Mac Hardware - 5k Supremacy - The Something Awful Forums

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TACD: Oct 27, 2000

tuyop posted:

This is strange. My MBA has a one year warranty from Apple, right? I've got to take it into the store because the trackpad has scratched the screen (again), but Apple's site says the warranty has run out. I have a receipt from Futureshop from June 8th, 2014, which is still less than a year ago. Can I just bring the receipt to the Apple Store and have them honour the warranty?

Futureshop probably bought the laptop from Apple over a year ago, and that's when the warranty countdown started on Apple's server.

# ¿ Jun 3, 2015 14:04

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 00:11

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Cozmosis posted:

Have a feeling this requires a Genius visit but what are the chances they replace something for free? I MIGHT be able to stomach a battery repair on a 4+ year old machine but not anything more. Anyone have any other ideas?

It's a long shot but check in the MagSafe port, occasionally I've seen tiny flecks of grime accumulate in there to the point it impedes a solid connection.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2015 10:16

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

FCKGW posted:

Those three boxes the wrong way round are very triggering :mad:

# ¿ Aug 3, 2015 10:30

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

japtor posted:

The particular example from the Jobs era that sticks out for me is the $1000 tablet "leak" right before the iPad announcement, a nice setup making the $500 price a big surprise/cheap in comparison to expectations.

I also remember there was a brief rumour that the iPad 2 was going to have a retina display, which got squashed real fast to avoid building up false expectations.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2015 08:35

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

IuniusBrutus posted:

Chrome kills batteries on Macs, right? I'm using Safari right now, which is fine, but I use Google services heavily and would like to use Chrome if it works well. Are there any other programs/apps that are generally must-haves?

I would suggest giving Safari a go - don't install Flash, and use Chrome for that if it's absolutely required. In general, I've found it's usually worth trying out the Apple stock apps and/or intended workflows, because they often work out better than you'd expect. (E.g. reversed scrolling seemed like a dumb idea to me when it first came out but now I love it.)

The only 'must-have' app I can think of that isn't a niche thing is F.lux, which gradually changes the colour temperature of your screen in the evening so that (in theory) it doesn't throw off your circadian clock so you can still get to sleep afterwards.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2015 10:52

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

I said come in! posted:

Sorry, what I meant was Disk Utility saw the SSD, so I thought everything was perfect. Exit out of that, goto Install Mac OS X, get to the part where I choose the hard disk and it's not there as an option. Exit out of that, go back to Disk Utility and it's not there anymore. I threw the SSD into an external enclosure just now and plugged it into my windows machine and its showing up just fine.

Is the disk formatted? And is it formatted with HFS+? If Windows can see it fine I'm suspicious it might be formatted NTFS, doubly so if it wasn't sold specifically as a 'Mac compatible' drive. OS X won't install on an NTFS drive, so you might just have to reformat it in Disk Utility.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2015 00:02

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

RusteJuxx posted:

I'm thinking of making an appointment with a Genius ahead of time for when I go pick up a new iPhone in a month (the store is fairly far away). Is it as random for replacements as the Apple forums make it seem? What's the goon experience?

I feel like I remember reading a support article basically saying on older machines there was an acceptable level of dead pixels, but on newer machines there should be zero and any anomaly was grounds for a repair. I can't find it anymore, so it may have been superseded by this one which isn't as helpful.

In any case, I'd say take it in, especially with how new the machine is I would expect them to take care of it (I'm pretty sure I would if I still worked there). You could also call AppleCare up ahead of time so even if you can't get to a store for a while, they'll be able to see that you made a call reporting the issue when the computer was only a month or so old.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2015 10:55

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Thanks Ants posted:

The Nokia 7280 was peak "what the gently caress is going on" mobile phone territory.

Mate, what about the Wasp T12 Speechtool? It's well weapon!

# ¿ Dec 8, 2015 18:07

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

I Am Crake posted:

Am I going to run into problems with the keyboard (� � � etc)? Is it a dumb idea?

If you do decide to do this, I believe you should be able to call up AppleCare with your order number and have them send it out with any language topcase you like (at least, this was the case a few years ago)

# ¿ Dec 13, 2015 16:29

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Khablam posted:

I guess you could run a small version of Linux on there?

Put Pi Hole on it and you got yourself a stylish ad blocker

Edit: Oh, if this is your office then I doubt you'll be able to goof around with DNS settings.

TACD fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Nov 26, 2016

# ¿ Nov 26, 2016 02:15

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Strong Sauce posted:

the whole point is to have things "just work" and they don't.

Reminder that at the moment Apple's flagship phone is not out-of-the-box compatible with their flagship laptop. I know I've seen some commentators mention it but to me that's so eye-poppingly embarrassing that it marks a landmark departure from the days of "it just works" Apple.

# ¿ Nov 28, 2016 08:22

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

AOTKPTW posted:

This 2011 MBP though, it's unusable. It takes 5 - 10 minutes to get a usable desktop, then afurther 5 minutes for a Safari window to open. I mean, that seems a bit extreme on the throttling side, right?

Either way, if a new battery is the fix then so be it.

If the slowness happened at the same time as the battery that's probably it, but extreme slowness like that can also be a symptom of a dying hard drive (assuming you don't have an SSD).

# ¿ Dec 8, 2016 10:54

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

uwaeve posted:

I suppose I can crack it open just to top off the battery. Nothing worse than getting a new toy that has to charge fully or whatever.

Don't do this

There's a reason Apple make such a fuss over the out-of-box experience, it's really nice to be the one to crack open the seal and dive into a completely fresh and untouched machine.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2016 20:40

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

uwaeve posted:

Do they come charged?

It will have ~50% charge because a medium charge is best for long-term storage of batteries (e.g. in a warehouse). Long-term storage of a Li-ion battery with either zero or full charge can potentially cause permanent damage so if you're ever going to be storing your device for a month or more without using it it's recommended you put a roughly 50% charge on it beforehand.

TACD fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Dec 17, 2016

# ¿ Dec 17, 2016 11:26

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

uwaeve posted:

Is feedback on the new rmbp keyboard kind of inconsistent? Just brought one home, and half the time the a key doesn't register even though I'm clearly getting a click out of it, and sometimes I get two a's out of it, almost seems like on key press and on key release. I also can't replicate it on demand, so I'm hesitant to rush to the store with it.

If the machine is brand new then take it in now before you get really settled in to it; most likely they'll give you a new machine rather than doing a repair on one less than a month old.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2016 03:16

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Khablam posted:

trimforce really shouldn't be the default state, though. Including the utility and allowing people to run it is the right way to go about it, which is how it's been since mid 2015.

Why is this? If the computer can detect when an SSD is installed, why would you ever not want to have TRIM enabled?

# ¿ Jan 2, 2017 18:09

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Oh, farts. My 2011 Pro has succumbed to that graphical issue and won't boot up - a tidy 45 days after the repair program ended

Hopefully the Fruit Stand will take pity and do me a solid anyway. Welp that's my story.

# ¿ Feb 14, 2017 23:25

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Binary Badger posted:

Guess they were getting dinged by the bean counters that playing fast and loose with warranty terms was costing Apple money.

Wow, that stinks

I wasn't hopeful anyway as I imagine T+30 days would be the hard limit on that sort of grace period, but if they're dicking around when you're less then a week over then Apple really has changed.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2017 00:35

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Social Animal posted:

If I had to buy one today it would definitely be this model.

Can you (or anybody) sell me on why I should get this over the 2015 Pro? I've been thinking pretty hard about getting one of these (or maybe just the MacBook?) but as far as I can tell, the only benefits of the newer machine are:

Better screen
Marginally thinner / lighter
Bluetooth 4.2 (I have no idea what this allows that 4.0 doesn't)

Whereas the 2015 machine is faster, has actual ports, has 😍MagSafe😍, still has the Force Touch trackpad but doesn't have the new keyboard (which I personally don't mind but whatever).

They both work out to be about the same price but I honestly don't see how the 2016 Pro is the better machine. (Bear in mind I'm coming from a 2011 Pro so even a Retina display is a big deal for me.)

# ¿ Feb 20, 2017 13:03

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Amphetama posted:

The 2016 is a bit lighter and the screen is better - I also really like the keyboard. I'll miss not needing a dongle for certain things and certainly miss Magsafe, though. But I dunno - it more seemed like a trade between ports / magsafe < -- > slightly more portability and a better screen. I also ran some considerations with how I'll be using this thing and I never have much of a need to plug in peripherals enough that carrying another small piece of hardware would be a big deal.

Yea, I'm weighing up much the same tradeoff. If I'm honest with myself I actually don't often use the ports I have other than for a USB stick - but I can't decide if my unwillingness to lose them is reasonable precaution or just :corsair:

Trying to anticipate how I'll be using the machine a few years from now is probably just a mug's game anyway.

I wasn't aware that the 2016 machine benchmarks a bit better despite lower clock speeds though, cheers!

# ¿ Feb 20, 2017 16:53

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

me your dad posted:

I'm trying to help my friend with purchasing a new hard drive for his 2014 11,1 MacBook Pro. I'm not a Mac user but I'm fine working on computers. My friend is completely inept.

Literally all he does is save PDF files to this machine and he's filled the stock drive.

Considering this, what should I be looking for? Most sites recommend pretty pricey options and I don't know if he'd benefit from a nice drive based on his use.

Are you looking for a new drive because his has failed or just because it's full of PDFs? If it's just a capacity thing could he benefit from iCloud / GDrive / Dropbox storage?

# ¿ Feb 22, 2017 10:42

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Bob Morales posted:

Now that the 2011's are EOL, will an Apple store even replace the battery (or be able to order one)?

I doubt it - unless you're in California or the handful of other states that require Apple to service the machines for 7 years instead of 5, the system literally won't let them check a vintage machine in for repair.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2017 00:19

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Any recommendations for a case to fit the new 13" Pros? (The soft zip-up variety, not the plastic shells.) I ordered one but it's clearly just for a generic 13" laptop and is a bit too baggy.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2017 00:56

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Bob Morales posted:

Booq Mamba
STM makes some nice ones too

Yeast posted:

Incase

https://www.incase.com/shop/devices/macbook/mackbook-pro-2016-with-touch-bar/

Bulgogi Hoagie posted:

i have a leather knomo and it's good

Thanks for the tips, I'll check these out!

# ¿ Mar 3, 2017 22:23

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Quantum of Phallus posted:

The headphone jack removal on the 7 series was the most blatantly anti consumer thing Apple has ever done. It's laughable.

I keep forgetting they really did that. I'll probably need to replace my phone soon and every time I start to consider a new iPhone I have to remind myself I won't be able to use it for music. Guh.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 14:48

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Krispy Kareem posted:

I wish Apple would buy Dropbox.

They tried, and Dropbox said 'no'.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 16:00

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Doctor Zero posted:

Or join us in the future and get a drat Bluetooth headset.

A few years ago I treated myself to a rather nice set of noise-cancelling headphones that are an absolute dream on trains or planes. I don't see why I should have to either have an ugly dongle permanently attached to my phone or buy another set of expensive headphones.

Also, my understanding is that the sound quality over Bluetooth is necessarily worse than over wires? I haven't seen a real in-depth analysis though, and I would be happy to be wrong about this.

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 19:00

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Boiled Water posted:

note: Lids have to be slightly open for the macbooks to not sleep.

This is ghastly.

I do wonder though if the machines would still boot up if you just took off the screen and put them back together.

Or if they're now thin enough that you could buy an old Xserve, gut it and put them all inside :v:

# ¿ Mar 10, 2017 16:49

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Bulgogi Hoagie posted:

using safari means i don't get any advertising vs using say the news app where ads are everywhere

Get a Pi Hole and block ads on every drat thing :cool:

# ¿ Mar 10, 2017 17:41

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Arivia posted:

So I stopped by the Fruit Stand and wow I really like the current iMac models. Those screens are incredible. How well do they run with the scaling turned off? (so resolution pushed to max) Running a bunch of stuff side by side would be pretty great I think.

Just in case you're not aware, the iMacs haven't been updated in almost a year and a half. If you can wait, you'll be able to get a much better machine when Apple (hopefully) updates them (though I wouldn't be surprised if any new iMacs also lose all their ports).

# ¿ Mar 18, 2017 18:23

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Pivo posted:

And turn off the clicking. Silent operation ftw

Edit I mean the click sound

This isn't an option on the new Pros

# ¿ Mar 19, 2017 10:15

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

~Coxy posted:

You must have the JDM model.

I... don't know what this means :confused:

If it's a joke it's gone right over my head.

rally posted:

It is anyway. My 2016 tb has it

Huh... when I was looking at getting a new machine the MacBooks had the 'silent click' option and the new Pros didn't... I just see this:

# ¿ Mar 20, 2017 00:26

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Krispy Kareem posted:

Probably not. Apple's real good at plotting consumer trends and customers just don't want desktops or even laptops like they used to. An iPad with a keyboard will do 90% of the stuff the average household needs. The other 10% can't be done because of browser incompatibilities that will be solved in future versions of Safari (or the web finally abandoning Flash). You don't even need a computer to print anymore. I keep having to remind my family that I don't need everything emailed to me to print from my desktop. Just use your phone. Duh.

This is basically the vision of Computers Of Tomorrow that Microsoft is betting on, what with making the Surface a tablet-cum-laptop and mixing mouse and touch input all together. Apple has repeatedly said desktop and mobile are different beasts and has very pointedly not put touchscreens in any of its laptops; it'd be a massive course change for them to suddenly go all-in on a truly unified phone/desktop OS experience.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2017 00:14

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

GoldfishStew posted:

Congrats on getting out of the coma but while you were out Apple put out some new MacBook Pros.

Much like you it's a slow creep.

The touch bar is hardly a touchscreen in the iPad or Surface sense. Don't know why you're being rude about it.

Edit: To clarify, the important distinction is that the touch bar replaces an area that you use your hands to interact with anyway. It's not a vertical surface and it doesn't allow you to directly interact with on-screen elements.

TACD fucked around with this message at 09:03 on Mar 23, 2017

# ¿ Mar 23, 2017 08:48

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

I said come in! posted:

Picked up my retina Mac. Holy poo poo this screen.

To save you the trouble of searching: Some kind soul has made a bulk download tool so you can easily grab all the retina-quality wallpapers from InterfaceLIFT.

I've had my machine for almost two months and I'm still agog at the screen. (I'm also an outlier who actually prefers the new keyboard to the old ones.)

# ¿ Apr 6, 2017 11:21

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Binary Badger posted:

How can you not know about :

OpenEmu!

It's an open source universal console emulator for MacOS, needs at least El Capitan.

While we're talking emulation, Boxer is very good for running and organising most old DOS games if that's your jam.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2017 17:35

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Smashing Link posted:

Has anyone had the experience of Apple replacing a screen but not telling you they did? My 2013 rMBP came back from having the motherboard replaced and my single stuck pixel has vanished. The lid is also now scratch free.

Is the screen listed on the repair invoice? It'd be extremely strange for them to replace the screen and not list it, since that would mean as far as Apple is concerned the part just went missing.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2017 22:32

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Animal posted:

I have had really good experience at the Williamsburg, Brooklyn store. Last month I took my 6S+ for a battery replacement and they just gave me a new phone. Hopefully they won't give me push-back on a battery replacement.

Just FYI, the dried-up liquid stains that occur after water damage are usually really, really obvious. Don't be surprised if they figure out your ruse.

# ¿ May 1, 2017 00:37

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Dugong posted:

What are the chances of a MacBook or MacBook Pro refresh or price drop before July? My current laptop is on it's way out and I want to make use of my student discount but it expires in July.

Pretty slim on the Pros, maybe a MacBook update at WWDC at the start of June. If nothing is announced there then it's not going to happen before July.

# ¿ May 8, 2017 08:17

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 00:11

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

Are there any thread recommendations for a reliable third�party brand for USB-C to VGA adapters? (Ideally to DVI as well, if possible.)

Normally I'd just suck it up and pay the Apple tax but the prices on the official dongles are so grotesque that it's beyond consideration for something that I'll use maybe twice a year. (Also there simply doesn't seem to be an official USB-C to DVI adapter).

Thanks!

# ¿ May 18, 2017 13:18

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