Has anyone gone from the 2016 MBP to the 2015 MBP?

[LunchMercenary]

Hi all, I recently purchased a new 2015 MBP 13 inch base model and recently returned it for the 2016 13 inch non TB version due to the lack of storage space (got it from best buy). I am overall happy with the unit but the lack of legacy ports really is kind of annoying as I don't want to shell out extra for either an adapter or a Bluetooth wireless mouse. I do have a 1TB external I could use though if I had the 2015 model.

I am considering going back due to the processing power of the i5 chip and inclusion of legacy ports (also have to admit that magsafe was cool) but again I am worried about the internal storage. Has anyone filled theirs up quickly?

Is it worth going back to the 2015 model?

 

[Hieveryone]

Hi all, I recently purchased a new 2015 MBP 13 inch base model and recently returned it for the 2016 13 inch non TB version due to the lack of storage space (got it from best buy). I am overall happy with the unit but the lack of legacy ports really is kind of annoying as I don't want to shell out extra for either an adapter or a Bluetooth wireless mouse. I do have a 1TB external I could use though if I had the 2015 model.

I am considering going back due to the processing power of the i5 chip and inclusion of legacy ports (also have to admit that magsafe was cool) but again I am worried about the internal storage. Has anyone filled theirs up quickly?

Is it worth going back to the 2015 model?

The 2015 has advantages such as keyboard, ports, and mine has a good battery life. But there are downsides such as the screen isn't as good.

I'm thinking of upgrading bc of the screen not sure yet.

 

[Sanpete]

I don't want to shell out extra for either an adapter or a Bluetooth wireless mouse.

If you're talking about a USB-A adapter, that will set you back $5. (I don't follow the part about the mouse.)

 

[darkmaxdevil]

The 2015 has advantages such as keyboard, ports, and mine has a good battery life. But there are downsides such as the screen isn't as good.

I'm thinking of upgrading bc of the screen not sure yet.

The keyboard is so subjective. You will find lots of people who love it, and you will find lots of people who hate it.
So I don't see 2015 has keyboard advantage there. I actually preferred the 2016 keyboard over 2015 keyboard. Also battery life is not as bad as people think, I constantly get around 7-8 hours of normal usage. So for me, it's one fine laptop to spend more than 10 hours a day on.

Regarding the OP, I would just replace the USB cable for the external drive to use with the new machine you have. Regarding the mouse, I have no idea because I prefer trackpad and shortcut keys over mouse.

 

[SDColorado]

I prefer the keyboard on the 2016 models as well. Though I can appreciate that some don't. As darkmaxdevil states, they are subjective. What is a con for some is a pro for others.

I am not sure I understand the mouse comment either. Do you have a USB mouse you use? As Sanpete mentions, the adapter is cheap and shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Magsafe was cool in theory, but personally, I found it more of a nuisance than a safety feature. It didn't like that it was on the left and too often came undone when it shouldn't have. But I appreciate that it has its fans.

 

[Naimfan]

I've tried two different 2016 15" models and returned both. I've written elsewhere about why; the short form is that I think Apple made a number of serious mistakes. They keyboard, incidentally, has been rejected by one of the organizations for which I work (part of SOCOM), failing due to ergonomics -the lack of key travel and resultant feedback.

I'd suggest returning the 2016 and getting a 2015 with 256 GB - there are still plenty of them out there.

As for storage, if you can't find a 2015 with 256 GB, you can get a JetDrive Lite from Transcend - a 256 GB drive was about $140 on Amazon the last time I looked. Fits in the SD slot and is obviously nowhere near as fast as the internal SSD, but provides a lot of relatively inexpensive (and almost invisible) storage.

 

[Hieveryone]

The keyboard is so subjective. You will find lots of people who love it, and you will find lots of people who hate it.
So I don't see 2015 has keyboard advantage there. I actually preferred the 2016 keyboard over 2015 keyboard. Also battery life is not as bad as people think, I constantly get around 7-8 hours of normal usage. So for me, it's one fine laptop to spend more than 10 hours a day on.

Regarding the OP, I would just replace the USB cable for the external drive to use with the new machine you have. Regarding the mouse, I have no idea because I prefer trackpad and shortcut keys over mouse.

I mean I just think the keyboard is more comfortable on the old model...

 

[LunchMercenary]

If you're talking about a USB-A adapter, that will set you back $5. (I don't follow the part about the mouse.)

I prefer the keyboard on the 2016 models as well. Though I can appreciate that some don't. As darkmaxdevil states, they are subjective. What is a con for some is a pro for others.

I am not sure I understand the mouse comment either. Do you have a USB mouse you use? As Sanpete mentions, the adapter is cheap and shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Magsafe was cool in theory, but personally, I found it more of a nuisance than a safety feature. It didn't like that it was on the left and too often came undone when it shouldn't have. But I appreciate that it has its fans.

Sorry, regarding the mouse comment I was just commenting on the fact that with this I can't use my wireless mouse as it requires the receiver. I have considered the apple dongle from USB-C to USB-A but I'm just a bit ocd when it comes to having receivers as 'flush' as possible to the laptop (the apple dongle is just a bit ridiculous looking for a mouse receiver) so it's really just a personal preference thing. Really though the only time I really use a mouse is when I'm sitting at my desk anyway.

I should say overall, I'm pretty happy with the 2016 MBP. I know some people hate the keyboard, but I actually really like it minus the fact it's one of the loudest keyboards I've used on a laptop. Again, what really threw me off from the 2015 MBP was the lack of internal storage (I'm kinda limited to Best Buy since I used gift cards on this machine) and they don't seem to have 256 GB versions anymore.

 

[SDColorado]

Sorry, regarding the mouse comment I was just commenting on the fact that with this I can't use my wireless mouse as it requires the receiver. I have considered the apple dongle from USB-C to USB-A but I'm just a bit ocd when it comes to having receivers as 'flush' as possible to the laptop (the apple dongle is just a bit ridiculous looking for a mouse receiver) so it's really just a personal preference thing. Really though the only time I really use a mouse is when I'm sitting at my desk anyway.

I should say overall, I'm pretty happy with the 2016 MBP. I know some people hate the keyboard, but I actually really like it minus the fact it's one of the loudest keyboards I've used on a laptop. Again, what really threw me off from the 2015 MBP was the lack of internal storage (I'm kinda limited to Best Buy since I used gift cards on this machine) and they don't seem to have 256 GB versions anymore.

Gotcha. There are a couple of small adapters, that fit more flush than a dongle cable, such as the Nonda, but obviously still not flush.

128 GB would be hard to live with, but it would be doable with an external SSD.

The Keyboard is a little noisier than past MacBook pros, but in general, I do like it better myself.

Good luck with your decision. There are always compromises in any decision, but I am sure you will figure out which ones you can best live with.

 

[LunchMercenary]

Gotcha. There are a couple of small adapters, that fit more flush than a dongle cable, such as the Nonda, but obviously still not flush.

128 GB would be hard to live with, but it would be doable with an external SSD.

The Keyboard is a little noisier than past MacBook pros, but in general, I do like it better myself.

Good luck with your decision. There are always compromises in any decision, but I am sure you will figure out which ones you can best live with.

Actually that adapter would be the next best thing. Thanks!

 

[SDColorado]

Actually that adapter would be the next best thing. Thanks!

There is a similar product for micro-sd if you need it as well. The Dash Type-C Reader.

 

[darkmaxdevil]

I mean I just think the keyboard is more comfortable on the old model...

That is "subjective"

 

[leman]

I do have a 1TB external I could use though if I had the 2015 model.

Most external HDDs have a detachable USB cable. You can just buy a cheap USB-C-to-whatever-your-hdd-has cable and use it with the 2016 model.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Actually that adapter would be the next best thing. Thanks!

Just replace the cable, its a much more elegant solution and you can get 5 USBc to usba cables for $15 on Amazon.

 

[sneak3]

Go with the 2015 one. Not only does the 2016 keyboard feels bad for a lot of people but it lacks durability. I've been to an Apple Store and most keyboard of the 2016 macbooks on display had sunken keys which simply could not work anymore. Add that to several reports of problems we see here...

Just do some research and see this is basically the first time there are so many complaints here about keys/keyboard, NOT EVEN taking into account the feeling, but the pure failure rate of the butterfly mechanism.

 

[caramelpolice]

Go with the 2015 one. Not only does the 2016 keyboard feels bad for a lot of people but it lacks durability. I've been to an Apple Store and most keyboard of the 2016 macbooks on display had sunken keys which simply could not work anymore. Add that to several reports of problems we see here...

Just do some research and see this is basically the first time there are so many complaints here about keys/keyboard, NOT EVEN taking into account the feeling, but the pure failure rate of the butterfly mechanism.

I don't think older Apple keyboards were all that great for durability, either. I had to replace at least half a dozen keys on my 2012 MacBook Air (which uses a very similar mechanism to the pre-2016 Pros) because they came loose, and the black coating on the top rubs off very easily.

 

[Sanpete]

I've been to an Apple Store and most keyboard of the 2016 macbooks on display had sunken keys which simply could not work anymore.

Not at all common, and not what I've seen at the Apple Store.

 

[Hieveryone]

I find myself trying to type too hard on the new keys. I tried it at the Apple Store. I'm use to more travel I guess.

I wish Apple had kept the same keyboard to be honest. The new one isn't really my fancy.

 

[Sanpete]

I find myself trying to type too hard on the new keys. I tried it at the Apple Store. I'm use to more travel I guess.

I wish Apple had kept the same keyboard to be honest. The new one isn't really my fancy.

Lots of people feel the same way, but most like it. And they like the thinner MBP that results.

 

[capathy21]

If I had the choice between the two at the same price, I'd go with the 2016. However, I have the 2015 and see no real reason to upgrade. The 2015 is lightning fast, has a perfected design which has matured for several years, plenty of ports, and great battery life. It really comes down to the ports and keyboard.

 

[meteoreos]

I went from the 2016 to 2015, both 15", and I personally enjoy the older model more.

The new butterfly keyboard was fine for me, albeit I had used it for around 10 days before I returned it, but you only have to look at this forum and articles around the web to see that they obviously have issues with inconsistency. Battery life was fine with the one I had, though. I also have to add that there were some graphical tearing instances, such as lines and artifacts on the screen.

My 2015, after reinstalling Sierra mind you, is flawless. Yes, there are better speakers on the 2016 model (a lot better actually) and the screen looks sharper, but it's seriously not worth the money to upgrade to the latest MBP, IMO. The touchbar was useless to me, I only ever used it for the main functions (volume, brightness) and once to scrub through a YouTube video.

 

[Hieveryone]

Yea I wouldn't do touch bar. It seems like more a distraction. Plus I use the function keys on my 2013 rMBP ALL THE TIME!!!

They are SUPER convenient and I just press them while still staring at the screen.

I don't think I could do the 2 tap thing with the touch bar and also no feedback.

I like the physical keys. That's why I'm considering the base model 2016.

 

[LunchMercenary]

As of now I'm definitely leaning towards the 2016 model as I did get it for a good price at 1299, and the cheapest new 2015 I can find is 1150. If I add up the cost of like a 256 GB SD card, I'm already at the price of this MBP. With regards to the processors however, is there any performance difference between the i5 clocked at 2.9 for the 2015 and the 2.0 clock speed for the 2016 ntb?

 

[turbineseaplane]

I like the way the new keyboard feels (closer to the Magic Keyboard which I really enjoy), but I really wish it was a bit quieter and/or just a more pleasant sound.

Not a matter of force, it's just kind of a louder/less pleasant noise to my ears.

 

[SDColorado]

Yea I wouldn't do touch bar. It seems like more a distraction. Plus I use the function keys on my 2013 rMBP ALL THE TIME!!!

They are SUPER convenient and I just press them while still staring at the screen.

I don't think I could do the 2 tap thing with the touch bar and also no feedback.

I like the physical keys. That's why I'm considering the base model 2016.

If you use the function keys all the time, you may prefer a model with the physical function keys. I almost never used the function keys, so I find I use the touch bar much more often. We all function a little differently and I guess I am more of a graphical person. I could never recall what each function key+whatever did for the life of me hahaha. For the few times I use the actual function keys, the fn+function key combo on the touch bar works just fine. Otherwise I like the touch bar just fine. But that is me, doesn't sound like it is you. You probably are better off without it.
[doublepost=1489030707][/doublepost]

I like the way the new keyboard feels (closer to the Magic Keyboard which I really enjoy), but I really wish it was a bit quieter and/or just a more pleasant sound.

Not a matter of force, it's just kind of a louder/less pleasant noise to my ears.

Taptic with soothing chime? Just kidding...just kidding