MacBook Pro 2017 - wait for it?

[NatalieThomas89]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

 

[febLey]

There won't be 2017 MBP anytime soon. Sep./Oct. earliest.

 

[andy9l]

If you need a MacBook Pro today, you should keep the one you've already bought that apparently suits your needs.

If you don't need a MacBook Pro today, you should wait for 2017, 2018, 2019 or whenever you actually need one, because they're only going to get better every year.

It's as simple as that. It always will be.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

Absolute nonsense the 2016 MBP are and epic win they are thin light fast powerful with the best I/O performance and screenquality of any laptop and they match or beat the last generation in battery life.

There will be no new MBP until fall this year and Kabylake will mean nothing to you it's a little faster but processors have pretty much plateaued since haswell you will never notice the difference unless AMD release a new GPU architecture as this generation took 3-4 years to come out that will never happen.

The internet is full of utter nonsense and this is what you are buying into.

 

[andy9l]

There will be no new MBP until fall this year and Kabylake will mean nothing to you it's a little faster but processors have pretty much plateaued since haswell you will never notice the difference unless AMD release a new GPU architecture as this generation took 3-4 years to come out that will never happen.

New AMD CPU and GPU architectures (Ryzen and Vega) set to release in March this year.

However, Apple will likely use the old generation for one or two years to come to maintain margins. That's something you have to accept when you buy from Apple - you will rarely get the latest and greatest, but you will get the tried and tested.

 

[sunapple]

I bought the 15" from 2015 two weeks ago, but I got it second hand for 2000$, 2.5Ghz model with AMD graphics and 512GB. Best value you can get if you need power IMO, much better than a 455 or 460 2016 machine.

Battery life isn't as good on the 2016 as it was on the 2015 model, but it's no drama. Software bugs should be ironed out by now...

I think however that the second hand market value is going to go down fast on the '16 model because of all the negativity and the high prices.

2016 model is just very expensive, not a bad machine.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

New AMD CPU and GPU architectures (Ryzen and Vega) set to release in March this year.

However, Apple will likely use the old generation for one or two years to come to maintain margins. That's something you have to accept when you buy from Apple - you will rarely get the latest and greatest, but you will get the tried and tested.

None of which are within mobile TDP as far as I can tell!!

 

[TheRealAlex]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

Yes as you said the 2016 Touchbar MacBook Pro is a failure period. Decade old DDR3 RAM 2 year old Skylake CPU. No 4K Streaming and No HDR plus all the other battery failures and issues bound to pop up. As anyone knows you NEVER EVER buy 1st Gen Apple Products. And the 2016 Touchbar MacBook Pro is a new product.

The 2017 Model Release will

#1. Cause massive deflation or depreciation of current 2016 Touchbar models because the new ones will release Prior to Back to College Season 2017. Why ? Because Intel has to stop making Skylake in order to make enough Kaby Lake chips.
#2. Kaby Lake huge improvements ability to Stream 4K HDR Content which these expensive 2016 outdated Touchbar MacBook Pro are the day they shipped can't do period.
#3. 10 to 11 hour battery life. No the 3-6 hours people are living with now and pretending it's cool.
#4. 4x4 802.11 AC WiFi current 2016 MacBook Pro somehow shipped with 2x2 802.11 AC WiFi so they have very weak Antennas.
#5. Back to NVIDIA, this is the hugest of All I personally won't buy a product with an AMD GPU and a lot of people feel the same way. Apple heard us. NVIDIA is skipping 10nm and going straight to 7nm the AMD GPU inside the 2016 MacBoo Pros is 14nm. That alone says it all.

The 2016 MBPTB will go down as not being recommended by Consumer Reports massive independent testing confirmed the batteries are bad and don't deliver claimed performance. And be a AMD failure which uses too much power. (Would you buy a car which claimed 30MPG and only really give she you 15MPG ?)

 

[maflynn]

If you can wait almost a year then wait, but then should you wait for the 2018 model? My point is you can get in a cycle of waiting for the latest thing but in reality the current model is more then up to the task

tl;dr, buy now and enjoy it

 

[NatalieThomas89]

Yes as you said the 2016 Touchbar MacBook Pro is a failure period. Decade old DDR3 RAM 2 year old Skylake CPU. No 4K Streaming and No HDR plus all the other battery failures and issues bound to pop up. As anyone knows you NEVER EVER buy 1st Gen Apple Products. And the 2016 Touchbar MacBook Pro is a new product.

The 2017 Model Release will

#1. Cause massive deflation or depreciation of current 2016 Touchbar models because the new ones will release Prior to Back to College Season 2017. Why ? Because Intel has to stop making Skylake in order to make enough Kaby Lake chips.
#2. Kaby Lake huge improvements ability to Stream 4K HDR Content which these expensive 2016 outdated Touchbar MacBook Pro are the day they shipped can't do period.
#3. 10 to 11 hour battery life. No the 3-6 hours people are living with now and pretending it's cool.
#4. 4x4 802.11 AC WiFi current 2016 MacBook Pro somehow shipped with 2x2 802.11 AC WiFi so they have very weak Antennas.
#5. Back to NVIDIA, this is the hugest of All I personally won't buy a product with an AMD GPU and a lot of people feel the same way. Apple heard us. NVIDIA is skipping 10nm and going straight to 7nm the AMD GPU inside the 2016 MacBoo Pros is 14nm. That alone says it all.

The 2016 MBPTB will go down as not being recommended by Consumer Reports massive independent testing confirmed the batteries are bad and don't deliver claimed performance. And be a AMD failure which uses too much power. (Would you buy a car which claimed 30MPG and only really give she you 15MPG ?)

Ha, well put Alex. For someone like me who will be using the Mac for at most 4 years I really need something future proof. Even though the 2016 models may seem like they are but not for that price. I got all your points except the 3rd one. Can you make it clear?
[doublepost=1484917660][/doublepost]

I bought the 15" from 2015 two weeks ago, but I got it second hand for 2000$, 2.5Ghz model with AMD graphics and 512GB. Best value you can get if you need power IMO, much better than a 455 or 460 2016 machine.

Battery life isn't as good on the 2016 as it was on the 2015 model, but it's no drama. Software bugs should be ironed out by now...

I think however that the second hand market value is going to go down fast on the '16 model because of all the negativity and the high prices.

2016 model is just very expensive, not a bad machine.

Yeah that was what I was thinking but I'm not interested in the 2016 models at all for the battery life which can't be saved my anymore software optimization. Especially since I use more third party softwares like Chrome it's gonna suck up the battery easily compared to the 2015 models. If and all I'm returning the current one and waiting for the 2017 models to come out, I have to wait till the 2018 model for the getting the 2017 models at a lower price.

PS: In my country Apple is not selling the refurbished models.
[doublepost=1484917834][/doublepost]

Absolute nonsense the 2016 MBP are and epic win they are thin light fast powerful with the best I/O performance and screenquality of any laptop and they match or beat the last generation in battery life.

There will be no new MBP until fall this year and Kabylake will mean nothing to you it's a little faster but processors have pretty much plateaued since haswell you will never notice the difference unless AMD release a new GPU architecture as this generation took 3-4 years to come out that will never happen.

The internet is full of utter nonsense and this is what you are buying into.

I agree with your first sentence but you have to admit that battery life is bad for someone like me who is on the go completely compared to the 2015 model.

PS: I own a 2016 Touchbar 13" & 15",13" 2015 MBP

 

[leman]

Frankly, I just can't see any substantial upgrades to the MBP in 2017. We will most likely get Kaby Lake, for few percent increase in performance (and better graphics in the 13"), but thats about it. I am not aware of any new suitable GPUs in the pipeline (maybe a slightly optimised Polaris refresh?). AMD's new CPUs do sound very interesting, but i don't think that Apple will rush to adopt them. And its not really clear how the mobile lineup for it will look like. So far, AMD has only revealed some teasers of the higher-end desktop-level version.

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life.

You must be misinformed. The battery life in 2016 15" models is substantially better than with any previous models. You don't have to believe me, check independent reviews.

New AMD CPU and GPU architectures (Ryzen and Vega) set to release in March this year.

Vega is a high-powered card and will most likely be featured in a Mac Pro refresh around May. There is no way its ever coming to an Apple laptop. They just don't put 150+Watt GPUs in their mobile line...

 

[Finurliig]

I agree with your first sentence but you have to admit that battery life is bad for someone like me who is on the go completely compared to the 2015 model.
PS: I own a 2016 Touchbar 13" & 15",13" 2015 MBP

I get about 11 hours of usage out of my 15'' MBP 2016, during normal use, meaning writing, reading browsing and some video. That "Alex" figure above is not an owner. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Suggest you listen to the people who actually own one, and not the envious, angry guys who has just looked at one in a store for 5 mins.

 

[leman]

#2. Kaby Lake huge improvements ability to Stream 4K HDR Content which these expensive 2016 outdated Touchbar MacBook Pro are the day they shipped can't do period.

Yeah, yeah, you with your "HDR content". Just because the media right holders have designed a new DRM and artificially prevent you from getting high-quality content does't diminish the value of the computer. Not to mention that this specific DRM will most likely never be implemented on OS X.

#3. 10 to 11 hour battery life. No the 3-6 hours people are living with now and pretending it's cool.

I am really starting to get tired of this nonsense. All big-name reviewers get 10+ hours from their 15" models, I get 9+ hours of my 15" model (real work), my colleague gets 9+ hours out of his model, tons of people here also get very good battery life, but for some reason you are still repeating this like a magical mantra.

#4. 4x4 802.11 AC WiFi current 2016 MacBook Pro somehow shipped with 2x2 802.11 AC WiFi so they have very weak Antennas.

The TouchBar models have 3x3 antennas and consistently outperform the competition in any test I am aware of. Dell XPS (even the 2017 model) still uses 2x2 WiFi. Afaik Surface Book also uses 2x2 setup.

#5. Back to NVIDIA, this is the hugest of All I personally won't buy a product with an AMD GPU and a lot of people feel the same way. Apple heard us. NVIDIA is skipping 10nm and going straight to 7nm the AMD GPU inside the 2016 MacBoo Pros is 14nm. That alone says it all.

Once Nvidia releases a suitable product and also is ready to offer a good deal, sure, we might see them back in the MBP. At the time of the MBP release, the Polaris 11 GPU was the fastest GPU within the thermal constraints of a 15" MBP (sub 45W class). Right now, Nvidia has released the GTX 1050, which is faster by around 20-25% than the Polaris 11 but also draws significantly more power. All in all, Polaris 11 is more energy efficient.

The 2016 MBPTB will go down as not being recommended by Consumer Reports massive independent testing confirmed the batteries are bad and don't deliver claimed performance. And be a AMD failure which uses too much power. (Would you buy a car which claimed 30MPG and only really give she you 15MPG ?)

Did you fell asleep under a bridge somewhere? Consumer Reports has long explained that their testing was hitting a rare bug in Safari (due to Consumer Reports having used a hidden developer setting). Once the bug was fixed, they retested it and got 17+ hours for the 15" model. Needless to say that the 2016 MBP is on their recommended laptop list.

 

[jerryk]

My guess is the 2015 15 rMBP may turn into the 2012 cMBP 13. The system that represented the best of the rMBPs. No touch pad, a keyboard people had liked for years, and no drama. It just works well, day in, day out.

 

[lambertjohn]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

I'm going to recommend you wait for the 2017 models because they will be the second generation of the new Macbook Pro, and hopefully Apple will have listened to industry feedback and corrected all the issues with the 2016 model. Stick with your 2015 model until then; it's still an awesome machine!

 

[andy9l]

None of which are within mobile TDP as far as I can tell!!

Indeed, but one might presume they will be working on new gen mobile chips in parallel. Perhaps not.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Do you like the 2015 you just got?
Does it do everything you wish to do?

I wouldn't even be thinking of replacing it with a "late 2017", IF they get released.

You should be thinking "replacement" in the 2019-2020 timeframe now...

 

[montanaco]

>Epic Failure

>With my 2016 tbMBP I consistently get 10 hours of battery (some times a couple less sometimes a couple more), blazing fast SSD, beautiful screen, amazing speakers, large trackpad, touchbar, great speeds all around, and its all in a body that is light, sturdy, great looking with incredibly flexible and powerful ports.

Interesting use of the term epic failure

 

[Precursor]

2016 tbMBP 15" user here, getting 10+ hours battery every day

 

[BarracksSi]

A better question:

Do you have a bunch of peripherals today with certain plugs and adapters that you don't want to buy replacements for?

 

[Benny L]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

Epic failure? NO
I get 10 plus hrs with my 13"-and the 15" do get a bit less
son has a 15" 2016 pro -getting 8-11 hrs depending on useage-very acceptable to him
again-you have 14 days to determine if your purchase is acceptable to you-return if not and try again.
I buy every product release on MacBook and I am very happy with my 13"pro
I still have my 15" 2015 MacBook and the only reason I did not update that is the touchbar does nothing for me.
next release I will get a new 15"
but all in all very happy with 2016 pro

 

[Sanpete]

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead.

You were misinformed. Controlled tests by professionals show the 2016 15" has better battery life than the 2015 for ordinary use. See for example the reviews by Ars Technica and Notebook Check.

I bought the 15" from 2015 two weeks ago, but I got it second hand for 2000$, 2.5Ghz model with AMD graphics and 512GB. Best value you can get if you need power IMO, much better than a 455 or 460 2016 machine.

Battery life isn't as good on the 2016 as it was on the 2015 model, but it's no drama. Software bugs should be ironed out by now...

I think however that the second hand market value is going to go down fast on the '16 model because of all the negativity and the high prices.

2016 model is just very expensive, not a bad machine.

The CPUs are comparable. In most other ways the 2016 15" is clearly better, including the dGPUs and battery life, according to professional reviews. (Don't mistake the general buzz about the new MBPs, which tends to confound the various models, and is often more emotional than rational, for fact.) So which is the better value isn't a simple matter, depends on what matters to you, and how much.

 

[NatalieThomas89]

I get about 11 hours of usage out of my 15'' MBP 2016, during normal use, meaning writing, reading browsing and some video. That "Alex" figure above is not an owner. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Suggest you listen to the people who actually own one, and not the envious, angry guys who has just looked at one in a store for 5 mins.

Really? Apple had always been exaggerating with the battery numbers with the sentences like "upto 10 hours of web browsing". I can't believe that you got more than Apple promised. If you don't mind I would like to clarify these,

1. What is the brightness you keep on during your usage?
2. Are you referring to 11hours as just Screen On Time or does that include sleep times too?
3. Assuming browsing is heavy relatively to your mentions usage, Is it heavy browsing with many tabs and windows or just lite browsing?

[doublepost=1484942783][/doublepost]

and hopefully Apple will have listened to industry feedback and corrected all the issues with the 2016 model. Stick with your 2015 model until then; it's still an awesome machine!

I don't get it. If battery life is great as many users here report it then what else is the problem? The dongles problems? I think it can be ironed out at least in my usage. So considering all that there is nothing wrong with the 2016 models I guess. Right?
[doublepost=1484943219][/doublepost]

OP:

Do you like the 2015 you just got?
Does it do everything you wish to do?

I wouldn't even be thinking of replacing it with a "late 2017", IF they get released.

You should be thinking "replacement" in the 2019-2020 timeframe now...

Kind of feel bad when people ask this question again. I already have a 2016 touch bar model which gives me lower than Apple's promised battery life. I needed a 15" that's why had to go with 2015 model for the price. So I'm not gonna miss out much in returning the 15", waiting till late 2017 to reinvest the money in a newer one or even to the 2016 model if it's as good as some of you guys say here. Basically I'll get more value out of the newer models.

 

[bjet767]

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life.

It's not an"epic failure" at all.

Battery life is OK.
Dongles are a personal decision.


The question comes up are you going to be chasing technology or will you settle for whatever is current and live with it for a few years?

If you like the 2015 you purchased basically you will gain nothing by purchasing a new computer in the next two years. Why? CPUs are not improving on speed nor battery life technology. What you will gain is video speed and the newest display technology (if you can afford 4K or greater).

So what is your need?

 

[NatalieThomas89]

It's not an"epic failure" at all.

Battery life is OK.
Dongles are a personal decision.


The question comes up are you going to be chasing technology or will you settle for whatever is current and live with it for a few years?

If you like the 2015 you purchased basically you will gain nothing by purchasing a new computer in the next two years. Why? CPUs are not improving on speed nor battery life technology. What you will gain is video speed and the newest display technology (if you can afford 4K or greater).

So what is your need?

With performance maybe not I'm gaining much that justifies the price. But incase of battery life it may. I've well tested my battery life with the 15" 2015 during my usage thus far. Here's a brief,

• Brightness always below 40%, at 3 bars or 4 bars.
• Heavy browsing (average of 9 tabs throughout the usage), streaming video simultaneously once in a while with volume @ 50%.
• No key backlight
• No external device connected
• FileVault disabled
• Time machine disabled
• Battery health at 100% capacity

and I get about just 7.5 hours while Apple promises 10 hours for even more intense test with 75% brightness. So if some users report they get 10hrs here why not wait for the successor, right?