Choosing a Macbook for Xcode (described everything in the post)

[heltisace]

Hi. I do know that there were a lot of questions that are related to that theme. And I want you to know that I read really freaking a lot of them. Still didn't help me to decide though

Sorry for that huge wall of text below, but I felt like it would be best to describe everything I could think I can ask me in one post.

I do iOS developing, mostly not graphic demanding, though pretty big ones, which means that I would probably need a lot of RAM and not bad CPU.

So, at the moment I'm choosing between:
-Macbook Pro 2016 13" 8GB 2.9GHz Touch Bar
-Macbook Pro 2017 13" 16GB 2.3-2.5GHz No Touch Bar
-Macbook Pro 2015 15" 16GB 2.5GHz
-Macbook Pro 2017 15" 16GB 2.6GHz

Can get the first three for rawly the same price, and the last one is obviously the most expensive.

1) That is what seems the best for me as price and design, but unfortunately I don't think that 8GB is enough for comfort coding. On my iMac, having 16GB of RAM, I can see that even without Xcode applications take bout 8-9GB.
2) That's what also seems to me one of the best options. I don't really care about monitor size and I think that CPU is pretty decent here, but I guess that 1 fan is not enough. Am I right? 'cause if not, then, at lest for me, it looks like the best $/performance.
3) I do understand that 2015 version then will be the best option, but though it sounds maybe weird, but I don't really like how it feels or looks like. New Macbooks are so much better to me and I don't really want to spend what's a lot of money to me on a machine I personally don't enjoy.
4) If I had a lot of money I would just buy the last option, and to be honest I can buy it, otherwise I just wouldn't consider that as an option, but I will have to spend all the money I managed to earn on it, what I don't really like. But if it would be a huge jump in performance I think I just have to choice here.

Thanks in advance to everyone who read that. You are cool, have a nice day!

 

[MacDawg]

With the keyboard problems the later MBPs appear to be having, I would opt for the 2015 15"
Cheaper price, plenty of RAM and processing for you

Not sure what you don't like about the look/feel of it, but that would be my choice

 

[heltisace]

With the keyboard problems the later MBPs appear to be having, I would opt for the 2015 15"
Cheaper price, plenty of RAM and processing for you

Not sure what you don't like about the look/feel of it, but that would be my choice

Okay, thanks for quick respond. Truth be told I really don't know myself for what reason I'm not satisfied with it, but the new one just seems to be way 'cleaner' and having no such free space between its components. Don't know.

 

[Glmnet1]

Wait for WWDC! It's in less than 3 weeks and we might see a quad core 13" and improvements on the keyboards.

Another possibility, even though you don't seem to need gpu performance, is for the new AMD/Intel chips to be used in a low-end MBP 15". That would possibly offer decent performance for the price.

 

[heltisace]

Wait for WWDC! It's in less than 3 weeks and we might see a quad core 13" and improvements on the keyboards.

That's right and I'm also very impressed by this upcoming event, but I live in Ukraine and it will take something like all the summer for our shops to get them. Plus at the start they will be VERY overpriced here, which considering the fact that I'm already going to buy a decent, but used laptop is no the best option. Still thanks for quick respond!

 

[Glmnet1]

That's right and I'm also very impressed by this upcoming event, but I live in Ukraine and it will take something like all the summer for our shops to get them. Plus at the start they will be VERY overpriced here, which considering the fact that I'm already going to buy a decent, but used laptop is no the best option. Still thanks for quick respond!

Then yeah, the 2015 seems to be the best option considering that the keyboards on the 2016/2017 are not reliable and I wouldn't get them without Apple Care.

 

[heltisace]

Then yeah, the 2015 seems to be the best option considering that the keyboards on the 2016/2017 are not reliable and I wouldn't get them without Apple Care.

Okey, thanks!

 

[robvas]

16GB, quad-core and 15" screen make this an easy decision

 

[heltisace]

16GB, quad-core and 15" screen make this an easy decision

It would be much easier if you selected the model, because of there being two of such

 

[duervo]

If you don’t need it today, then wait 3 weeks, and then decide.

 

[heltisace]

If you don’t need it today, then wait 3 weeks, and then decide.

That's right and so I'm going to do, but I live in Ukraine and it will take something like all the summer for our shops to get new Macbooks. Plus at the start they will be VERY overpriced here, which considering the fact that I'm already going to buy a decent, but used laptop is not the best option. Still thanks for respond!

 

[Anarchy99]

I would recommend the Macbook Pro 2015 15" 16GB 2.5GHz because the keyboard is usable.

I've returned both the 2016 model and 2017 model after 2-3weeks use because i couldnt adjust to the inferior keyboard.
I then upgraded from my 2012 retina Macbook pro to the best 2015 retina Macbook pro i could find as to me it was the only logical upgrade path.

that said everyone is different and experiencing yourself is ultimately better than hearing about it online.

if you are butterfly keyboard curious you could buy the 2017 in a week or so from apple.com and utilize the 2 week no questions asked return policy (they will even provide a return shipping label free you even get basically a 3rd week as they give you 10 days for the return after the label is requested).

this would allow you to try the most current model in the mean time and then be able to return it if you hate it or if the rumored 2018 model looks awesome.

if somehow you like the butterfly switch keyboard's ultra low key travel and want one long term I would recommend the non touchbar model because as a former programmer I found not having a hardware esc key maddening.
yet if you want to try one for the two weeks i would recommend the touchbar as its really hard to put into words using it for a few weeks

so i realize this could mean multiple temporary purchases but its really the best option to see what is best for you and it costs you nothing extra to do so

 

[heltisace]

I would recommend the Macbook Pro 2015 15" 16GB 2.5GHz because the keyboard is usable.

I've returned both the 2016 model and 2017 model after 2-3weeks use because i couldnt adjust to the inferior keyboard.
I then upgraded from my 2012 retina Macbook pro to the best 2015 retina Macbook pro i could find as to me it was the only logical upgrade path.

that said everyone is different and experiencing yourself is ultimately better than hearing about it online.

if you are butterfly keyboard curious you could buy the 2017 in a week or so from apple.com and utilize the 2 week no questions asked return policy (they will even provide a return shipping label free you even get basically a 3rd week as they give you 10 days for the return after the label is requested).

this would allow you to try the most current model in the mean time and then be able to return it if you hate it or if the rumored 2018 model looks awesome.

if somehow you like the butterfly switch keyboard's ultra low key travel and want one long term I would recommend the non touchbar model because as a former programmer I found not having a hardware esc key maddening.
yet if you want to try one for the two weeks i would recommend the touchbar as its really hard to put into words using it for a few weeks

so i realize this could mean multiple temporary purchases but its really the best option to see what is best for you and it costs you nothing extra to do so

Hi. Thanks for your respond. The problem is, as I have already written above, I live in Ukraine. No official Apple stores. And even with that - I'm going to buy a used one, what means that I won't be able to return it in any way, because of Amazon and E-bay not working there. For sure, I can buy it through them, but including the tax I will have to pay something like 1.5 of the primary price.

I would love to get non touch bar version for myself, but my only concern about it is only one fan here. Do you think that it's enough? I read a lot of messages on that forum where people complain that their keyboard starts working weird under load on that device and overall cooling experience is not that good.

 

[biffuz]

The 13" are dual cores, the 15" are quads. Come on, there's no question which ones are better, unless you need the portability. I have a late 2013 15" and I'm not even thinking of replacing it yet, it's a terrific machine for coding.

 

[heltisace]

The 13" are dual cores, the 15" are quads. Come on, there's no question which ones are better, unless you need the portability. I have a late 2013 15" and I'm not even thinking of replacing it yet, it's a terrific machine for coding.

I do need portability, but 15" is quite bearable. 4 cores is definitely much more than 2 in question of power, but usually, at least I, spend time writing code, not building it. And that's all the post about. If I didn't have to spend all my saved money on 2016 model I probably would just buy it without complains. Yes, 2015 Macbook is almost the same as 2016 is, if we compare their performance, but taking into account that personally I find the new design much better it's not that easy question for me.

I heard your opinion though, thanks for reply!

 

[jonobin]

Stick with 16gb of ram, everything else is superfluous

 

[heltisace]

Stick with 16gb of ram, everything else is superfluous

Yes, think so too. Do you know anything about one fan being okay for macbook without touch bar?

 

[iJohnMajed]

I'm in the same boat as you. Programmer, live in a company with no official apple store at all. I decided to go for the MBP 2015 15" tho.

As a programmer making living from coding, keyboard is so much important to us, used all the time. The 2016 and 2017 versions have the keyboard problem, it's not really something I'd RISK at all. Buying something you can't return in a country with no official apple support. I'm not even willing to wait for the 2018 version, I highly doubt they'll change it, probably it'll be an 'update' to it, at this stage I still won't buy and wait for buyers reviews, after months.

The 2015 MBP should last at least 3-4 years.

 

[heltisace]

Programmer, live in a company with no official apple store at all.

LMAO. That feeling when they even don't let you go out XD

Thanks for your respond. Yes, keyboard can be an issue, but thus far all the cases I saw can be solved just with compressed air.

 

[iJohnMajed]

LMAO. That feeling when they even don't let you go out XD

Thanks for your respond. Yes, keyboard can be an issue, but thus far all the cases I saw can be solved just with compressed air.

Oh man lmao, I meant "COUNTRY". Sorry I just woke up, I'm kinda waiting for the 2018 anyway. before I buy (Mostly because I'll get a discount anyway even if I go with the 2017 right?) I used the MBP 2017 yesterday, the keyboard was weird to me.. You'll need to get used to that too.

 

[heltisace]

Oh man lmao, I meant "COUNTRY". Sorry I just woke up.

That's okay, I understood. Just pretty funny

I used the MBP 2017 yesterday, the keyboard was weird to me.. You'll need to get used to that too.

Yes, but I don't think that it's too bad. Technology changes all the time and, at least for me, it's interesting to try something new.

 

[jonobin]

Yes, think so too. Do you know anything about one fan being okay for macbook without touch bar?

I've got the 13" 2015 and the fan is -almost- never spinning(just when doing some exceptional video conversion).
As a developer like you I'll suggest you to take an afternoon to take confidence with the keyboard in the new MacBooks, the new processors have some serious advantages(h265 for example), and if you don't find yourself comfortable enough just buy and old external apple keyboard to use while adapting to the new one

Edit: I'm not using Xcode to develop but I don't think that it's that much heavy

 

[biffuz]

4 cores is definitely much more than 2 in question of power, but usually, at least I, spend time writing code, not building it. And that's all the post about.

Modern IDEs do a lot of work while you write and do all your stuff. I also used a MBP 13" (mid 2014, i7 3.0 dual core) for a while and the difference with my quad (late 2013, i7 2.3 quad) was quite noticeable. Not huge, but noticeable. Of course, building, emulators and VMs were a completely different story.

 

[heltisace]

Modern IDEs do a lot of work while you write and do all your stuff. I also used a MBP 13" (mid 2014, i7 3.0 dual core) for a while and the difference with my quad (late 2013, i7 2.3 quad) was quite noticeable. Not huge, but noticeable. Of course, building, emulators and VMs were a completely different story.

I definitely don't want to argue with you because you are 100% right. But having a device for some primary testing and an external monitor and not having to run any VMs, I just feel like 13" is not that bad choice for me.
But again, gotcha. Thanks, will keep that in mind.
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I've got the 13" 2015 and the fan is -almost- never spinning(just when doing some exceptional video conversion).
As a developer like you I'll suggest you to take an afternoon to take confidence with the keyboard in the new MacBooks, the new processors have some serious advantages(h265 for example), and if you don't find yourself comfortable enough just buy and old external apple keyboard to use while adapting to the new one

Edit: I'm not using Xcode to develop but I don't think that it's that much heavy

I just read that some people have some quite irritative issues with keyboard while doing some really hard work on it, because of one fan being not enough for cooling device. Also, I'm kinda afraid of cpu throttling under load.
Even so - thanks, I will keep that in mind.

 

[mroy16]

I think the 2015 MBP makes the most sense for you. Ordinarily, I don't make a big deal about the 2016-2017 keyboards (mine still works perfectly after over a year), but without quick and reliable Apple support, I wouldn't encourage you to risk a failure with the new keyboard style. The 2015 will easily meet your needs, and should last you several years with excellent performance.