Need OSX for work, unfortunately. If Apple would license OSX to run on non-Apple hardware I wouldn't have bought one.
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So who actually likes their new MBP with Touchbar?
- Thread starter ozziegn
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Benchmarks have shown that the hardware specs for the 2015 are nearly identical. You could always "downgrade" to that one.
Benchmarks doing what? I think that the SSD on the new one is significantly faster. I also found the previous 15" a bit too big and definitely too thick.
I understand that people "love" their new Macbook Pros, but I just don't. I'm indifferent to the OS, I can work fine with Windows and Linux.
With AppleCare and a couple of dongles, this laptop was nearly 4k Swiss francs. I could get the new 15" Dell with 4k touch screen, Kaby Lake CPU, nVidia 1050, 32 Gb memory, 1Tb SSD, way more useful port selection, with 3 years on-site warranty and 3 years accident insurance for nearly 1.5k less. That's shockingly bad value from Apple.
Coming from a 2013 MacBook Pro its a huge upgrade. The screen is gorgeous. Its fast. Its light. And I just love the USB C port! This is probably the most 'HACKABLE' mac without getting out your screw drivers.
Let me explain:
1) USB C allows me to use non-apple charging adaptors . Say goodbye to those fraying MagSafe adaptors. Just change your USB/Thunderbolt cable. Or buy a better one from another vendor. I am currently using an Innergie.
2) You can charge your Mac from a battery pack on the go. I get 8-10 hrs form the normal battery but slap on a compatible external battery pack and you potentially get up to double your battery time. Buy only those that support pass through charging. i.e. one cable charges the battery pack and your Mac. This feature is probably for the 13inch though as power draw for 15 is too high.
3) Very fast file transfers. Currently using the Sandisk USB-C/USBA Thumb drives. I can run my parallels VM's from there and they are fast.
4) Thunderbolt 3 dock and external GPU. I think some people got the PASCAL series GFX 1080 graphics cards into a RAZER core and works with bootcamp or parallels on the 13 inch. This is potentially huge. Now if apple will write drivers for EGPU's for MacOS....
With all the negative press on the 2016 Macbook Pros, I waited almost 3 months before I made the plunge. No regrets. Delighted with the machine.
Let me explain:
1) USB C allows me to use non-apple charging adaptors . Say goodbye to those fraying MagSafe adaptors. Just change your USB/Thunderbolt cable. Or buy a better one from another vendor. I am currently using an Innergie.
2) You can charge your Mac from a battery pack on the go. I get 8-10 hrs form the normal battery but slap on a compatible external battery pack and you potentially get up to double your battery time. Buy only those that support pass through charging. i.e. one cable charges the battery pack and your Mac. This feature is probably for the 13inch though as power draw for 15 is too high.
3) Very fast file transfers. Currently using the Sandisk USB-C/USBA Thumb drives. I can run my parallels VM's from there and they are fast.
4) Thunderbolt 3 dock and external GPU. I think some people got the PASCAL series GFX 1080 graphics cards into a RAZER core and works with bootcamp or parallels on the 13 inch. This is potentially huge. Now if apple will write drivers for EGPU's for MacOS....
With all the negative press on the 2016 Macbook Pros, I waited almost 3 months before I made the plunge. No regrets. Delighted with the machine.
I think folks who needed the classic/legacy ports had that option.
For me, the screen, keyboard, trackpad, size/weight and better GPU were more than enough to go with the 2016.
OP:
I don't consider moving from a 2015 MBPro to a 2016 model "a big enough jump upwards".
The 2016's are... cough... already "last year's model". (Gonna get stuff thrown at me for suggesting that!)
It's already rumored that Apple is working on new (or perhaps "revision B") MBPro's for release later this year.
If you have no substantial complaints about the 2015 you have now -- other than "the itch for something new" -- you might do better to "hold whatcha got" until later this year...
I don't consider moving from a 2015 MBPro to a 2016 model "a big enough jump upwards".
The 2016's are... cough... already "last year's model". (Gonna get stuff thrown at me for suggesting that!)
It's already rumored that Apple is working on new (or perhaps "revision B") MBPro's for release later this year.
If you have no substantial complaints about the 2015 you have now -- other than "the itch for something new" -- you might do better to "hold whatcha got" until later this year...
Value depends on what one values, of course. That you don't value what Apple sells shouldn't shock you--you just don't value it. Many others obviously do. You don't value the most powerful flexible ports, more powerful than those of the forthcoming XPS you mention. Others value that. You don't like the keyboard, others love it. Trackpad doesn't work for you, works great for others. You don't like the edges, others admire them. Battery life seems mediocre to you, it's tested to meet or exceed Apple's claims by others, including professional reviewers--it's much better than the current XPS UHD, and is likely to remain better as long as the XPS has that beautiful but power-hungry screen and desktop RAM. A screen that lags the Mac's in brightness, contrast and initial color accuracy, by the way. Things some people value. And the OS. And build quality. Among other things. People get what they pay for.
How is your fingerprint reader inaccurate? Mine never misses. Might help to enter your prints more thoroughly.
I had the same reaction. I hated the keyboard so much in the store that I came close to screaming out loud. Still, I bought one because I was so desperate for a 5K monitor that I was willing to take the chance. Once I started using the keyboard, it took about an hour for me to get used to it. As an added bonus, I can type on it without as much hand pain or fatigue as I would get on my old MBP keyboard. I used to carry around an external keyboard if I needed to do much typing while I was going somewhere with my laptop. I feared the super flat keyboard would be terrible for my RSI, but it's ended up being quite good for it.
I don't like everything about my new MBP, but I don't have any massive complaints. The battery life is surprisingly good. It's not the 10 hours they advertise for the things I do with it, but it easily outlasts my mid-2012 unibody MBP. I have no regrets about getting one aside from the hit to my wallet.
It all comes down to personal taste. Windows 10 has been an issue for me. 1607 anniversary update brought out a LOT of issues on several computers. No shortcuts would work, webcam was messed up, and windows update was having issues. I would gladly pay $1,000 just for macOS at this point.
As for NVIDIA cards, they are actually slower with FCPX. Touch screen I find to be an absolute gimmick. I never used my touch screen on my Surface Pro.
Love it, its super fast and reliable, and have had no issues besides the occasional sticky key (which I blame on getting a crumb or two on my keyboard, so, my fault). There's zero need for "dongles" and the touchbar is not a "gimmick." For example, I use it in photoshop daily and its genius. But I came from a 2011 MBP so the changes in performance I am seeing are not going to be the same for you. But something you will notice is the change in weight and size, which contrary to the vocal Macrumors users, is actually a great thing for me. I love being able to hold it in one hand and bring it to work everyday with out worrying about back aches.
So I sold both my 2014 5K Retina iMac 4.0 i7 with 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD and my Mid 2015 15" rMBP 2.8 i7 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD to purchase my new 2016 15" tbMBP 2.7 i7 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, Radeon 455. I could not be happier. On this forum, you'll find someone complaining about just about everything on the 2016 tbMBP and they may have a legitimate reason to complain, but I have had zero issues with mine.
-I love the new keyboard, it's quiet and the short stroke makes typing on it a breeze.
-The new Touch Bar has it's uses. I actually use it more than I though I would. I love the scrubbing feature when doing video stuff and having the presets there for Photoshop is awesome.
-Having the TouchID built in is pretty sweet too. I find it very useful when logging into the machine from sleep and also when installing software.
-The 2016 is significantly thinner and lighter than any of the previous generations
-I purchased most of the USB-C adapters and find that having all USB-C ports really isn't that bad. 90% of the time I'm working just on the laptop and don't have anything plugged in. When I do need to plug something in, I just use the correct adapter.
-I love the new keyboard, it's quiet and the short stroke makes typing on it a breeze.
-The new Touch Bar has it's uses. I actually use it more than I though I would. I love the scrubbing feature when doing video stuff and having the presets there for Photoshop is awesome.
-Having the TouchID built in is pretty sweet too. I find it very useful when logging into the machine from sleep and also when installing software.
-The 2016 is significantly thinner and lighter than any of the previous generations
-I purchased most of the USB-C adapters and find that having all USB-C ports really isn't that bad. 90% of the time I'm working just on the laptop and don't have anything plugged in. When I do need to plug something in, I just use the correct adapter.
Question for TB owners:
What do you find yourself using it for?
Simple UI navigation? Something deeper?
I don't really see myself getting one any time soon, but I am interested in the prospect of a Magic Keyboard with a built-in TB. Throw-away culture just isn't for me.
What do you find yourself using it for?
Simple UI navigation? Something deeper?
I don't really see myself getting one any time soon, but I am interested in the prospect of a Magic Keyboard with a built-in TB. Throw-away culture just isn't for me.
I don't particularly care for it, but I haven't spent any time trying to make it more useful either. Others here have customized it and used it in programs I don't use. It will have to be a long boring day when I get around to customizing mine.
The one thing I find more useful than the function keys is skipping ads in Youtube.
I am absolutely FASCINATED by my 2016 15" MbP 2.9 460. Technically I "downgraded" from a late 2016 Razer Blade Pro, but unlike the Blade Pro the MbP actually runs Heroes Of The Storm without randomly shutting off! [yea, I know, I quote that a lot, but it's just so stupidly RIDICULOUS I can't help it...I mean. . a GAMING NOTEBOOK that can't handle a low resource MoBA?! ROFL!!!!!!!!!]
Pros:
thin and light
Decent Battery life [compared to the Blade Pro, which clock in at a max of 3.5 hours at idle]
No MagSafe [I know how to keep my cable out of the flow of traffic]
THUNDERBOLT 3!
Keyboard tactical feedback and sound (but I'm a mechanical keyboard fan)
Glossy screen [I can't STAND cheap blurry matte coatings]
Good heat control with overall quiet fan response, situational fan response for heavy lifting tasks [handbrake]
OS X
Cons:
Have to initially replace a LOT of cables with USB-C equivalent or purchase adapters. USING them doesn't bother me. BUYING them? I still don't have a 60Hz capable DisplayPort adapter.
Battery consistency. Sometimes it sees like the Radeon GPU still gets stuck "on". Not an issue for 13"
Lack of certain apps or programs [first world problem, but I like having a Netflix and Flipboard app on Windows.]
Neutral:
The Touch Bar. I *LOVE* playing with the touch bar, and I make a point of using it. That said, I'd probably never miss it if it wasn't there.
Fingerprint Sensor.
I have an Apple Watch. Excellent feature becomes unused and redundant.
Pros:
thin and light
Decent Battery life [compared to the Blade Pro, which clock in at a max of 3.5 hours at idle]
No MagSafe [I know how to keep my cable out of the flow of traffic]
THUNDERBOLT 3!
Keyboard tactical feedback and sound (but I'm a mechanical keyboard fan)
Glossy screen [I can't STAND cheap blurry matte coatings]
Good heat control with overall quiet fan response, situational fan response for heavy lifting tasks [handbrake]
OS X
Cons:
Have to initially replace a LOT of cables with USB-C equivalent or purchase adapters. USING them doesn't bother me. BUYING them? I still don't have a 60Hz capable DisplayPort adapter.
Battery consistency. Sometimes it sees like the Radeon GPU still gets stuck "on". Not an issue for 13"
Lack of certain apps or programs [first world problem, but I like having a Netflix and Flipboard app on Windows.]
Neutral:
The Touch Bar. I *LOVE* playing with the touch bar, and I make a point of using it. That said, I'd probably never miss it if it wasn't there.
Fingerprint Sensor.
I have an Apple Watch. Excellent feature becomes unused and redundant.
Nice to see that there are some other happy customers out there. Naturally there's always going to be more negative views on a forum, we all like to complain when something's not right.
But I absolutely love my new MacBook Pro. I went for a maxed out 15" (bar a 1TB instead of the 2TB I don't need that much space) and there's nothing I don't like.
Of course I knew I'd like it, I spent enough time doing research and trying out it and several Windows options, because you never know. The Touch Bar often gets labelled a gimmick but I find it useful. I use it a lot every day and with BTT it's extremely versatile.
So yeah, Powerful, blisteringly fast, fairly compact and lightweight (compared to some I've owned) great screen, great sound, handy Touch Bar, awesome Trackpad, good battery so far and apologies to the haters but I'm glad it's all USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, I'm finding them very versatile and damn quick when it comes to transfers.
I care not for those who label happy Apple customers as sheep or fanboys or whatever other pathetic childish designation they care to use. The truth is some of us make informed, carefully calculated choices. The fact that we buy a MacBook means only that it's the system best suited to our needs. As far as I'm concerned the new MacBook isn't just the best MacBook I've ever owned, it's the best laptop I've ever owned (and I've had quite a few, from various manufacturers.)
I feel for the people who get new MacBooks with a problem. It's a shame, it's got to happen of course, impossible to get a 0% failure rate. But I know how annoying and frustrating it can be to be in that situation. Its marring what should be an enjoyable experience of getting a shiny new toy that has so much potential. Hopefully those who have issues get them resolved with the usual Apple swift and excellent service (that I've always had anyway) and get to enjoy the MacBook Pro as much as the rest of us.
Waffling over
But I absolutely love my new MacBook Pro. I went for a maxed out 15" (bar a 1TB instead of the 2TB I don't need that much space) and there's nothing I don't like.
Of course I knew I'd like it, I spent enough time doing research and trying out it and several Windows options, because you never know. The Touch Bar often gets labelled a gimmick but I find it useful. I use it a lot every day and with BTT it's extremely versatile.
So yeah, Powerful, blisteringly fast, fairly compact and lightweight (compared to some I've owned) great screen, great sound, handy Touch Bar, awesome Trackpad, good battery so far and apologies to the haters but I'm glad it's all USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, I'm finding them very versatile and damn quick when it comes to transfers.
I care not for those who label happy Apple customers as sheep or fanboys or whatever other pathetic childish designation they care to use. The truth is some of us make informed, carefully calculated choices. The fact that we buy a MacBook means only that it's the system best suited to our needs. As far as I'm concerned the new MacBook isn't just the best MacBook I've ever owned, it's the best laptop I've ever owned (and I've had quite a few, from various manufacturers.)
I feel for the people who get new MacBooks with a problem. It's a shame, it's got to happen of course, impossible to get a 0% failure rate. But I know how annoying and frustrating it can be to be in that situation. Its marring what should be an enjoyable experience of getting a shiny new toy that has so much potential. Hopefully those who have issues get them resolved with the usual Apple swift and excellent service (that I've always had anyway) and get to enjoy the MacBook Pro as much as the rest of us.
Waffling over