The obsession w/ thinner & lighter is unhealthy. Making EVERYTHING thinner & lighter means sacrifices. Sacrifices that users must pay high prices and endure until such time that what ever they think is best, becomes the norm. For the first time since the iPhone 3GS, I am thinking of not updating because they got rid of the 3.5mm jack which I use daily. I switc...