Would you upgrade if you had the mid-2015?

[drewjonn]

I upgraded to the 15-inch mid 2015 in January without any thought that there would be a re-design the following October, kinda regret that decision though. but do you think it would worth the price to upgrade to the late 2016 MBP (touchbar version) from mid-2015? This is clearly the latest version before the re-design.

Thing is, I find the 15-inch version of late 2016 too pricey, and I'd just go with the lowest 13" with touchbar, which would cost $1799 before tax. So, basically it can be a slight downgrade from 16GB to 8GB of RAM and another downgrade from i7 to i5 (unless I'm willing to throw in extra 300 bucks for the i7) from my previous MBP. Or idk if the i5 on late 2016 is faster than i7 on 2015. It has served me alright but this upgrade is just undeniable for me.

Or just wait for a possible price reduction and processor upgrade in 2017? (Please answer if you think that it may happen before mid 2017)

 

[GnrlyMrly]

It's hard to say if the upgrade would be worth it for you. I agree that you get more bang for your buck with the 2015 MBP than with the 2016 version. Personally I waited on upgrading until after the announcement thinking I would get one of the new MBPs. However after seeing the price for the specs I decided to purchase a 2015 15" MBP which fits my lifestyle better right now. I didn't want to invest in a bunch on singles just to use my display, read my SD cards, plug in my iPhone, etc so I am happy with the 2015 Pro that I got. I may upgrade in 2017 depending on what Apple offers up.

 

[fate0311]

I have a mid-'15 and chose to keep it over this recent update.

 

[Seed101]

I think you've answered your own question..

I have a high end 15" 2015..no need to upgrade unless I feel the need to be seen with the latest and greatest...( which I don't)

 

[dk808]

Anyone with a 2015 model who upgraded is stupid or is stupid rich. There really is no point to upgrading. I have a mid 2010 so im happy with the 2016 model but i dont really see too much of a reason for someone with a 2015 model to upgrade

 

[emailnotebox]

I upgraded to the 15-inch mid 2015 in January without any thought that there would be a re-design the following October, kinda regret that decision though. but do you think it would worth the price to upgrade to the late 2016 MBP (touchbar version) from mid-2015? This is clearly the latest version before the re-design.

Thing is, I find the 15-inch version of late 2016 too pricey, and I'd just go with the lowest 13" with touchbar, which would cost $1799 before tax. So, basically it can be a slight downgrade from 16GB to 8GB of RAM and another downgrade from i7 to i5 (unless I'm willing to throw in extra 300 bucks for the i7) from my previous MBP. Or idk if the i5 on late 2016 is faster than i7 on 2015. It has served me alright but this upgrade is just undeniable for me.

Or just wait for a possible price reduction and processor upgrade in 2017? (Please answer if you think that it may happen before mid 2017)

Within about 2 weeks the new MBP began receiving orders, ironically 2015 15' refurbished MBPs were sold out. People saw how relatively good those machines were. Downgrading from i7 to i5 could be subtle one (iffy though...), but going down from 16GB to 8GB is a huge step down. I think you will regret it.

The new MBP isn't a game changer, other than in form factor and weight, due to lots of limitations (ports, etc). I would keep 2015 and wait a year or two if I really like the new MBP that bad, since 2015 is a solid machine and has many strengths that the new MBP is deprived of. Save money I think you got a good machine.

 

[NickPhamUK]

No, I think it's hard to justify the upgrade, unless you want to be among the first adopters. The 2015 can easily last for a few years more, by that time hopefully there are lots of USB-C compatible devices and the Touch Bar is fully functional.

 

[ip67]

Chiming in although I dont have a mid 2015, I do have a late 2013 15", and I can tell you I will definitely hang on to it as it is still a beast. It's pumping out 4K at 60hz to a monitor no problem and I could even add another 4K monitor, albeit at 30hz however. I've never even came close to saturating the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 1 on my old 2011 15" MBP.

I only upgraded from the 2011 simply for the newer architecture, I/O and retina screen; the only thing I miss from the 2011 was the matte screen option that I had on it, oh and that little battery indicator and hidden LED lights on the side of the MBP was nice too.

Also love having 'legacy' ports, an SD slot and MagSafe and have never needed a dongle yet.

Only thing I'm worried about is the glued in battery and the dGPU over time. Not sure how the 750m's will hold up after a few more years. The battery I could probably manage to replace myself.

 

[leman]

I am upgrading from a 2015 15" to a 2016 one . I am fully aware of the fact that the performance differences in CPU department are minimal, however, my reasons are:

- reduced weight and increased portability (makes a huge difference for me in every day usage)
- USB-C (makes the laptop more flexible and easier to set up in the workspace)
- faster SSD (makes a big difference for what I do)
- faster GPU (could accelerate some of my prototyping workflows 2x or more)
- better display (very important, because I spend on average 10+ hours per day staring at it)

Because its a business purchase, the financial money is not an issue. And my old model still works more then well, so it can be given to another employee. Given that we would need to buy a laptop anyway, this course of action makes perfect sense for us.

However, if you are a private user or a small-scale business, I don't think that upgrading from 2015 to 2016 makes much sense. Unless you are a video/photo editor that uses apps/workflows that can really benefit from the new GPU.

 

[Barna Biro]

Depends heavily on what you use/need it for. I have a 1st gen 13" rMBP and I've been waiting for at least 2 years for a refresh that would be worth the upgrade (I'm a software engineer and I spend most of my day writing code and occasionally playing some games). I'm still waiting to check out one of these new models in person before I decide to get one or perhaps simply jump ship (after around 7 years of using Macs)... I'd have a much easier time deciding if Apple would also be selling touch bar-less 15 rMBPs... I have a strong feeling I'll really hate the touch bar for progamming (contrary to many, I do actually heavily use almost all function keys on a daily basis and I also tend to rest my longish fingers on the Esc->F2 region, especially during gaming, etc.).

I can live with all the other stuff, but I strongly feel that the touch bar is going to be a severe deal breaker for me... of course, as already stated, I'll first play around with one in the store, then I'll know for sure.

Had I been in your situation, I'd most likely not upgrade... I see no real reason for an upgrade (the hardware is not much - almost at all - better, the weight difference is negligible, the old model's screen is already more than good and you don't need any new dongles to keep on using the stuff you might already have).

 

[Wowereit]

I upgraded to the 15-inch mid 2015 in January without any thought that there would be a re-design the following October, kinda regret that decision though. but do you think it would worth the price to upgrade to the late 2016 MBP (touchbar version) from mid-2015? This is clearly the latest version before the re-design.

Thing is, I find the 15-inch version of late 2016 too pricey, and I'd just go with the lowest 13" with touchbar, which would cost $1799 before tax. So, basically it can be a slight downgrade from 16GB to 8GB of RAM and another downgrade from i7 to i5 (unless I'm willing to throw in extra 300 bucks for the i7) from my previous MBP. Or idk if the i5 on late 2016 is faster than i7 on 2015. It has served me alright but this upgrade is just undeniable for me.

Dude, the i7 in the 13" is still dual core, you are currently running quad core and double the RAM.
Maybe you are even running a dedicated GPU?

You would spend money on "upgrading" to a machine with slightly less single core performance, half the multi core performance, half the RAM...

 

[Beards]

My friend recently purchased a new 15" Touch Bar model and played the size and weight game at me against my 2015 15". ..... That was until I said to him "your 2016 may be smaller and lighter but with that bag of dongles and other accessories you are carrying makes the combined size and weight greater than my 2015".

 

[kwandrews]

My friend recently purchased a new 15" Touch Bar model and played the size and weight game at me against my 2015 15". ..... That was until I said to him "your 2016 may be smaller and lighter but with that bag of dongles and other accessories you are carrying makes the combined size and weight greater than my 2015".

Good point there....LOL. Each has it's benefits I suppose.

 

[drewjonn]

I wonder if I made an option "don't upgrade" and it might get all of the votes LOL.

 

[widestload]

I had been waiting for this refresh for 18 months or so, since my 2011 17" cMBP graphics card died. The logic board was replaced for free by Apple, but I wasn't comfortable with it after that. I managed to sell it for a good price earlier this year and got a 13" 2015 MBP as a stop gap. However, after seeing the new machines and imagining all the dongles I'd need, but the killer being the price hike in the UK, I picked up a second hand 2015 15" MBP over the 2016 model, (also with the price hike on the 2016 models i managed to sell my 13" stop gap for a 20% profit, even after fees, from what I paid at the beginning of the summer).

So in a nut shell, I wouldn't just keep a 2015 MBP over replacing it with a 2016, I would actually buy the 2015 in the first place over the 2016.

Other than wanting the latest and greatest, or having a genuine need for the performance improvements, I cant see why the majority of people would go for the 2016.

 

[monkeydax]

Seems like the upgrade isn't worth the money. Well then, what if it was free?

 

[PaulWog]

Seems like the upgrade isn't worth the money. Well then, what if it was free?

Free as in free? Or free as in parents' money? If the latter, then no.

If someone was offering me for free the choice between the following two, I would go with the 15-inch:
Choice #1: 2016 13-inch Macbook Pro, base touchbar model
Choice #2: 2015 15-inch Macbook Pro, upgraded graphics

Now, if choice #2 were a 2015 15-inch Macbook Pro with base graphics, it might be a tougher decision. I would probably in that case go with the 2016 13" model.

However, I'm not being *given* anything for free. If funds are fine, I'll probably go with a 13-inch 2016 Macbook Pro. I am definitely sour about the 8GB RAM though. Upgrading the RAM just notches its price into a category that is too close in price to the 2016 15-inch model.

 

[wheelhot]

Hmm, so the full Kaby Lake specs hasn't been released yet right?

 

[Chancha]

Upon seeing reviews and benchmarks of the touch bar versions, I immediately went to purchase a refurb beefed out 2015 15" with dGPU. It performs on par with the beefed out 2016, only slightly inferior in screen, SSD speed, lack of Thunderbolt 3, touch bar & touch ID, all of which I consider unnecessary. But I still get to keep USB-A ports, MagSafe, HDMI, SD card slot, all of which get daily usage in foreseeable future.

Almost $1000 price difference between this $2500 2015 model vs the comparable $3400 2016 model can buy me an iPhone 7 and a Thunderbolt dock. Let that sink in.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Hmm, so the full Kaby Lake specs hasn't been released yet right?

What Kabylake specs?? All the new pros use skylake.

 

[Ma2k5]

Whatever you do, I wouldn't recommend the 13" touch bar. 49wh battery for that much money for an inconvenience too far.

 

[CE3]

Seems like the upgrade isn't worth the money. Well then, what if it was free?

A free upgrade that required me to hand in my 2015 model? Probably not. The display looks awesome, the 4GB graphics card would be nice to have, and I like where things are headed with thunderbolt 3 / usb-c. But there are simply too many other things about the new models (lack of ports, no MagSafe, new keyboard) that require me to do a lot of work adjusting to it, and I think it should work the other way around (the machine adjusting to me).

On a purely shallow note, I like the design of the 2015 models better, all the way down to the removal of "MacBook Pro" on the bottom bezel of the display. Still very sleek, modern and iconic looking.

I won't complain about the price increase, as I feel fairly certain this will only impact early adopters. Third party retailers & sellers will be offering better deals in a few months.

 

[zokstar]

UPGRADE!!!!!! I'm upgrading from an early 2015 13" to a base 15" model.

 

[monkeydax]

Free as in free? Or free as in parents' money? If the latter, then no.

If someone was offering me for free the choice between the following two, I would go with the 15-inch:
Choice #1: 2016 13-inch Macbook Pro, base touchbar model
Choice #2: 2015 15-inch Macbook Pro, upgraded graphics

Now, if choice #2 were a 2015 15-inch Macbook Pro with base graphics, it might be a tougher decision. I would probably in that case go with the 2016 13" model.

However, I'm not being *given* anything for free. If funds are fine, I'll probably go with a 13-inch 2016 Macbook Pro. I am definitely sour about the 8GB RAM though. Upgrading the RAM just notches its price into a category that is too close in price to the 2016 15-inch model.

Haha free as in if there was no price difference kinda free (if you were buying one) or free if you could trade in your 15" for a new one. Okay i see!

 

[wheelhot]

What Kabylake specs?? All the new pros use skylake.

Not talking bout the current pros, talking bout Kaby Lake chip specs hasn't been announced yet as the KB Iris 620 is replacement of SL Iris 520, I wonder if we'll see KB Iris 640 and 650.