2015 MBP 13.3 vs 2016 MBP 13.3 Non-Touch

[Specwar762]

This would be my first Mac computer. I've always used Windows PCs or Chromebooks and I'm interested in possibly switching over to a Mac.

My size preference is the 13" or smaller size laptops. I mostly browse websites, social media, forums, youtube, etc. I also do light gaming on Steam (Half Life 2, Counter Strike) so nothing too graphics intensive. I'm mainly looking for the best long term investment. I don't want to spend $1400 on a computer that won't last a few years or has bugs/issues that will cause me to regret my purchase.

My concern is, do I buy the 2015 model now that it's almost 2017? Is the hardware already long past out of date? Is it worth it to get the 2016 model although reviews of it are reporting issues with battery life? Is the 13.3 non-touch worth the pricetag? Some people say it's basically an Air with $500 tacked onto it.

Thanks.

 

[adam9c1]

Get the older model. I would.

 

[Specwar762]

Get the older model. I would.

Am I wrong in feeling weird buying a practically 2 year old model? I guess as long as it performs, it doesn't matter, but I still feel like I'm buying something out of date for a high price.

On B&H photo I'm seeing the 2015 @ 1350 and the 2016 @ 1450.

 

[theatremusician]

Think of it this way; the 2016 model is basically out of date now as the new Kaby Lake processor is due out very soon. The 2016 model is an impressive machine though. Its graphics are better in that it will run multiple external monitors. You would need dongles and adapters if you aren't already USB-C ready.

 

[Specwar762]

Think of it this way; the 2016 model is basically out of date now as the new Kaby Lake processor is due out very soon. The 2016 model is an impressive machine though. Its graphics are better in that it will run multiple external monitors. You would need dongles and adapters if you aren't already USB-C ready.

I have no USB-C accessories and the only thing I'd need a USB A port for would be a Microsoft mouse that I sometimes use when I'm at a table/desk. Not super worried about ports to be honest.

Portability, performance, and battery life are the main points for me.

 

[theatremusician]

Unless you're doing heavy HD video editing, I'd say the 2015 model will serve your well. Hell, I'm writing this post on a late 2006 White MacBook.

 

[Specwar762]

Unless you're doing heavy HD video editing, I'd say the 2015 model will serve your well. Hell, I'm writing this post on a late 2006 White MacBook.

The things that frustrate me the most (which is happening right now on this page/forum) is when the computer I'm using lags or acts like it's having a hard time processing mundane tasks such as web browsing. My Lenovo Yoga 700 11" M3 sometimes struggles with a single Chrome tab depending on the website and types/amount of media on the page. I've had this computer about a year and honestly spent more time using my old Acer Chromebook (which is still incredible for $200 from 2013) as the experience is easier.

What I'm honestly trying to get away from is the experience feeling like work. Sometimes using this Lenovo is a real drag and makes me gravitate to another device to do what I need (like my cell phone). I want a seamless, easy, hiccup free experience for media consumption and web browsing.
[doublepost=1480993123][/doublepost]Also, is this a good deal for this computer?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1128848-REG/apple_mf840ll_a_13_3_macbook_pro_notebook.html

 

[bernuli]

Now is not really a good time to switch to Mac. If you are happy with Microsoft software, and the significantly better choices for hardware, might be better to stay put.

If you do buy a Mac, just know that Apple will try and force Siri and Apple Maps on you. This can be avoided with Boot Camp.

 

[kdm0505]

best long term investment. Some people say it's basically an Air with $500 tacked onto it.

Thanks.

- There's no right or wrong answer. My opinion is to go with the 2016 non-tbMBP - its better than the 2015 in nearly every way and USB - C is the future. Check out the Macbook Pro section of this forum people are loving them. This model is going to last you the longest moving forward. Plus it is very sleek and I feel that you will enjoy this model the most. Plus it is going to hold on to its value better given that its the new redesign.

- If you're looking at cost per month. You can buy a used rMBP for $750 off ebay which is half the cost of the 2016 MBP and run it into the ground. If it lasts more than 1/2 as long as a new 2016 MBP would then you made money on your decision given you never sell either machine.

But if you want you can take advice from people using cMBP and 2006 white Macbook's gp ahead

 

[musique]

I have been going through similar issues in the past few months. My old 2012 MBP 15" got fried this summer and I was waiting for Apple's October introductions. I must say that I've had extremely positive experiences with all the Apple refurb products I've purchased. But the 2016 units are beautiful, thin, and impressive.

So I tried to compare new apples to older apples. I also had concerns about buying a product that was designed two+ years ago.

My decision was made for me by price, however. For the specs I wanted the 2016 unit is $2900 and the 2015 refurb is $2120. Yes, it would be great to have the newer unit. Faster processors, more state of the art from a USB-C viewpoint, better graphics processor, more graphics memory, etc. Plus it takes up less desk space.

But, with the nearly $800 difference in price (plus tax) and the cost of new adapters for my existing displays, Ethernet, USB accessories, I simply could not justify the price. Maybe next time around Apple will release a more revolutionary product that easily wins in the comparison.

For you, though, if the price difference is really only $100 it seems like the newer model is worth it. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Fishrrman]

adam wrote above:
"Get the older model. I would."

I did.

2015 advantages:
- Mature, proven design
- Better keyboard
- Faster CPU
- More ports that are usable TODAY and will remain so in the years to come
- Good battery life
- Price represents a better value for $$$ spent

2016 advantages:
- Nicer display (the older one is still excellent)
- Faster GPU

On balance, I thought the advantages of the 2015 outweighed those of the 2016.
Too many complaints about the "glitches" in the new design (video irregularities, battery life, etc.). The "touchbar" meant nothing to me. I actually prefer the old function keys for things like adjusting screen brightness and volume levels.

Shop around and you can find good deals on the 2015's.
I picked up a new 13" 8gb/256gb for $1,189 last week. Not bad at all!
And... no dongles!

 

[Sovon Halder]

Nice thread with nice replies.

Never owned any mac computer before. I was also asking the same thing myself. I posted a thread(which is still there in case anyone wants to shed opinions) on that here as well but no reply. Initially I was thinking of breaking my bank completely on a fully speced out macbook but after much resolution my conclusion is to purchase the entry level 13.3" 2016 Macbook Pro.

The 2016 MBP is better in almost every aspect compared to the 2015 MBP. It looks better. Better sound, better display, better GPU. I'm a huge movie buff. Having the ability to plug a 5K monitor or two 4K monitors @60Hz from a portable device is a great deal for me. For 2015 MBP that would kinda suck.

Can't say about the keyboard because it's a personal choice - some people like the new butterfly mechanism; some don't. To be honest I don't care much about the touchbar or the lack of ports. The battery issue is a thing to be concerned about though. Some say that they have terrible battery life(mostly MBPS w/touchbars), some also say that they even went past the Apple claimed 10hour in light use. For other things like blown out speakers or GPU issues... you'd get to know if your MBP has those issues way before your warranty expires, so you can have your MBP replaced/repaired(which thb would suck).

For me, with respect to the price difference, it's a very clear decision given the benefits of the new generation over the 2 year old MBP. The only thing that sucks is that my country(India) doesn't have any apple stores; only re-sellers. Our Govt. has set a terrible import/customs duty. 35% or so. So, the $1499 MBP is being sold here at INR 130K(approx $1900).

F**k my government.

[If anyone has any tips to avoid this, please share]

 

[Specwar762]

Well I wound up getting a 2016 MBP today at BestBuy for $100 off ($1399). So far I like it but still getting used to everything.

 

[Sovon Halder]

Congrats man! Well done.

Can you please do a battery life test?

This exact test specifically:

 

[62tele]

Now is not really a good time to switch to Mac. If you are happy with Microsoft software, and the significantly better choices for hardware, might be better to stay put.

If you do buy a Mac, just know that Apple will try and force Siri and Apple Maps on you. This can be avoided with Boot Camp.

Exactly why is it not a good time to switch? Most people who switch do so because they aren't happy with Microsoft.

Also, how exactly does Apple "Force" Siri and Apple Maps on you?
[doublepost=1481407567][/doublepost]

Think of it this way; the 2016 model is basically out of date now as the new Kaby Lake processor is due out very soon.

So what competitors have Kaby Lake now? My understanding it that Kaby Lake is only marginally faster or more efficient that Skylake in practical applications. I thought Cannonlake is the next big jump from Intel and it won't be around for a while.

 

[Sovon Halder]

This is the perfect time to switch to Mac. Probably nothing other than the ram/storage/price would change in 2017. The version 1 of a new generation. Unless someone is particularly pointy about 32G RAM, he should buy one now. Specially during this holiday season.

It's surprisingly weird how some people disregard the obvious goodness of something out of sheer ignorance.
Say what you want about Apple but they do really know how to make an attractive machine.

Paper specs and synthetic benchmarks of a laptop mean nothing to me unless I'm happy using the machine.
Are Apple products overpriced? Yes, those bastards profit a lot... Are their specs out of date most of the times? Somewhat yes...
But in terms of user experience, Apple products are always superior in my opinion.
Latest Macs for example, price does not justify the specs. But in terms of build quality and real life user experience, the macbooks with less appealing specs make the super latest speced laptops from other manufactures look despicable. People who can't clearly admit that, should never intent to moving to Apple ecosystem.

Just for the record, I do not own any Apple computer. I've been using iPod touch/classic and iPhone 5s for years though. I've always used windows OS. 2000, XP, 7, 8, 8.1 seemed very good but W10 is ****.

 

[bernuli]

Exactly why is it not a good time to switch? Most people who switch do so because they aren't happy with Microsoft.

Also, how exactly does Apple "Force" Siri and Apple Maps on you?

its not a good time to switch because Windows has gotten so much better while Apple has gone backwards with their hardware while offering buggy and less than refined software.

Siri and Apple Maps are forced via software. For example I need 3 extra steps to avoid Apple Maps on iOS.

 

[Trixs]

Now is not really a good time to switch to Mac. If you are happy with Microsoft software, and the significantly better choices for hardware, might be better to stay put.

If you do buy a Mac, just know that Apple will try and force Siri and Apple Maps on you. This can be avoided with Boot Camp.

Lol. How do they force that? I've never ever used Siri or apple maps on my Mac and not sure how they're trying to force me.

 

[62tele]

its not a good time to switch because Windows has gotten so much better while Apple has gone backwards with their hardware while offering buggy and less than refined software.

Siri and Apple Maps are forced via software. For example I need 3 extra steps to avoid Apple Maps on iOS.

You really have no idea what you're talking about do you?
macOS is a very stable operating system and Apple is not going backwards with their hardware. Having just demo'd the new MBP, I can say that there isn't a laptop on the market I would prefer to have at present. Also, I would buy a new iMac with it's current specs over any Windows based desktop.
As for Siri, I rarely if ever use it and it doesn't intrude on my workflow in any manner. As for maps, when I click directions in Safari, it defaults to Google maps (presumably because Google is my default search). However, I actually prefer Maps in MacOS. It's great for me. BTW, macOs and iOS are different.

 

[bernuli]

You really have no idea what you're talking about do you?
macOS is a very stable operating system and Apple is not going backwards with their hardware. Having just demo'd the new MBP, I can say that there isn't a laptop on the market I would prefer to have at present. Also, I would buy a new iMac with it's current specs over any Windows based desktop.
As for Siri, I rarely if ever use it and it doesn't intrude on my workflow in any manner. As for maps, when I click directions in Safari, it defaults to Google maps (presumably because Google is my default search). However, I actually prefer Maps in MacOS. It's great for me. BTW, macOs and iOS are different.

Nope, no idea. But I am going to start using Apple Maps right now because before I was totally lost.

Sierra was nice enough to move Siri right in front of spotlight. Hopefully Apple Maps can get me out of this mess!

 

[biggiet4jets]

The things that frustrate me the most (which is happening right now on this page/forum) is when the computer I'm using lags or acts like it's having a hard time processing mundane tasks such as web browsing. My Lenovo Yoga 700 11" M3 sometimes struggles with a single Chrome tab depending on the website and types/amount of media on the page. I've had this computer about a year and honestly spent more time using my old Acer Chromebook (which is still incredible for $200 from 2013) as the experience is easier.

What I'm honestly trying to get away from is the experience feeling like work. Sometimes using this Lenovo is a real drag and makes me gravitate to another device to do what I need (like my cell phone). I want a seamless, easy, hiccup free experience for media consumption and web browsing.
[doublepost=1480993123][/doublepost]Also, is this a good deal for this computer?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1128848-REG/apple_mf840ll_a_13_3_macbook_pro_notebook.html

The only good thing about hat deal is that if you live outside of NY (where B&H is located) there is no tax. Apples website as of writing this post has that same refurbished model for 1,189. Link is here. They come with a year warranty too.

http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/13

 

[Reality4711]

Now is not really a good time to switch to Mac. If you are happy with Microsoft software, and the significantly better choices for hardware, might be better to stay put.

If you do buy a Mac, just know that Apple will try and force Siri and Apple Maps on you. This can be avoided with Boot Camp.

There is no force involved. There is a choice! I do not use 'Siri,iCloud or Apple Maps - totally reasonable and easy choices made on today's machines. Force - No; every software company makes it easier to use their own products. It is a natural consequence of business.

Buying a Mac anytime, in my opinion, is OK. You will always be behind the development curve with any hardware. The cutting edge is always a dangerous place to be unless you are capable of riding the fault waves!