Macbook Pro Replacement
Discussion
Probably about the seventh time I posted a similar thread and then done nothing about it but here goes 
I have a 2015 Macbook Pro that gets used heavily (as in a lot not actual heavy usage) daily and it seems to be acting up and freezing randomly with the screen colours distorting and almost going "fluorescent" on Chrome windows.
When this happens the mouse works intermittently but audio and video in other apps continues playing.
So I'm in two minds whether the computer is f
ked or if Chrome is doing something odd as it seems to only have started since the last few Chrome updates.
Anyway 5 years old and I'm downloading Catalina now to try that but if it is broken it doesn't owe me much.
It tends to only get used for web browsing, internet radio in a pinned tab, and Sky Go and very light office type stuff but I do most of that in web apps.
So I'm considering:
Still a stretch for a £350 iPad?
I have a 2015 Macbook Pro that gets used heavily (as in a lot not actual heavy usage) daily and it seems to be acting up and freezing randomly with the screen colours distorting and almost going "fluorescent" on Chrome windows.
When this happens the mouse works intermittently but audio and video in other apps continues playing.
So I'm in two minds whether the computer is f
ked or if Chrome is doing something odd as it seems to only have started since the last few Chrome updates.Anyway 5 years old and I'm downloading Catalina now to try that but if it is broken it doesn't owe me much.
It tends to only get used for web browsing, internet radio in a pinned tab, and Sky Go and very light office type stuff but I do most of that in web apps.
So I'm considering:
- Another Macbook Pro or Macbook Air
- An iPad but probably with a keyboard
- A Windows laptop
Still a stretch for a £350 iPad?
Similar to you I’ve been back and fourth on moving to iPad only for ages. Decided to give it a crack now it has mouse support. 99% of my usage is browsing, general consumption and some basic spreadsheets.
I’m really in the early stages - testing Excel, banking etc. so haven’t really done any heavy lifting. I spent some time yesterday setting it up with keyboard / mouse / external monitor and updating some of my files and it all seemed to work better than I had thought it might.
In terms of multitasking you can have 2x windows side by side, then a sort of hovering third window which can flick through other open apps. It’s not as seamless as a desktop OS but it seemed to be OK for me yesterday.
Do you use headphones or external speakers? I’ve been blow away by the sound on the iPad - but this could be really low expectations as my MB is 10yrs old and iPhone 5yrs old, but it kicks the Dell I use for work as well into touch. I can now have it playing at a much lower volume as the clarity is really easy to pick up.
I’m really in the early stages - testing Excel, banking etc. so haven’t really done any heavy lifting. I spent some time yesterday setting it up with keyboard / mouse / external monitor and updating some of my files and it all seemed to work better than I had thought it might.
In terms of multitasking you can have 2x windows side by side, then a sort of hovering third window which can flick through other open apps. It’s not as seamless as a desktop OS but it seemed to be OK for me yesterday.
Do you use headphones or external speakers? I’ve been blow away by the sound on the iPad - but this could be really low expectations as my MB is 10yrs old and iPhone 5yrs old, but it kicks the Dell I use for work as well into touch. I can now have it playing at a much lower volume as the clarity is really easy to pick up.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said:megaphone said:
Out of interest, why do you use Chrome? Why not Safari?
Habit, preference and probably a bit of inertia from when Safari was still a bit st in comparison.Do you have an SSD in the MAC? If not then this is a good upgrade, that is if the MB is not faulty. Also a clean OS install and then rebuild your apps etc will usually get it back to full speed.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Still a stretch for a £350 iPad?
iPad is a lovely “lounge” solution to browsing, controlling, streaming etc, if keyboard use is infrequent.A tablet is a better form factor, usually lasts longer, is ergonomically superior for lounging, zero noise, more collaborative/shareable, and fits in better than a clamshell laptop. I’d got for a 12.9” iPad - I still use a Gen 1 version in my lounge, still faster than I need, lasts days on battery and a gorgeous big screen. Cheap as chips second hand now.
It will do the multitasking/background tasks with ease. You will need to take time adjusting from the change from keyboard trackpad with mouse to on-screen direct jabbing.
I swear you are my brother from a different mother......
I’ve been on the fence with replacing my 2014 MBPr (i7, 8GB, 512GB+ 400GB microSD capacity) for *ages*.
For me, 2014 was peak Apple. Even the “smudgy screen patina” issue was fixed FOC out of warranty by them....
For years they have stripped out ports, had cr@ppy keyboards and not been worthy of upgrades.
Mine now struggles a bit: working with multiple presentations occasionally bombs out (yes, people still use this for work!), but it remains more than capable for other things I use it.
Excel, word, browsing, Sonos, spotify....even still have a fusion WinXP instance with Quicken 2000 for tracking some small business details! Also use chrome in the main, but some safari and Firefox for different things (multiple twitter personas, etc!).
I would have hoped a modern iPad hound be able to cope....but actually I like a decent keyboard.
I suspect my next step now would be the new MacBook Pro.....but for 1TB storage (no expansion, remember - I don’t want less than I have today, however much the rest of the world wants to move to “the cloud”!), looks like £2k or more
Then again, mine was probably about £1400 back in the day....as a pal put it at the time: “how many hours every day are you sat using that? Invest in it!”
Windows? I have a reasonably specc’d work Lenovo....every time I have to use it, it reminds me why I still prefer my Mac.
Keyboard, trackpad, display....usability......just all feels way better with the Apple, dammit!
Maybe my 2014 has another year left in it
I’ve been on the fence with replacing my 2014 MBPr (i7, 8GB, 512GB+ 400GB microSD capacity) for *ages*.
For me, 2014 was peak Apple. Even the “smudgy screen patina” issue was fixed FOC out of warranty by them....
For years they have stripped out ports, had cr@ppy keyboards and not been worthy of upgrades.
Mine now struggles a bit: working with multiple presentations occasionally bombs out (yes, people still use this for work!), but it remains more than capable for other things I use it.
Excel, word, browsing, Sonos, spotify....even still have a fusion WinXP instance with Quicken 2000 for tracking some small business details! Also use chrome in the main, but some safari and Firefox for different things (multiple twitter personas, etc!).
I would have hoped a modern iPad hound be able to cope....but actually I like a decent keyboard.
I suspect my next step now would be the new MacBook Pro.....but for 1TB storage (no expansion, remember - I don’t want less than I have today, however much the rest of the world wants to move to “the cloud”!), looks like £2k or more
Then again, mine was probably about £1400 back in the day....as a pal put it at the time: “how many hours every day are you sat using that? Invest in it!”
Windows? I have a reasonably specc’d work Lenovo....every time I have to use it, it reminds me why I still prefer my Mac.
Keyboard, trackpad, display....usability......just all feels way better with the Apple, dammit!
Maybe my 2014 has another year left in it
CrouchingWayne said:
Similar to you I’ve been back and fourth on moving to iPad only for ages. Decided to give it a crack now it has mouse support. 99% of my usage is browsing, general consumption and some basic spreadsheets.
I’m really in the early stages - testing Excel, banking etc. so haven’t really done any heavy lifting. I spent some time yesterday setting it up with keyboard / mouse / external monitor and updating some of my files and it all seemed to work better than I had thought it might.
In terms of multitasking you can have 2x windows side by side, then a sort of hovering third window which can flick through other open apps. It’s not as seamless as a desktop OS but it seemed to be OK for me yesterday.
Do you use headphones or external speakers? I’ve been blow away by the sound on the iPad - but this could be really low expectations as my MB is 10yrs old and iPhone 5yrs old, but it kicks the Dell I use for work as well into touch. I can now have it playing at a much lower volume as the clarity is really easy to pick up.
Interesting feedback thank you I’m really in the early stages - testing Excel, banking etc. so haven’t really done any heavy lifting. I spent some time yesterday setting it up with keyboard / mouse / external monitor and updating some of my files and it all seemed to work better than I had thought it might.
In terms of multitasking you can have 2x windows side by side, then a sort of hovering third window which can flick through other open apps. It’s not as seamless as a desktop OS but it seemed to be OK for me yesterday.
Do you use headphones or external speakers? I’ve been blow away by the sound on the iPad - but this could be really low expectations as my MB is 10yrs old and iPhone 5yrs old, but it kicks the Dell I use for work as well into touch. I can now have it playing at a much lower volume as the clarity is really easy to pick up.
Presume you are using an Apple keyboard? I haven't fully investigated but I didn't think you could just use a random keyboard and mouse and even if you could it starts to become a bit of a non-portable?
I use headphones a lot but also just the inbuilt speaker sometimes.
I was less concerned about audio quality (presume there are still cheap external DACs worst case) but more around if there are iPad restrictions around how many apps can play i.e. can you listen to streaming radio in one app and have YouTube or iPlayer Sky Go or whatever also playing and have both be heard at once?
Please don't ask whether that's normal, it's just what I tend to do
FWIW, my desk is an old 6x3 dining table, and I am used to using 2 external monitors with the MBPr display, so I am certain I won’t transition to an iPad-based solution....but that may suit you.
Monitor on right has Social things (Sonos, spotify, whatsapp), open tabs or ppts on left, email and whatever I am working on in front. Obviously sometimes this shuffles a bit....& Windows Quicken on a virtual screen to the right. I extensively use OneNote for work notes, Evernote for personal, Microsoft Teams for more work nonsense & mostly Zoom for those lovely webinars. £9 green material makes for a green screen behind me to make my office look more....exotic!
I find it amazing the 2014 drives this so well, tbh...,but like I say, peak Apple!!
Monitor on right has Social things (Sonos, spotify, whatsapp), open tabs or ppts on left, email and whatever I am working on in front. Obviously sometimes this shuffles a bit....& Windows Quicken on a virtual screen to the right. I extensively use OneNote for work notes, Evernote for personal, Microsoft Teams for more work nonsense & mostly Zoom for those lovely webinars. £9 green material makes for a green screen behind me to make my office look more....exotic!
I find it amazing the 2014 drives this so well, tbh...,but like I say, peak Apple!!
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Has anyone moved from a laptop to an iPad? My main concern is around multi-tasking as I do things that to me are simple but that I just take for granted like right now I'm typing this with several tabs open in Chrome and LBC playing and Sky Go on quietly in the background with the screen split sort of 50/50.
Still a stretch for a £350 iPad?
I’d say it’s not quite there yet, but just about doable on an iPad Pro. Windowed views just don’t work great, though are much improved, software is almost always a retarded little brother to the MacOS version, and you find sometimes you just can’t do simple things (print in landscape from Safari for instance). Also, and I think someone on here mentioned this, you have to constantly clean the screen as you’re constantly touching it.Still a stretch for a £350 iPad?
In favour, and I’m still talking about the iPad Pro here, amazing screen, portability, sound and battery life still excellent. You can do most light stuff but it’s still a bit of a pain. Apple keyboard cases comically expensive but very good. And the pencil is superb; no-brainer if you’re arty.
I wouldn’t personally switch to an iPad from a MacBook unless I literally only used it like a chrome laptop. And just for the record I have an iPad Pro 12.9 and a MacBook.
I'm sure I've seen this exact question on another forum recently, and the solution was to turn off [Use hardware acceleration when available] in Chrome settings.
You could of course always switch to another Chromium browser that doesn't install all of Google's (possibly unwanted) hidden system extensions (MS Edge Chromium, Opera, Brave, etc) - and see if that has the same issue.
You could of course always switch to another Chromium browser that doesn't install all of Google's (possibly unwanted) hidden system extensions (MS Edge Chromium, Opera, Brave, etc) - and see if that has the same issue.
mikeiow said:
I swear you are my brother from a different mother......
I’ve been on the fence with replacing my 2014 MBPr (i7, 8GB, 512GB+ 400GB microSD capacity) for *ages*.
For me, 2014 was peak Apple. Even the “smudgy screen patina” issue was fixed FOC out of warranty by them....
For years they have stripped out ports, had cr@ppy keyboards and not been worthy of upgrades.
Mine now struggles a bit: working with multiple presentations occasionally bombs out (yes, people still use this for work!), but it remains more than capable for other things I use it.
Excel, word, browsing, Sonos, spotify....even still have a fusion WinXP instance with Quicken 2000 for tracking some small business details! Also use chrome in the main, but some safari and Firefox for different things (multiple twitter personas, etc!).
I would have hoped a modern iPad hound be able to cope....but actually I like a decent keyboard.
I suspect my next step now would be the new MacBook Pro.....but for 1TB storage (no expansion, remember - I don’t want less than I have today, however much the rest of the world wants to move to “the cloud”!), looks like £2k or more
Then again, mine was probably about £1400 back in the day....as a pal put it at the time: “how many hours every day are you sat using that? Invest in it!”
Windows? I have a reasonably specc’d work Lenovo....every time I have to use it, it reminds me why I still prefer my Mac.
Keyboard, trackpad, display....usability......just all feels way better with the Apple, dammit!
Maybe my 2014 has another year left in it
This thing also has the screen patina issue though I didn't realise it was a known issue I assumed it was me being a clean freak and taking the coating off.I’ve been on the fence with replacing my 2014 MBPr (i7, 8GB, 512GB+ 400GB microSD capacity) for *ages*.
For me, 2014 was peak Apple. Even the “smudgy screen patina” issue was fixed FOC out of warranty by them....
For years they have stripped out ports, had cr@ppy keyboards and not been worthy of upgrades.
Mine now struggles a bit: working with multiple presentations occasionally bombs out (yes, people still use this for work!), but it remains more than capable for other things I use it.
Excel, word, browsing, Sonos, spotify....even still have a fusion WinXP instance with Quicken 2000 for tracking some small business details! Also use chrome in the main, but some safari and Firefox for different things (multiple twitter personas, etc!).
I would have hoped a modern iPad hound be able to cope....but actually I like a decent keyboard.
I suspect my next step now would be the new MacBook Pro.....but for 1TB storage (no expansion, remember - I don’t want less than I have today, however much the rest of the world wants to move to “the cloud”!), looks like £2k or more
Then again, mine was probably about £1400 back in the day....as a pal put it at the time: “how many hours every day are you sat using that? Invest in it!”
Windows? I have a reasonably specc’d work Lenovo....every time I have to use it, it reminds me why I still prefer my Mac.
Keyboard, trackpad, display....usability......just all feels way better with the Apple, dammit!
Maybe my 2014 has another year left in it
It's still plenty quick enough (SSD etc.) which is why "just one more year" or "maybe when they bring the next model out" and then keeping it because it works fine pretty much sums up how I've treated it.
I think just to comment on robsa's post above which I noticed whilst typing this, an iPad Pro plus keyboard is nudging Air/MBP money.
As I think I say every time I ask the question I can afford whatever it's more about workflow and feeling I've had value for whatever money I spend.
“ feeling I've had value for whatever money I spend.”
That was precisely what dragged me into the world of Apple.....my pal was a big fan of Apple (I wasn’t, and in some ways still am not!”: he essentially pointed out I spend probably 20-25% of my LIFE tapping away on computers......I had always just used work windows cr@ptops - why not spend some money and make it more enjoyable.
I dislike much about Apple (particularly recent directions of removing all ports etc), BUT, I am yet to see another manufacturer make kit which is so nice to actually use.
Let us know what you do. Unless removing the h/w acceleration sorts it and keeps you rocking the 2015 for another year
That was precisely what dragged me into the world of Apple.....my pal was a big fan of Apple (I wasn’t, and in some ways still am not!”: he essentially pointed out I spend probably 20-25% of my LIFE tapping away on computers......I had always just used work windows cr@ptops - why not spend some money and make it more enjoyable.
I dislike much about Apple (particularly recent directions of removing all ports etc), BUT, I am yet to see another manufacturer make kit which is so nice to actually use.
Let us know what you do. Unless removing the h/w acceleration sorts it and keeps you rocking the 2015 for another year
If you're going from a dual-core 13" or quad-core 15" i7 model to the newer 16" hex-core 2.6ghz i7 model the single core performance change since 2014 is insignificant...but it's doing the same performance at a slower frequency, so probably has power-saving opportunities.
The multi-core increase will be much greater though as you're either adding 2 or 4 more cores.
Graphics performance has increased, so better for video/graphic work, as it had dedicated VRAM, but if you're serious about that stuff you'd buy an external GPU.
The other big change I can see is the speed of the SSD. The 2014 models had 700-1000mbps read/read speeds (2-4 channels of PCIe 2.0) - the newer ones are soldered in and in Apple's proprietary connection format (similar to NVMe), but deliver 2500mbps.
The multi-core increase will be much greater though as you're either adding 2 or 4 more cores.
Graphics performance has increased, so better for video/graphic work, as it had dedicated VRAM, but if you're serious about that stuff you'd buy an external GPU.
The other big change I can see is the speed of the SSD. The 2014 models had 700-1000mbps read/read speeds (2-4 channels of PCIe 2.0) - the newer ones are soldered in and in Apple's proprietary connection format (similar to NVMe), but deliver 2500mbps.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: This thing also has the screen patina issue though I didn't realise it was a known issue I assumed it was me being a clean freak and taking the coating off.
I've a 2015 Mac Pro and it runs great. I use safari and occasionally use Clean My Mac X to ensure it runs smoothly. As for the screen patina issue, Apple were replacing screens for free for certain models as there was a manufacturing issue. I took my mac in last year to unlock it (my kids locked me out) and they replaced the screen for free. I wasn't aware of this recall so it was a nice surprise.
bhstewie said:
hstewie said: Interesting feedback thank you
Presume you are using an Apple keyboard? I haven't fully investigated but I didn't think you could just use a random keyboard and mouse and even if you could it starts to become a bit of a non-portable?
I use headphones a lot but also just the inbuilt speaker sometimes.
I was less concerned about audio quality (presume there are still cheap external DACs worst case) but more around if there are iPad restrictions around how many apps can play i.e. can you listen to streaming radio in one app and have YouTube or iPlayer Sky Go or whatever also playing and have both be heard at once?
Please don't ask whether that's normal, it's just what I tend to do
For keyboard / mouse / monitor I just plugged it into my work-issued USB-C hub (an entry level Dell item) and it allowed me to use my standard USB mouse and keyboard on the iPad with no messing around. The keyboard out of coincidence is an old Apple wired one (handy as it has a couple extra USB ports on it for work) but the mouse is a super basic wired one so I’m guessing any brand would work. I’ve not tried it with the Apple wireless items but presume they work similarly well.Presume you are using an Apple keyboard? I haven't fully investigated but I didn't think you could just use a random keyboard and mouse and even if you could it starts to become a bit of a non-portable?
I use headphones a lot but also just the inbuilt speaker sometimes.
I was less concerned about audio quality (presume there are still cheap external DACs worst case) but more around if there are iPad restrictions around how many apps can play i.e. can you listen to streaming radio in one app and have YouTube or iPlayer Sky Go or whatever also playing and have both be heard at once?
Please don't ask whether that's normal, it's just what I tend to do
I’ve not tried tried the multiple sound sources at once - I think the YouTube app was suggesting it couldn’t be played in the background without a premium account so maybe a non-starter unless you had a paid account or were happy to have it in a hovering window?
megaphone said:
Also a clean OS install and then rebuild your apps etc will usually get it back to full speed.
I've a 2012 MBP which is quite well specced even by modern standards (16GB ram, 768GB SSD), but it's been running like a dog and I'd ordered a replacement. However, with not much else to do yesterday I basically gutted it - took it apart, blew the crap out of the fans, put it back together, clean install and manually copied over my data from a Time Machine backup. Took seven hours all told, but it is now back to full performance, blindingly fast, and I managed to get rid of, no joke, over 180GB of junk files in the process. So basically seven hours worked saved me the two grand plus a new one was going to cost. Edited by offshoreeddy on Sunday 10th May 13:45
offshoreeddy said:
megaphone said:
Also a clean OS install and then rebuild your apps etc will usually get it back to full speed.
I've a 2012 MBP which is quite well specced even by modern standards (16GB ram, 768GB SSD), but it's been running like a dog and I'd ordered a replacement. However, with not much else to do yesterday I basically gutted it - took it apart, blew the crap out of the fans, put it back together, clean install and manually copied over my data from a Time Machine backup. Took seven hours all told, but it is now back to full performance, blindingly fast, and I managed to get rid of, no joke, over 180GB of junk files in the process. So basically seven hours worked saved me the two grand plus a new one was going to cost. Edited by offshoreeddy on Sunday 10th May 13:45
offshoreeddy said:
I've a 2012 MBP which is quite well specced even by modern standards (16GB ram, 768GB SSD), but it's been running like a dog and I'd ordered a replacement. However, with not much else to do yesterday I basically gutted it - took it apart, blew the crap out of the fans, put it back together, clean install and manually copied over my data from a Time Machine backup. Took seven hours all told, but it is now back to full performance, blindingly fast, and I managed to get rid of, no joke, over 180GB of junk files in the process. So basically seven hours worked saved me the two grand plus a new one was going to cost.
Nice work!What OS did you drop on that?
I stayed on El Cap (10.11.6) - my VM Fusion (7.1) wasn't guaranteed to work on Sierra....
(eta - looks from https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2088571 like it shouldn't have worked on El Cap!!)
I can see Catlina (10.15.4) is available.....but running on a 2014 Mac? Might be better off sticking where I am.
I'm sure there is some compelling feature I am missing out on
Edited by mikeiow on Sunday 10th May 14:26
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