New 2016 MacBook Pro VS early 2015/16 model advice

[theredensign]

Hi everyone,

Firstly, many thanks for reading my question.

I have never owned a Mac of any description and, after a great deal of thought and a previous advice topic on this forum, I recently decided that I will purchase a MacBook. However, I thought it best to purchase the new 2016 model, given that it has taken Apple so long to bring about a new instalment. In other words, I didn't want to purchase a model that was essentially on its way out in terms of technological sophistication, even if it was new out of the factory.

However, whilst I expected that there may be a price hike of some measure, I didn't expect an increase of over £1,000 for the 'fully loaded' MacBook Pro. The previous MacBook Pro came to an amount of £2,709, whilst the new version comes to a grand total of £4,049. Incidentally, this price does not include any additional software such as Final Cut Pro.

Whilst I was begrudgingly willing to spend £2,709 on the previous MacBook, I almost feel insulted that Apple believes that a laptop can genuinely be worth in excess of £4,000. However, even in spite of this, a small portion of my mind is willing to consider parting with this kind of money if people here can advise me that it is indeed money well spent. My rationale behind even considering this is that I intend to keep the machine for in excess of five years, hence my reasoning for wanting to go for a fully loaded model that will last till or in excess of that time (unless there were no new wonderful features, I would likely run the machine until it gives up the ghost).

In addition, I have discovered a seller on eBay who has old 2015 MacBook Pro stock (brand new & sealed, 100% genuine). He is offering these at a price of £2,199, which is negotiable. When looking at the spec sheets, it seems that there is little to no difference between the 2015 and early 2016 models. Should I consider this option, if you were to advise me to purchase the last instalment of the Pro rather than the current? Are there any disadvantages to this in terms of warranty etc?

Finally, does Apple ever reduce the price of its products once they have been on the market for some time?

Many thanks for your help,

Kind regards,
Jack.

 

[neoelectronaut]

Does Apple offer Refurbished hardware in your neck o' the woods? I'm finding that's your best option for price.

 

[theredensign]

Does Apple offer Refurbished hardware in your neck o' the woods? I'm finding that's your best option for price.

Hi,

Many thanks for your reply.

Yes, they do. However, the price of a refurbished model with the above specifications amounts to £2,309, according to their website. Given that the eBay seller whom I mentioned has the same model for £2,199 (both are early 2015 models), I'm not sure if refurbished is the way to go.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,
Jack.

 

[andiwm2003]

Just be careful when you buy macs on eBay. Lots of scammers.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Just be careful when you buy macs on eBay. Lots of scammers.

I'd avoid EBay for something this pricey.

 

[Gator1pk]

Hi,

Many thanks for your reply.

Yes, they do. However, the price of a refurbished model with the above specifications amounts to £2,309, according to their website. Given that the eBay seller whom I mentioned has the same model for £2,199 (both are early 2015 models), I'm not sure if refurbished is the way to go.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,
Jack.

With a refurbished MacBook directly from Apple, you get the same warranty as a brand new machine. You can also get Apple Care. The refurbished MacBook will look and perform just like a brand new unit, except that you will get a plain white box and not the "sexy" box you get from purchasing at the Apple Store or other authorized retailer.

So you save a bunch of money, get a "new" MacBook, but have a plain box. Or buy from eBay and get an empty box or some random thing shipped to you and then good luck in recuperating your money. I'm sure eBay is not the way to go.

 

[MecPro]

Only on the terms of eBay:

PayPal are VERY good for any dodgy purchases.

I've been missold and iPhone and a friend a £2k DSLR and both got the money back.

Just read the reviews and ensure you pay via PayPal.

 

[theredensign]

Hi guys,

Many thanks for your input. The seller of the 2015 MBP has very good and extensive feedback (all electronics), but I have sent a message to get a few things confirmed and put in writing.

Can I ask as to whether anyone has any further thoughts on whether I am better purchasing the latest installment of the MPB, or the previous one? Bearing in mind that I wish to keep it for a long time, and don't want to spend what is still a large amount of money on what might be considered vastly outdated technology in another 5 years time?

One thing which concerns me in particular is the fact that the new MPB consists entirely of Thunderbolt 3 ports. On one hand, purchasing the new version may mean that I am prepared for a future potential industry wide adoption of that technology, but if that is not the case, I am stuck with a machine that will effectively cause inconvenience for years.

Incidentally, I do own an iPhone and iPad, hence why I want to move into the Apple ecosystem entirely.

What are your thoughts on the above points?

Many thanks,

Kind regards,
Jack.

 

[Macusercom]

Hi guys,

Many thanks for your input. The seller of the 2015 MBP has very good and extensive feedback (all electronics), but I have sent a message to get a few things confirmed and put in writing.

Can I ask as to whether anyone has any further thoughts on whether I am better purchasing the latest installment of the MPB, or the previous one? Bearing in mind that I wish to keep it for a long time, and don't want to spend what is still a large amount of money on what might be considered vastly outdated technology in another 5 years time?

One thing which concerns me in particular is the fact that the new MPB consists entirely of Thunderbolt 3 ports. On one hand, purchasing the new version may mean that I am prepared for a future potential industry wide adoption of that technology, but if that is not the case, I am stuck with a machine that will effectively cause inconvenience for years.

Incidentally, I do own an iPhone and iPad, hence why I want to move into the Apple ecosystem entirely.

What are your thoughts on the above points?

Many thanks,

Kind regards,
Jack.

I'm in the same position as you are. I can afford a 15" rMBP 2016, but I do not have a good feeling about buying it. I'm still waiting for CPU benchmarks, GPU benchmarks and to actually feel the 2nd gen butterfly keyboard. In theory 1.6 TFLOPS for the 460M sound great, but compared to the 650M or M370X it could be way slower (or faster) than in theory. I would not consider the 2015 model outdated. Also, in another 5 years both will be outdated. Whenever I see my 15" MBP from 2012 I'm missing a retina display, hating the thickness and wishing it was lighter.

I'm playing with the thought that I will consider buying a refurbished rMBP 2016 or maybe 2017 in a few years using the 2015 model to fill in the gap. I'm not sure if I really want to take this step, but I feel like being the only real solution.

 

[marioman38]

I'll vote refurbished 2015 model, good way to save cash, you still get the full 1 year warranty AND are eligible to purchase Apple Care too.

 

[3349793]

I understand that the 2016 MBP is really expensive, but newer is always better. In almost every way.

(Please don't have on me for saying this lol)

 

[Sedulous]

Third option needed: Buy whatever model fits your needs.

The 2016 MBP is obviously a decent but overpriced machine that is a bit too forward-looking for its own good. Apple really needs to re-think product line. Entry lvl / ultraportable / Pro are three tiers that are now blended into a mishmash of products that fail to serve any market terribly well.

Entry lvl = MacBook. Economical is top priority. Is ok if it doesn't have cutting edge specs/engineering.
Ultraportable = MacBook Air. Size/weight is top priority followed closely by endurance.
Pro= MacBook Pro. Performance and IO options are king... even if it isn't as thin and light as an ultraportable.

Why is this so hard for Apple to understand?

 

[Mr. Dee]

I purchased a Early 2015 MBP 13 inch last year, my first Mac. Its been great so far; initially I wanted the 15 inch, but the price and taxes were too steep. When I took into account it had Haswell, instead of Broadwell, I though it would have been two generations behind by the time Apple updated to Skylake, so I went with the 13 inch. Its been serving me well, its super fast, 8 GBs of RAM, 2.7 GHz processor. I run a couple VM's and have multiple browsers open with lots of tabs and I also use Word regularly on it.

I wouldn't buy the 15 inch 2016 model unless you plan to really pressure it with pro apps and content creation. Its not a status symbol. Apple, regardless of pricing knows the target market its pushing this towards, and it really boils down to content creation or developer needs. If you believe it can put back money in your pocket, then go for it. Besides, if you are gonna keep it for 5 years, it might actually be a sound investment realized over time. I personally am not sure, if I might go Mac again, certainly, not for now. If and when I do, its not until Intel Icelake in 2020.