As I said in another thread, you have to beware of people here to complain, to tell stories and to bash Apple for not building the machine THEY wanted.
The silliness flies fast and furious here. A good example is the fellow claiming you can't tell the difference in SSD speeds. Patently false to the point where you immediately have to question the motives of anyone saying so.
I use Photoshop along with Lightroom. My cameras include D500 and D810 and I process mainly RAW files. Based on the lies I had read here I expected my 2015 MBP to be about the same as my new Touchbar, but here are the key differences...
For photography...
1) The 2016 opened groups of files FASTER, while the 2015 bogged down after 5 or 6 files from a Nikon D810.
2) The 2016 allowed me to work on MORE files at the same time.
3) The 2016 higher contrast screen allowed better and easier location work with photos.
4) The larger trackpad allowed (for the 1st time ever) proper editing using photoshop without the need for an external mouse or pad.
For writing...
1) Once you're used to it, chances are that you'll like the new keyboard better. Most people do and that's a fact.
2) If you work in bright rooms...or dark ones, the superior screen does make a difference. Higher contrast has me using less screen brightness indoors than the 2015 (which is why it always bested my 2015 for battery life). Outdoors there's no defense of the 2015 at all. I can use the 2016 better poolside or at a location on a sunny day.
For a student...
1) Lighter, easier to carry
2) connects to anything and everything on Earth for a few bucks.
3) Beautiful design, fit and finish.
4) Touchbar is nice when using programs like FCP to do school videos, as my son just discovered.
In the end you have to sift through a lot of nonsense in forums like this. I own 3 displays, 2 large format professional printers, a laser printer, various cameras that are used tethered, external SSD and standard drives, thumb drives...it all works flawlessly with USB-C, even my old DVD drives!
Stay away from the 2015 models. They are solid, but still clunky dinosaurs. They're also not cool for a 16 year old! My son is about to turn 13 and he's getting a touchbar model for his birthday. Even his school has bought touchbar units, so it makes more sense.
Don't get caught up in the past because a small group of people want to stick with what's comfortable for them.
R.
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What a world we live in where 2015 laptops are considered "ancient".
The internal components were very good and hardly ancient, but the ergonomics and design were several years old. Once you spend some time with the new machines most folks get it. Apple isn't stupid. They tested the designs on a LOT of people prior to release.
Do you really think their group tests were 100% successful? Or do you think that they KNEW some people would not or could not adapt to the new designs, yet knew that overall market penetration would improve?
I've got family with Apple, so some of this I knew. But it still staggers me that so many people can't figure it out. They're even more surprised when they hear that the new machines have sold well. Apple isn't surprised at all.
R.
