To buy the MBP 2015 or not to buy!

[lympero]

So, I have found a great deal for the 2015 MBP with the amd card. This MacBook costs here in Greece 2999€ and I can get it for 1890. That's a huge discount.
I was determined to wait for the new model but now I have second thoughts.

My usage -
Web development - using laravel and sometimes visual studio with parallels.
Ios, android Xcode and android studio

Photoshop - sketch and Final Cut Pro.

So what do you think?

 

[kohlson]

If this otherwise meets your needs, this seems like a great buy. In my observation the price-performance curve has been flattening out over the last few years. I suspect the discount reflects the upcoming release of a new model, which will offer incrementally better performance.

 

[fierarul]

It's almost middle of August and there are rumors that MBPs will *finally* be updated this Fall. I guess by December they might be in Greece stores too?

That being said, the discount is pretty great!

So, if you can wait another few months and are willing to pay the full price, wait.

If not, get this one! Because you are probably not going to get a lower price for the rMBP 2015.

 

[tha_man]

I seriously doubt the new one will be worth 1100 premium over this one...

 

[lympero]

I seriously doubt the new one will be worth 1100 premium over this one...

If its priced the same as I'm expecting at least +200€ for the oled bar!

 

[theluggage]

I was determined to wait for the new model but now I have second thoughts.

It really depends on your finances and how significant that €1100 is to you. For many, that will make the difference between "can afford" and "can't afford".

The 2015 Mac is still a pretty good machine - the financial risk is that a few years in the future you'll need better graphics or need USB-C/TB3 connectivity and need to upgrade sooner than if you'd waited for the new model. So it might help to think about how long you'd expect the computer to last you & work out the "annual cost". E.g. if the new model costs €3000 and lasts you for 5 years that's €600/year, so the "bargain" would need to last 1890/600 = ~ a bit over 3 years to give the same value. Now, I'd feel pretty confident that USB-A will be around for 3 more years, I doubt apple will drop OS support that quickly, and at worst you'll have to look on eBay for TB2 stuff, so that still sounds like a bargain.

(That's only a rough rule-of-thumb test, so don't over-think it)

You put your own price on the glow of having the latest and greatest...

Anyway, apart from that: in terms of general computing power, Skylake isn't dramatically better than the current rMBP CPUs and won't, in itself, make a big difference. The new Macs should offer more of an improvement when it comes to graphics - which may include better support for 4k (or even 5k) displays as well as raw performance, but we don't have details yet and Apple aren't known for picking the most bleeding edge GPSs (and 4k/5k is possible with the current model). So - how demanding is your Photoshop/FCP use and would a modest increase in GPU power be important? The current model isn't going to break a sweat at your other applications.

Personally, I'd worry more about long-term connectivity - specifically USB-C and TB3. If Apple goes all USB-C/TB3 then short-term it might be more of a hassle (and expenditure on adapters) than an advantage, but if you're looking a few years down the line then lack of (e.g.) USB 3.1 gen 2 might be an "ageing factor" on your investment.

Also depends on what you're upgrading from - its certainly not worth upgrading stuff less than 3-4 years old to 2015.

 

[xbankaiz]

I'm still using base my 2012 rMBP 15" for a similar workload as yours and it still functions very well. Yes, the render times could have been better but I am not on a time crunch to have my projects rendered in under 30 seconds (just an example). I also use Autodesk Maya for a lot of 3D assets and I don't have any issues with it. Instead of Xcode, I use Eclipse for Android development and no hiccups there, too.

Surely the new computers are always going to be better than the previous generation but if you don't actually NEED the latest and greatest, this discount seems great and I would say, 'Go for it!'

But it is YOUR investment after all. If you think this offering would be enough for you for a couple of years, grab it. If not, then be ready to pay some premium in terms of money and availability for the new devices as those I'm sure won't come cheap going by the latest trends of Apple and their devices with the 'Pro' moniker.

 

[pika2000]

Unlike phones, modern laptops have longer life in them. The crucial component is probably RAM. Make sure it has enough RAM for your intended use today and tomorrow since you cannot upgrade the RAM. At least with storage, you can always use external drives.

I have a 2012 Macbook Air, and it is currently my daily laptop for almost anything, and it is still going strong (other than the battery life).

 

[kiwipeso1]

Both the current model with AMD discrete GPU & the next model with TB3 will be able to drive a 5k TB display. Just that the current model will need to use both TB2 ports.

As Android Studio needs at least a dual core i7 or a quad core i5, you should be fine with whichever macbook pro you get.
The main thing is storage, so long as you don't limit yourself to a 256 Gb model, you should be fine with either 512 or 1TB.

If you get the 2016 model with TB3/USB C then you may need at most 3 adapters: ethernet, USB 3(A), TB2/1 (but only if you have an old dock or TB drive.)

I've decided to wait for the new 2016 MBP larger size model with at least 1TB, but you may be fine with the current model.

 

[theluggage]

If you get the 2016 model with TB3/USB C then you may need at most 3 adapters: ethernet, USB 3(A), TB2/1

Plus: USB-C to DisplayPort if you use an external display with DisplayPort;
Plus: USB-C to VGA if you ever give presentations in meetings (unless you feel lucky and can rely on finding HDMI or an AppleTV in the room)

(This is on the - not unreasonable - assumption that the TB3-to-TB adapter doesn't support DisplayPort legacy devices or pass-thru USB-C DisplayPort mode - the former would require a full thunderbolt controller in the adapter, the latter would be... complicated, and who would buy a $100 adapter to avoid replacing 2 $30 adapters?)

...I think most people will end up going for a dock rather than a heap of adapters.

I use a 27" LED Cinema display at work which isn't gonna get replaced in a hurry, so that's going to be fun (I'll need USB-C to a MiniDisplayPort socket - and so much for the display's buit-in MagSafe).

I think its critical that, if Apple goes USB-C/TB3 only, they offer a good range of docks/hubs/adapters tailored for MacBook Pro/Air users.

 

[kiwipeso1]

Plus: USB-C to DisplayPort if you use an external display with DisplayPort;
Plus: USB-C to VGA if you ever give presentations in meetings (unless you feel lucky and can rely on finding HDMI or an AppleTV in the room)

(This is on the - not unreasonable - assumption that the TB3-to-TB adapter doesn't support DisplayPort legacy devices or pass-thru USB-C DisplayPort mode - the former would require a full thunderbolt controller in the adapter, the latter would be... complicated, and who would buy a $100 adapter to avoid replacing 2 $30 adapters?)

...I think most people will end up going for a dock rather than a heap of adapters.

I use a 27" LED Cinema display at work which isn't gonna get replaced in a hurry, so that's going to be fun (I'll need USB-C to a MiniDisplayPort socket - and so much for the display's buit-in MagSafe).

I think its critical that, if Apple goes USB-C/TB3 only, they offer a good range of docks/hubs/adapters tailored for MacBook Pro/Air users.

If you get a TB2/1 dock while they are cheap, then you are covered. We do know from the intel thunderbolt 3 site that there should be support for legacy displayport devices.
I'm unlikely to use a dock for a Macbook Pro, as I'd rather be fully portable when doing things.

 

[lympero]

I'm definitely gonna need a display port buy I'm hoping for tb3 compatibility with old display port.
I have decided to wait until September. Less than 20 days I suppose till the event

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I'm definitely gonna need a display port buy I'm hoping for tb3 compatibility with old display port.
I have decided to wait until September. Less than 20 days I suppose till the event

Tb3 will almost certainly be in a USB c connection format and be requiring dongles or new cables.

 

[theluggage]

Just for clarity: the TB3-to-TB adapter doesn't support legacy MiniDisplayPort devices (see: http://www.anandtech.com/show/10542...p-thunderbolt-3-to-thunderbolt-adapter-review).

The practical upshot of that is that you can't buy one and re-use your existing "Thunderbolt"-to-VGA/HDMI/DVI/Full-size DisplayPort adapters (since these are all MiniDP legacy devices and not true Thunderbolt peripherals at all). Frankly, though, that wouldn't make financial sense anyway.

You'd only buy the TB3-to-TB adapter to connect an actual TB1/2 device to your TB3 port.

If you get a TB2/1 dock while they are cheap, then you are covered. We do know from the intel thunderbolt 3 site that there should be support for legacy displayport devices.

That should work as the TB dock is a "proper" TB device, with its own TB controller chip to drive attached displays.

...but it will be another $100 for the TB3-to-TB1/2 adapter plus you won't be able to charge the MacBook Pro that way. Not good value. Unless you actually want to connect TB1/2 peripherals, the majority of people would be better off going for USB-C docks. I can see mobile users maybe ending up with a USB-C "travel" dock for "on-the-road" use and a TB3 dock on the desktop.

The main issue that I hope Apple "get" is that a single TB3 and/or USB-C port may be OK on an "executive toy" like the 12" MacBook but would be as much use as a chocolate teapot on a desktop-replacement "pro" machine, because so many USB-C adapters and peripherals don't include a daisychain USB-C socket. At the very least, you'll need that for charging, if not to connect more than one USB-C device.

I'm definitely gonna need a display port buy I'm hoping for tb3 compatibility with old display port.

Simplest would be a USB-C to displayport cable or adapter:

You'll just need a USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable or adapter (Google hint: search for "USB C" not "Thunderbolt 3")

https://store.google.com/product/usb_type_c_to_displayport_cable
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Displaypor...s&keywords=usb-c+to+displayport+adapter&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Display-Thunderbolt-Adapter-Aluminium-Macbook-USB-C-Mini-DP/dp/B017OV622M

(Actually, that last one might fix my problem with the Apple Cinema Display).