MacBook Pro: The biggest and baddest Mac laptops

TrendForce’s latest global laptop shipment report, seen by us, says that MacBook shipments grew by a healthy 17.1% in Q2, helped in large part by sales of the updated 12-inch MacBook.

The growth boosted Apple’s market share from 9.3% to 10%, bringing it very close to challenging ASUS for the #4 slot behind HP, Lenovo and Dell …

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I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with cases for iDevices. My general view is that we pay a lot of money for a beautifully-designed device, so it seems a great shame to hide them away inside a case.

On the other hand, there are some cases that are beautiful in themselves. For example, my iPhone 6 lived in a Mujjo Leather Wallet Case most of the time. That was mostly, though, for the convenience of being able to carry a couple of cards with me when I wanted to go out without my wallet. My iPhone SE travels naked.

My iPad spends a lot of its time attached to a Brydge keyboard, which also protects the screen, but doesn’t sit inside a case. My MacBook Air does still live inside a Burkley hardshell leather case because I’m a big fan of leather and think that looks just as good as the machine itself.

But the portability of my 2016 MacBook Pro means that this, not the Air, is the machine I carry with me when I need more than an iPad. That meant I did need to think about protecting it …

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Last year I went hands-on with a few Akitio Thunderbolt 3-enabled drive enclosures for 9to5Mac, but none of the previous enclosures came with out-of-the-box support for macOS. Instead, users had to rely on a hack in order to enable support for these enclosures, due to the fact that macOS wasn’t compatible with the Thunderbolt 3 chipsets being used.

In today’s world, things are a bit different. Much of the Thunderbolt 3 hardware shipping today is no longer “Windows only”, which is a great thing for recent MacBook Pro and Mid-2017 iMac hardware with Thunderbolt 3 I/O capabilities.

Akitio’s Thunder3 Quad Mini is one such example of Thunderbolt 3-enabled hardware made with the Mac in mind. This four-bay enclosure comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports in a small aluminum enclosure that supports passive cooling for noiseless operation. In other words, it’s a quiet enclosure that’s perfect for RAID 0 SSD setups for maximum speed. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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One of the many slots in MacBooks that has disappeared over the years is the security slot. For anyone who doesn’t remember these from the pre-Retina machines, this was a small horizontal slot into which you could insert a T-shaped security lock attached to a cable.

You ran the cable around something solid like a desk leg, fed it back through a loop and then inserted the lock into the slot on your Mac. Locking it would twist the T-shaped element 90 degrees, securing it in place.

It wasn’t the highest security in the world – cable locks can be easily snipped with hand croppers – but it protected against opportunist snatch thieves in places like libraries and coffee shops. As of the Retina MacBook Pro, however, Apple removed the slot …

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Recent MacBooks aren’t exactly noted for their repairability, a change that started in 2012 with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. Among the many changes introduced was a battery very firmly glued to the chassis, making it next to impossible to replace.

But iFixit likes a challenge, and has now come up with a DIY battery replacement kit which it reckons allows the job to be tackled by mere mortals …

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CalDigit’s TS3 is a Thunderbolt 3-enabled dock in a very compact form factor. The dock omits the flat landscape design that has been the hallmark of most Thunderbolt 3 docks thus far, and instead comes with a compact design that can be placed on a desk vertically or horizontally.

Most notably, the CalDigit TS3 affords full-speed 15-inch MacBook Pro charging thanks to its 85W of power delivery. This is a feature that many of the previous Thunderbolt 3 docks, including CalDigit’s own TS3 Lite, weren’t capable of.

Yet, as someone who just recently traded a 2016 MacBook Pro for a Thunderbolt 3-enabled 2017 iMac, I was also anxious to see how the dock would integrate with my desktop setup. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough inside for the details.
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When Apple unveiled the 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, I wasn’t so sure I was ready to go all-in on USB-C. I’m not against using dongles, but the idea of having to carry multiple around was not appealing.

After spending a week with the Satechi Type-C Pro Hub, it has quickly become a staple accessory for me. With its functionality, design, and construction, Satechi built a hub I would expect out of Apple.

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The Apple Online Store is now out of stock of current 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar configurations, with estimated delivery quoted as June 5 – June 7. Amazon is also reporting constrained stock availability of the 15-inch models.

June 5 just happens to be the same day as the WWDC keynote which points to a hardware refresh at the event. The change in shipping times was first noticed by MacRumors. Although WWDC is typically a software event, there have been several rumors of new hardware this time around …

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A few weeks ago we reviewed Aukey’s USB-C to HDMI Cable for the MacBook Pro. It worked, but since it featured HDMI 1.4, it only allowed for connecting to 4K displays at 30Hz max.

While such an adapter works well for watching movies with lesser refresh rates, 30Hz is not the ideal refresh rate for working on a computer monitor. Such a refresh rate can often lead to headaches and eyestrain, not to mention the choppiness and laggy cursor movement.

Accell’s new USB-C adapter promises to address this issue by including HDMI 2.0. How is this possible when USB-C only supports HDMI 1.4b? Watch our hands-on video inside for the details.
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Batteries are a consumable component that have a limited life span or cycle count. Apple’s various products use different batteries that have varying cycle count limits. Let’s take a look at some useful things to keep in mind when trying to get the most out of your MacBook Pro battery or when looking at buying a used MacBook.

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WWDC 2017 may be quite the hardware event this year despite the recent focus on software alone in recent years. iPad Pro updates and a possible Siri speaker have already been rumored, and now Bloomberg reports a MacBook Pro update will happen:

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I recently got my hands on the Atomos Ninja Inferno external recorder and monitor for my Panasonic GH5. This 7-inch monitor allows you to record 4K video directly to 2.5-inch SATA SSDs. It’s a wonderful tool for my video workflow, because it allows for extra long recording times, and fast data transfers to my Mac.

The only problem is that the external monitor doesn’t ship with the needed USB-enabled caddy for transferring data from the SSD to my MacBook Pro. Atomos sells a docking station, but it’s limited to USB-A connections.

That’s where StarTech’s wonderful USB-C to SATA adapter comes in. This inexpensive adapter makes it super-easy to transfer data from a SATA-enabled SSD to the MacBook Pro via USB-C. Watch our hands-on video inside for the details.
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While its possible to charge an iPhone or iPad faster by using a higher wattage power adapter, unfortunately that trick doesn’t work with MacBooks. However, there are still a few ways to get your MacBook charged up faster than normal.

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Satechi has just announced the availability of its take on the USB-C hub for the 2016 MacBook Pro. While USB-C ports may be standard in a few years, today they’re just not, and many creatives still rely on external hubs to get their work done. Satechi’s new aluminum Type-C Pro Hub will bring back the ports and expansion power users need.

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Mantiz’s Venus is an upcoming eGPU box and docking station for Thunderbolt 3-enabled laptops like the 2016 MacBook Pro. The Taiwanese-based company is working on bringing two eGPU boxes to market — the eccentric-looking Saturn, and the more subdued-looking Venus.

The friendly folks at Mantiz agreed to send over a Venus eGPU/docking station, allowing me to take it for a quick test drive when paired together with my 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro. Featuring an all-aluminum outer shell with classic Mac Pro cheese grater-inspired perforated design, the Venus is one of the more attractive eGPU solutions that I’ve seen thus far. Have a look at our hands on video walkthrough inside for more details.
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From 9to5Toys:

Ever since Apple made the decision to leave the display game (and subsequently return), we’ve seen an abundance of new releases from brands like Philips, LG and others trying to fill the void. Today, one of those major players is returning with another fresh announcement.

LG has quietly unveiled a new 42.5-inch 43UD79-B 4K IPS monitor with its FreeSync technology. Designed as a slightly more budget-friendly alternative to its UltraFine 5K display, this release has a few special tricks up its sleeve. Most notably is the inclusion of four HDMI inputs as well as support for USB-C connectivity. All this comes in at a sub $700 price tag…

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If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to connect your MacBook or MacBook Pro to an HDMI-enabled input, then Aukey’s USB-C to HDMI Cable might be able to do the job.
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Copy and paste is an essential function for almost any computer use. Whether you’re looking to become familiar with the basics or would like to improve your efficiency with keyboard shortcuts, follow along for how to copy and paste with a Mac.

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Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pro has been met with a wide array of responses since it was unveiled last fall. Now, a growing number of users are reporting that they hear a strange “popping” noise coming from their MacBook Pro. Reports of the issue have started picking up steam on Apple’s own support website, as well as other forums…

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Evernote is out with a major new update for MacBook Pro users that brings colorful new Touch Bar features to the note-taking app. The latest version lets Evernote users gain ‘quick access to key navigation and note editing commands’ on the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

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