Please stop me from buying a MacBook Pro

[Closingracer]

Sell your XPS. Buy a used 2015 Macbook Pro off craigslist. Get one that still has warranty or Apple care. You can usually find one for $800-$900.

The 2016/2017 Macbook Pros are junk. They're worse in almost every way to the 2015 version.

Sorry I'll keep my 2017 over my 2015

 

[thesaint024]

If you want to return to OSX I would recommend waiting on the 2018 model, given Apple may have got it's act together and finally resolved the auto fail keyboard, picking up a 2016/2017 MBP makes little sense currently.

Honestly feeling sorry for potential buyers who read these posts. I've had my 2016 since launch, and it's literally an amazing machine and reliable on a daily basis. Sure, you should always "wait until next year" because it will always be better with newer tech. But people who need a computer and keep hearing that game-changing things are happening "next year" are going to be sorely disappointed. Recent rumors confirmed that 2018 will pretty much be the same, and this is the typical playbook of Apple. Cycle every few years. Once that new, game-changer comes around in 2020 give or take, you can all say that you were right to wait, 4 years later as I got 4 years of productivity out of my awesome machine. I need a computer when I need it. I can delay 6 months, maybe a year depending on the situation. If one needs one, don't listen to what "might" be coming around the corner. Based on history (and rumors), nothing groundbreaking will happen next year, that already happened in 2016. There are some who's agenda is for Apple to suffer any way they can. Don't be swayed by a personal agenda/vendetta, do what's best for you whichever route is chosen.

I hear these regret stories a lot. Sometimes purchases work out, but often times they don't. I just hope hysteria in the forums don't actually contribute to people making regrettable decisions. There is an over the top hate going on in MR. The art in forums is weeding out the agendas from useful, objective information for buying decisions. Hint: a red flag is just making a blanket, hyperbolic statement without any backup. PC's work better for many people, but personal use is more important than how it works in someone else's workflow.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Sell your XPS. Buy a used 2015 Macbook Pro off craigslist. Get one that still has warranty or Apple care. You can usually find one for $800-$900.

The 2016/2017 Macbook Pros are junk. They're worse in almost every way to the 2015 version.

This is what I did, I bought a top-of-the-line 2015 Macbook Pro with a i7 2.8 Ghz, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and the 750M nVidia for around $1200. I don’t regret it at all.

 

[mj_]

This is what I did, I bought a top-of-the-line 2015 Macbook Pro with a i7 2.8 Ghz, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and the 750M nVidia for around $1200. I don’t regret it at all.

There is no 2015 MBP with 750M Nvidia GPU. You've either got a 2014 MBP with Nvidia GPU or a 2015 MBP with AMD GPU but a 2015 with Nvidia simply does not exist.

 

[Queen6]

Meh I wouldn't go so far to call it an auto fail keyboard. Have my 2017 15 inch for 6 months now and it's fine.

There's simply far too many accounts of heavy use and the 15" MBP keyboard failing and Apple not being able to resolve, which frankly gives me zero confidence. Telling my clients I am unable to deliver due to likes of this is simply not going to wash and spectacularly unprofessional on Apple's behalf not or have adequately tested and proved a premium product.

I fully understand anything can and does fail, equally why on earth would I purchase a product with a known and recognised production issue, that the provider is incapable of resolving . I do agree the 2017 is better, equally we're speaking about keyboards in 2018, not 1918.

There's no excuses here Apple prioritised "Thinner" over function and more importantly reliability and now it's firmly biting them in the ass...

Q-6

 

[Closingracer]

There's simply far too many accounts of heavy use and the 15" MBP keyboard failing and Apple not being able to resolve, which frankly gives me zero confidence. Telling my clients I am unable to deliver due to likes of this is simply not going to wash and spectacularly unprofessional on Apple's behalf not or have adequately tested and proved a premium product.

I fully understand anything can and does fail, equally why on earth would I purchase a product with a known and recognised production issue, that the provider is incapable of resolving . I do agree the 2017 is better, equally we're speaking about keyboards in 2018, not 1918.

There's no excuses here Apple prioritised "Thinner" over function and more importantly reliability and now it's firmly biting them in the ass...

Q-6

Far 2 many? Because MacRumors accounts for the entire population of America let alone the world.

 

[Queen6]

Honestly feeling sorry for potential buyers who read these posts. I've had my 2016 since launch, and it's literally an amazing machine and reliable on a daily basis. Sure, you should always "wait until next year" because it will always be better with newer tech. But people who need a computer and keep hearing that game-changing things are happening "next year" are going to be sorely disappointed. Recent rumors confirmed that 2018 will pretty much be the same, and this is the typical playbook of Apple. Cycle every few years. Once that new, game-changer comes around in 2020 give or take, you can all say that you were right to wait, 4 years later as I got 4 years of productivity out of my awesome machine. I need a computer when I need it. I can delay 6 months, maybe a year depending on the situation. If one needs one, don't listen to what "might" be coming around the corner. Based on history (and rumors), nothing groundbreaking will happen next year, that already happened in 2016. There are some who's agenda is for Apple to suffer any way they can. Don't be swayed by a personal agenda/vendetta, do what's best for you whichever route is chosen.

I hear these regret stories a lot. Sometimes purchases work out, but often times they don't. I just hope hysteria in the forums don't actually contribute to people making regrettable decisions. There is an over the top hate going on in MR. The art in forums is weeding out the agendas from useful, objective information for buying decisions. Hint: a red flag is just making a blanket, hyperbolic statement without any backup. PC's work better for many people, but personal use is more important than how it works in someone else's workflow.

Completely agree purchase what's best for your needs when you need it, however currently after over 20 years Apple's seemingly incapable of addressing mine and many others...

Apple knows exactly what it's doing and the MBP is selling vey well, equally one needs to see both sides of the coin to make an informed decision. People such as myself can only speak from our experience, usage and workflow. Personally I have no regrets as I purchase what works as that is a fundamental component of revenue, and getting it wrong costs.

Q-6

 

[SteveJUAE]

You've learned two valuable lessons:

2) Buying a PC because they are cheaper is a false economy, as Apple hardware holds its value so much better

This may be true for the US who have a much higher regard for 2nd hand goods and a few other countries but equally in others its not true as mac's are just not that popular for example or have no service centres etc ie YMMV

 

[Queen6]

Far 2 many? Because MacRumors accounts for the entire population of America let alone the world.

Problem is we don't know exact numbers, equally when relying on the hardware for a living discounting such reports is somewhat foolhardy, as we're not just seeing a couple of disgruntled customers here...

I also tested a fair few 2017 15" MBP's with every one feeling to me to have inconsistent key actuation under heavy load, nor was Apple too pleased resulting in three staff and two security guards standing round me 😕 for what? Running multiple instances of Dev/Null on their 15" premium notebook, they were clearly very uncomfortable, nor did I hide my intentions 😵

I might be wrong here, however I feel that regardless of the computational load the notebook's keyboard should not be effected. I certainly know non of my previous MBP's had issue or their subsequent Windows replacements. I can loan a 15" MBP pretty much indefinitely, however I can only view multiple units at Apple nor was I personally convinced, with the 2017 keyboard remaining questionable...

Q-6

 

[Closingracer]

Problem is we don't know exact numbers, equally when relying on the hardware for a living discounting such reports is somewhat foolhardy, as we're not just seeing a couple of disgruntled customers here...

I also tested a fair few 2017 15" MBP's with every one feeling to me to have inconsistent key actuation under heavy load, nor was Apple too pleased resulting in three staff and two security guards standing round me 😕 for what? Running multiple instances of Dev/Null on their 15" premium notebook, they were clearly very uncomfortable, nor did I hide my intentions 😵

I might be wrong here, however I feel that regardless of the computational load the notebook's keyboard should not be effected. I certainly know non of my previous MBP's had issue or their subsequent Windows replacements. I can loan a 15" MBP pretty much indefinitely, however I can only view multiple units at Apple nor was I personally convinced, with the 2017 keyboard remaining questionable...

Q-6

It's easy... If this was a big enough of an issue Apple would if said something and then fix the issue. Since they haven't said anything about it nor have changed the keyboard I will. Assume it's the vocal minority that is complaining about this.


My 2017 15 inch keyboard is great still still going strong 6 months later. I also was one who hated the butterfly switches on the orginal retina MacBook and kind of said Meh to it on the pro

 

[SteveJUAE]

It's easy... If this was a big enough of an issue Apple would if said something and then fix the issue. Since they haven't said anything about it nor have changed the keyboard I will. Assume it's the vocal minority that is complaining about this.


My 2017 15 inch keyboard is great still still going strong 6 months later. I also was one who hated the butterfly switches on the orginal retina MacBook and kind of said Meh to it on the pro

That's a rather simplistic approach 🙂 The KB design has been changed slightly since 1st appearance in 2015 plus there are examples where Apple have been forced by consumers to rectify issues

 

[Closingracer]

That's a rather simplistic approach 🙂 The KB design has been changed slightly since 1st appearance in 2015 plus there are examples where Apple have been forced by consumers to rectify issues

Yes and it's proven. There hasn't been enough people complaining so who's going to force Apple to change it? The few members of MacRumors?

 

[nStyle]

I fully understand anything can and does fail, equally why on earth would I purchase a product with a known and recognised production issue, that the provider is incapable of resolving . I do agree the 2017 is better, equally we're speaking about keyboards in 2018, not 1918.

Even if the keyboard issue is a widespread problem as you say, the likelihood of the issue NOT popping up within your laptop's warranty is extremely slim to zero. Knowing that a small percentage of laptops may have a faulty keyboard would definitely not deter me from buying a MBP. That's far too trivial.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Yes and it's proven. There hasn't been enough people complaining so who's going to force Apple to change it? The few members of MacRumors?

It only takes a few or even 1 to win a court case and the flood gates open 🙄

Whilst my wife's 2015 rMB KB and my old one gifted to my son seem to be holding up well enough even in MR forum there were not as many posts about KB as the MBP forum

I think what scares most is the conflict between supposedly longevity of a mac vs the high cost of repair currently, should there be an issue outside of AC

Worse still AC is almost becoming mandatory simply due to construction methods

 

[The Mercurian]

Honestly feeling sorry for potential buyers who read these posts. I've had my 2016 since launch, and it's literally an amazing machine and reliable on a daily basis. Sure, you should always "wait until next year" because it will always be better with newer tech. But people who need a computer and keep hearing that game-changing things are happening "next year" are going to be sorely disappointed. Recent rumors confirmed that 2018 will pretty much be the same, and this is the typical playbook of Apple. Cycle every few years. Once that new, game-changer comes around in 2020 give or take, you can all say that you were right to wait, 4 years later as I got 4 years of productivity out of my awesome machine. I need a computer when I need it. I can delay 6 months, maybe a year depending on the situation. If one needs one, don't listen to what "might" be coming around the corner. Based on history (and rumors), nothing groundbreaking will happen next year, that already happened in 2016. There are some who's agenda is for Apple to suffer any way they can. Don't be swayed by a personal agenda/vendetta, do what's best for you whichever route is chosen.

I hear these regret stories a lot. Sometimes purchases work out, but often times they don't. I just hope hysteria in the forums don't actually contribute to people making regrettable decisions. There is an over the top hate going on in MR. The art in forums is weeding out the agendas from useful, objective information for buying decisions. Hint: a red flag is just making a blanket, hyperbolic statement without any backup. PC's work better for many people, but personal use is more important than how it works in someone else's workflow.

So you think 2 extra cores, faster clock speeds amounting to a 40% boost is not ground breaking ?

I'm sorry you are giving bad advice. The next model will be a step change even if the chassis and keyboard doens't change and those who buy now will be kicking themselves. The OP doesnt' need to buy now. He/she is making do with his Dell. No reason for him/her not to make do another few months to see what shakes out. I'm pretty sure the OP having regretted the Dell, does not want to buy a MBP and regret that later in the year - don't you think ?

 

[Queen6]

It's easy... If this was a big enough of an issue Apple would if said something and then fix the issue. Since they haven't said anything about it nor have changed the keyboard I will. Assume it's the vocal minority that is complaining about this.

My 2017 15 inch keyboard is great still still going strong 6 months later. I also was one who hated the butterfly switches on the orginal retina MacBook and kind of said Meh to it on the pro

Like when Apple immediately addressed the Radeon dGPU issue 🙄 Literally took years, and only when Apple knew it would loose it's ass in court, then and only then Apple offered the most watered down solution it could get away with. It's business, negative aka Red Money is never good, simple as that.

Apple's extremely good at triage, and will do it's utmost to contain such issues. FWIW I also have a rMB and it has had issue with the "E" key, however I was lucky and between beating on the key and canned air it freed up. IMHO these new extremely low travel keyboards Apple are designing are simply garbage. Others can provide adequate travel and even liquid resistance in similar thin chassis. Just what exactly is stopping Apple?

I own one myself (Huawei MateBook X) and my youngest inadvertently tested it with a glass of milk, net result clean up with no impact to the notebook. This being an MBP I'd be in for a four figure bill by default. You want to strive to be the best, you have to deliver, then everything else follows naturally...

Q-6
[doublepost=1516649535][/doublepost]

Even if the keyboard issue is a widespread problem as you say, the likelihood of the issue NOT popping up within your laptop's warranty is extremely slim to zero. Knowing that a small percentage of laptops may have a faulty keyboard would definitely not deter me from buying a MBP. That's far too trivial.

Knock yourself out and buy one then. What I do know, is if it fails, it can potentially cost me more than the price of the product on a daily basis. So think I'll stick with notebook's that don't have any known failure mechanisms. Turnaround time on repair of the poorly designed keyboard is extensive nor guaranteed to resolve. Majority of professional's have backup systems, equally we don't plan to use them, especially due to something as basic as this 🙄

Personally I feel for those that have saved for several years to purchase a MBP, only to be let down by Apple's lack of due diligence and for some once out of warranty $700 is a significant cost...

Q-6

 

[seeforyourself]

If you do wind up getting the macbook pro, wait atleast a month or two until the update. They may fix the keyboards even more.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

There is no 2015 MBP with 750M Nvidia GPU. You've either got a 2014 MBP with Nvidia GPU or a 2015 MBP with AMD GPU but a 2015 with Nvidia simply does not exist.

Ha You are correct. I went with the mid-2014. Sorry for the misconception. Still a beast though. I made -ahem- an "iMac" (at least that is the DSDT says) with a latest gen i5, and the MacBook Pro holds up pretty darn well next to that machine. Kind of surprised me and just means that the OP should feel very comfortable getting an older refurb or used MBP.

 

[thesaint024]

Completely agree purchase what's best for your needs when you need it, however currently after over 20 years Apple's seemingly incapable of addressing mine and many others...

Apple knows exactly what it's doing and the MBP is selling vey well, equally one needs to see both sides of the coin to make an informed decision. People such as myself can only speak from our experience, usage and workflow. Personally I have no regrets as I purchase what works as that is a fundamental component of revenue, and getting it wrong costs.

Yep, that's what we all should do. And I'm not necessarily addressing my comments to you, just some of the stuff I read here. It's totally cool to let other people know that there are other options too, I personally welcome and appreciate that info. I just want the best gear for my needs and shop accordingly without any brand loyalty. The spamming annoys me, and that's what I was addressing. You can hear it in some posts about people being scared ******** because they read something on MR. Of course it's on them to view things clearly, but some posts don't help. Everyone should buy the best for their needs regardless if it's an XPS, MBP, or anything else.
[doublepost=1516659216][/doublepost]

So you think 2 extra cores, faster clock speeds amounting to a 40% boost is not ground breaking ?

I'm sorry you are giving bad advice. The next model will be a step change even if the chassis and keyboard doens't change and those who buy now will be kicking themselves. The OP doesnt' need to buy now. He/she is making do with his Dell. No reason for him/her not to make do another few months to see what shakes out. I'm pretty sure the OP having regretted the Dell, does not want to buy a MBP and regret that later in the year - don't you think ?

I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy or not buy anything, just ignore some noise, and do what's best for personal needs. 2 extra cores doesn't necessarily equate to better for everyone. Just like people are dumbfounded when not everyone buys a 15" with 4 cores and dGPU. Many of us have little need for dGPU, and it comes with downsides. Everything comes with downsides. That's why there are so many computer choices out there, every manufacturer is compromising something. Next year's MBP with 2 additional cores will do nothing for me, but may for others. Many don't push the cpu all the time and are starving for more power. Safe to say most are not power users and would trade battery life and form for extra cores or RAM. Maybe you and even OP have other needs, it's the dumb rhetoric that I am disputing that 2018 is going to change everything for MBP. It's not me labeling 2018 as "not groundbreaking", it's the same rumors that everyone else has access to. Some things can be objectively called game-changing, the next iteration is likely not, objectively speaking. But it could be to some with specific use cases. TLDR: 2 extra cores and faster clock speeds is not groundbreaking. I don't know about 40%, that would be the biggest leap in cpu tech in nearly a decade.

 

[TopShelf]

I wouldn't buy a 2016 or 2017 without warranty, because I've read enough not to and I've also had it happen to the one I own.

I prefer typing on my 2017 keyboard, then the 2015 model, but I'll tell you, when my space bar stopped "pressing" and Apple said it would have to be sent away for a week, I don't know what I would of done. I fixed it myself but if I didn't, the fact that they don't offer a "loaner computer" or can't fix it within 24 hours, might of made me jump ship.

 

[4RunnerHeaven]

The $1499 XPS doesn't have a touch bar and it only has a 1080p screen, so not really a fair comparison to be honest.

No it doesn't. It has the Infinity display. You can get it for $1499 like some said.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8735-dell-xps-15-business.html

15.6” UltraSharp 4K Ultra HD (3840x2160) InfinityEdge touch display
350-nit, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 72% typicalon FHD,100% minimum Adobe RGB on 4K Ultra HD, 170°wide viewing angle -85°/ 85°/ 85°/ 85°
Capacitive touchscreen –10-finger touch support
Read more at https://hothardware.com/reviews/dell-xps-15-late-2015-review#76VAqvJj9KAYexvX.99

 

[Queen6]

Yep, that's what we all should do. And I'm not necessarily addressing my comments to you, just some of the stuff I read here. It's totally cool to let other people know that there are other options too, I personally welcome and appreciate that info. I just want the best gear for my needs and shop accordingly without any brand loyalty. The spamming annoys me, and that's what I was addressing. You can hear it in some posts about people being scared ******** because they read something on MR. Of course it's on them to view things clearly, but some posts don't help. Everyone should buy the best for their needs regardless if it's an XPS, MBP, or anything else.

The door swings both ways, to be brutally honest I could care less which side people sit. What irks me is Apple desperately wants my approval, yet only produces predominantly consumer based junk regardless of how well it's appointed. Apple needs to stop with the "Pro" equals a spec bump and increased margins, deliver professional level product. Myself and many others switched not because W10 is suddenly cool and trendy, we need performance and stability not thinner for the sake of it, with whistles, tricks & bells.

A fully loaded Dell Precision 7720 is in the region of $13K, personally I have no issue with this if the project demanded this level of performance. Ironically I'm currently using a "gaming notebook" as it literally crushes the MBP at the same price point and offers tremendous scalability. What makes me laugh most is this "gaming toy" is literally killing it, booking more than the price of a well spec'd MBP everyday I turn it on. Mostly the client is sometimes curious, generally positive, more importantly no one blinks when it runs engineering simulations, no dongles required...

Q-6

 

[The Mercurian]

TLDR: 2 extra cores and faster clock speeds is not groundbreaking. I don't know about 40%, that would be the biggest leap in cpu tech in nearly a decade.

Its funny you use that turn of phase....intel also used that phrase......http://www.channelfutures.com/data-centers/intel-says-new-chip-once-decade-performance-boost

These new chips will be groundbreaking -for that reason, and for the reason that it is unlikely that a 40% boost will be seen for another decade afterwards.

 

[kadify]

I wouldn't buy a 2016 or 2017 without warranty, because I've read enough not to and I've also had it happen to the one I own.

I prefer typing on my 2017 keyboard, then the 2015 model, but I'll tell you, when my space bar stopped "pressing" and Apple said it would have to be sent away for a week, I don't know what I would of done. I fixed it myself but if I didn't, the fact that they don't offer a "loaner computer" or can't fix it within 24 hours, might of made me jump ship.

You can "buy" another MacBook for the interim time and just return for a full refund if that ever happens again.

 

[eddjedi]

I find Queen6's constant bashing of Apple products and praising of Windows quite funny. I also work as a professional as I'm sure most people here do (no need to drop that in to every post you make) and in the last two days I've seen an HP laptop not connect to a screen via HDMI during a board meeting because of a driver issue ("no dongle" as you like to bang on about) and just this morning one of my team's Lenovo laptops has died on its arse because apparently Windows 10 can't run with less than 5GB of free disk space (not ideal I know, but with a 128GB drive that's no excuse for it to refuse to run any programs.) Please stop claiming PCs are perfect and Apple products are disasters waiting to happen, you are talking utter nonsense. As for Apple "desperately wanting your approval", why do you spend all day on a Mac forum if you don't like Apple or Macs? Bizarre.

Regarding the price of the XPS, I'm going by Dell's own website RRP, not some random deal you can find online. That's like comparing an eBay purchase with something direct from Apple. The only XPS with an RRP of $1499 does not have a high DPI screen.