Actual MBP 2016 users, please tell me the truth!

[Voley]

I absolutely love mine. Keyboard is great after few days getting used to, it looks amazing and is otherwise excellent.
Don't listen to retrogrades, if apple shipped same 2015 model with additional port and better processor, they would all cry "Apple doesn't innovate".

 

[Lucifer666]

Your asking people who apparently have said it's a complete disaster, if it's a complete disaster?

And expect them to all of a sudden 'tell the truth'? (assuming they're lying for some strange reason)

Good luck

 

[Qwaf]

I like mine, it's overpriced, but I get pretty good battery life, it performs well, is light and a good size for a 15" laptop, trackpad is excellent, the keyboard surprised me with how much I actually like it (thanks to the clicky feedback and stability of the keys). I use my laptops often in a 'desktop' like mode (e.g. docked into monitors and keyboards), so was waiting for better I/O (thunderbolt 3 and USB-C was a major reason for me to wait for this model), the better GPUs are good too.

It's a shame there had to be battery capacity reduction (smaller size + older style battery design rather than new layered one found in the Macbook). I still don't really care about the touchbar either way, I'm pretty neutral on it, might be interesting in the future - not really now. TouchID is great.

If you're not bothered by GPU performance or Thunderbolt3/USB-C, the 2015 15" would be great, but otherwise it's a good laptop.

 

[bevsb2]

I love my 15" base model and would recommend it to anyone. I'm not a pro user, more of a "recreational" one and updated from a 2012 rMBP. The new computer is fast, has a beautiful screen and mine has good battery life. I love the touch bar, large track pad and the new keyboard. Mine had no cosmetic damage out of the box and has worked perfectly so I'm very happy with it. I don't have a problem with the lack of ports or loss of Magsafe. I occasionally use a USB dongle when needed.

 

[Ma2k5]

Perhaps it came across as me defending Apples design choices - far from it, I don't like most of the decisions.

My point was that, the issues aren't like software or hardware glitches which might get fixed later. Implementation of touch bar, port selection, butterfly keyboard, non removable ssd etc are not things which will suddenly get changed in a future iteration. That's why I don't think people who are shunning this years model should stick to a 2015 one, as eventually they'll have to move across to the new ways and investing in an ecosystem you don't agree with its vision doesn't make sense to me.

 

[cerberusss]

It's easily the best laptop I've ever owned. I know and read the reviews, and I've seen lots of people complain here, but my personal experience is just great.

I'm coming from a 2013 MacBook Air, so in lots of ways I really upgraded. The screen is beautiful, and the SSD is lightning fast. The keyboard is okay, not great but not bad either. The touchbar is nice, not earth-shattering. The sound is really good, the chassis is very, very stylish.

Like I said, the best laptop I've ever owned so far.

 

[Howard2k]

Perhaps it came across as me defending Apples design choices - far from it, I don't like most of the decisions.

My point was that, the issues aren't like software or hardware glitches which might get fixed later. Implementation of touch bar, port selection, butterfly keyboard, non removable ssd etc are not things which will suddenly get changed in a future iteration. That's why I don't think people who are shunning this years model should stick to a 2015 one, as eventually they'll have to move across to the new ways and investing in an ecosystem you don't agree with its vision doesn't make sense to me.

Nothing wrong with defending Apple's choices (USB-C, TB, KB etc). Technology marches on. Even the side effect of the USB3/Wifi issue is defendable IMO.

But the Time Machine issue, graphics issues, battery issues etc., are not Apple design choices.

 

[Ma2k5]

Nothing wrong with defending Apple's choices (USB-C, TB, KB etc). Technology marches on. Even the side effect of the USB3/Wifi issue is defendable IMO.

But the Time Machine issue, graphics issues, battery issues etc., are not Apple design choices.

Aren't those issues pretty much resolved?

Inherent flaws for me were more in line with dodgy heat sink contact/design (Alienware), half speed tb3 (XPS), coil whine (various), using crappy speakers or RGBW displays etc - things that require a somewhat redesign to solve.

The battery one however could be argued as an inherent flaw though as they didn't need to chop battery capacity that much an for perhaps overestimated how well the battery deficit would be based on display energy savings.

 

[raqball]

I had the TB base and now have the nTB.. Overall it's a fine computer and I am happy with the purchase. Is it perfect? Nope but it's okay depending...

The TB is a complete gimmick in my opinion. It's awkward to use and mine glitched out quite a bit which is why it was returned.. I was also only getting about 6 hours of battery life from it.

The nTB is much better battery life wise and I now get 10+ hours from it. The bummer of the nTB is it only has the 2 ports instead of the 4 that come on the TB...

What I like about the new MacBooks:

-Screen
-Sound
-Keyboard
-Large trackpad
-Build
-Size and weight
-Super fast SSD

What I don't like about the new MacBooks:

-Price (TB version)
-TB glitchy
-TB Battery life
-Removal of all the ports from the previous years
-Dongle life (I am fine with it but many won't be)

Can care less:

-Removal of the glowing Apple logo
-Removal of MagSafe (I loved it but have an adapter on order so all good)

To compare the nTB to the 2015:

2015 with 256 SSD = $1499
2016 with 256 SSD = $1499

The 2016 has much faster SSD, a slightly faster CPU and GPU and the screen and sound are better. The killer with the 2016 is the removal of all the ports, the price for anything but the nTB base, battery life on the TB versions, and screen and TB issues..

 

[skids929]

I love mine, I think it's an awesome update. If I hand't tried it for myself I'd probably have been scared off by all the naysayers, but for my use they're dead wrong. I love everything about it with the exception of the battery. It's good but I get between 8-9 hours, never 10 and I am mainly light usage all the time.

Just make the decision for yourself and go buy one and try it, if you don't like it return it.

 

[hululu]

I love mine, I think it's an awesome update. If I hand't tried it for myself I'd probably have been scared off by all the naysayers, but for my use they're dead wrong. I love everything about it with the exception of the battery. It's good but I get between 8-9 hours, never 10 and I am mainly light usage all the time.

Just make the decision for yourself and go buy one and try it, if you don't like it return it.

thats pretty good, im getting like 5-7 hours on light use...

 

[ag29]

I have a 13 inch mbp with touchbar It's a good laptop, TB is only useful in certain apps, battery life could be better, the graphics card keeps freaking out every time I unlock the Mac so I plan on returning or exchanging it.

Biggest downside is the price imo, for the price you're paying you'd expect a pretty much perfect laptop.

 

[skids929]

thats pretty good, im getting like 5-7 hours on light use...

I have keyboard backlight off, autbrightness off, Killed Siri, screen at 50% and the secret sauce is to use Safari only and put Ghostery on it. Works well. Otherwise the battery could be a little better, and I really don't think Apple will fix it, or could do it with software anyway.
[doublepost=1482532871][/doublepost]

I have a 13 inch mbp with touchbar It's a good laptop, TB is only useful in certain apps, battery life could be better, the graphics card keeps freaking out every time I unlock the Mac so I plan on returning or exchanging it.

Biggest downside is the price imo, for the price you're paying you'd expect a pretty much perfect laptop.

I tend to agree with this. It's not a bad laptop, it's just overpriced IMO. The hardware is light years better than any other laptop on the market though in terms of quality.

 

[Timmy D]

use the forums for solutions not opinions...

I have had the 13" non-touch MacBook Pro up to this 15" MacBook Pro w/TB 2.7 GHz 455 dGPU. I returned the the nonTB to get the 13" w/TB maxed out. That machine was great but a little too small for my old man eyes. I had a base 15" 2.6 GHz in Space Gray that had a software issue affecting the touchpad, Apple just wanted to replace, so I went ahead and moved up to the 2.7 GHz model in Silver.

All of them have been GREAT! As far as price, I am coming from a mid level 2015 rMBP that was a lesser machine and I spent $100 less for that MacBook Pro than this one.

 

[chriscrowlee]

The impression I get browsing these (and other) forums is that the 2016 MBP is a complete disaster and I would be better to burn my money in the garden and use the ashes to write on my walls.

What's the truth? What are your real experiences with this thing? Particularly interested in base model 15-inch.

Two issues. The media is a bunch of yellow journalists... taking a minor issue or an issue that affects very few people and making the product out to be a complete disaster for all.

I have the "ultimate" 13" config offered in flagship stores, and I absolutely love it. It's the best mac I've ever owned.

Not saying it's everyone, but psychologically people tend to defend what they're comfortable with, and trash what they're not. So many people who can't justify getting the new mac (maybe because they're short the money for it or they regret buying the 2016 version), they make themselves better by putting down what is clearly superior technology.

Will next year's model be better? Yep. And will the year after next year's be even more better? Of course. Apple doesn't go back, they only go forward, there will always be something better. To me, dropping $2799 on a really cool laptop with great new features wasn't even a big deal, but I can see how to some who are tighter with money that it would be an issue. Bottom line if you can and want to buy a new laptop and have the means, why not?

 

[dyn]

They just need to stop releasing a new OS every year - it presents a problem because rebuilding an OS so frequently means new bugs become more frequent too. Apple should stick to one OS for a few years and keep refining it. It's easy to add the new features to a mature OS.

Not only is that completely false, it's actually the exact opposite. Like many they've adapted the new agile development which means that you can respond faster to the customer but also respond faster to issues. In reality it means you get features, bugfixes (such as security fixes) quicker than previously. The reason is quite simple: the old development model would require them to have this sit in the code until everything is done. In the end the ended up with an enormous amount of code which makes testing a very complex thing which in turn means more bugs in the code.

The downside of the agile method is small features coming out with every new release. There isn't a huge list of new things so upgrades are less exciting.

I think there is more to gain when they completely let go of yearly releases and release new stuff and fixes quicker. Microsoft is attempting this new way of doing things in Windows 10. Of course we already have this in quite a few applications already such as Chrome, Firefox and there are quite some rolling release Linux distributions out there (those are a bit too frequent; I think having a release every 3 or 6 months is just fine).

 

[Salaryman Ryan]

My no touch bar Macbook Pro have been working flawlessly and getting me 10 hours of battery life when working with my Safari, Keynote, and Pixelmator workflow. This is basically the more powerful and retina Macbook Air that I always wanted. Could it be better? Sure, I could use ports on the other side of the notebook but so far so good

 

[kp98077]

I love my 15" SG, had the 13" TB at first but felt a little too small for me. The 15" is great, love the thinner profile. Hardly can tell it's a 15" compared to older models. The keyboard is awesome too, seems like there is a 'break in' period. I know a lot have complained the space gray is hard to keep clean -lol, but that has NOT been my experience at ALL, wondering whats wrong.. lol. sure you can see a LITTLE bit more smudges than the silver but NOT significantly so. The machine itself is just super fast, blows me away. I am coming from a 2015 13" base model however. And the best, the screen - just in love with the resolution and size! The price tag yes took a little getting used to, hardly ever used the touch bar - looks great though

 

[Jefe's MacAir]

I've bought two. Returned a 256 GB for a 512 GB. No issues with either one. Battery life is as advertised on both and Geekbench tests were outstanding.

Go to a Apple Store or buy one online from Apple and if you don't like it, return it. Right now you have until January 14th to return due to the Holiday and gift buying. Normally, you have two weeks. Both are ample time to try it out. And the return of the original 256 GB was easy. My only issue was waiting for salesperson to do the return. The Apple Store I frequent is always pretty busy. My CC was credited in about two to three days after return. Which is completely normal for any CC return.

 

[Westbrook0]

It's the first Mac I've owned and I'm thoroughly impressed with it. The screen is gorgeous, and I can't stop staring at it. The keyboard was weird at first, but I can type as fast as I used to with my old Lenovo. The device feels incredibly well made, and I am scared to death when I use it in the fear of scratching or dropping it. However, the battery is still iffy for me, giving between 6:30 to 7:30 hours. I hope it can improve in the near future with os updates. But all in all, I love the device. MacOS is great too, and a great relief for me coming from Windows 10.

 

[therealseebs]

Perhaps it came across as me defending Apples design choices - far from it, I don't like most of the decisions.

My point was that, the issues aren't like software or hardware glitches which might get fixed later. Implementation of touch bar, port selection, butterfly keyboard, non removable ssd etc are not things which will suddenly get changed in a future iteration. That's why I don't think people who are shunning this years model should stick to a 2015 one, as eventually they'll have to move across to the new ways and investing in an ecosystem you don't agree with its vision doesn't make sense to me.

I may keep some Mac stuff around for a fairly long time, although less than I would have expected. And transitioning quickly can be expensive and messy. A year or so of transition time would be a lot easier, usually. Heck, if I could have bought a 2015 with dGPU, I would have done that... But they stopped selling new ones, even though they still have the old models without dGPU, and the refurb bin never had any, so I moved things up. Now I have a mini to run my remaining MacOS stuff on until I find acceptable replacements. (Honestly, the only really big one, for me, appears to be art software; I am really unhappy with the state of basically all of the Linux ones. I just want Acorn.)

 

[Teach4]

I really like my new 15" MBP with touch bar. I haven't had the problems others have posted, and do not regret my purchase. I love everything about it.

 

[justabirdy]

Absolutely love this machine (Specs in signature)! Just shy of a Months usage and I haven't had a single issue yet. Performance and battery life - Averaging 9 Hours - have been awesome; no system/UI lag. Display is beautiful and I quite like the keyboard (only complaint being the layout of the arrow keys). Apple's Digital AV Adapter has been the only dongle I've needed. Personally, quite happy I held out for the 2016 refresh.

For context, my average usage consists of Chrome (15-20 Tabs), Chrome Remote Desktop, Spotify, Messages, Notes, Mail, Tweetbot, Terminal and some light usage of Linux/Windows 10 x64 in a VM.

 

[TigerWoodsIV]

I haven't had mine for very long, but it is far from a complete disaster. Unless you use tons of different ports, the dongle thing is totally absurd. I bought 2 little USB A to C adapters for $10 total and a micro USB to USB C cable to replace a micro to A cable on one device for like $5 from Anker. Everything works great. The screen is so nice. I didn't have retina before, so that's part of it, but the wide color is the real deal.

I'm waiting to have all these problems I'm seeing, but knock on wood so far the only glitch I've had is some odd behavior while streaming video with f.lux enabled. Without it, the video was fine. Probably a software issue on someone's end. Other than that, I leave f.lux on. Great app once it's dark out.

Everything has been snappy, the touch bar isn't revolutionary but I think it will be helpful in some circumstances. The Touch ID Is definitely nice. I plug into a DAC and then bookshelf speakers, but when on the go, the speakers are really good for a laptop. I personally enjoy the keyboard and the large trackpad since the palm rejection has been good so far. It looks absolutely phenomenal. In space gray, it makes the 2015 look antiquated honestly. Even though I dropped a ton on this thing, if it lasts me almost as long as my early 2008 did, it'll all be worth it. Still kind of sad to give up my old one for sentimental reasons haha.

 

[zokstar]

My 15" 2.7 stock is just great! I have had no problems at all.

same! love mine! I went from a early 2015 13" to a 2016 15". No complaints