Apple Continues to Sell Base Model 2015 MacBook Pros at Same Price Points

[PortCity]

Not really surprised by this arrogant move. This comes from the same CEO who just said that through Apple Pay 'we are going to end cash'. What an arrogant statement to make. Not to mention the jet black iPhone 7 plus which Apple says on its website 'may get micro abrasions so we recommend a case' (i.e. we know the coating wears off, but we don't care so we will just slap an fyi on the website and sell it anyway). Bottom line is that under Cook's leadership Apple has slowly but surely become more concerned about high profit margins then satisfying customers. There is nothing wrong with making high profits, but it shouldn't come at the expense of the customer.

 

[navaira]

'may get micro abrasions so we recommend a case'

I love this so much. "We created this revolutionary special magical casing for the iPhone. Please cover it with a case so you can't see it."

It's also interesting how "courage" immediately became a meme. But, this time, not a positive one. Similarly to "dongle". It does feel like a conspiracy theory, but with the release of those new MBPs at crazy prices, non-discounted 2015 model, no updates to all the rest of line-up I can really believe they want to phase out Macs by ensuring they sell as few as possible.

 

[vvs14]

Your keen insights and detailed argument have clearly illustrated the strength of your position. There is much I can learn from your dismissive cynicism.

You have no idea how marketplace works... But again, you are free to display your lack of understanding on a public forum.. Have fun.

 

[Analog Kid]

So you think it is perfectly fine to spend so much money on the laptop and then spend more to buy adapters to get basic functionality? Plus the inconvenience of carrying the adapter wherever you go... And you think other people don't get it? What a joke..

I am happy people are finally seeing through this adapter ********... Also, people saying this is cheaper than alternatives are missing the whole point...

Thats just what it costs? What a load of crap... How does he explain Macbook Pro without the touch bar costing $200 more? Greed is getting better of Apple here...

He is in for a big surprise when daddy stops giving him his lunch money..

You have no idea how marketplace works... But again, you are free to display your lack of understanding on a public forum.. Have fun.

There's a simple test to tell who knows things and who doesn't: people who know nothing tend to make baseless assertions and ad hominem attacks because if they included anything like information in their statements it would be immediately clear how little they truly know.

If you know something, show it. If you're just going to spout contrarian assertions, populist rhetoric and personal insults than you're nothing but noise.

 

[vvs14]

There's a simple test to tell who knows things and who doesn't: people who know nothing tend to make baseless assertions and ad hominem attacks because if they included anything like information in their statements it would be immediately clear how little they truly know.

If you know something, show it. If you're just going to spout contrarian assertions, populist rhetoric and personal insults than you're nothing

There's a simple test to tell who knows things and who doesn't: people who know nothing tend to make baseless assertions and ad hominem attacks because if they included anything like information in their statements it would be immediately clear how little they truly know.

If you know something, show it. If you're just going to spout contrarian assertions, populist rhetoric and personal insults than you're nothing but noise.

I admit... You are right about me and everything else...

 

[Analog Kid]

That's interesting. Is there new, better, faster bread released that I am not aware of? Have the bread ingredients been dropping in price in time? Is there R&D done on bread?

Also how come other manufacturers manage to lower prices on previous models and only Apple isn't capable of that? Are they too poor and have no money at all?

I only wanted to upgrade because I'm a nerd and like new and shiny things, but I can't afford/justify buying a computer that costs €1999 only because it has a touch bar. But the fact 2015 model costs the same as before makes me happy, it will be good for resale value when I decide to Hackintosh a XPS 15.

There has been an enormous amount of R&D in agriculture and industrial food production, just as there is in every business.

Newer and faster doesn't mean older and slower should be cheaper than it was, it means it should be cheaper than newer and faster is. Which still holds true. My guess, actually, is that the newer isn't faster for CPU workflows. That's why Apple is touting the faster graphics and not saying boo about the CPU.

Have Macbook Pro ingredients been dropping in price in time? No. The 2015 MBP processor is the i7-4770HQ. Find it on the 2014 price list, and then on the 2016 price list.

Prices on computers have traditionally fallen because manufacturers have raced to keep up with Moore's (Self-Fulfilling) Law and new parts offer more performance at a lower manufacturing cost than older parts-- not because older parts have gotten cheaper. Since Apple is using the same parts, you wouldn't expect the cost of the "ingredients" to change.

Usually the change in cost is because you can get more transistors in less space on a new process. As I mentioned in an earlier post, that's not necessarily true anymore.

Why can other manufacturers do it? If they do it's either by redesigning with less expensive components or reducing their margins.

I think people are upset on a visceral level here and just lashing out at the world. To the extent they try to support their feelings with any sort of logic I think they're falling into a "as it was, ever it shall be" kind of fallacy without understanding the root causes. The root cause is that the computer industry isn't scaling the way it used to.

 

[Rtyrell]

While new MacBook Pros with faster specs and a Touch Bar launched earlier today, Apple continues to sell base model 2015 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros on its website for the same entry-level prices of $1,299 and $1,999 respectively. Higher-end models with faster specs and more storage are no longer available for purchase.

2015 MacBook Pros should remain a popular option among customers who prefer having access to a broader range of ports, such as MagSafe, two USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card reader.

The new MacBook Pros have four Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack only. Thunderbolt 3 carries power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA video out over a single port. As with the 12-inch MacBook, customers will have to purchase standalone dongles to connect certain devices and accessories.

2015 MacBook Pros, of course, have traditional function keys rather than Apple's new Touch Bar that provides contextual controls based on the app you are working in or system task you are carrying out.

Article Link: Apple Continues to Sell Base Model 2015 MacBook Pros at Same Price Points

The MacBook Pro ("old" model) is a classic. A thing of beauty that is both elegant and highly useful. I am sure the new model is also high quality. I have the 2015 late year refresh MBPr 13" with i7 512 mb and 16 gb. I would have no qualms about paying full retail for the exact same machine today (new, of course). In my mind - still the gold standard.

I will wait until I get my moneys worth (and then some) before paying up for new model. for one reason, the current model suits me well and I (sadly) am not in the multi-millionare club. the other, even if I had the money, I am a bit hesitant to carry with me 4 usb 2 to usb-c converters. Will take some time for peripherals to catch up.

I *did* buy my wife a brand new MacBook (2016, non-pro) in gold. 512 gb and core m7. she absolutely loves it and peripherals are not an issue.

It's all good Apple makes great products. Eventually I will upgrade

 

[pcmacgamer]

So which is it? Too simple, or not simple enough?
It always used to be people complaining that Apple doesn't give enough choices and forces a one size fits all model on the market, now it seems the hipster cynic response is that Apple should simplify their product matrix...
Whatever. If it's hard to figure out that you can buy the latest release or the release before that, which is pretty much the model used across all of their product lines now, then maybe the walls aren't high enough around your garden...

Guess you can't understand that product line and features aren't the same thing .

 

[Analog Kid]

Guess you can't understand that product line and features aren't the same thing .

How would you like to see it structured?

 

[DevNull0]

You know...if they'd kept the 2015 model and updated it to Kaby lake at the same price point I would have bought it instead of leaving Apple.

Heck, if they kept the ancient Haswell chip and dropped it to $900 I'd have considered it.

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
A number of posts were removed due to bickering, please stay on topc

 

[Scrivener]

I bought it for the keyboard. I'm a writer and journalist and I type all day. The keyboard on the new MacBook 12 and the new MacBook Pros is like typing on a wooden plank. Try doing that all day, every day, hour after hour.

Why did Apple adopt the worst keyboard they ever made for these new MacBook Pros? They are supposed to be professional use computers. They are first choice among writers and journ'os. Not now though.

Article Link: Apple Continues to Sell Base Model 2015 MacBook Pros at Same Price Points[/QUOTE]
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Time to buy an iPad Pro once Apple makes sure it has real pro apps.

Apple didn't do enough to make me genuinely excited to update my 2012 15" rMBP.

Don't get me wrong, I want a new MacBook Pro but I use my iPhone for 99% of my computing needs so $2399 is less justifiable for the times I do need a pro app on a Mac.

I don't mean for this to be mean or sound like I'm bickering, however, I'm astonished just how full of hubris Apple have become since Greedy Tim took over. It's all about hypnotising themselves that new technology will make shirt-loads of money for the investors. They do not seem to listen any more to customers - their market. I wonder if they will be surprised when their market diminishes. I guess they will just resort to the usual PR spin and twist the truth we all can see.

 

[bopajuice]

Not initially. Initially I was responding to the idea that prices not falling was "insane". The price of bread hasn't fallen over the years, and nobody thinks that's insane. So I made the mistake of trying to have a conversation.

But people don't have conversations about things anymore; they form tribes, whine together in an echo chamber and confuse the volume of all that bellyaching for consensus. So yes, now I am, in part, responding to the way people answered me.

Your response is reasoned and thoughtful, and I totally get it. I might see it a bit differently, but there's room to discuss those differences. As I keep repeating, I like when prices fall too, but let's talk about why they're not falling and do it in a way that maybe we can learn something.

I think people over glamorize the Jobs years. I remember the constant anguish about the price of PowerPC machines compared to Intel and arguments about availability of software and cache sizes and RISC versus CISC and whether any of that meant anything in the end. I remember people waiting and waiting for later PowerPC architectures only to see them never materialize and watching Macs level off in performance for a few years as a result. I remember the power dynamic between Motorola and Jobs causing all kinds of havoc in the product pipeline. I remember Jobs triumphantly going to IBM to rub Motorola's nose in the G5, then promising 3GHz but never achieving it. I remember the Powerbooks stagnating on G4s for years. I remember the switch to Intel, and then promptly obsoleting the first generation machines.

And if you think there has been more hype than actual innovation since Jobs, you're forgetting that the man was famed for his "Reality Distortion Field".

Don't get me started on the 16GB iPhone. That was a manufactured problem from the beginning... If you wanted more storage you could buy more storage-- people not doing their homework and then blaming Apple is exactly the type of self entitled nonsense that pisses me off. My company has bought dozens of 16GB phones for development and they were just fine for that purpose. I handed down a 128GB iPad that I had full up, and the new user has less than 7GB of stuff on it.

I understand that people want prices to fall, but I'm not surprised that they aren't falling. Apple isn't going to chase the laptop market into the ground. They're going to decide what their profit margins need to be in order to stay in the market and set a floor knowing that their unit shipments will decline. They're going to do the same with iPads and iPhones.

These technology markets are largely saturated and processors haven't scaled so Intel hasn't been giving much reason to update. 10% a year? It's really not worth the effort to spin the circuit board. Apple is responding by slowing down their update cycles and maintaining their ASPs. I'm fine with that. So if my laptop breaks a year into a 2 year update cycle, I'm out 5%. Not the end of the world.

What matters to me is that the machine serves the purpose I need it to, and that it's reliable. If it doesn't, or it isn't, or if the prices get too far out of control then I'll find another solution. I like Apple, but I believe in the free market.

What I don't understand is, if these people "know there are better products out there", why are they insisting on buying the "inferior" Apple product and then bizarrely claiming that it's other people who are behaving irrationally?

Thanks for the great response. You made several valid points. What I took away from this was it seems to boil down to individual circumstances. Everyones needs vary. But I hear ya, I get tired of listening to the "glass is half empty" crowd as well.

 

[Pootmatoot]

Just bought one from John Lewis at the old price.

It was always a toss up between a new MBP if the spec and price were right, or getting a refurb, but I'm not paying £700 for a touch bar when I'll never use the 'old' spec to its full potential.

So a new, old model it is! (Free 3 yr warranty, too)

3rd parties have already bought their stock and/or right-to-buy, so are never impacted by Apple's whims/currency fluctuations.

I suspect 3rd parties are going to be 95% of Apple sales over Christmas...

 

[72Colton]

Strange thing is that if you upgrade the SSD to 256GB on the 2015 model so that you have the same specs as the 2016 Macbook Pro base model, the price is the same: $1499