2016 Macbook Pro Discussion Poll: Satisfaction or reaction

[Pardus]

I find it really confusing reading this forum and how many people have such strong opinions on the new MacBook Pro but don't actually own one. There are some real documented issues but how wide spread are they. When something goes wrong, people reach out, but of the millions of these mbp's sold, are we just talking about a small fraction of a percent with issues? A lot of this seems fanned by a lot of unhappy potential customers who are voicing their issues online. However, in the posts I read here, most of the people that actually own one, are very satisfied with their purchase and it's the people that chose not to buy one that have the most complaints.

Help put this in perspective, let's see some numbers of where you fit on your discussion about the new MacBook Pros.

 

[raqball]

I voted "I own one and it's great but do have a few minor issues" because the option I want was not available..

I have the base TB version and I like it well enough. My main issue is the price. I've been looking around and the base 2015's can be found right now for about $1,100 BNIB. My TB was $1800. My struggle is IF this machine is worth $700 more than the 2015.. Not sure yet, still deciding.

I am fairly certain I will keep my 2016 TB but that massive price difference is bouncing around in my head.

What I like about the 2016:

Screen
Sound
KB
Trackpad
Build quality along with size and weight
Space Gray! Tired of same ol same ol Silver

What I don't like about the 2016:

Price
No SD card slot
Reduced battery life (so far - I assume Apple can tweak this via software updates)
Removal of Magsafe (loved that)
It's non-repairable at just about every level

Don't care either way:

Touchbar. It's not very useful at the moment
USB C only. Meh, I can deal with it
Removal of the glowing Apple logo

 

[Kanders78]

I have one 15" 256, 450 and so far so good. I am coming from a 2013 13 inch so there are somethings that I like and somethings that I miss. The main issue I have is with the backing up. luckily everything is backed up on the cloud or I have redundant drives so not that big of an issue.

 

[thesaint024]

All this talk and only 14 people have one? Maybe they missed the thread. But I think there needs to be another option here. Some people have said they did have one but returned it, just to be fair and inclusive of all people here.

 

[Pardus]

All this talk and only 14 people have one? Maybe they missed the thread. But I think there needs to be another option here. Some people have said they did have one but returned it, just to be fair and inclusive of all people here.

I had the option for "I own one, it sucks refund please". thought that covered the return people but maybe not.

 

[teerexx52]

Love my 15'. No complaints

 

[laser71]

Voted "I own one and it's great but do have a few minor issues" - I'd describe my issues as major, but I'm not returning it.

15", 1TB, 2.6, 460, coming from a 2011 MBP. Did a clean install and manually copied over my files.

I'm blown away by how terrible the battery is. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's only marginally better than my 2011 today. I consistently get 3-4hrs on a full charge. Utterly disappointed. For a "Pro" computer, it's beyond frustrating that Apple is so focused on form and not function.

Within 20 seconds of turning it on there was a GPU glitch and I had to hard-restart. There are occasional glitches still, but I'm holding out hope of a software update addressing it. Although coming from the 2011 model year in which my GPU was replaced THREE times, this is very familiar and concerning.

The computer is surprisingly laggy in some situations, and has froze several times needing a hard restart. I expected it to be a lot faster and more stable. Another big disappointment.

I dislike the keyboard, as it's stupidly loud and easy to miss keys. I'll get used to the feel, but the sound is problematic in quiet spaces.

On the plus side, it runs much cooler than my last MBP. The fan rarely is audible, and it's comfortable on my lap. Also, it looks great and feels great in my hands. Screen is lovely to look at, and driving 2x 5k monitors is very nice. The ports don't bother me, as I use my 4k USB-C monitor as a dock.

For me it's a tool, so I'll keep using it as that. But I'm undeniably disappointed so far, and can't imagine me keeping it more than a year or two. I think Apple messed this one up, and I'm hoping they at least offer improved battery sizes next year.

 

[therealseebs]

So, I originally got two. I would have returned mine, but someone else I know wanted one and his was several weeks out, so I shipped mine to him. (And it's now been stuck in Apple Repair for two weeks, because the promises of an "expedited" turnaround for a display with a single glitchy line were apparently empty.) My spouse also got one, and he was fine with it until it abruptly lost the ability to charge; we'll be going to the Apple store tomorrow to drop it off for repair, and I might see it back sometime in 2017.

And I have a third, which is a temporary loaner from work, which we're using mostly to try to get the bathtub curve to reveal any obvious problems.

From my point of view, it's pretty awful. Spouse was okay with it because it performs better than his 2011 did, but I honestly think he'd have been happier with a 2015 with a dGPU. And certainly, not happy about the power adapter thing. So, of the three people involved with MBPs, we've got a total of zero happy.

 

[happyslayer]

I own the 13" TB base model and I love everything about it but the battery time. I'm one of the ones that had to fight to get more than5-6 hours out of it. But everything else about it is really nice. I really like the Touch Bar and the Touch ID and the keyboard and the general performance. I'm certainly keeping it.

 

[myscrnnm]

Only a few small issues for me, chiefly the battery life and small bugs in the software. I did an SMC reset which seems to have improved the battery life significantly (going from 5-6 hours to 7-8). Still wish it were closer to the 10 stated by Apple, especially since I don't use this computer for anything particularly taxing.

I will say however that there's a lot to like about the 2016 MacBook Pro. The screen is bright and crisp, the build quality is phenomenal and unparalleled. Continuity is a huge plus coming from Windows; and the Touch Bar is very responsive.

 

[therealseebs]

Update, after looking at repair turnaround times, we returned my spouse's 2016 MBP also, and ordered a 2015 with dGPU from B&H, because it'll be here two weeks sooner, and is a better machine for most of his purposes. The "randomly just stop working on AC power" thing was pretty upsetting, and having seen it happen to a bunch of other people too, we didn't have much confidence that a swap would prevent it from happening again.

So we're going back to magsafe, with an actual indicator light showing that the machine is plugged in, and a power system that we have never once seen a problem with in something over ten years.

 

[Macalway]

I find it really confusing reading this forum and how many people have such strong opinions on the new MacBook Pro but don't actually own one.

At this point, and moving forward, this is the thing. At first it's useful, but then it becomes counterproductive. If people decline to buy these it's most likely about money. They then come here to trash it for obvious reasons. That's just going to happen. You just have to start owner threads. Then when they come to trash it, they are asking for it

The reason I say it's about money is because these new machines are really only marginally improved. To upgrade to them spending all the money, for most people is just not practical. This is actually a really good thing, as you can keep what you have and save a fortune. Just don't come and complain about these new fantastic machines, as they are just as good, if not marginally better than what you have.

To say the portable computer market has matured is an understatement. Fortunately for Apple they can sell watches

 

[xraydoc]

Had a 13" nTB - thought it was great but ultimately decided to exchange it for the 15". Just as happy if not more so.

 

[therealseebs]

At this point, and moving forward, this is the thing. At first it's useful, but then it becomes counterproductive. If people decline to buy these it's most likely about money. They then come here to trash it for obvious reasons. That's just going to happen.

This is both false and insulting.

Seriously, we're right here. We've told you why I'm unhappy with these machines, and it's nothing to do with money, and I don't see why you think you have a basis for accusing us of lying about our experiences. Lots of people are explaining why they're unhappy with the machines. "Overpriced" might be part of it, but "overpriced" isn't at all the same thing as "I can't afford it". "Overpriced" also includes "I could afford it, but I could get a much better deal doing something else instead."

It's also a bit silly to assume that anyone who didn't actually buy the machine had no reason other than money for disliking it. Have you bought a $320 Windows laptop at Target recently? No? Clearly, that must be because you can't afford it, not because you can look at the specs and know immediately that it won't come close to meeting your needs.

It's just really rude to declare that everyone who complains about a thing is obviously lying and just can't afford it. Who put you in charge of determining what other people like or don't like? I don't remember voting for you.

If people decline to buy these, it's for any of the following reasons:

1. Actually liked the function key row.
2. Prefer antiglare screens to glossy screens.
3. Prefer native resolution to fuzzy scaling.
4. Prefer MagSafe connectors and don't think USB-C is a good replacement for that.
5. Would like battery/charge/power indicators as separate LEDs.
   
6. Prefer having the actual ports we will use built-in instead of having to use adapters.
7. Prefer a machine that can be run at full load when plugged in without shutting down because the power supply doesn't actually provide enough power to run the machine.
8. Prefer a more comfortable size of trackpad.
9. Prefer keyboards with more key travel.
10. Have workloads for which 32GB of memory is an important feature.
11. Would prefer the significantly improved performance of DDR4 memory.
12. Wanted a higher-end GPU.
13. Concerned about graphics glitches reported by a lot of users.
14. Concerned about the number of machines which just stop charging or running off AC power at all. (I think I've now seen at least six people report this.)
15. Like workstation-type dock connectors like you see on business laptops.
16. Prefer a non-trackpad pointing device, like a touchpoint.
17. Want the option of upgrading RAM in the future.
18. Want the option of upgrading storage in the future.
19. Want the option of installing two storage devices, because a single SSD isn't all that large.
20. Want Ethernet port.
21. Want HDMI port.
22. Want DisplayPort.
23. Want built-in USB 3 Type A ports, since that's what their existing devices use.
24. Want an SD card reader.
25. Want a Xeon or other higher-end processor.
26. Want larger batteries so battery life can be better under actual workloads.
27. Want a microphone jack.
28. Want a full keyboard (with numeric keypad).
29. Could get all of the things they want, without the worries or concerns they have about the 2016MBP, for over a thousand dollars less.

Consider: The laptop I ended up getting after giving up on the 2016 MBP doesn't have magsafe, although it does have a separate power plug. (It also has the option of running off USB-C, and the adapter for that has an indicator LED, unlike Apple's.) It doesn't really have a higher-end GPU, although it's hard to compare the quadro line because they're generally marketed more towards business applications. Battery life is presumably worse, and I don't think there's a microphone jack. It has everything else on that list, and was $1,300 less than the MBP.

The only thing the MBP has that the Dell doesn't, that I care about, is MacOS. And if I could buy a MacOS license that would run on this hardware for $1,500, I'd do that. But I'm not willing to pay the extra money and put up with hardware that I find disappointing to unusable in so many ways.

 

[raqball]

^^^^^ 110% agree!

When fanatical fanboys try and justify why others are not punch drunk in love with their decision that they are trying so hard to self-justify they inevitably go to the ----> They are just broke hobos who can't afford it..

It funny and sad at the same time when they toss this out as a reason but hey, it's the Internet right?

 

[Macalway]

I don't see why you think you have a basis for accusing us of lying about our experiences

.

Lying? I haven't noticed any of that (though I wouldn't ).

It's just that when you buy these and keep them, your sort of.....done with this type of discussion.

Owner threads
[doublepost=1481218909][/doublepost]

^ They are just broke hobos who can't afford it..

You have that backward. It's the owners who are now broke Hobos (people still say Hobo? )

 

[raqball]

You have that backward. Its the owners who are now broke Hobos (people still say Hobo? )

Hahaha, did I just show my age maybe?

 

[Macalway]

The point is: Save your money. If you have money to burn (literally), or your a power user and know WTF your doing, or if your a gear addict who's willing to do it, or if it's simply time to upgrade, go for it.

But the market has matured folks. Greatly diminished returns. And they want $$$$. Maybe they should have gone more 'value'. Maybe not.

Who knows

Note: the whole thing about 'fan boy' as being one who wants people to buy Apple so Apple will make money, is probably coming to an end, if not already. Things were different 6 years ago.

 

[thesaint024]

The point being made with threads like this is the bitching and moaning is not commensurate with the black and white statistics. The WinPC market is and has always been much larger than the MacOS market, simply because there is more choice and they are less expensive in general (avg. price-wise). This pretty much sums up why owners speak out, not to mention people love to talk about things they love. The list provided by @therealseebs represents all of the choices WinPC owners get when going that route. I don't really get why some people are trying to sell WinPC's here. People who come here generally know you get 4 choices with Mac laptops and no more. Compared to the 100's of choices with PC's, it makes sense that your needs may not fit in one of the 4 choices. I don't see why people need to convince others that they need to choose one of those 100's of options instead? We all have different needs and if MacOS, build quality, hardware/software integration, faster than specs speed, details, etc. matter to some people, this is why we choose them.

I've said it before, I just don't get the point of this bickering about the MBP16 being a good machine or not. It fits needs perfectly for some, not at all for others, somewhere in between for most. Apple is evolving, and some may not like it. It just is and everyone can move on if Apple moves outside of one's needs. You can joke about it being a douchey, non-pro, Kardashian like computer, but it just meets the needs of many. I believe market share is under 10%, but the premium PC market share is over 90%. This is their niche. New MBP is the best selling PC over the last 2 years in only one month. Call it overpriced, fanboy, herd mentality, but numbers don't lie. You need more than fanboys to get these numbers. Apple is dominating this niche. I for one am willing to keep paying my Apple tax so that this company keeps making and improving these computers. Win fanboys owe a lot to Apple, even if they don't buy from them. Apple keeps pushing the industry forward, and Windows PC's benefit. Why bicker over this? Apple owners don't give a s**t if people buy PC's. Most own or use PC's regularly anyway. They all have their purpose.

 

[therealseebs]

Lying? I haven't noticed any of that (though I wouldn't ).

When people say "I am unhappy with this machine for reason X", and you say "when people say they're unhappy, it's for reason Y", you are accusing them of lying.

It's just that when you buy these and keep them, your sort of.....done with this type of discussion.

Not really. I'm still griping about the flaws of the earlier models, even though I'm putting up with them and still have them.

 

[Pardus]

Pretty interesting stats in the poll so far. Glad to see a substantial owner percentage with a positive response.

 

[Trusteft]

Other than currently I don't need a new computer and I don't have money I can use to get something as expensive right now, the main reason I wouldn't buy one (unless I was rich or something), is the lack of option to replace the ssd. Not being able to remove it to send the rest for repairs or perhaps even sell, is just not acceptable. It would contain anything from passwords to financial details to work related files that customers trust me with. I can't remove the drive = no sale.

 

[Kafou33]

13" TB 16/512GB

What a great machine it is. I love the build quality, the screen, the trackpad, the keyboard, the touchbar, the Touch ID. The sound is ok but is not a match for good speakers. My 2009 macbook look so old compare to this awesome machine. It's a pure beauty and the performance are really good for what I was looking for. Maybe for someone with a macbook pro retina of 1 or 2 years it's not a big upgrade but for me, it's a big one and I'm in love with this MacBook Pro.

Oups, I forgot to talk about the USB-C ports. If I didn't think about it you understand that it is not an issue for me

 

[mckrogh]

I love my 15" machine!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I really want one but my late 2013 is still all the computer I need and more.