Waiting for Skylake MBP thread

[aednichols]

Core 2 Duo ("Penryn") 26 months before processor change
Westmere Core i7 ("Arrandale") 11 months before processor change

I remember people being impatient about the long wait for Arrandale. There's even a short thread about it on this forum.

 

[ktboundary]

Will the 13" MBP have the same new tech that the 15" has? What will the differences be between the two, besides the huge jump in price?

 

[ssong]

For all of those who were considering to take advantage of the student discount in the UK (like me)
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/16/apple-lowers-edu-discount-no-free-applecare-uk/

As of this week, Apple's online higher education store in the U.K. now offers up to 10 percent off Macs and other qualifying purchases, whereas the discount was previously up to 15 percent off. The base model 13-inch MacBook Pro now costs £898.80 for students and £999 otherwise, amounting to roughly 10 percent off.

Apple also no longer includes three years of complimentary AppleCare with Macs, with one year of phone support, and instead offers students 50 percent off the protection plan. AppleCare for the MacBook, MacBook Air, and 13-inch MacBook Pro, for example, is now £99.63 for students and £199 otherwise.

I really try not to be pissed at Apple but this 'screw over the customer cos we're Apple' thing is reaaaallly starting to push me away... Not cool Apple.. Not cool..

 

[man02195]

Will the 13" MBP have the same new tech that the 15" has? What will the differences be between the two, besides the huge jump in price?

Some of the 15" rMBP have a discrete GPU (dGPU), you can get quad core i7, they all have larger screen, bigger speakers, weigh more

 

[whiteonline]

I'm buying the current 15 inch MBP. It's a vetted platform that works. Who knows what issues the new MBP will have.

Same here. My used 2015 will last a few years. When I'm ready to upgrade, the new platform will have necessary fixes.

 

[bfid111]

3 more months! Thats two weeks after the school starts and the closest Apple Store from my school is 2 hours away. 🙁

 

[Sugarbear33]

So just to continue to grasping at straws, I went back and looked at all the processors used for MBPs. Surprisingly, there have only been 8 going back to the introduction in February 2006. This isn't counting any minor spec bumps.

Listing 2 cores for example:
Core Duo ("Yonah") 8 months before processor change
Core 2 Duo ("Merom") 16 months before processor change
Core 2 Duo ("Penryn") 26 months before processor change
Westmere Core i7 ("Arrandale") 11 months before processor change
Sandy Bridge Core i7 (2-core) 15 months before processor change
Ivy Bridge Core i7 (2-core) 16 months before processor change
Haswell Core i7 (2-core) 17 months before processor change
Broadwell Core i7 ULT (2-core) 15 months and counting

Average Time between processors: 15.6 months, with 8 months on the low side and 26 months on the high side. We are right at the average range of 15-17 months now. I hope that Penryn to Arrandale timeframe is an outlier never to be repeated.

Good research Amigo. I never thought to look at actual processor upgrade gaps. Puts all of this in a more understandable light.

I will point out though that the 15" rMBP is sitting at 32 months and counting rofl. Although for that particular chip, the Haswell to Broadwell upgrade was really only for battery and had marginal performance improvement. And lets be honest Apple is already dominating the 15" dGPU laptop battery life scene. (looking at you dell -- i would've jumped ship if the xps15 got 9-10hours not 5ish)

 

[pmau]

Lets diverge and talk about dome switch keys failing, strange battery behavior, probably some TrueTone problems. Bluetooth might be an issue if the chipsets suck. The display coating has been problematic.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
We might be looking forward to a bag of hurt just to get something shiny.
This - and I really mean it - might let me buy a CHEAP Dell that I can simply bitch about and then forget it and move on. It costs 50% and the issues might not be as severe as Apples because it's not as glued together and completely inaccessible.

 

[ssong]

Lets diverge and talk about dome switch keys failing, strange battery behavior, probably some TrueTone problems. Bluetooth might be an issue if the chipsets suck. The display coating has been problematic.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
We might be looking forward to a bag of hurt just to get something shiny.
This - and I really mean it - might let me buy a CHEAP Dell that I can simply bitch about and then forget it and move on. It costs 50% and the issues might not be as severe as Apples because it's not as glued together and completely inaccessible.

Dell Inspiron 7xxx would be a decent cost-performance ratio machine. I've been exploring options my self and although dell seems to be a decent choice, I'm personally just a tad bit more inclined to think pads

 

[Uni Grad]

I guess a 14" non pro MacBook is still possible pre-fall since it doesn't require the Sierra specific OLED stuff. Still seems really unlikely though.

I think they might do a press release for a 14" rMB in August. If you read that MacOkatara rumor, they say new MacBook Airs, which I think are referrign to rMB, will be out in August.

 

[Seed101]

Dell Inspiron 7xxx would be a decent cost-performance ratio machine. I've been exploring options my self and although dell seems to be a decent choice, I'm personally just a tad bit more inclined to think pads

...which Thinkpad would you go for?
The P50 looks solid but don't know whether I could commit that much to Windows ...might buy an oldey Mac and tough it out..or some snazzy HP or something for around £1.5k to check how things run for me...

 

[Rob_2811]

For all of those who were considering to take advantage of the student discount in the UK (like me)
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/16/apple-lowers-edu-discount-no-free-applecare-uk/

I really try not to be pissed at Apple but this 'screw over the customer cos we're Apple' thing is reaaaallly starting to push me away... Not cool Apple.. Not cool..

Yeah saw this earlier. Does this just apply to the back to school promotion or is the education discount 10% going forward?

The timing really isn't good given the state of the Mac lineup at the moment

 

[AgentMcGeek]

For all of those who were considering to take advantage of the student discount in the UK (like me)
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/16/apple-lowers-edu-discount-no-free-applecare-uk/

In Canada in 2013 there was already no complimentary Apple Care for students, only a significant rebate.

Ask my rMBP, who lost its screen last summer...

 

[Loge]

Just playing devils advocate.

Say I install Windows on my new Skylake MacBook Pro with OLED bar. What controls it then? There must be a default setting in the hardware to setup the basic stuff we currently have on the F keys?

I would certainly expect that to be the case; it should just be a direct mapping of the current function keys - as there is so much software that relies on them, which won't get updated for a while (or at all, possibly, if running a Windows app in a VM).

 

[ssong]

...which Thinkpad would you go for?
The P50 looks solid but don't know whether I could commit that much to Windows ...might buy an oldey Mac and tough it out..or some snazzy HP or something for around £1.5k to check how things run for me...

I'm kinda undecided between P series and T series... I'd want something 'portable' and the P50 is massive, so I woulda went for a P50s but then there isn't much point in going for a P series in that case

Yeah saw this earlier. Does this just apply to the back to school promotion or is the education discount 10% going forward?

The timing really isn't good given the state of the Mac lineup at the moment

Seems to be a permanent change :/ sucks big time

 

[Sorta Geeky]

OK, I decided that I will not wait for the 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch with Skylake. Or rather I will buy it, but just not right away. At the end of the day, I just don't have a decent PC right now. I'm not willing to wait until late 2016 or wait on hope alone that it may come out before then. I'll just have to live with the bad timing and move on to a purchase this week. So I will not regret it. However. I do have a choice or two left.

One, I could buy the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Haswell now as my primary workstation laptop ($2500 plus tax / i7 Haswell QC CPU / R9 M370X GPU / 512GB SSD / 16GB RAM), then in a year invest in a Surface Pro 5 with Kaby Lake for mobility and drawing in Illustrator. Then perhaps a year after that upgrade to the new MacBook Pro with a Skylake or better CPU.

Or two, I could buy the Surface Pro 4 with Skylake now ($2280 plus tax which includes a red type cover / i7 Skylake DC CPU / Iris 540 GPU / 512GB SSD / 16GB RAM), then in about a year buy the 2016 MacBook Pro with Skylake.

Ether way I wait for the 2016 MacBook Pro. So the real question is do I want a 12-inch Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10 to be my only computer for a year, then get the 2016 MacBook Pro with Skylake? Or do I want an outdated but full sized MacBook Pro 15-inch with Haswell and macOS to be my main computer now, get a Surface Pro 5 the year after for mobility and drawing in Illustrator, and waste slightly more money as I know full well I will eventually sell the 2015 MacBook Pro 15-inch with Haswell in about one to two years?

The only other option I would entertain right now would be a 2015 MacBook Pro 13-inch ($1800 plus tax / i5 DC CPU / Iris 6100 / 512GB / 8GB RAM). I discounted the Dell XPS 13, Dell XPS 15, Lenovo's, and Surface Book completely as those just didn't appeal to me as much for various reasons. As I typed all this out, I think perhaps I came to a decision, but I'd like to hear constructive opinions. Also, should I even bother with Apple Care on a 2015 MacBook Pro that I may sell in short order?

Also what is the faster GPU, just curious, between the SP4's Skylake i7 Iris 540 and the 2015 MBP 13-inch Broadwell i5 Iris 6100? How do they both compare to the 2015 MBP 15-inch Haswell i7 Iris Pro?

 

[frankgrimes]

Numerous rumors pointed to an OLED touch bar, then there was leaked photos:
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/05/31/macbook-pro-leaked-photos-oled-touch-panel/

Here is a nice concept of it.
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/09/macbook-pro-oled-touch-panel-concept/

I don't really see the point of this at all, and seems like an added potential point of failure in the software in-general, not just bootcamp.

please no, I hate that stuff on notebooks.
what's wrong auth traditional chicklet keys? They are convenient and quiet I would hate something like that.

The MBP doesn't need change for the sake of it, it needs to be a beast of a productivity machine that's about it. oh and please add a black version with a white Apple Logo

 

[Conversion]

Sucks about the student discount being lowered. I really hoped they would've announced it at WWDC as I wanted to buy using the student discount in my country even though it's only 6% but I'm finishing my studies next month.

 

[WRONG]

...guess who's drunk again?
Yep.
So, Apple, where's my Skylake MacBook Pro?!
(Oh my god it's so hard writing with no errors...)

 

[JFante]

...guess who's drunk again?
Yep.
So, Apple, where's my Skylake MacBook Pro?!
(Oh my god it's so hard writing with no errors...)

SEE Apple??? See what you're doing to us good people. WRONG was teetotal before rumours of Skylake began. Now he roams from bar to bar asking for Steve Jobs and a pint of Skylake on draught

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I really hope the new MacBook Pro incorporates the improved displays of the iMac (as well as the iPad Pro 9.7"), the higher color gamut and everything. Ever since I got my iPad Pro 9.7", it's been obvious how inferior the iPhone 6S screen is (colors aren't as bright, the whole thing has kind of a reddish tint, etc.) That's one reason I couldn't get a previous model of the MBP, assuming that the new one will incorporate this improved display technology.

 

[Uni Grad]

I really hope the new MacBook Pro incorporates the improved displays of the iMac (as well as the iPad Pro 9.7"), the higher color gamut and everything. Ever since I got my iPad Pro 9.7", it's been obvious how inferior the iPhone 6S screen is (colors aren't as bright, the whole thing has kind of a reddish tint, etc.) That's one reason I couldn't get a previous model of the MBP, assuming that the new one will incorporate this improved display technology.

I know this is just hopeful thinking, however I hope they incorporate an OLED Display as well. Yes there are burn-in issues, however those are being fixed. OLED would truly be the most accurate display ever.

 

[TechZeke]

I'm buying the current 15 inch MBP. It's a vetted platform that works. Who knows what issues the new MBP will have.

Especially with that BS OLED touch bar. Now even the damn function keys will have bugs.

 

[Sorta Geeky]

I'm just glad I'll finally have a real computer tomorrow. I've been without since I sold my last one.

 

[Naderi]

I needed a new machine so I got a 15" with 2.8ghz and 512 SSD as a refurb item last week. I use it with Ableton Live and run some very taxing plugins and a high track count and it's been awesome so far to the point I don't think I'll be missing out on much with the new machines and have money left to spare.

I looked at Windows machines, but CPU isn't everything.