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Now that the 2016 Models are out, will you buy a 2016 Model?

  • No, They increased the cost far to much. The Apple i once new loved appears to have disappeared.

    Votes: 465 36.6%
  • No, I really wanted a Kaby Lake processor, ill wait till 2017

    Votes: 325 25.6%
  • Yes, Im ordering a 2016 now, or already placed an order already.

    Votes: 482 37.9%

  • Total voters
    1,272
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Sorry, I wasn't being clear. I meant Intel's ongoing delays which have already been happening for the last two or three years and which Apple compound by waiting for a new release only then having it delayed (see Skylake and the 18 month wait between MBPs).

Kaby Lake might not be that delayed as it is the same 14mn process and Skylake is already a mature release. If Apple is relying on Intel for future iterations then I predict there will be longer wait times between iterations largely due to the complexity and challenges of Moore's Law and the difficulty in producing 10mn and smaller chips.

These challenges are why I don't see an update to the Macbook Pro for another 12 months and even then performance gains will be marginal since Kaby Lake is so similar to Skylake. Therefore you'll get some increased efficiencies and optimisation perhaps resulting in better battery life but since this is all unknown it would seem despite the drawbacks that buying a new Macbook Pro now would be a wise thing to do.
Aaah, thanks for the info, correct me if I'm wrong but the only significant GPU improvement in KabyLake is it being more efficient at streaming 4K content? What about editing 4K? Or would the Iris 550 would already do fine with editing 4K?
 
Yes, but the 28w CPU isn't, I understand where you're coming from, but given the high cost of the laptop, I guess why not get the TB version, just for the Touch ID

The problem with the TB version, in my opinion is that:
- For some people, not only is the touch bar "useless", but could also be a productivity hindrance (having read through various comments).
- The battery life is noticeably shorter on the TB version, particularly if your main use is not just watching some video or light browsing.
- Performance difference in most cases will be negligible. Both the 28w and 15w CPU have similar max clock speeds and some tests have shown, the 15w version isn't throttling at sustained max clock speed unless the GPU is also worked (and even then, not significant throttling, cooling system seems to be very good on this model). Most tasks people will do, productivity wise, will not meet this threshold and as a result, people won't feel the speed difference between the two models (even with the slightly faster RAM). If people are starving for performance on the 15w, there is a very high chance that even the 28w model won't remedy this and they will need to opt for the 15" model.
- Although temporary (hopefully), the touch-bar and touch-id are quite buggy and feature limited at present from what I've been reading.
- The speaker placement/system on the touch bar model is quite different to the non-touch bar. For me, it seems sub-optimal, but that is completely my opinion and I'd have to look at more scientific tests of the effect of the different way they have arranged the speakers.

You are right about touch-ID and that would be my main reason for purchasing this. But the cannibalized battery life for me personally is too much to handle, and someone who will use VM's to Windows 10/Linux, I don't want the hassle of touch bar mishaps (it should just default to F keys for them, but there are some associated bugs reported).

Re-sale value is probably going to be higher on the touch-bar model, but again it is speculation as we don't know if even the touch-bar model resale might be much lower, if in 1-2 years time a very good updated version of the touch bar is made.

Luckily, Apple Watch unlock is working very well, so I am not missing TouchID
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Aaah, thanks for the info, correct me if I'm wrong but the only significant GPU improvement in KabyLake is it being more efficient at streaming 4K content? What about editing 4K? Or would the Iris 550 would already do fine with editing 4K?

I think Apple might skip Kabylake altogether, it doesn't bring enough to the table and GPU performance is likely to take a hit on the 13" models. Even the 15" model is better off upgrading to the i7-6770 rather than Kabylake.
 
GPU performance is likely to take a hit on the 13" models.
How so? The current KB Iris 620 is the successor to the 520, there's yet the release of possibly 650.

Yeah, if I'm going for the 15", I'll get it now as there's hardly any difference between SL and KL, but from what I've read, the difference will affect the 13" model more. It's possible for Apple to only update the 13" and lower the price of both 13" and 15" at the same time.
 
Yes, but the 28w CPU isn't, I understand where you're coming from, but given the high cost of the laptop, I guess why not get the TB version, just for the Touch ID

Yes, the Touch ID is for me the main selling point of the Touch Bar. I don't edit video or music and rarely retouch photos. I think it is definitely the way forward for paying for stuff online and unlocking laptops. But $300 is a huge amount for an aspect of the new Macbook which developers are yet to know how to make use of its full potential.
 
How so? The current KB Iris 620 is the successor to the 520, there's yet the release of possibly 650.

Yeah, if I'm going for the 15", I'll get it now as there's hardly any difference between SL and KL, but from what I've read, the difference will affect the 13" model more. It's possible for Apple to only update the 13" and lower the price of both 13" and 15" at the same time.

The current 13" use 540/550, which are significantly better than the KL 620 (which isn't Iris).
 
The current 13" use 540/550, which are significantly better than the KL 620 (which isn't Iris).
Yeah, you're right, but the whole lineup of KabyLake hasn't been announced yet, so we might see KL equivalent of 540/550? Though I might be wrong
 
Yes, but the 28w CPU isn't, I understand where you're coming from, but given the high cost of the laptop, I guess why not get the TB version, just for the Touch ID

I get your argument but I really don't see a much higher value in the TB 13" vs the nonTB 13".
Also I think in the long run, the TB will disappear as it will "lose out" to true touchscreen devices like MS surface pros.

I'd rather have had the trackpad be compatible to the Apple pencil. That would've been a real gamechanger.
 
i wonder: do people buy so many things on the internet that the presence of touchID is such an added value?
can someone explain to me how it works? when i buy things eg. from amazon, which steps do i skip thanks to touchID? i already have my credit cards saved on most used (and trusted) websites and the whole process is already quick enough for me.

To be clear: i don't think we even have ApplePay where i live (Italy) so i'm new to all this. will it even work without applePay?
 
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But you'll probably need to wait for Intel to release Coffe Lake for 32GB RAM. Kaby Lake doesn't support LPDDR4.

I'm still waiting for my 15" MBP with Radeon 460, got the USB-C to USB dongle shipped from Apple before the laptop itself...
It's my understanding that the ULV (15/4.5W) Kaby Lake chips may have LPDDR4 support, but not the 28/45W versions. Those would need Coffee/Cannon Lake for LP support.

Yeah, you're right, but the whole lineup of KabyLake hasn't been announced yet, so we might see KL equivalent of 540/550? Though I might be wrong
Yes, there is a 15/28W Iris (GT3e, same class as new MBP 13") Kaby Lake part planned for release Q1 of next year.

There are currently no plans for a Kaby Lake Iris quad-core chip, however. If Apple updated the 15" to Kaby Lake it would still retain the GT2-class iGPU (which is why I don't see the 15" ever getting KL, not worthwhile enough of an upgrade).
 
Hi! Is this the "Waiting for the Skylake MacBook Pro" thread?

I'm going to say that I'm very disappointed with the new MacBook Pro design (because I can't stand the new MacBook keyboard, the worse battery life, and ONLY TWO PORTS, one of them for charging the mac, no MagSafe, etc) and for me, it will be like "Waiting for the 2015 13" MacBook Pro" instead, which I'm going to buy when the battery of my 2010 13" MBP dies again, and hopefully, the mid 2015 13" rMBP will be more affordable, with 256GB and 16GB of RAM.

I usually buy once, and try to make the macbook to last as long as possible. My purchases are a long term invests, especially the ones from Apple, and I hope the 2015 rMBP won't be very outdated in 2017 or 2018.
 
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Populus, have you tried the new MBPs yet? Cause the keyboard is different and improved from the one found in the MacBook. The non-touchbar which you refer to has the longest battery life among the new MBPs.

If you want the 2015 model, you better get it now cause not sure how long Apple will keep selling it coming next year update
 
i wonder: do people buy so many things on the internet that the presence of touchID is such an added value?
can someone explain to me how it works? when i buy things eg. from amazon, which steps do i skip thanks to touchID? i already have my credit cards saved on most used (and trusted) websites and the whole process is already quick enough for me.

To be clear: i don't think we even have ApplePay where i live (Italy) so i'm new to all this. will it even work without applePay?
Main reason I would want it is easier to unlocked computer.
 
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Populus, have you tried the new MBPs yet? Cause the keyboard is different and improved from the one found in the MacBook. The non-touchbar which you refer to has the longest battery life among the new MBPs.

If you want the 2015 model, you better get it now cause not sure how long Apple will keep selling it coming next year update

Yes, I've tried both, the MacBook keyboard, and briefly the new MacBook Pro keyboard, and I can't get used to it.

And yes, I thought what you just said: It is possible that Apple stops selling the 2015 rMBP, but I expect it to last, like the 2012 MBP was being sold until now. Then, buy it with a 16GB of RAM configuration.

Honestly, The MacBook Pro was the most appreciated Apple product, at least by me, and I don't like the future of this device anymore. Believe me, I'm sad about it, because I had hype about Kaby Lake, better integrated graphics, LPDDR4, etc...
 
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Yes, but the 28w CPU isn't, I understand where you're coming from, but given the high cost of the laptop, I guess why not get the TB version, just for the Touch ID

I'm a developer. I love my ESC key pretty much. I will never get TB version. A lot of my colleagues feel the same. I mean, what does TB actually do? For 'Pro' designers/graphics/video editors that I personally know, it does nothing. They use keyboard shortcuts.

For me who uses SublimeText/Xcode/Unity/Corona, it is a total gimmick. There simply isn't any use for it, and I can't see any in near future. Maybe Apple and 3rd party developers will prove me wrong, I would really love that. But simply can't see that happening.

Purchasing 13 non TB version. And if they ever drop MBP without TB all together, well, then it is time for me to move back to Windows again :(
 
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I'm a developer. I love my ESC key pretty much. I will never get TB version
Fair enough, I use my F-keys heavily, so I can totally understand.

Does anyone remember such a negative impact upon the appearance of a new mbp in the past?
I think there was a lot of complaining back in the day when apple rolled out some updates to the PowerBook, i.e., not going far enough, just giving us the same old same old. Times have changed though, the people who were complaining were Apple's core (and only) customer base. Now Apple's dedicated fan base is complaining but they have a larger customer demographic that seems to like it (the typical consumer)
 
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Does anyone remember such a negative impact upon the appearance of a new mbp in the past?
the retina redesign in 2012 "only" removed the optical disc drive, ethernet and firewire ports, everything else was improved. also it introduced the hdmi port, which, as i read, is much appreciated.

this 2016 redesign got rid of every useful port, you need an adaptor for 99% of current devices. it also introduced the touch bar.

i understand the negativity for this later one.
 
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I'm a developer. I love my ESC key pretty much. I will never get TB version. A lot of my colleagues feel the same. I mean, what does TB actually do? For 'Pro' designers/graphics/video editors that I personally know, it does nothing. They use keyboard shortcuts.

For me who uses SublimeText/Xcode/Unity/Corona, it is a total gimmick. There simply isn't any use for it, and I can't see any in near future. Maybe Apple and 3rd party developers will prove me wrong, I would really love that. But simply can't see that happening.

Purchasing 13 non TB version. And if they ever drop MBP without TB all together, well, then it is time for me to move back to Windows again :(

Heavily agreed. I can imagine only very limited use cases where TB would be more efficient than traditional ways (mainly sliders); they will be less frequent than the frequency of function keys pressed (touch-typed). I do think it's a fine technology and a good eye candy, but it's definitely not for all 'Pro' users, and even harmful for developers who work cross-platform.

I really wish they had made the non-TB version exactly the same as the TB version except for the Touchbar only (i.e., keep TouchID, use the same 28W CPU, same number of USB-C ports). Touting it as the Macbook Air successor was a lame excuse; then price it as such.

They did this kind of gimp-the-lower-model on iPhones too. Really hate it. It makes sense from bean counting point of view (to drive the customers to the higher priced, larger margin ones), but it's definitely not for the users. Lame.
 
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Apple will need an impressive kaby lake refresh for me to come back to apple. I feel ripped off with all the promises over the last 6 years. Thunderbolt was going to be the port of the future I was told in 2011. To this day I do not own and have not seen any native thunderbolt stuff, the only things I've ever plugged into it are thunderbolt-something converters. Now thunderbolt is gone before it ever arrived. Now they say usb-c is the port of the future. Will I ever plug something into it that isn't a converter before it is replaced with the next port of the future? Where are our external gpus we need since apple only puts weak gpus in their products now? Where is the wireless hub that can control all the stuff in my house! It never materialized and now the apple router is discontinued! This would all be a funny joke if I didn't have so much money spent on apple stuff. I see an alienware banner ad right above where I am typing now, maybe alienware has a better future for its computers than mac does?
 
Thunderbolt is not gone, it now shares the same connector as USB-C and now actually have a better chance at being relevant.

And they're eGPU solutions out there, just haven't been tested with the new MBPs yet
 
I really wish they had made the non-TB version exactly the same as the TB version except for the Touchbar only (i.e., keep TouchID, use the same 28W CPU, same number of USB-C ports). Touting it as the Macbook Air successor was a lame excuse; then price it as such.

Really agree with this bit, but then again it's not the first time they offer slightly better specs in the more expensive model..
 
I'm grudgingly getting the new one.

Besides, Skylake is a "tock" processor and Kaby Lake is a "tick" processor or part 1 of 3 in the new Intel scheme.

There are significant advantages to having a "tock" processor on a laptop.
 
I'm grudgingly getting the new one.

Besides, Skylake is a "tock" processor and Kaby Lake is a "tick" processor or part 1 of 3 in the new Intel scheme.

There are significant advantages to having a "tock" processor on a laptop.

Can you explain these significant advantages?
 
I'm a developer. I love my ESC key pretty much. I will never get TB version. A lot of my colleagues feel the same. I mean, what does TB actually do? For 'Pro' designers/graphics/video editors that I personally know, it does nothing. They use keyboard shortcuts.

For me who uses SublimeText/Xcode/Unity/Corona, it is a total gimmick. There simply isn't any use for it, and I can't see any in near future. Maybe Apple and 3rd party developers will prove me wrong, I would really love that. But simply can't see that happening.

Purchasing 13 non TB version. And if they ever drop MBP without TB all together, well, then it is time for me to move back to Windows again :(

Couldn't agree more. I'm a designer / developer and I think the touch bar is an annoying gimmick. I'd like to get the 15'' model but not with the touch bar or the new keyboard.

I have considered the 13'' non touch bar but it still has that horrible keyboard and there isn't enough value to justify the purchase.

After weeks of thinking about it I decided to stop waiting and building a silent and powerful Windows desktop. I'll keep my current rMBP for travels, meetings, and couch coding.
 
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