{"id":23325,"date":"2016-12-12T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therockysafari.com\/?p=23325"},"modified":"2021-03-25T23:43:48","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T03:43:48","slug":"macbook-touch-bar-bloggers-dream-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therockysafari.com\/2016\/12\/12\/macbook-touch-bar-bloggers-dream-laptop\/","title":{"rendered":"The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is a Blogger’s Dream Laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since my now\u00a0six year old\u00a02010\u00a0MacBook Pro hit 1,000 charge cycles<\/a> last month, it has been performing worse with each passing day. Much like with\u00a0my old iPhone<\/a>, the battery inside no longer lasts more than 30 minutes without dying. The internal components are obsolete and fail to\u00a0keep up with my daily workflow. I was able to extend the laptop’s\u00a0useful life one extra year by upgrading its RAM last December.<\/p>\n

Sadly, my MacBook’s age is really starting to show. My charger\u00a0and<\/strong>\u00a0replacement charger are both falling apart.\u00a0(Another replacement would cost $80.00). The screen really looks outdated compared to today’s standards. The laptop case\u00a0is broken. The battery\u00a0now desperately\u00a0needs replacement (roughly another $40.00.) And to increase its read\/write speeds, it would need an SSD with a greater storage capacity (maybe $100 or more.)<\/p>\n

\"2010<\/p>\n

To say I have been hesitant about upgrading my main laptop would be an understatement. I have been saving up for months knowing that today’s high-end laptops do not come cheaply. In October, when Apple’s new line of MacBook Pros was announced, I was underwhelmed. I felt the upgrades\u00a0were long overdue and overpriced. As expensive as they are, after using them\u00a0in various\u00a0Apple Stores,\u00a0I have to admit\u00a0I am blown away by them.<\/p>\n

If you recall from the post<\/a> I published in October,\u00a0I was debating whether to purchase\u00a0a new 2016 13″\u00a0MacBook Pro with Touch Bar<\/a>\u00a0or a refurbished 2015 15″ MacBook Pro since both are comparably priced. As much as I enjoyed\u00a0the idea of having the larger screen, I decided the portability and improvements found in the new 2016 MacBook Pro\u00a0lineup outweigh most of the\u00a0downsides to the new Macs like the annoying\u00a0loss of traditional ports.<\/p>\n

\"13"
My New MacBook Pro with Touch Bar!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Because supplies are still scarce, I had to track down a location\u00a0that had the 13″ MacBook Pro with a 512GB SSD in stock. Not an easy task. Fortunately, there was one location in New Jersey that still had one left<\/strong> and the store was not too far from me. I jumped in my car and drove there to grab it. I really wanted to have my new Mac before my trip to Spain<\/a> later this month. Most models of the new MacBooks are on backorder through January!<\/p>\n

At the store, I was able to use my student discount to get $100.00 off. Not a huge difference but the discount definitely helped make the crazily expensive laptop a bit more affordable. This MacBook was\u00a0definitely twice the price of the one I got 6 years ago. (It literally was twice the price.) *Turns away and cries momentarily.*<\/p>\n

Unboxing my new late 2016 13″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and 512 SSD.<\/h2>\n

\"Blogger's<\/p>\n

My initial reaction: WOW. It was almost shocking how thin<\/strong> and light<\/strong> this MacBook Pro is compared to my classic MacBook Pro. Its build is so solid<\/strong> and sturdy<\/strong>. It truly\u00a0feels like a premium laptop. I was nervous about switching to such a low -travel keyboard because as a blogger, a\u00a0keyboard is perhaps singlehandedly the most important part of any new laptop. Surprisingly, the butterfly-mechanism keyboard on these new MacBooks is REALLY good. I type a lot faster and it’s actually more comfortable. Who would have guessed?<\/p>\n