I too have one of the new gen macbook pro's and while I "still have it" I really don't like it. If I didn't already promise my 2012 retina macbook pro to someone else, I'd probably just go back to it.
TL;DR: The new macbook pro is a great laptop but it sacrifices so much compared to the old system that if you like your current 15" retina macbook pro, there's no immediate need to switch just yet.
I consider myself an early adopter and I'm completely okay with the direction apple wants to take with USB-C. I'm even completely okay with just 4 USB-C connections. However, my allowances for apple's design decisions end there.
The touch bar is an absolute gimmick and I'm not saying that just to put it down. Ask yourself, is it faster to open a new tab on the touch bar or is it faster to just hit command t? Is it faster to hit the the spotlight/siri button or is it faster to just to hit command space? Almost all of the functions the touch bar gives me, I could already do with keyboard shortcuts even quicker shifting my hand and reaching up to the touchbar. Yes it's a small travel distance but I can hit my shortcuts without looking at the keyboard yet I have to look down at the touch bar and hunt for the correct button before hitting it. What's worse is turning up the volume or brightness now takes a fraction of a second longer than before because you have to fiddle with the UI to get to the correct display by either holding the button down or taping twice. So yeah, the touchbar is a gimmick because it doesn't add anything additional and can be largely ignored.
Want to talk about something actually useful? Imagine that large touchpad rather than gray and glass, it was a full OLED display larger than a iPhone 7 plus. Give me back my physical F buttons and turn the huge trackpad into a OLED display. Now that wouldn't be a gimmick. Imagine the possibilities of having basically an iphone like experience all in the touchpad.
The keyboard was better on the older macbook pro's period, full stop. Can the new keyboard be learned? Sure. However, after using that old style of keyboard for literally over a decade on various macbooks and macbook pros, I find myself struggling with spelling errors and second guessing shortcuts and just don't feel as confident as before. I'm sure I'll eventually adjust but why change something that was already pretty good?
Now, the trackpad. I also dislike the large trackpad. I know this is very subjective thing and this is very specific to me but I like to rest my thumb on the edge of the touchpad on the older macs. There was a much larger space between the end of the laptop and the touchpad so only a small portion of my thumb ends up touching the touchpad. I find with the much larger touchpad, a much bigger portion of my thumb ends up touching the touchpad and sometimes the system thinks I'm performing a gesture rather than just fast scroll clicking. I never had an issue with the older trackpads. Again, it's something to adjust to, but the old one was perfectly good. Oh and the first click on the force touch pad can be a lot stronger. If you adjust it to stiff, the first click gets good but the second click gets too stiff. 🙁
Oh and magsafe. May you rest in peace. At least the USB-C charging cable could have came with a green/white charge LED 😵
Had mine since January 2015, thought I'd throw in my 2c
Addressing some of this:
The Touch Bar, stock it pales in comparison to keyboard shortcuts and f-keys, but I feel like it really shines with BetterTouchTool and AppleScript. I've been using it to run scripts in Photoshop and Illustrator and I can say without a doubt that it has vastly improved my workflow.
I do believe however that these options should've come with the touchbar, instead of having to install BetterTouchTool.
They keyboard suits my style of typing perfectly, but I can understand the criticism. I prefer it to the old keyboard, it feels more "solid".
I adore the new trackpad honestly. It's perfect for work in adobe Suite.
Magsafe should've made a return I agree, but from what I've heard Apple chose to use a standard USB-C cable because it charges faster. Take that as you will, but there are rumors that Magsafe will make a return.
As far as I can tell, the new MacBook Pro is overspecialized. It seems Apple focused mainly on Pros who work in Adobe Suits, FCPX, and Logic Pro rather than making a laptop that's good for everybody.
Ports? I think Apple should've at least included a USB-C to A cable with the computer, like they do with the iPhone and the 3.5mm jack. Personally, I don't miss USB-A and I see the USB-C peripherals as something I would have had to buy anyway down the road.
The computer isn't without faults and is well-deserving of criticism of course, but I do feel the anger directed toward the MBP is overblown.
Maybe if they would've included a version that was intended to be a mobile workstation, with 6-8 USB-C ports, a bigger battery, DDR4 RAM, and 2 slots for m.2 SSD's people would complain less. But I'm sure that people would've found something to nitpick about anyway.
