Apple Stops Selling 2015 MacBook Pro, Lineup Now Limited to Thunderbolt 3 Models [Updated]

[daveak]

I think this will depend on the peripherals. When they removed the CD/DVD drive, it was at the cusp of moving software installs to using thumb drives or online.

With USB-C though, I can't help but feel they missed the mark on this. What is annoying about this is you will either have to replicate your cables or carry USB-A to USB-C converters. Peripherals haven't really fully embraced USB-C for the most part. The companies making the biggest gain are those that provide a USB-C dock that provides USB-A ports. It's kind of funny.

Lastly, the iPhone cannot be connected to a 2016+ MBP out of the box without a dongle... the synergy here is fantastic.

Carry a couple of USB-C to USB-A cables. You still have 2 USB-C ports available, with the 2015 you only had 2 USB ports, hell 4 USB-C to USB-A and you now have twice the number of USB-A ports you had on the 2015. HDMI/Display port/VGA/DVI, just plug the right cable in and you have whichever you want, no dongle, just the cable. The 2015 you would generally be stuck with the HDMI port and the mini display just sitting idle. You couldn't plug into a display port monitor on the 2015, you can't plug into a USB-C monitor with it, nor DVI or VGA, so you need special cables or an adapter. i.e. no different to the 2016. The cables cost around the same as a couple of coffees so not a big deal.

People keep repeating no good for pros. Look in the laptop bag of an IT pro, even those who use windows laptops, you will find a huge range of cables/adapters anyway, likewise for anyone who presents at conferences.

Yes you can connect an iPhone without a dongle, you just use a USB-C to lightning cable which Apple have sold since the 2016 was released. Mine is rarely used as I have plenty of A ports available at my desk (single cable gets those + monitor + network + drives + bluray). Most of the time I do not need to connect the phone directly via cable. I suspect most others are in the same situation. (Comes in handy for fast charging from the laptop power brick.)

 

[kuwxman]

Right, so don't use dongles. Just get new cables. There, I solved your problem for you.

New cables don't fix the fact there are next to no ports on these new MacBook Pros. If you don't opt for the TouchBar 13" or 15" model, you get TWO ports...and one of those is also your charging port.

So even if you DO opt for the $1799+ models, you essentially have three useful ports. What if I use my MBP as my desktop computer hooked up to an external monitor (clamshell mode)? Welp, down to two ports. Say I'm also a photographer who needs to move photos from my camera's SD card to my computer. Well, what am I going to do now? Dongle time...and one port left. Use if carefully!

Now, let's talk about my 2015 13" MBP that I purchased for $1200. MagSafe 2. Two USB 3.0 ports. As much as Apple wants to make you believe, USB-C is still NOT the way. USB-A is. Flash drives, USB to Lightning, etc, etc, etc. Two Thunderbolt ports. SD card slot. HDMI slot. I'm sorry, but this is the superior machine.

 

[ipponrg]

Carry a couple of USB-C to USB-A cables. You still have 2 USB-C ports available, with the 2015 you only had 2 USB ports, hell 4 USB-C to USB-A and you now have twice the number of USB-A ports you had on the 2015. HDMI/Display port/VGA/DVI, just plug the right cable in and you have whichever you want, no dongle, just the cable. The 2015 you would generally be stuck with the HDMI port and the mini display just sitting idle. You couldn't plug into a display port monitor on the 2015, you can't plug into a USB-C monitor with it, nor DVI or VGA, so you need special cables or an adapter. i.e. no different to the 2016. The cables cost around the same as a couple of coffees so not a big deal.

People keep repeating no good for pros. Look in the laptop bag of an IT pro, even those who use windows laptops, you will find a huge range of cables/adapters anyway, likewise for anyone who presents at conferences.

I'm not in IT, but a software engineer.

Where I work at, we have conference rooms with HDMI to the screen projectors and TVs. No need to even lug around a cable.

Also, I usually walk around with my laptop to troubleshoot issues on different devices and servers. I don't carry my bag with me because it's unnecessary. With the 2015 MBP, I just bring my laptop and maybe a USB-A thumbstick and be done. If I carried my 2016, I'd have to remember to carry the USB-C to A adapter which I forget most of the time.

My issue is not the cost but the convenience. Work is more than willing to cover these trivial expenses. I usually walk around with my laptop with the lid open, and I don't want to worry about having cables/adapters with me at all times.

Yes you can connect an iPhone without a dongle, you just use a USB-C to lightning cable which Apple have sold since the 2016 was released. Mine is rarely used as I have plenty of A ports available at my desk (single cable gets those + monitor + network + drives + bluray). Most of the time I do not need to connect the phone directly via cable. I suspect most others are in the same situation. (Comes in handy for fast charging from the laptop power brick.)

I should've rephrased "dongle" to "dongle/adapter". The USB-C to lightning is effectively an adapter. The use case where this comes in is when I travel with my laptop but forget to bring my iPhone A/C charger, I can at the very least plug it into my laptop. But wait, I just remembered I'm on my 2016 MBP, and I forgot to bring my USB-C to USB-A adapter. This has happened to me so many times at the airport, but thankfully I usually bring my Anker USB-A charger and just plug my iPhone into that.

Still, the fact that I have to purchase an additional USB-C to lightning cable to create synergy in an Apple ecosystem of "it just works" is pretty funny.

 

[Dodgeman]

Are they still selling new 2017 models?

 

[buckwheet]

I wouldn't hold my breath. Geez... good thing Apple is here to save you guys from yourselves!

If it was up to you people we'd still be using floppies, 56k modems and CRTs.
[doublepost=1531404537][/doublepost]

Gee.. What a grandiose, unverifiable claim...

Um... huh... ? Save me from myself... what a presumptuous as f*** statement that is... Upgrading the previous 15" with all new internals and TB3 would have been a brilliant move—at least for professional users who have to live/work in an environment where not every piece of hardware is new (simple example, from my gig today; passing files back/forth with the video artist on a USB(A) flash drive). Sure, I have an adapter, but it would be better if I didn't need one. With the previous 15" I wouldn't. And the old 15" upgraded could have had a lower price point, making the focus on the internals. It's not about retro technologies, at all. USB-A is a CURRENT technology. The move to 100% TB3/USB-C is premature, plain and simple.

 

[typecase]

How so? The ports? You gotta let go of the past sometimes man... USB, HDMI, etc.... all in the past.

All of these are still heavily used by users around the world and interfacing with other technologies like TV. I hope you're being sarcastic.

 

[MrGuder]

Will these 2015 models even work with High Sierra or the new Majovie?

 

[mac_in_tosh]

"Discount prices on select new, unopened products from Apple"...I checked out that link on Apple for the last of the 2105's on sale and the lowest priced one is $1,999 - for a 3 year old machine !!

 

[Anarchy99]

sad, they got rid of the last usable MBP
[doublepost=1531444879][/doublepost]

Will these 2015 models even work with High Sierra or the new Majovie?

yes, currently dualbooting Mojave beta and high sierra they work fine on my rMBP 2015, my nvidia e-GPU hates mojave but that will be fixed soon.
if thats not enough they already announced the requirements for Mojave as

• MacBook Pro (mid 2012 and newer)

 

[kuwxman]

Will these 2015 models even work with High Sierra or the new Majovie?

Are you being serious? The ‘15s aren’t even close to being useless. Mine is currently running the Mojave beta like a champ.

 

[FelixDerKater]

PowerBook G5 is still the best MacBook there never was.

 

[Anarchy99]

PowerBook G5 is still the best MacBook there never was.

true, mainly because PowerBook sounds better than Macbook

 

[Tech198]

*waves bye-bye to his 2015 model* You will be missed

 

[logicstudiouser]

The 2015 models will likely continue to appear on the Apple Refurbished Store for at least the next year. I still see even the discontinued 2015 AMD models appear from time to time.

 

[H2SO4]

Is there a way to tell what version of TB you have from System Profiler? Mine shows the below;

Thunderbolt Bus:
Vendor Name: Apple Inc.

Device Name: MacBook Pro
UID: XXXXXX
Route String: 0
Firmware Version: 27.1
Domain UUID: XXXXXX
Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x101
Speed: Up to 20 Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x1
Receptacle: 1
Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.15.0

 

[Feenician]

Sure, I have an adapter, but it would be better if I didn't need one.

How would it be better?

 

[redheeler]

Is there a way to tell what version of TB you have from System Profiler? Mine shows the below;

Thunderbolt Bus:
Vendor Name: Apple Inc.

Device Name: MacBook Pro
UID: XXXXXX
Route String: 0
Firmware Version: 27.1
Domain UUID: XXXXXX
Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x101
Speed: Up to 20 Gb/s x1
Current Link Width: 0x1
Receptacle: 1
Link Controller Firmware Version: 0.15.0

20 Gb/s is Thunderbolt 2, found on the Late 2013 - Mid 2015 models. Earlier models have Thunderbolt 1, while the 2016+ models have Thunderbolt 3 through a USB Type-C port (an adapter is needed to use Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices).

 

[dwaite]

If they could just keep this model with updated internals.

The updated internals include an Apple-designed T2 controller that manages the SSD, encryption, and biometric authentication - and which is integrated into the TouchBar. They also include Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C controllers, which among other things control the charging of the laptop.

I think you asking why they didn't design a new, separate model to launch in parallel with the TouchBar Mac?

(I'm pretty sure their answer would be "Courage" - same answer as with dropping all the non-USB peripheral ports, floppy drives, VGA ports, disk media, the 30-pin connector and headphone jacks on cellphones. They're willing to take a gamble and temporarily upset people rather than make a weak attempt at trailblazing into their vision of the future)
[doublepost=1531465972][/doublepost]

No IT manager worth their salt would even take the risk of having the disruption happen. Time is money, if you buy 100 machines and even a couple of them are out for a week-long repair per year that’s a headache you could do without.

If you have 100+ laptops in a competent organization you have extra machines (for both repairs and new hires), pre-imaged and ready to go, and you have backups of employee (company) data.

Keyboard failure might be a noticeable blip in the laundry list of reasons people will need a loaner or replacement system, but probably not as memorable as say the person who backed over their laptop with the rental car...
[doublepost=1531466792][/doublepost]

New cables don't fix the fact there are next to no ports on these new MacBook Pros. If you don't opt for the TouchBar 13" or 15" model, you get TWO ports...and one of those is also your charging port.

Just for those who don't realize this, the non-TouchBar pros are all on the chopping block. The 13" survives... for now. It didn't get an update today though, because the architecture is dead in Apple's eyes.

So even if you DO opt for the $1799+ models, you essentially have three useful ports. What if I use my MBP as my desktop computer hooked up to an external monitor (clamshell mode)? Welp, down to two ports.

Say I'm also a photographer who needs to move photos from my camera's SD card to my computer. Well, what am I going to do now? Dongle time...and one port left. Use if carefully!

So what you are saying is you have one more port than you need. Better not let Apple hear you say that

Now, let's talk about my 2015 13" MBP that I purchased for $1200. MagSafe 2. Two USB 3.0 ports. As much as Apple wants to make you believe, USB-C is still NOT the way. USB-A is. Flash drives, USB to Lightning, etc, etc, etc. Two Thunderbolt ports. SD card slot. HDMI slot. I'm sorry, but this is the superior machine.

So after you plugged in your MagSafe and external monitor, you had.. two USB ports left. Is the complaint just that you have to use an external SD card reader now with the Touch Bar Macbook Pros?

Or is it that you have no ports left with the 13" non-touchbar models? Well good news, because it is a race to see if Apple kills off those or the MacBook Air first.
[doublepost=1531467076][/doublepost]

Is there a way to tell what version of TB you have from System Profiler? Mine shows the below;

This is Thunderbolt 2

If you have USB-C ports and the system supports thunderbolt, you have Thunderbolt 3. Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C connector (vs the mini-DisplayPort connector on Apple computers for Thunderbolt 2).

The advantages of Thunderbolt 3 are that it has twice the bandwidth and can support supplying up to 100W to a device. So a TB3 monitor can both charge your laptop and supply screen, sound, and peripheral connectivity (although at this point TB3 monitors are costly because of poor PC support and the focus on achieving profit margins in the gamer demographic)

 

[Wanted797]

If I recall correctly everyone complained back then about no Ethernet port...

Look at us now.

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Because its a better laptop for many people.

Wearing nostalgia glasses
[doublepost=1531469147][/doublepost]

No, they’re still very much in the now - and USB C is still very much ‘the future’

https://satechi.net/collections/usb-type-c/products/type-c-multi-port-adapter-with-ethernet-v2

There. Done. Stop complaining. The horse is dead.

 

[Abazigal]

I think not giving people an abundant-port and old keyboard model will just push people into pc market instead of forcibly pushing them into new design mbp. It’s not like 2018 has fixed these concerns

This will be the final straw for people who purposefully didnt opt for the new gens. Those that it wasn’t a dealbreaker, already have a newer one and probably don’t feel like forking over again so soon

Could be wrong but .. I think this will backfire big time for alienating the professional market That has a different set of needs

Then maybe that’s just a market Apple has to give up here and now.

Jettison the users who want what you can no longer provide, thus freeing you up to focus on the consumers who do want what you can offer.

Short term pain for long term gain.

 

[dilbert99]

The best MacBook Pro they ever made.

The best cashcow they ever made

 

[buckwheet]

How would it be better?

Well, over the past few days, in production on a new theatre project, I've often had multiple devices attached, and on at least one occasion my last available adapter was already in use. So I had to disconnect something, which wasn't as straightforward as it sounds, since one was an external drive and the other was an audio interface, disconnecting either of which would have raised complaints from Logic Pro. Also, although I have two adapters with slim enough plugs to fit side-by-side, the other two I have are of USB-A thickness and won't fit side-by-side. That isn't Apple's fault, exactly, but it causes inconvenience on a regular basis, which is really the whole point. I'm saying this as an owner of the 2016 MBP, not just some hypothetically bitchy Apple-basher.

But more importantly, it would be "better" because it would mean that my $4k computer was compliant in the context in which I'm regularly working. I will point out that I never really complained about USB-C only before, but after owning this computer for the past 18 months I'm now recognizing that it's an inconvenience. Besides that, the point was about releasing a version of the 2015 chassis being a good idea... And it is a good idea. Simple as that. USB-A is only one reason: upgradable RAM and SSD are two other hugely significant reasons.

 

[Feenician]

Well, over the past few days, in production on a new theatre project, I've often had multiple devices attached, and on at least one occasion my last available adapter was already in use. So I had to disconnect something, which wasn't as straightforward as it sounds, since one was an external drive and the other was an audio interface, disconnecting either of which would have raised complaints from Logic Pro. Also, although I have two adapters with slim enough plugs to fit side-by-side, the other two I have are of USB-A thickness and won't fit side-by-side. That isn't Apple's fault, exactly, but it causes inconvenience on a regular basis, which is really the whole point. I'm saying this as an owner of the 2016 MBP, not just some hypothetically bitchy Apple-basher.

But more importantly, it would be "better" because it would mean that my $4k computer was compliant in the context in which I'm regularly working. I will point out that I never really complained about USB-C only before, but after owning this computer for the past 18 months I'm now recognizing that it's an inconvenience. Besides that, the point was about releasing a version of the 2015 chassis being a good idea... And it is a good idea. Simple as that. USB-A is only one reason: upgradable RAM and SSD are two other hugely significant reasons.

Thank you. I was worried you were going to take offence but you gave a really cogent answer.

It does sound a bit painful. I’m speaking as someone with a 2015 who likes the theory of USB C but hasn’t experienced the reality so I should be, and am, taking what you say seriously. As far as internal upgrades, I don’t think they’re ever coming back. This isn’t purely an Apple sickness (not that that helps in any way), you can’t upgrade the RAM in a Surface Pro for example and though you can technically upgrade the SSD it’s apparently a mess of glued together pieces back there. In the end, if user upgradeable parts are important enough to us, we have to shop elsewhere

Back on the topic of USB, unless the keyboard turns out to be worse than the 2017s I’m pretty much set on getting a 2018 when the first refurbs with 32Gb hit the store. Yesterday I reviewed what I’ll need to use my existing hardware at home and the office.

- Two Samsung T3 drives. These are formatted APFS and HFS, both encrypted and both will only ever connect to my machine. I’ll replace the cables on these and throw the one of the existing ones in my bag, just in case I do need to attach to another Mac with no USB C. I never have before but you never know. A few dollars and a few extra grams to carry so not a worry.
- A SanDisk USB SSD stick. This is my “talk to other people” stick so it’s formatted exFAT. It’s a little beast and was quite expensive so, adapter it is. $10 for this reasonably sized Anker one https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Adapter-Transfer-Compatible-MacBook/dp/B078NKPGW9
- At work I have a cheapo little USB A hub thing that has 4 USB ports, HDMI, VGA and Ethernet. I use it mainly for the USB hub and Ethernet but it would also solve the lack of HDMI for my work monitor. Either another adapter for this, or a new cheapo hub.
- At home, another USB hub. Just a plain USB hub but the USB cable is attached in. So, either another adapter or a new hub.

So, my everyday carry increases by one 3 inch cable and one $10 adapter. My permanently placed equipment requires another two $10 adapters. For my situation it isn’t too bad at all but I do recognize it’s a bit rougher for some. It can certainly be rough being on the pioneer end of a technology, especially when you never asked for it in the first place.

 

[Anarchy99]

If I recall correctly everyone complained back then about no Ethernet port...

Look at us now.

The hope iwas if we complained enough they would reverse the removing of the ports and stuff professionals need not accelerate it.
It didn’t help that I half of the community were apologists.

That’s why the community should be banding together to bash on the Touch Bar so hopefully in 2020 people can get useable machines again.