- Jun 24, 2020.
- Nov 11, 2019.
The standard MacBook is Apple’s most affordable model, and it strikes a healthy balance between the power of the MacBook Pro and the portability of the MacBook Air. MacBooks tend to be the best option for students or those who need a durable laptop. The 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) brought about a return to form for Apple. It's familiar in a good way and, more important, it ushered in a new era of reliable MacBooks.
Apple has made many great laptops, but the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (2012–2015) is the epitome of usefulness, elegance, practicality, and power for an overall package that still hasn’t been (and may never be) surpassed. Lego marvel super heroes 2 mac free game for mac download.
Introduced in 2012, less than a year after Steve Jobs died, I see it as the peak of Jobs’ vision for the Mac.
It was the debut of high-DPI Macs, starting down the long road (which we still haven’t finished) to an all-Retina lineup. And with all-SSD storage, quad-core i7 processors, and a healthy amount of RAM all standard, every configuration was fast, capable, and pleasant to use.
At its introduction, it was criticized only for ditching the optical drive and Ethernet port, but these were defensible, well-timed removals: neither could’ve even come close to physically fitting in the new design, very few MacBook Pro users were still using either on a regular basis, and almost none of us needed to buy external optical drives or Ethernet adapters to fit the new laptop into our lives. In exchange for those removals, we got substantial reductions in thickness and weight, and a huge new battery.
There were no other downsides. Everything else about this machine was an upgrade: thinner, lighter, faster, better battery life, quieter fans, better speakers, better microphones, a second Thunderbolt port, and a convenient new HDMI port.
The MagSafe 2 power adapter breaks away safely if it’s tripped over, and the LED on the connector quickly, clearly, and silently indicates whether it’s charging and when the battery is fully charged.
Device Ntpnp_pci0013 Driver Windows 7. The pair of Thunderbolt (later Thunderbolt 2) ports gave us high-end, high-speed connectivity when we needed it, and the pair of standard USB 3 ports — one on each side — let us connect or charge our world of standard USB devices.
The headphone jack was thoughtfully located on the left side, because nearly all headphones run their cables down from the left earcup. (External-mouse users also appreciate this frequently-used cable not intruding in their right-side mousing area.)
The keyboard was completely unremarkable, in the best possible way. The crowd-pleasing design was neither fanatically loved nor widely despised. It quietly and reliably did its job, as all great tools should, and nobody ever really had to think about it.
The trackpad struck a great balance between size and usability. It provided ample room for multitouch gestures, but without being too large or close to the keyboard, so people’s fingers wouldn’t inadvertently brush against it while typing.
Not every owner needed the SD-card slot or HDMI port, but both were provided for times when we might. This greatly increased the versatility and convenience of this MacBook Pro, as many pro customers use A/V gear that records to SD cards or occasionally need to plug into a TV or projector. The SD-card slot could also serve as inexpensive storage expansion.
The power adapter’s built-in cable management keeps bags tidy. And if you need a longer cable, the extension comes in the box at no additional charge.
Versatile USB-A ports allow travelers to standardize on just one type of charging cable that can charge their iPhones and iPads from the laptop itself, multi-port wall or car chargers, portable batteries, airplanes, many outlets, and nearly all other chargers likely to be found in the world around them.
The 2015 revision brought the modern Force Touch trackpad and used the space savings to increase the battery to 99.5 Wh, just under the 100 Wh carry-on limit for most commercial airlines. When paired with the integrated-only GPU base configuration, this offered an unparalleled option for great battery life without giving up the large Retina screen.
And I like the backlit Apple logo on the lid. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, or maybe I just miss Steve, but it — along with the MagSafe LED and the startup chime — reminds me of a time when Mac designs celebrated personality, humanity, and whimsy.
* * *
I recently returned to the 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro after a year away.
Apple still sells this model, brand new, just limited to the integrated-only GPU option (which I prefer as a non-gamer for its battery, heat, and longevity advantages), but I got mine lightly used for over $1000 less.
I thought it would feel like a downgrade, or like going back in time. I feared that it would feel thick, heavy, and cumbersome. I expected it to just look impossibly old.
It didn’t.
It feels as delightful as when I first got one in 2012. It’s fast, capable, and reliable. It gracefully does what I need it to do. It’s barely heavier or thicker, and I got to remove so many accessories from my travel bag that I think I’m actually coming out ahead.
It feels like a professional tool, made by people who love and need computers, at the top of their game.
It’s designed for us, rather than asking us to adapt ourselves to it.
It helps us perform our work, rather than adding to our workload.
This is the peak. This is the best laptop that has ever existed.
I hope it’s not the best laptop that will ever exist.
In loving memory of the mid-2015 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro: 5/19/2015 - 7/12/2018
Today, Apple announced a big update to its Macbook Pro line of computers. The company really souped-up the specs of the latest Macbook Pro model, the one that debuted in 2016 with the controversial butterfly keyboard, 4 sole USB-C ports, and Touch Bar in place of the function keys.
As Apple updated its website with the newest additions to the Macbook Pro family, something just as noteworthy came to light. Apple removed the mid-2015 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro model from its online store, officially killing off what some consider to be the best laptop ever made.
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Wait.. Did Apple just announce they discontinued the 2015 15' MacBook? It's the best version they've made. I would pay money to put 32 gigs of ram in it..
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— Nemoy Rau (@NRaush) July 12, 2018
My 2015 baseline MacBook Pro has honestly been killing it, definitely think the '15 models are the best on the market right now (I wouldn't work with the 16-17 dongle models..)
Exporting 1080p 60fps video, hours of photoshop maintaining 80% battery etc.
Exporting 1080p 60fps video, hours of photoshop maintaining 80% battery etc.
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— Andrew Falchook (@falchook) November 26, 2017
On the wrong side of things, the 15’’ 2015 MacBook Pro ( @marcoarment ‘s favourite) isn’t available anymore.
— Alessandro (@alsoknownasale) July 12, 2018
In November of last year, Marco Arment, the co-founder of Tumblr and developer behind popular apps like Instapaper and Overcast, wrote a post that spread like wildfire, expressing how many Macbook Pro users felt when Apple announced the new Touch Bar model with its 2016 Macbook Pro refresh. Arment argued that the entire 2012-2015 Retina Macbook Pro model was the best laptop Apple ever created, with the mid-2015 one being its peak. The sentiments shared in his post about the 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro model – titled “The best laptop ever made” – were echoedacrossthe web.
Before Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, he was involved in the design of the Retina Macbook Pro line of Apple computers that came out 8 months later in June of 2012. This model was continuously updated and upgraded with the latest specs until May 2015 with the mid-2015 model. This Macbook Pro model was heralded for its sleek design, light weight, fast processing power, its array of ports ranging from HDMI to two Thunderbolt ports, and MagSafe power adapter among other things. Even what the Retina Macbook Pro was missing, an internal CD/DVD Superdrive for example, was a well-timed move in response to where the industry was in terms of the lifecycle of that specific technology.
Even with last year’s 2017 Touch Bar Macbook Pro roll out replacing the original 2016 Touch Bar model, Apple kept the mid-2015 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro in stock to satiate those who believed it to be the last great Macbook Pro model. Up until yesterday, you could purchase a brand new mid-2015 15-inch Macbook Pro, with fully maxed out specs (note that in the past year Apple removed the option to add a dedicated AMD Radeon R9 M370X GPU to the mid-2015 Macbook Pro), for just a little more than the low-end base model of the 2017 Touch Bars.
Unfortunately, with the launch of the 2018 Macbook pro model, you can no longer purchase a brand new 2015 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro from Apple. If you really want “the best laptop ever,” you’ll have to try your luck with used or refurbished models on eBay.
For those who hate the newest – and now only – Macbook Pro line, thanks to its lack of ports, annoying and flawed butterfly keyboard, and gimmicky Touch Bar; this discontinuation of the 2015 model is Apple’s way of saying too bad, this is just the way things are now.
UPDATE: July 12, 2018, 2:56 p.m. EDT: Apple appears to have moved the 2015 Macbook Pro to the Apple store clearance page. This may be your last chance to snag a brand new one, so get them while they last!