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28Gauge

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 4, 2011
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DFW
I bought a new MacBook Pro tonight for my daughter from one of the local Apple stores. As she was setting it up, I noticed in the “About this Mac” section that it said 2017. Is this actually a 2017 model and not the new 2018 model? Any input would be appreciated.
 
If system info says 2017, then it's a 2017.

Another way to verify is to go to Settings --> Display --> check if there is True Tone box.

Or check processor, 2018 model has i7 2.2/2.6, or i9 2.9.
 
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See if it crashes with a Bridge OS error and thermally throttles. If it does, you have a 2018! ; )

Just kidding (sort of). Go to the "about this Mac" menu in the upper left and check it there.
 
So the two cheaper 13" MacBook Pros ($1,299 and $1,499) that don't have a Touch Bar were not updated this year and are the older 2017 models. Only the 2 more expensive models ($1,799 and $1,999) with the Touch Bar have the new upgrades.

If you bought anything at the Apple Store without the Touch Bar, you are correct, it is not a new model.
 
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Only the models with Touch Bar were updated this year. If you bought a 2017 expecting that it's a new model and paid full price for it, I'd suggest you to return it when you can.
 
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I'm curious, what did you tell them you wanted to buy when you walked into the Apple store?
 
Thanks for all the responses. The confusion is all on my end. I assumed that ALL of the MacBook Pro models were updated for 2018, not just the Touch Bar ones.

As far as telling the Apple Store representative what I wanted, I just told them that I wanted a 13” MBP, 256GB SSD, non touch bar in Space Gray. The store rep didn’t mention anything about about which models had been upgraded to 2018 specs.

I am usually more prepared when buying Apple gadgets, but this was a last minute purchase to replace my daughter’s ailing 2011 MBP. She uses her MBP for college and her old one was giving her lots of problems. She is enrolled in summer school and is always doing a myriad of online tests/assignments and the old MBP was really holding her up on the timed tests. I took advantage of the Back to School Program/educational pricing, so I didn’t pay full retail.

As far as the touch bar goes, I always viewed it as a bit gimmicky and not worth the extra money. I might have to rethink that if I want to get her a MBP with 2018 specs. I have till August 9th to return it.
 
Thanks for all the responses. The confusion is all on my end. I assumed that ALL of the MacBook Pro models were updated for 2018, not just the Touch Bar ones.

As far as telling the Apple Store representative what I wanted, I just told them that I wanted a 13” MBP, 256GB SSD, non touch bar in Space Gray. The store rep didn’t mention anything about about which models had been upgraded to 2018 specs.

I am usually more prepared when buying Apple gadgets, but this was a last minute purchase to replace my daughter’s ailing 2011 MBP. She uses her MBP for college and her old one was giving her lots of problems. She is enrolled in summer school and is always doing a myriad of online tests/assignments and the old MBP was really holding her up on the timed tests. I took advantage of the Back to School Program/educational pricing, so I didn’t pay full retail.

As far as the touch bar goes, I always viewed it as a bit gimmicky and not worth the extra money. I might have to rethink that if I want to get her a MBP with 2018 specs. I have till August 9th to return it.

What you bought is a fine computer, and if you decide to keep it, it will serve you well for many years to come. Especially in an educational environment. So don't stress over your purchase. And I agree, the Touch Bar is gimmicky at best. Keep what you have and enjoy the heck out of it!

FYI: Not sure what you paid for your 2017, but the Apple outlet store sells the exact same computer for $1269, and it's every bit as "brand new" as one purchased in a brick and mortar Apple store. Something to think about if you want to save a few more $$$.
 
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As far as the touch bar goes, I always viewed it as a bit gimmicky and not worth the extra money. I might have to rethink that if I want to get her a MBP with 2018 specs. I have till August 9th to return it.

13" 2018 models have quad-core cpus, which is significantly faster/better than last year
 
Depends what you want it for I think the non touch bar still fills a great niche if you don't need bleeding edge processing or a lot of ports it apparently gets the best battery life and probably runs the coolest but gives you significantly more power than a macbook. So I can see why they kept it around it does fit a nice bridge between the macbook and the touchbar pros and I think would be a great machine.

One other thing you may want to think about is they are rumored to update or come up with a replacement for the Air this year as well so that could also fit this niche and may have more up to date parts so if you can hold off it may be good to see if anything happens there. I think this may be why they didn't update the non touch bar pro's this time but this is all rumors so you have to take it with a grain of salt.
 
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Update....I swapped the non touch bar MBP today for the 2018 touch bar model. It was about $240 more. I was a bit troubled by buying what is basically a one year old machine. I figured that with the improved processor, the marginally improved keyboard and the other upgrades on the 2018 model, it was worth spending a little extra. The 2011 MBP that she had was a fantastic machine that lasted for seven years. Let’s hope that she gets at least seven years out of this one.

Thanks for everyone’s help!
 
Update....I swapped the non touch bar MBP today for the 2018 touch bar model. It was about $240 more. I was a bit troubled by buying what is basically a one year old machine. I figured that with the improved processor, the marginally improved keyboard and the other upgrades on the 2018 model, it was worth spending a little extra. The 2011 MBP that she had was a fantastic machine that lasted for seven years. Let’s hope that she gets at least seven years out of this one.

Thanks for everyone’s help!
I'd say it was worth it. Hope your daughter enjoys it!
 
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