Plan B: Making the MacBook Pro Mine (Bangkok Post, Life)
eXtensions - Wednesday 7 December 2016
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Plan B: Making the MacBook Pro Mine (Bangkok Post, Life) |
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By Graham K. Rogers
I could not replace everything directly from a Time Machine backup; that only happens when the macOS is first set up. I used the Migration Assistant utility. After a couple of confirmations - Do you really want to replace xxxxx - the MacBook Pro was up and running in just under an hour. Previously, installing Time Machine backups on a new computer have taken me about 45 minutes: this differs with computer speed and the amount of data. When the 2016 13" MacBook Pro arrives, I will do this out of the box.
2016 15" MacBook Pro
An older RSS reader crashed several times; and two apps do not allow me to select files from their dialogue panels. I emailed both developers who replied almost immediately: it is a known problem. It has been reported to Apple and is expected to be fixed in the macOS 10.12.2 update. Fetch support suggested a simple workaround: use the Option or Command key to select files. I am also experiencing an occasional problem with WiFi when I wake the computer from sleep in the morning. Sometimes, although the signal is shown as good, no data is downloaded. I fix this easily by disconnecting the WiFi (use the Option key), then reconnecting. Battery life is hit and miss sometimes. I can work for several hours with a gentle depletion of charge, while at other times the power goes down quite quickly. Time Machine backups to external disks (USB 3) will drain some power of course, but background processes - I have too many tabs open in Safari - also take some power. Some third-party apps that I use may not be optimised for this Mac, which has its own special build of macOS. I do leave many apps open all the time which may use some CPU load, albeit small in the case of most dormant apps. A check of Activity Monitor shows a number of factors which I could adjust.
In practical terms, the USB-C connectors are the most solid I have come across for a long time. Thunderbolt on my older Mac is prone to movement (and disconnecting), while USB-A moves a little, as can Lightning connectors. The main problem here is that there is not much to put into the USB-C ports right now. Several devices have already been released in other markets.
SanDisk USB-C flash drive; USB-C adapter; SanDisk hybrid USB-C/USB-A flash drive
See also:
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. He is now continuing that in the Bangkok Post supplement, Life. He can be followed on Twitter (@extensions_th) |
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With most of the data I use already on the 2016 machine via iCloud, and many of the apps I use installed, I decided not to wait. I have made the 15" MacBook Pro the main machine for now. Another point was the excellent sound output from the speakers as those on my old Mac are broken.
