I own an older model Mac Pro tower and a newer iMac. I use them for video editing, which is my job. The graphics card on the tower started showing signs of wear. Coupled with it's inability to upgrade to the newest OSX, I decided to take the plunge and invest in a new machine. At first I was going to choose an open box of the slightly older model but at the counter found out it was ineligible for apple care. The sales guy hadn't realized that so said he could take 100 bucks off the price of the newest one plus get a student discount of another $125. It was a good enough deal for me, just had to decide on some specs. Since my tower is still good as a render machine I didn't feel the need to gork over the cash for the 16gb. I wanted the bigger 15" screen but couldn't justify the price difference. I also didn't care too much if i had the new touchbar or not. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing, but I haven't been longing for it yet. The one thing I did care about was not settling for the base storage, I opted for the 256. That way I can easily fit all my apps plus project files if I know i will be working away from the office or my house. After a wild goose chase across 4 best buy stores to get the space gray, I finally got home with my new MBP and unboxed it. This is the moment I realized about the ports. I will admit - I initially freaked out and wanted to return it immediately. But what does that get me in the long run? After putting some thought into it I found an immediate temporary workaround. I transferred the apps and files I needed right away from my iMac via airdrop. The next day I purchased one USB adapter for immediate needs and when my 5% cash back comes through I will use that to order the Hyperdrive hub. I will also add that the space gray is outstanding and worth the several hours of my life it took to find one in stock. I just don't like the brightness of the silver and wouldn't want to look at it for 8 hours out of my day. First world problem, I know, but if I'm spending that much money, it's got to be worthwhile On to my initial testing with different apps. Final Cut Pro handled the project I pulled up really well, as expected. After Effects rendered out a 4 second animated graphic in 3 minutes and it looks fantastic. Cinema4D is what showed the poorest handling, as expected. This is obviously not a render machine nor would I ever try to use it as one but if I need to bang out a short 3D logo animation while on the go I think it will do ok. After a day of usage, I did not care so much about the smaller screen size. It was actually nice and easy to carry around the house and at work will hook up to a larger display anyways. I love the keyboard, definitely a plus in my book though I know there are mixed opinions. So the system takes up about 36gb and after downloading my musthaves those took up another 19, so long as I don't use this guy for any of my itunes stuff (entirely possible thanks to Spotify), I think I will be ok for awhile with 192gb remaining and utilizing externals. I don't love the small amount, but that's due to my budget and needing it in hand that same day. In short, this is not a complete replacement for any of my pro machines, but it will do in the interim and I have always wanted the laptop option. My office is on the warmer side (probably contributing to my graphics card failure) so to not have to leave a machine there is ideal.

I've had a PC since I was around 11-12. Then smartphones came out and I tried android at first, but quickly went team iPhone and have been ever since. Even though I love my iPhone I swore I would never give up the perks of having a PC over a Mac. Slowly but surely I started sinking deeper into the Apple ecosystem though. Got an iPad, then Apple TV, then an Apple Watch.....and there was only one thing missing but I refused to cave. Until I really needed a new laptop and this one was on sale for $1000 Best Buy. I couldn't pass it up, and it was probably one of the best impulsive decisions I've ever made. Pros - Battery life is amazing. Lasts me all day (~10 hours) and charges fast. I looked at a ton of Dells before settling on this, and not only does Dell over inflate their battery lives (for example stating a battery life is ~12 hours but all the reviews say 3-4 hours), they also degrade so badly over time and this is from personal experience with two dell laptops and reviews. - Works like it's supposed to, and does so quickly. Fastest laptop I've ever had, could see some things potentially working faster if I had upgraded RAM/processor but I'm super happy with what I paid for. - Looks so sleek. Even the nicest PCs don't have aesthetics like a MacBook. It looks nice and feels nice. - If you have other Apple products, life just gets so much easier. Having iMessage on my MacBook (something I wouldn't be able to do in the foreseeable future on any PC) seems like it wouldn't be a big deal, but it's a huge deal. When I'm super focused and working on something but also don't want to miss an important text/call I'll find myself checking my phone and then getting distracted. With iMessage on my MacBook I can work without checking my phone and know that if someone needs to reach me it'll pop right up on my screen and I can quickly answer/ignore it and get back to work. - Screen looks great. Bezel size is decent compared to other PCs I was looking at. I saw one PC with a 4K screen with quite an upcharge for that. Very happy with whatever resolution this screen has. Do a little bit of photoshop work and have no complaints. Also looks nice outside, glare isn't too bad. Couldn't even see what I was doing on my last Dell if I was in the sunlight. - No touchscreen. Many people would consider this a pro but my last laptop was a Dell 2-in-1 and I can count the number of times on one hand I used the touchscreen. All touchscreen capability does is jack up the price for a feature the average user won't fully utilize. That's why I appreciate Apple keeping their iPads and MacBooks two separately perfect devices. Cons - The keyboard takes some getting used to. Not enough bounce back as I'm used to, and it's kind of loud. I haven't had the issues about keys sticking or just not working, but I did look into Apple's stance on the faulty keyboards and they seem to be very proactive about it. "The [replacement] program covers eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit." if you do find you're unlucky enough to experience the issue. - Lack of ports, although this is becoming less and less of an issue cause I just don't care anymore. I use my iPhone XS to take pictures more than my DSLR nowadays, so don't really need an SD card reader. Don't need an HDMI to hook up to TV since I have Apple TV. Bluetooth headphones negate the need for audio port (even though it does have one, just saying, might as well get rid of that too). And I clearly overestimated the amount of times I would need a USB port cause it hasn't come up yet even though I bought the dongle thinking it would. Either way, dongles exist...I just haven't found the need for them yet. All in all, the transition was pretty easy for me because of all the other Apple products I own. I still love the Windows operating system, especially Windows 10...but I'm very happy with this purchase. Still have a Windows desktop at my desk but have been working with this on the couch more often. Don't pass up on a good Best Buy deal when you see one. This was $500 off the day I bought it and the next day the deal was gone.

I like it and at the same time don't. Here's why. Pro's: - The screen. When I compare this screen to my last laptop or my monitor it's night and day. It's bright, has accurate colors and the resolution is perfect. - The trackpad. This is the best trackpad I've ever used. Nothing compares to this trackpad. The multitouch gestures are great and are very helpful. I thought that by having a trackpad this large would be nuisannce and that my palm would trigger it all the time. The palm rejection is 100% accurate and having a larger trackpad helps. - MacOS. I own an Apple Watch and an iPhone. Up until this point I've been contempt with Windows laptops. Now since owning a Mac I have to say if you have any apple product you'll want a Mac. Everything is synced. My mail, bookmarks, documents, desktop, messages are all synced and so much more. My Apple Watch even unlocks my Mac. This beats Windows Hello, fingerprints and entering in a password. As soon as I open the lid I'm reaching for the keyboard and it's already unlocked. - It's lightweight & fast. Everything that I've thrown at it (I'm a programmer and video editor) has run it well. It's nice to get a machine that is your all in one machine that is this lightweight. - The battery. It lasts pretty long. At the end of every session that I've be done using it (around 5 hours) I put it on the charger when it was at 40%. Con's: - The keyboard. This is Apple's second generation of it's new laptop keyboard nicknamed the "Butterfly Switches." I could only imagine how terrible the first generation was. The biggest issue with the keyboard is sometimes that caps lock button does not work with a regular press like the other keys. And when you press the other keys it's a major adjustment since the keyboard travel is so low. This will be your least favorite keyboard. - USB C ports. Two are not enough sometimes. Of course you can find products and cables in which in reality you only need one cable. However you are going to find yourself buying a lot of usb c perpherials & devices and then unfortunately finding them not meeting your expectations. The first month of owning this product you will be frustrated with this new standard if you have not already switched since you will be reaching into your wallet more and returning products more. - The cooling system. It's bad. When this machine gets hot it stays hot. The only time I found the fans kicking on is when I render a video and at that point I hope you got some headphones because all you'll hear is the fan. - A minor con but it's sharp. I know that sounds weird saying this but you'll definitely feel like you cut yourself sometimes when you handle this machine. Sure it looks cool but how about some cloth or smoother edges Apple? My current setup: - USB C cable from Apple that charges my MacBook. - USB C to HDMI cable. - USB C to USB A cable that connects to my 3 port USB Hub w/ SD card slot. (Sometimes I go on battery power so I can use the HDMI and USB hub at the same time). - Bluetooth mechanical external keyboard (because the Mac keyboard sucks). - Logitech M720 Mouse. Overall it's not a bad machine if you get the right setup for it. Out of the box though, it's not that great. Would I recommend it to a friend? Only to a friend who does not type as much as I do.

I have known for a while that I wanted to make the jump from Windows to Mac especially with how Windows has pushed updates constantly for Windows 10 (most of them which bricked my laptop). I completed a lot of research on which Macbook I wanted and the specs that I thought would work best for me. I knew that I didn't really need the touchbar, and I knew from previous experience that I did not want a screen under 13inches. Through research between the Air and the Pro, I realized that the Pro would be better for me and I really liked the screen better on the Pro. At first I was apprehensive of the butterfly keyboard and the lack of ports on the Pro; however, with some use, I find that I don't mind the butterfly keys as much as I thought I would; the one thing that bothers me with them is how LOUD they are when typing fast. Further, I also realized how little I actually used the different ports on my old computer; the one I used the most was the USB for an external mouse and I occasionally used the hdmi for projecting to a projector. I ended up replacing my usb mouse with a bluetooth one and I bought the Hyperdrive hub for all my connectivity needs. Top 7 things I really love about the Macbook Pro and OS: 1. Screen: the retina screen is amazing and crystal clear! 2. Battery life: I can go all day without charging my computer and when I do charge, it charges quickly. 3. Imessage: I love being able to text straight from my computer and being able to use the keyboard for longer conversations. 4. OS: Its been a bit of a learning curve switching OS, but I love how its more streamlined and overall simpler to use. 5. Trackpad: this is the first trackpad I have used that I actually like. I still use a mouse for somethings, but I find myself using the trackpad more often now that I am learning more of the gestures. 6. Speed: I love being able to have multiple applications open all at once and it still being able to run. Windows would have frozen had I tried. 7. It just works. I love no longer having to wait around for my computer to boot up or restart because of updates. The Macbook Pro just works when you need it to. Few things I don't like: 1. I wish that Apple had put one of the ports on the other side instead of putting them together. 2. Cut: I wish the cut feature was more streamlined throughout the OS. 3. The keys are loud when typing. 4. I miss the snap windows feature from Windows 10. 5. I have not found a Microsoft Publisher equivalent that I like, yet. Overall, I am happy that I made this purchase and switched to Apple. The biggest question I have is, "Why didn't I switch sooner?"

I have been a Windows user for my whole life. I never thought I would buy a Mac. I have set them up for people, but never used one long enough to understand what the big deal was. After 3 weeks of using my MacBook Pro, I can't see going back. I compared so many laptops over the course of a month or so. Lenovo, Dell, Acer, etc... Then I decided I should at least look at the MacBook Pro. I was sold pretty quickly, but still waited a week to buy it since it was a shift from everything I have known. I am positive I made the right choice though. The keyboard is so smooth and easy to type on. The battery life is amazing. It easily gets me through the day. The screen is beautiful, crisp, clear and accurate. The thing I love and appreciate the most is Sierra though. The OS is so smooth and quick. It took some time to get used to the gestures and shortcuts (I still am), but now I wouldn't want to go back to Windows. The trackpad is also useful and easy to use. The MacBook Pro is not without it's drawbacks, but they are not as bad as I thought they would be. I opted for the 13" non-touchbar Pro so I only have two USB-C ports on the left side. I was concerned about it, but I have not had an issue in the 3 weeks of use. I bought one $20 USB-A adaptor and have only even needed that a couple times. I do store most personal and work data in cloud drives and I don't hook up to other monitors very often. I will get a HDMI adaptor at some point. Another concern was storage. I was used to having 1 TB on my previous laptop. I opted for the 256gb MacBook Pro over the base of 128gb and it seems to be plenty considering my use of cloud storage. What is stored on the SSD drive is loaded very quickly. My final concern was programs and apps, but it turns out most of what I had on Windows I either didn't use as much as I thought, I was able to get on the Mac or I was able to replace with a Mac counterpart for pretty cheap. In my case none of those issues were really issues. I am very happy with the MacBook Pro and can definitely recommend it.

Switching from the 2013 MacBook Pro 13, the 2017 laptop looks and feels significantly better. I did a lot of research and watched tons of youtube videos before deciding to make my purchased. The colors on the screen pop more compared to the previous generation. Speakers are greatly improved. There is a huge debate about the keyboard and yes it is noticeably louder than the previous generation, but I am with those that love it. The keys do have a shorter depth but they seem to make typing much more accurate because the keys aren't spongy like the previous version. On the previous generation, keys may not register if you have light fingers. The backlight on the keyboard are much more appealing to look at. Battery life is the same and you can expect a full days or two of use with normal usage. I'm not a pro photographer so I can't say how big of an issue it is that the SDXC has been removed. I don't miss any of the ports being removed personally. I did have to purchase a USB 3.0 adapter to connect my CD Drive to install software that I have on CD's but that's a one time thing. For me personally, it's not something I'll have to carry around and if anything, I can just leave it in my backpack. The USB-C connection to charge isn't as bad as people make it out to be, it's actually nice that it's not magnetic. When I had the MagSafe connection, it use to always disconnect by accident with a light tug when using it on my lap. If you have a 2016 MacBook Pro version, you should probably save yourself the money as I don't think the 2017 is a major upgrade from last years. I didn't buy the touch bar one because I feel like it's a gimmick and prefer touch keys anyways. For the cost of the touch bar version, I would rather upgrade the storage and/or processor to i7. Do yourself a favor and get the space gray. The silver looks outdated. If you're using it for college, 128GB version may suffice if you want to save some money. I'd recommend at least the 256GB if you can fit it into your budget.

In their attempt to win the "thin and light" award, Apple has begun to cheapen their product. I suspect that other laptop manufacturers will follow or have followed suit. 1) The butterfly keyboard is problematic in the long run. Their response to this issue is a guarantee on the keyboard for 5 years. That's like eating at a dirty restaurant daily with the promise that when you get salmonella, they'll pump your stomach for free. So far, fingers crossed, my keyboard is working. 2) The power button is now part of the keyboard. Before, it was not within the keyboard. If there is an issue with the button, you have to replace the entire keyboard. Whether or not that falls within the 5 year guarantee mentioned above is unknown. 3) The power cord used to consist of two parts: the wall wart which connected to the computer and an "extension" cord which allowed the computer to be further away from its power source. No more extension cord. 4) There used to be a light on the power connection indicating power status; amber charging, green charged. No more. 5) As part of the thin and light campaign, all but three ports for using external devices have been removed. There's a headphone jack and two USB-C connectors. Now, you have to buy dongles to attach accessories. Rather than buy a bunch of dongles, I spent $100 on a HyperDrive attachment which plugs into the two USB-C ports and gives me an HDMI port, two USB-C ports, two standard USB ports, an SD slot and a microSD slot. On the plus side, this newer and thinner MacBook Pro runs rings around my mid-2012 MBP which I have wiped and installed Debian Linux. If you accept being part of the Apple Cult, a MacBook Pro is a no brainer; go for it. But be aware of what I perceive as short comings and a touch of cheapness.

I have been a devout Windows consumer from the beginning. In fact, the last apple computer that I used was the Apple II E... and that was in Elementary school. I never had anything against Apple or Mac, really, but I was always concerned with compatibility issues, so I just stuck with Windows. And then came Windows 10... I dodged it and avoided it for as long as I could because it's basically spyware (apart from being practically unusable), until one day my faithful Asus laptop (Windows 7) finally crashed and something had to give. So I finally bit the bullet and took the plunge... And I can not believe what I have been missing out on for all these years!!! To start with, the build quality on the MacBook Pro (13inch) is freakin amazing! It is without a doubt the most solid-feeling laptop that I have ever seen or held in my hands. Seriously, just pick one up and you will instantly know what I am talking about. I love how thin (and definitely NOT feather-light) and sleek it is, yet there is no sacrifice in speed, power, or battery life. Now that I have adjusted to the keyboard, which is slightly different from my Asus, I simply cannot find enough excuses to use it. Also worthy of note: The trackpad is the first one that I have ever been able to use easily and efficiently. I bought a wireless mouse for it, but I almost never bother using it. For starters the trackpad is HUGE, so there's plenty of space to move the pointer from one corner of the screen to the opposite corner without having to lift your finger. Also, the scroll feature is life-changing... bottom line, go into Best Buy and fiddle with one for 20 minutes - you will never be the same again. As for the OS; I was truly impressed at the ease with which I was able to pick it up; and I am neither easily impressed nor overly tech-savvy. There weren't nearly as many compatibility issues as I feared. I would not hesitate to recommend this machine to anyone - Windows devotee or otherwise. Frankly, it has been a very very long since I have been this thoroughly impressed with anything.