Gosh. Such a tough decision. I have been looking really hard at the 512Gb model at Best Buy. With the movers coupon discount online (eBay) and the open box option, the price is really tempting!
But I really really want to see what this update has in store. Skylake improvements will be nice but it's already been determined the performance difference won't be too great. Probably not worth ~$400. But it is worth noting the next model will almost certainly include a price decrease from the current Apple prices. First gen products are always marked up. There's also a chance a more significant edu discount is offered (currently only $50. Such a joke)
The biggest thing I would like to see is TB3. To me, this totally future proofs this device since I can then buy TB3 accessories, docking station, etc that will last me the next 5 years. Skylake supports the TB3 option but as others have pointed out it requires another chip on the oh-so-small motherboard. Hopefully Apple can make it work.
Another thing I think could be improved is the keyboard. I'm not suggesting Apple will move to a new keyboard, more just refine the current butterfly design under the hood. A very under reported topic here is the quality and durability of the rMB individual keys. I bought 2 when they first came out and returned both due to the premium price combined with finicky keys on both models I ended up returning. It wasn't an issue with the keyboard overall, I enjoyed the new feel. But I had 1-2 keys on each model which were clearly defective and I found that unacceptable for an Apple product, especially one that's sold at such a premium given its specs. Given my personal experience and many others on this forum, I think Apple had a QA issue with the keyboard on this model. They would definitely be aware of this based on return volumes and refurbishments they had to make on these devices. I think there's a decent chance this next model has a slightly refined keyboard that is more durable and more fresh out of the box.
But I really really want to see what this update has in store. Skylake improvements will be nice but it's already been determined the performance difference won't be too great. Probably not worth ~$400. But it is worth noting the next model will almost certainly include a price decrease from the current Apple prices. First gen products are always marked up. There's also a chance a more significant edu discount is offered (currently only $50. Such a joke)
The biggest thing I would like to see is TB3. To me, this totally future proofs this device since I can then buy TB3 accessories, docking station, etc that will last me the next 5 years. Skylake supports the TB3 option but as others have pointed out it requires another chip on the oh-so-small motherboard. Hopefully Apple can make it work.
Another thing I think could be improved is the keyboard. I'm not suggesting Apple will move to a new keyboard, more just refine the current butterfly design under the hood. A very under reported topic here is the quality and durability of the rMB individual keys. I bought 2 when they first came out and returned both due to the premium price combined with finicky keys on both models I ended up returning. It wasn't an issue with the keyboard overall, I enjoyed the new feel. But I had 1-2 keys on each model which were clearly defective and I found that unacceptable for an Apple product, especially one that's sold at such a premium given its specs. Given my personal experience and many others on this forum, I think Apple had a QA issue with the keyboard on this model. They would definitely be aware of this based on return volumes and refurbishments they had to make on these devices. I think there's a decent chance this next model has a slightly refined keyboard that is more durable and more fresh out of the box.
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