Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I'm very pleased with this update. Although I really needed a new machine, I couldn't bring myself to buy one with a last-generation CPU. Given how Apple likes to drop support for products over time, I wanted to get the machine with the best shot at longevity.

Now comes the big decision: maxed-out non-TouchBar, or midrange-spec TouchBar? Is the i7 worth it on either tier?
 
while the new iMac has a full complement of ports, you can spent twice as much on a MacBook Pro and still need a utility belt full of dongles because Apple stubbornly refuses to admit that people still use thumb drives, sd cards, presentation pointers, hdmi cables, and so on.

Perhaps Apple forgot people like to use laptops because it is portable. Having to carry around dongles makes certain MacBooks less portable.

I'm glad to have purchased my MacBook Air last year that still has the magsafe power port, card reader slot, usb type a and thunderbolt. I don't need my laptop to be the fastest. But I need it to be easy to connect with, that means no dongles and adaptors. There are still plenty of USB-A devices and flash drives that people use. What are the executives at Apple thinking?
 
  • Like
Reactions: KPandian1
I'm very pleased with this update. Although I really needed a new machine, I couldn't bring myself to buy one with a last-generation CPU. Given how Apple likes to drop support for products over time, I wanted to get the machine with the best shot at longevity.

Now comes the big decision: maxed-out non-TouchBar, or midrange-spec TouchBar? Is the i7 worth it on either tier?

i5 to i7 has never been worth it on notebooks.
The only difference is a higher peak clock speed, during longer loads both will throttle down to the same level.

If you ask me, the machine to go with is i5 + 16 GB RAM + 512 GB storage.
nTB is 1899$
TB is 2199$

nTB has the edge on battery life and price, TB has a minor advantage in performance + Touch Bar + Touch ID + 2 additional ports.
 
I'm very pleased with this update. Although I really needed a new machine, I couldn't bring myself to buy one with a last-generation CPU. Given how Apple likes to drop support for products over time, I wanted to get the machine with the best shot at longevity.

Now comes the big decision: maxed-out non-TouchBar, or midrange-spec TouchBar? Is the i7 worth it on either tier?

In terms of longevity of support I really don't think Apple is going to treat models that come from the same year any differently. So it all boils down to your preference. I've been using my 2016 base model non touch 13 inch MBP and haven't really noticed much difference with my maxed-out i7 discrete GPU 2015 15 inch MBP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hybrid_x
Dear Apple,
I am not sure you get the "Pro" thing. In general, consumer products are static in build at the time of purchase, while "pro" products allowed power users to adapt their hardware to changing needs and demands. By making the MBP a static product, you have made the MBP much less attractive to real pro users. In the past, an MBP would allow users to upgrade memory and storage to meet the demands of ever increasing file sizes and project sizes. This flexibility gave pro users confidence that the system they purchase today can, for a price, be adapted to the work that needs to be done next year of the year after. Today, because the MBP is a hardware static product upon purchase, there is no confidence that the machine you buy today will be able to keep up with your work demands even before AppleCare runs out. If you want to innovate, at least make the memory and SSD upgradable after purchase. If you want to lead, add in a way to upgrade the video card after purchase as well. You have sacrificed flexibility and power for being a bit lighter and thinner, which is fine for a consumer grade product, but it makes the purchase of a new MBP difficult to justify.
- G

How do you propose implementing removable GPUs in a laptop? ¯\(°_o)/¯
 
I guess I'm not furious, just disappointed. The timing between the 2016 release and this new update just feels too close, especially since I bought my MBP in January.

Everyone, everyone knew the MBPs would be updated to Kaby Lake. The entire industry followed that upgrade path. You, too, knew that and decided to buy when you did. Enjoy your decision.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fastasleep
Intel has been doing some weird renaming and delaying with their CPU roadmap and is throwing around refreshs.
Current word is that there will be a Kaby Lake refresh called Coffee Lake with 6 cores 45 W CPUs and 4 Cores 15/18 W CPUs, so this one wouldn't support LPDDR4 because it's still using the same architecture.

If things go good LPDDR4 support is coming mid 2018 -> might be ready for 2018 MBP.
If things go bad LPDDR4 support is coming late 2018 / early 2019 -> might be ready for 2019 MBP.

I believe this is correct — Coffee Lake is just an optimization of the same 14nm process again with the same RAM support. What everyone is waiting for is Cannonlake which is the 10nm process and will support LPDDR4 and >16GB. I won't speculate on Intel's roadmap timelines for this as we all know they can't be predicted. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Val-kyrie
Okay folks, is it worth returning my MacBook Pro 2016 for the 2017? The cost will be about $100 increase from what I have now and potentially cost me interest. I have a 2016 512 GB Radeon 455 that I bought refurbished to save some $$$.

I bought my MacBook Pro with Apple Credit, but when I applied I was unaware WWDC was happening and according to Barclaycard they said I have to make a purchase within 30 days in order to get no interest for 18 months.

Well the 30th day is the 9th and it could take up to 3 to 5 business days for a refund and it could take 3 days for Apple to receive the product and that's not including any time they need to inspect the device.

So what do you guys recommend. Take the chance and see if Barclaycard will give me an extension, or just keep what I have and be happy?
 
Perhaps Apple forgot people like to use laptops because it is portable. Having to carry around dongles makes certain MacBooks less portable.
huh?
it's the wires, not the adapters that are making it less portable.

or- if somehow you're fine with the wires and only annoyed by an adapting plug, just get the wire you need instead of buying an adapter plug.

like, you can get a wire with USB-A on one end and USB-C on the other.. for 7 bucks.
:rolleyes:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Type-USB-C-Black/dp/B00S8GU2OC

https://www.amazon.com/Snowkids-Bra...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V9PDTP9JK3K26WDV3S4Q

etc..
[doublepost=1496726821][/doublepost]
I believe this is correct — Coffee Lake is just an optimization of the same 14nm process again with the same RAM support. What everyone is waiting for is Cannonlake which is the 10nm process and will support LPDDR4 and >16GB. I won't speculate on Intel's roadmap timelines for this as we all know they can't be predicted. :)
ouch, really?
i too was under the impression low power ram was coming with Coffee Lake.

i must of mis-read something.. or correctly read some bad info
; )
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
  • Like
Reactions: fastasleep
I am disappointed.

I think that the Touch Bar is a gimmick.
I have no use for it, and I don't want a laptop without the keys on the top.
Especially without a physical ESC key.

Clients are still using USB Sticks to share data.
I regularly get photos on an SD card.
I don't want to buy a $2000 laptop and then have to carry around extra dongles.

Why not create a second line of MacBook Pros with same HW specs but without all the gimmick and a lower price?
They would sell like hotcakes.
 
If you call internal processor upgrade exciting, innovation is dead...
They never address the multi-adaptor issue, or that they removed the Magsafe, one of the best features in a laptop...

He was being sarcastic. When you see /s it means sarcasm.
 
huh?
it's the wires, not the adapters that are making it less portable.

or- if somehow you're fine with the wires and only annoyed by an adapting plug, just get the wire you need instead of buying an adapter plug.

like, you can get a wire with USB-A on one end and USB-C on the other.. for 7 bucks.
:rolleyes:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Type-USB-C-Black/dp/B00S8GU2OC

https://www.amazon.com/Snowkids-Bra...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V9PDTP9JK3K26WDV3S4Q

<<edit>>
Those would be fine, but the USB-A connector needs to be female. As it stands, those cables are kind of pointless unless you can plug a USB-A device into it.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
i5 to i7 has never been worth it on notebooks.
The only difference is a higher peak clock speed, during longer loads both will throttle down to the same level.

If you ask me, the machine to go with is i5 + 16 GB RAM + 512 GB storage.
nTB is 1899$
TB is 2199$

nTB has the edge on battery life and price, TB has a minor advantage in performance + Touch Bar + Touch ID + 2 additional ports.


Yeah, I'm considering the nTB, i5 + 16 GB RAM + 512 GB one. On today's offerings it hits the sweet spot for what I need. That price though.
 
Okay folks, is it worth returning my MacBook Pro 2016 for the 2017? The cost will be about $100 increase from what I have now and potentially cost me interest. I have a 2016 512 GB Radeon 455 that I bought refurbished to save some $$$.

I bought my MacBook Pro with Apple Credit, but when I applied I was unaware WWDC was happening and according to Barclaycard they said I have to make a purchase within 30 days in order to get no interest for 18 months.

Well the 30th day is the 9th and it could take up to 3 to 5 business days for a refund and it could take 3 days for Apple to receive the product and that's not including any time they need to inspect the device.

So what do you guys recommend. Take the chance and see if Barclaycard will give me an extension, or just keep what I have and be happy?

IMHO: Don't pay or carry interest/debt for personal gear.
 
At least they are Kaby Lake now, but prices are still too high. I was happy when they announced the price cut on stage, but eventually I found out they cut the storage of the base model, so to have a decent storage you end up paying the same amount of money.
 
i just wish the MacBook Air got a Thunderbolt 3 port...I'm still having issues getting used to this flatter keyboard of the '16 macbook pros. My 11"MBA was much easier to type on. But I like the connectivity and charging capabilities of the single TB3/USB-C connector offers.


The keyboard is the biggest reason I returned my 13" 2016 MBP.
For me it was utterly ridiculous to even attempt to type on that thing for hours.
I type for 7 to 8 hours a day and it was a major pain adopting to it, and I mean that literally.
This is a MacBook Pro but not every pro is an audio or video pro.
Some of us are people who use the keyboard a lot.
Got a Lenovo X1 Carbon. Amazing keyboard. Simply amazing.
 
...
I'm glad to have purchased my MacBook Air last year that still has the magsafe power port, card reader slot, usb type a and thunderbolt. I don't need my laptop to be the fastest. But I need it to be easy to connect with, that means no dongles and adaptors. There are still plenty of USB-A devices and flash drives that people use. What are the executives at Apple thinking?
I am slightly confused, are you saying any/all of these ports have been dropped on the updated Macbook Air or are you just saying that you are happy to own a Air instead of a Macbook?
I can't find any tech specs for the updated Air, and am slightly worried that they started to drop ports on it, to make the other machines more attractive.
 
I guess I'm not furious, just disappointed. The timing between the 2016 release and this new update just feels too close, especially since I bought my MBP in January.


You and others should start a petition to get TimCook to hold off on these updates until more time has passed (12 months???) and to agree that no future products will be upgraded sooner than some agreed upon minimum amount of time. We are all in this together and the rest of us can wait for a better specs product to avoid hurt feelings.
[doublepost=1496746447][/doublepost]
I'm sad. Got a new MacBook pro 2 months ago...

It's simply not fair. Sign the petition to get Tim Cook to rescind these updates until more time has passed and folks feel better about their purchases. Also to agree to minimum delay for all future updates so this never happens again.
 
At least they are Kaby Lake now, but prices are still too high. I was happy when they announced the price cut on stage, but eventually I found out they cut the storage of the base model, so to have a decent storage you end up paying the same amount of money.

I was expecting a price drop, but there was none. Well, there is a cheaper model, but it has worse specs as well.

I was thinking of buying one, but now I am not so sure. I may go with a Surface Pro instead.
 
There have been 23 MBP releases, refreshes or updates since inception in January '06, bearing a lifetime average of 5.95 months between sightings across all sizes. More recently, that average dropped to 7.4 since June '12. 8 months is on the slow side, considering. I hope Apple continues to release every 8 months or sooner.
 
No more 2015 13” MBP, but they kept the 15” version, what a shame.

I know it a dream, but i would like to see the nTB 13" with additional ports, coz the price for the TB13” version with 2 extra ports is ridiculous.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Val-kyrie
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.