Apple’s New MacBook Pro i9 is Cleared to Go FAST!

After the initial hoopla concerning thermal related throttling in Apple’s new MacBook Pro, after working with popular laptop YouTube review Dave Lee, Apple has issued a statement and software update that addresses this issue. Looks like I’m getting a new computer and finally putting down this 2010 MacBook Air Core2Duo!

Following extensive performance testing under numerous workloads, we've identified that there is a missing digital key in the firmware that impacts the thermal management system and could drive clock speeds down under heavy thermal loads on the new MacBook Pro. A bug fix is included in today's macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update and is recommended. We apologize to any customer who has experienced less than optimal performance on their new systems. Customers can expect the new 15-inch MacBook Pro to be up to 70% faster, and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to be up to 2X faster, as shown in the performance results on our website.

Apple's Funky Laptop Update Cycle

I don’t really blame Apple for the seemingly slow pace of its upgrades. The truth is that the current MacBook Pro already has enough advantages — primarily that Retina display, but performance matters too — to make my contemplated upgrade of a 2013 Air a very reasonable proposition. But I want more. I don’t just want to buy a better laptop than my old one, I want one that’s better for tomorrow as well as today. And that’s where I’m at my most foolish.

Vlad Savov hit the nail on the head. I sold my 2008 MacBook Pro in anticipation of a new Retina MacBook Pro two years ago and have been in limbo using a 2010 MacBook Air. As I've said before, it's showing its age with every tap on the keyboard and trackpad and I'm left contemplating biting the bullet at every "update." Here's to WWDC on June 13th.

And if you're interested in the latest MacBook refresh, you can now get it in Rose Gold and also standard with 8GB RAM!!!

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Attention is in the Details and You Wouldn't Know

It's also evident in the MacBook parts laid out before me. The tiny logic board (aka the motherboard) fits in one of my hands. It's literally packed on both sides with chips of varying sizes and includes everything from memory to storage and even the display drivers. It's also deeply informed by everything Apple learned from building circuit boards for handheld technologies like the iPhone. As I examine it, Ternus tells me the board is 67 percent smaller than the one found in the 11-inch MacBook Air.

Simply amazing. The palm of your hand or in other technology comparisons, smaller than the Raspberry Pi!

Every single unit gets measured on line for force required to open it, and we actually adjust every single unit," Ternus said.

In fact, Apple is apparently taking the time to custom-fit all sorts of pieces in the MacBook through a process it calls "binning." Since there can be minuscule variances that might make, for instance, the Force Touch trackpad not a perfect fit for the body or the super-thin Retina display not exactly a match for the top of the case, Apple finds matching parts from the production line. Even the thickness of the stainless steel Apple Logo, which replaced the backlit logo on previous MacBook models, can vary by a micron or so, meaning Apple needs to find a top with the right cutout depth.

It's all in the details. Simply an amazing read from an engineering perspective even if you're not a fan.