I bought the 2015 15" base model and was gonna keep it; but when I saw the Intel Broadwell announcement I returned it. The prospect of another rev this year and paying $2k for old tech was just too much (even if I have to continue with my early '08 MBP.) I think Apple is going to torture us with one more revision with Broadwell before Skylake. They won't be ready with Skylake by this Fall so they will release a Broadwell version w USB-C and better iGPU this Fall to keep the sales flowing.
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Waiting for Skylake, Why?
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Same thought process here. But, what will you do if Apple does release a Broadwell based 15 in rMBP? For all of the reasons mentioned in this thread, I'm inclined to bite at something like that over a complete redesign. Luckily, since I returned mine too, I've got some time think this through and wait for the fog to lift.
I hope this happens more often to let Apple know we're not pleased with half-a$$ updates...
I appreciate the technical spec differences between the newest and older SSDs, but surely only the most critical user will feel they are suffering if they don't have the absolute latest one?
SSDs are still a world away from traditional hard drives in practical use, whichever year model you choose.
Yes, I would be tempted by it for the same reason I bought the current one: fear of radical changes for the worse in a new design plus the flaws that always accompany a 1.0 design. In the meantime I put the money on a new subwoofer system for the hi-fi (an Audiokinesis Swarm).
I'm in the same boat as you guys who have returned yours. I have the money ready to buy, I've had it ready all this year waiting for the update. It just wasn't substantial enough for me to part with my money. I'm happy to wait so my purchase lasts longer. Based on Apples cadence we should see a revision of some sort this October, not that far away really, I'm patient.
For me it is not about the increase in performance of the processor over Haswell. It about what it comes with it; Thunderbolt 3, USB- C, longer battery life, a much more robust iGPU, a chassis new design (including new keyboard, and the already added Force trackpad, the newly designed terraced battery cell). If Thunderbolt 3 delivers what they promise the next Macbook pro I own will be the first one with only a iGPU inside. This is what Skylake represents for me.
This is a false analogy that doesn't hold water when applied to all the facts herein
I agree with what many have said so far, i.e., 'why buy now if the next generation of laptops is around the corner', better off to wait.
If it was the usual 'new tech is coming!' rumor that we hear all year long, every year, then I'd say, 'ya, right
' and just buy now what's newest and within my budget. But, given the overwhelming volume of information pointing to a 'real' (not a minor updated) next generation MBP coming soon, then it makes no sense to me (or those that had just bought a new MBP and returned them) to spend thousands on older machinery when you'll soon be able to invest in new technology.
It won't matter it's based on, Broadwell or Skylake, given the tech that is/will be available, even this year, it will certainly be a leap ahead of what's was available now and it's just a quick few months away.
If it was the usual 'new tech is coming!' rumor that we hear all year long, every year, then I'd say, 'ya, right
' and just buy now what's newest and within my budget. But, given the overwhelming volume of information pointing to a 'real' (not a minor updated) next generation MBP coming soon, then it makes no sense to me (or those that had just bought a new MBP and returned them) to spend thousands on older machinery when you'll soon be able to invest in new technology.It won't matter it's based on, Broadwell or Skylake, given the tech that is/will be available, even this year, it will certainly be a leap ahead of what's was available now and it's just a quick few months away.
I agree with what many have said so far, i.e., 'why buy now if the next generation of laptops is around the corner', better off to wait.
If it was the usual 'new tech is coming!' rumor that we hear all year long, every year, then I'd say, 'ya, right
It won't matter it's based on, Broadwell or Skylake, given the tech that is/will be available, even this year, it will certainly be a leap ahead of what's was available now and it's just a quick few months away.
There will always be a counter argument.
..for example, some might say that it is better to buy a design at the end after it has had years of engineering to work out the bugs, rather than dive head first into a new design with unforeseen issues.
Agree with both issues you identify. There's actually no real pressure to buy as long as you have a machine that's working for you, since if worst comes to worst whatever the final version of the current configuration will be available for a while after it's discontinued in the refurb section of the online store, and for a discount.
Although I'm not one that advocates waiting on technology, redesigns from Apple are the least of my worries. I'm not sure sure they've ever had a bad design, functionally.
That is an excellent point.
For me personally though I think I'd rather take the risk with a new design and I always get Applecare for my Apple laptops to quench those kinda fears.
There is a third option: buying in the middle of the product design cycle. I would call it the "goldilocks" cycle: just right in the sense that bugs from initial launch are corrected but the benign neglect from end-of-the-line boredom is avoided.
Skylake will be a decent upgrade, especially if comes packaged with TB3 for 5k monitor compliance at 60z. Im more interested in Apple moving to a better GPU in AMD's product line, perhaps supporting High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) as AMD claims its coming later this year in their mobile lineup. That changes the bandwidth profile (128 bit currently) without changing the thermal envelope of the card. It may also be based on a 20nm build process. Package that with Skylake/TB3 and you have a pretty serious upgrade.
This is the reason I am waiting (although, from what i have read, I might prefer the current keyboard to the new one they use with the macbook). I have a 2011 MBP and a five year cycle works for my needs. As a result, I want the most current architecture when I update. Thunderbolt 3 alone is enough for me to wait.
TB3 is definitely a nice upgrade - at least on paper, but do you think we'll be seeing any components for TB3 at this stage? Using the same USB-C connector is a double edge sword. It simplifies things but it still doesn't motivate other computer makers (or even peripheral makers) to embrace it.
I agree with your logic about getting the most current technology, that's sound decision making. MBPs are very expensive and if you can wait the few months (hopefully few) its a no brainer.
I think we will see components shortly after it is introduced on the MBP and other computers. The addition of the USB-C connector gives it the opportunity for more support than we have seen in the prior versions of thunderbolt.
Given the fact that I will keep the computer for several years, and will eventually have two 4k displays, is more than enough reason to wait it out.
But hey, if you buy it without sales tax, the education discount (or similar), then your resale shouldn't result in too much depreciation. So there's always that argument to be had
Analogies aren't meant to be perfectly correlated. They simply convey an idea.
While you cannot completely correlate an auto purchase, it rings true when you're discussing Apple's pricing model. If you buy the last day before the refresh, you pay the same price as the first day the machine was offered. In this case, while the machine is not the exact spec that was offered in 2013, the processor is pretty damn close.
For the same reason I wouldn't buy a 2013 model vehicle for the same price as the 2015 models, I won't buy a laptop with 2013 technology for the same price as other laptops with 2015 technology. Or rather, as is relevant to this thread, I'll wait for the 2015 technology to become available rather than buying the 2013 technology at full price without a discount.