Good idea to buy 15" rMBP now?

[RiverOak]

My five year old 13" MBP is starting to die on me so I'm considering selling my 5K iMac (which I never use because the screen hurts my eyes) and get the top stock 15" rMBP + a decent external display.

It should be about as powerful as the iMac but be able to replace my MacBook Pro as well.

I know that there seem to be new thinner MBPs coming fairly soon. And while better portability would sure be nice, I'm a bit worried that they will sacrifice things to make that happen. Plus a full redesign could potentially introduce some issues that won't be resolved until later releases. The current design is very refined already.
But the new machines might very well not be a compromise and just better all around, so there's the usual worry.

Since I'm in fairly urgent need of a new computer I can't wait more than a couple of months.
What would you do in my situation?

 

[smelly cat]

I'm in the same boat as you. I've got a 13" MacBook Pro that is brand new, and I'm considering exchanging it for the 15" model.

A new 15" will likely be released in June during WWDC. Of course, if you need the machine now, get it now. If you can wait, you might be happier in the long run.

Personally, I suspect that the new MacBook Pros will have the same keyboard design as the one that's in the 12" Retina MacBook. I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record on these forums, but that keyboard design has been shown to have reliability issues. And if the new MacBook Pro has that same keyboard, I don't think I'm going to want to buy it. Hence, I'm thinking buying the current generation 15" MacBook Pro might be the way to go.

I'm still mulling it over myself...

 

[BigCanoe]

With any luck they will lower the price on the existing one and then you can get it before it runs out of stock?

 

[moltar]

Well, if you can wait a couple of months, then wait until WWDC.

 

[crankmeup]

there are more of us on the same boat. I suggest to wait until WWDC and see what it gets us. This is what I'm going to do. If the new stuff comes and is good, lucky we. If it's not our ball park or there is no new pro line update, we still have the current option possibly with better deals on the price tag

 

[C64]

Wait and then buy a new one, or a discounted current gen MBP.

 

[judgedeath2]

I just bought one, and I wasn't even as desperate as you are (I replaced a late 2013 13" rMBP). I was also waiting for the refresh, but the more I thought about it the more I was worried about what that might bring. Thinner? Less battery and more heat/thermal constraints. New butterfly keyboard? No thanks (tried in on the rMB and didn't care for it). Port reduction/consolidation to USB-C? Again, no thanks on the dongles.

Who knows, maybe in June Apple will hit the new redesign out of the park and I'll be real jelly. But as of now, I got a smoking deal on my dream machine (16/512/dGPU) and it screams. Without the sale price ($1939) I would have waited.

 

[bodonnell202]

If you can hang on until WWDC I would. Worst case if the new rMBP comes with compromises that you don't like you will still be able to get the 2015 model through retailers that still have stock or refurbished through Apple (and likely at a good discount).

 

[BenTrovato]

Either way, waiting wins. If you don't like the new MBP offerings, you can get the refurb at the discounted price. I'm suffering using a 4k external monitor at 30Hz until WWDC. Then I'll decide to go refurb or new.

 

[kevinkyoo]

Definitely wait. Here's my list of what I look for:

Between the 2015 and 2016 rMBP's:

(-) rMB keyboard
(-) Smaller battery
(-) Less ports
(-) Soldering issues
(-) Worse CPU
(-) Worse GPU
(-) Exclusion of TB3/USB-C
(+/-) Screen resolution

As you can see, there's way too many factors to decide at this moment what model to choose. On top of that, we don't even know if they'll release the rMBP this year. Definitely wait.

 

[RiverOak]

Yeah I guess waiting until WWDC is the wise thing to do. I'll try to manage with the current one until then. Most annoying thing is that it dies whenever I unplug the power cable. But I guess getting a new battery would not hurt even if I buy a new computer soon. I guess I could give it to my girlfriend later on. Would be an upgrade from her chromebook.

My hope is that I'll be able to get a CTO model at a good price as I'd really want a 1TB SSD in it, but can't afford that at the prices they are going for. With the 512GB model I'd have to lug around an external drive as well, which I'm not happy about.
Unfortunately Apple do not offer refurbs where I live. But there are a few stores who keep CTO models in stock. Hoping for a 20% discount if a new model is released. Or that the new model is cool and offers an upgraded drive at the same price.