Why buy ntb2016 MBP instead of 2015?

[OneSon]

I went to the Apple store today and the sales guy was not able to give me one solid reason to buy a 2016 non-touch bar MBP instead of the 2015 model other than the fact the screen was slightly brighter.

On the other hand, the 2015 model was cheaper, had a nicer keyboard, had more ports, had a faster processor, had a better trackpad size, had magsafe and was pretty much the same size.

 

[thadoggfather]

Go for it!

screen is wide gamut, and speakers are better on nTB

keyboard is personal preference,
you also shave off 0.5lb if you care about that sorta thing,

and get a bigger trackpad surface area,
and all aluminum body, instead of the plastic back part of the hinge

its also a quieter (and cooler? pretty sure runs cooler) machine,

 

[RichardC300]

That's a pretty poor salesperson. I can't think of a reason to buy the 2015 over the 2016 other than if you refuse to use dongles and give up magsafe. 2016 is better than the 2015 in every way even if it's just incrementally better in some of those ways.

 

[Mefisto]

Sooo, did you actually end up buying a computer, or did you just want your own thread about the subject?

As for the differences, much of what you mentioned is a matter of opinion. If a computer doesn't suit your needs, by all means buy the computer that does. Freedom of choice and whatnot.

 

[Mr. Dee]

- Brighter screen
- Can use any of the USB-C ports to charge the device
- Faster SSD i/o, faster RAM
- Thinner, lighter design with less footprint
- Louder speakers
- Power/battery efficient Intel Skylake processor - about 14%
- Larger trackpad for performing an assortment of gestures more comfortably
- Guaranteed future proofing, an inevitable revision of macOS will support it instead of the 2015 model


These are things I just thought of off the top of my head. Geez. Is it that easy to get a job at the Apple Store? Even changes that are not improvements could be sold:

Butterfly keys are greatly improved, still has the function keys and especially the escape key.

 

[thadoggfather]

- Brighter screen
- Can use any of the USB-C ports to charge the device
- Faster SSD i/o, faster RAM
- Thinner, lighter design with less footprint
- Louder speakers
- Power/battery efficient Intel Skylake processor - about 14%
- Larger trackpad for performing an assortment of gestures more comfortably
- Guaranteed future proofing, an inevitable revision of macOS will support it instead of the 2015 model


These are things I just thought of off the top of my head. Geez. Is it that easy to get a job at the Apple Store? Even changes that are not improvements could be sold:

Butterfly keys are greatly improved, still has the function keys and especially the escape key.

I can deal with no headphone jack on iPhone 7

I can deal with only USB-c ports on my nTB

BUT not having an esc key feels like some kinda sick joke on any "legacy" computer user I.e used one before the TB model

 

[Another Day]

Buy the best you can afford. 2016 > 2015 IMO.

 

[gngan]

Bad salesperson. Lack of knowledge.

 

[dogslobber]

I went to the Apple store today and the sales guy was not able to give me one solid reason to buy a 2016 non-touch bar MBP instead of the 2015 model other than the fact the screen was slightly brighter.

On the other hand, the 2015 model was cheaper, had a nicer keyboard, had more ports, had a faster processor, had a better trackpad size, had magsafe and was pretty much the same size.

The 2 port MB "Pro" isn't really a "Pro" machine. It's an orphan looking for a home but has taken up residence under the MBP umbrella. It's truly a terrible machine with only 2 useless USB-C ports. For goodness sake, Apple what were you thinking!?!? Don't you respect your customers?

 

[bigdaveindubai]

All the answers in this post are biased on what they purchased.

 

[Erdbeertorte]

@OneSon

The 2016 noTouchBar is just a slightly faster 2015 13"-MBA in a larger 12"-RetinaMB case with two Thunderbolt 3 ports including USB 3.1 Gen. 2 instead of one USB 3.1 Gen. 1 port (3.0 speed) and both are missing all the ports from the Air. You can't compare it to the 2015 Pro.

If a slightly smaller footprint/size, lower weight, better display, better speakers, "only" 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, completely different keyboard, TB instead of function key row, TouchID, larger TrackPad, slightly better CPU and faster Graphics doesn't mean anything to you, get the 2015 Pro.

Otherwise wait until after WWDC if the Kaby Lake MBPs get announced or even released immediately and get a 2016 refurbished or 2017 with TB.

If an Air would be enough for you except the display, get the "Pro" with no Touch Bar or wait if the rumors of new Airs are true, what I doubt. The 12" might get two faster ports and the 13"nTB might lose the Pro moniker and maybe even grow to 14".

 

[BenTrovato]

I have the 2016tb and love it. It is a waste of money though. If there are ANY concerns about cash, save it and get the 2015.

I prefer the new keyboard and screen. The trackpad did seem extremely large when I first powered on, now it seems like the perfect size.

 

[dogslobber]

The 2016 noTouchBar is just a slightly faster 2015 13"-MBA in a larger 12"-RetinaMB case with two Thunderbolt 3 ports including USB 3.1 Gen. 2 instead of one USB 3.1 Gen. 1 port (3.0 speed) and both are missing all the ports from the Air. You can't compare it to the 2015 Pro.

Ah, I get it now. The 2 port MBP is really a 13.3" retina MacBook with 2 ports. Now I understand it but don't believe Apple did it.

 

[thadoggfather]

I have the 2016tb and love it. It is a waste of money though. If there are ANY concerns about cash, save it and get the 2015.

I prefer the new keyboard and screen. The trackpad did seem extremely large when I first powered on, now it seems like the perfect size.

Agree with trackpad claim on my 13 nTB

Dunno what size you're speaking about but assume the 13

 

[mmomega]

The negative for me with the new MacBook Pro = the USB-C cable that comes with it, is USB 2 speed.

I definitely don't have a feeling of disrespect from Apple, it is my decision to buy the thing or find something else.

 

[ZapNZs]

Both are good computers. With the base model 2016 13-inch, you can often find them for outstanding prices (sometimes well under $1,200.) With the 2015, you can also find them for outstanding prices.

If you are comparing the base model 2016 and base model 2015, the 2016's CPU is slightly faster, the iGPU is MUCH faster, the SSD is significantly faster, the screen is slightly better, the speakers are markedly better, the keyboard and trackpad are subjective (I really like the larger size on the 2016 13 more than I do the even larger on the 15 or the smaller on the 2015), and how good or how bad TB3/USB-C only is versus TB2/USB-A/HDMI/SDXC/MagSafe is depends on what you do & your personal preferences. The form factor of the 2016 is awesome. However, I don't completely agree with those that feel it is so much better it makes the 2015 look bad - they are both good computers and they both work well. Either could probably meet the needs of most Users, and, in many cases, what defines which is "better" is probably more personal preference than anything else.

While I do not think the base model 13-inch is a very good value at full MSRP, I got mine for a very fair deal, and so I'm highly satisfied with both.
[doublepost=1495679297][/doublepost]

The negative for me with the new MacBook Pro = the USB-C cable that comes with it, is USB 2 speed.

I definitely don't have a feeling of disrespect from Apple, it is my decision to buy the thing or find something else.

My guess is that they made this decision because of USB 3.1's tendency of interfering with some 2.4 GHz signals in certain instances, which the USB 2.0 standard does not have issues with.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I probably buck the trend here..
I prefer the 2015's at this time, especially if you can get them for a good deal.

I want to see if they fix or adjust anything about that 2016 keyboard and it's reliability.

 

[Mr. Dee]

All the answers in this post are biased on what they purchased.

I am not biased, in fact, based on my short term use, I am not much of a fan of the 2016 MBP. What I meant by reply is, I could sell this thing without even owning it. The guy works in an Apple Store, use one of the demo units and learn about what you are selling. Ridiculous.

 

[boss.king]

As someone who just bought a 2016 nTB, there are still many reasons to buy the 2015 model. It depends on what you want it for.

Personally, I'm a writer and after trying the new keyboard in store I hunted high and low for a 2015 machine. Now, after owning the new one for just over a week I can confidently saw I'm just as fast if not faster on the new keyboard with fewer typos (I still use a 2014 MBP at work every day, so I thinks it's a fair comparison). It's different but not worse. Of course, your experience may vary.

One of the other reasons I looked at the 2015 model was dongles. I use 2 USB A MIDI keyboards for music production, I have 3 USB A harddrives and I use HDMI from my tv fairly regularly. Weighing it all up though, I'll probably own this laptop for the next 5-6 years, by which point I fully expect USB A devices to be near extinct. That means I'm frontloading my dongle usage now for a dongle free experience later. Again, it's up to you but I have a single dongle that gives me more ports than my 2013 and 2014 machines ever had.

TL;DR: Both have merit, just work out what you actually need from the machine, find the one that matches best and but that. No one can convince you need something you don't and if the cheaper machine works for you then go for it.

 

[Fishrrman]

Both are decent MacBooks, what you buy should be determined by your needs and impressions.

Is the nicer screen on the 2016 more important to you?

Or.. is the keyboard of the 2015 more to your liking?

Do you have a lot of legacy stuff? Are the legacy ports of the 2015 needed?

Or... can you get by with the USB-c ports, which can require dongles and lead to "cable confusion"?

I certainly noticed the display of the 2016, but... in the end I bought the 2015 because of the keyboard and ports.

That was my decision.
You need to make your own...

 

[turbineseaplane]

Do you have a lot of legacy stuff? Are the legacy ports of the 2015 needed?

And by "legacy" we mean - Thing you might want to plug in that you are likely to find routinely in every day life, in workplaces all over and widely available for competitive prices in a myriad of configurations at retailers worldwide.