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Thread: Apple upgrades

  1. #1
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Question Apple upgrades

    This question is to those who have chosen Apple computers over the years.

    I have two early 2015 MacBook Pros, which are the last notebooks made with USB-A ports. I've been resisting anything newer to avoid having to invest in dongles and adapters, and then there is that other factor: the unknown. Alas, the batteries are showing their age, and one keyboard is worn rather badly. I am comparing parts replacement and refurbished identical MacBooks, while the price of a new MacBook isn't all that far off and comes with warranty and support, etc. And they come only with Thunderbolt-3/USB-C ports.

    How did you handle the change of ports and connectors? Do you find your newer MacBook incompatible with too many devices today? Or perhaps you see the problem that too many devices are incompatible with your new MacBook?

    My analog brain chafes against the digital world....

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    Senior Member Pterodactylus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I have no troubles with my MacBook Pro (2019) and USB C, I use adapters where needed, just another piece in between to convert it to whatever your need.

    USB C is getting more and more, not only in the Mac World.
    I see it kind of positive as at least from today’s perspective it seems to get a kind of standard interface.

    And changing interfaces are not a new phenomenon, this happened quite often several times in the past.

    ..... and of course there were and are always „old“ peripherals which do not work at all or only limited with changing interphases using adapters
    ..... but buying new equipment is helping the struggling economy these days

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    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I wasn't aware that USB-A and USB-C were so different that there would be incompatibility problems when upgrading a MacBook or an iMac.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    I wasn't aware that USB-A and USB-C were so different that there would be incompatibility problems when upgrading a MacBook or an iMac.
    Different size and shape. Adapters are available though.


    When it came time to replace my MacBook Pro a couple of years ago I dodged the port compatibility issue by getting an iMac with both types of connector. A couple of USB-A external HDDs failed around the same time so it made sense to get new ones with USB-C, and input peripherals are wireless anyway.

    OP's best bet might be a multiport USB hub. I've been looking at those.

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd add to this one.

    Rightly or wrongly, I always thought Apple products were kind of weird. Outside of certain applications (mainly uber-expensive graphics workstations), I didn't see the point. iPod? meh. iPhone? silly. That changed with the release of the iPad. I was attending the Command and General Staff College, and the "box of books" was available in .pdf format on the network. I gave it a chance, and discovered it was a device that you would never miss if you never had one; but the convenience and portability made it near indispensable. Shortly after, I bought my wife a MacBook (the old white plastic one). I have come around, and although I still have a PC for those times when you must have some Microsoft compatibility (mainly office-related); I rarely use it now that I'm retired. I am essentially an Apple-only person now.

    The level of integration they have achieved across their platforms (and accessories) is what Microsoft promised for a decade and still hasn't delivered. Apple stuff just seems to work, and works together. The largest issue is lifecycle disparity. A 2012 MacBook Pro is still chugging along happily, although relegated to the office/man-cave in the shop. Everything else is done on an iPad (mostly content consumption), a 13" MacBook Pro with the M1 chip (mostly content creation and household business), and I have an iPhone. Fellow "nerds" that have known me for a long time (and one person in particular) joke that I have become a "fanboy". While not quite to that level of enthusiasm, I have become a fan of their products.

    For Fred in particular, I have "upgraded" the laptop from a 2012 to 2020 model; from an iPhone 6 to 12, and a iPad Air (4 years old or so) to a current version. I have added the watch to my Apple "arsenal" now as well. Their products can get expensive quickly, particularly as you add memory and storage configuring their "entry" products to your likes. Their top tier products are more expense than I can justify for my needs, and life-cycle replacement with an eye on inter compatibility is not inexpensive when you're replacing several devices simultaneously; but the math works out for me given the longevity. Their trade-in program and recycling ethos contributes positively as well.

    While no digital thing is secure in today's environment, I think Apple's strategy is more than acceptable for a consumer product. I like that they appear to truly be concerned with privacy as well. As I said to a friend the other day, Apple makes money selling you their stuff. Alphabet (Google) makes money selling other people your stuff.

    The (two) USB-C / Thunderbolt / whatever they're called ports did require an all-in-one adaptor, and that does get under my skin a little; but the recently released 14" version corrects most of that at a moderately additional cost (which again, can skyrocket without judicious restraint... lol).

    I am fully invested at this point with both physical products and services. $29/month provides me with all the cloud storage, music, news, podcasts and other services such as TV and even Apple Fitness which the wife and I experiment with. The watch and phone monitor all sorts of vitals from heartbeat to sleep to walking gait (and balance). My medical data from the VA is set up to automatically download. Want to monitor O2? Fall detection and notification to emergency services and/or primary contact? Check and check. I'm very impressed with what they have achieved.
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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    Senior Member Yazeh's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I would say it's best to upgrade, when you cannot upgrade the software anymore. Otherwise the transition, is not pretty. Mine was a bit brutal from snow leopard (I had one of those white Macs), to Yosemite.
    The only thing I use the ports for are for backup. Everything else is done, through bluetooth.
    Ideally, if everything (Phone/ Pads etc) the Mac the experience is much more smoother and much much more expensive.
    I would however, avoid hubs for backup. I was opting for those, but I read on several occasions that for backups you need to have a direct connection.

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    @Yazeh - Precisely, which is why I now "upgrade" multiple devices to keep them in the same generation in an attempt to minimize issues. The 2012 MacBook Pro's final update appears to be Catalina. A 2010 iMac that was my son's reached obsolescence when it was incapable of using the Metal API, although it is still running strong at my brother's house; mainly because he only browses the internet with it.
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Mac user now since the spring of 2012, dating back to when I was in graduate school, had a Windows laptop die 2 weeks before my literature seminar, finished it out using a borrowed MacBook(2008 aluminum unibody) and then bought my own(late 2011 13" MacBook Pro) the day after passing.

    In any case, given my collecting tendencies, I have assembled quite a Mac collection in the mean time stretching back to an original Macintosh from 1984 on up through the 80s and early 90s Motorola 68K computers to PowerPC computer(including some fun "hotrod" builds) and even into early Intel.

    In 2015, I bought a refurbished mid-2012 15" MacBook pro with the high resolution(1680x1050) anti-glare screen. I used that computer until earlier this year, which I finally retired it because it was starting to struggle with some tasks and I beat it up pretty well teaching on Zoom for close to a year. Also, the battery life was getting questionable, although I still have that computer, still use it some, and probably should toss a new battery in it. Somewhere or another in there too I bought a(since sold) 2015 13" MBP, which I appreciated for its lighter weight and better battery life.

    Earlier this year, I finally gave in and bought a new(2020) M1 MBP. I've really enjoyed a lot of things about it. The M1-based Macs are phenomenal. They're fast, cool, and the battery life is unreal(I don't stress if, for example, I forget to take my charger to work, although I've bought chargers since to leave at work and other places). It's so freeing to not have to carry a charger with me. I made a mistake by believing the reviews that 8gb RAM was fine.

    USB-C is a pain, but I have a couple of different mini-docks that break out one USB port into a USB-A and other ports.


    BTW, I hold on to iPhones for a while as long as they keep working and the battery is decent. I did get an iPhone 12 to replace my 2-year-old iPhone XR earlier this year,. I couldn't pass that one up, though-my wife and I finally combined our cell phone plans and because I switched carriers(to Verizon) they offered me an $800 trade-in credit on my old phone. That meant I ended up paying $50 for the iPhone 12, and I wouldn't have had to pay that had I not insisted on upgrading the storage.
    After the first of the year, I'm hoping to order a new 16" M1 Max. I will welcome having MagSafe again plus a lot of the other changes(other than the notch...).
    Last edited by bunnspecial; November 6th, 2021 at 11:10 AM.

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  14. #9
    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by bunnspecial View Post
    ...and probably should toss a new battery in it...
    After the first of the year, I'm hoping to order a new 16" M1 Max....
    I've installed my own batteries and other components in our early 2015 MacBook Pros, but I read the latest ones are glued shut to keep owners out.

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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by FredRydr View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by bunnspecial View Post
    ...and probably should toss a new battery in it...
    After the first of the year, I'm hoping to order a new 16" M1 Max....
    I've installed my own batteries and other components in our early 2015 MacBook Pros, but I read the latest ones are glued shut to keep owners out.
    The 2015 MacBook Pros are about as difficult as battery replacement gets. Apple went to the glued "tiered" battery with the 2012 Retina models. The last MBPs with easily replaced batteries(3 screws and a single piece battery) with the mid-2012 non-Retina models. The Macbook Airs up through 2015 were a different story, they retained the single piece screw in batteries until the Retina redesign(2017?).

    The multi-piece glued in batteries are involved enough to repair that they actually aren't done in the Apple store. The stores instead swap the entire top case and the top cases are sent to a central facility for battery replacement+refurbishment. Newertech sells the batteries along with tools to replace them. I had my arm twisted into doing one for someone else, and swore "never again." The Apple Store doesn't charge that much more than a Newertech replacement, and you don't actually have to deal with dissolving, cleaning off, and reapplying adhesive.

    Interestingly enough, iFixit claims that the new(2021) MBPs have returned to screwed in/removable batteries...

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    Senior Member Chip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by Chrissy View Post
    I wasn't aware that USB-A and USB-C were so different that there would be incompatibility problems when upgrading a MacBook or an iMac.
    Here's a picture. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, which is the sort of port rather than the connector itself.



    It's a bit of a jungle. Type A is most common on older devices. Type B is often used for a printer connection or auxiliary hard drive. The Mini connectors are often used for cameras and/or charging. The Type C is now common on Apple devices, which use a proprietary Lightning connector to link to phones and iPads. There's presently action in the Euro zone to force a switch by Apple to the USB Type C standard for mobile devices.

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    Senior Member Chip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    If you favor Apple and have been waiting to upgrade, there's a new Apple (rather than Intel) chip, the M1 in the upmarket laptops and iPad that's getting good reviews.

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    The M1 has been out for a year, and has an overwhelming amount of “we can’t believe how powerful it is” reviews and benchmarks. It outperforms all but the highest-end intel and AMD desktop processors. The new 14” and 16” MacBook Pro’s have even faster chips (M1 Pro and M1 Max, available in each size). The M1 series works best if you use software coded to run natively, although the translation software (Rosetta II) will run older x86 software that hasn’t been updated. You’re just wasting some CPU cycles to do the translation.
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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    Senior Member jar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I stopped Apple hardware at 2012 IIRC. Stuff still working. Still under 150 battery cycles.

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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by Chip View Post
    If you favor Apple and have been waiting to upgrade, there's a new Apple (rather than Intel) chip, the M1 in the upmarket laptops and iPad that's getting good reviews.
    I've been using an M1 Macbook Pro since February of this year. It's been great but not without its quirks. I'm hoping to upgrade to an M1 Max in the next few months...

  21. #16
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I wish I could upgrade my iMac and MacBook without losing my Photoshop CS6 but I can't.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I dropped Adobe when they went to subscription based services for software (actually, I dropped everyone that switched to that).

    I don't do a lot of hardcore photo editing, but now I use Pixelmator Pro.
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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  24. #18
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Quote Originally Posted by dneal View Post
    I dropped Adobe when they went to subscription based services for software (actually, I dropped everyone that switched to that).

    I don't do a lot of hardcore photo editing, but now I use Pixelmator Pro.
    Thanks dneal. I'm going to have to upgrade to the latest OS one day and know I will lose it so it's good to know of another option.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    I haven't actually played with it(I'll see if I can sometime in the next couple of days) but IIRC the issue with Photoshop CS6 isn't the program itself being 32 bit, but rather the installer being 32 bit.

    I know I've tested it with Lightroom 6 that if you install on an OS that supports 32 bit software(10.14 or earlier) and then upgrade to a newer OS, it will continue to work just fine. I THINK the same is true of most CS6 programs.

  26. #20
    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Apple upgrades

    Adobe has told me that it will work fine up to Mojave but even if it's already installed it won't work with Catalina onwards. It's definitely 64bit.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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