Deal on new macbook pro skylake or take new kabylake

[poizonx]

Hi all guys, right now I'm writing from a mild macbook pro 13 of late 2010.
Long story short. I live in Italy and I can take a new macbook pro 13 inch with touch bar of 2016 for 1725€ (2029.96 USD) it's not refurbished it's new and of course the chip is skylake.
Second option is to take the kabylake wich is priced 2099€ (2470.00 USD), i've tried the keyboard and while seems strange I don't find it so horrible, same for the touchbar. What i found really really strange is the fact that the no touchbar has a totaly different keyboard also the macbook has a wired keyboard.
I'm not into video editing, i use it for web browsing, programming, and watching movies and from what I've heard the skylake is much quiter, i mean less fan noise, while kabbylake has more fan noise and is much hotter.
At this point I don't know if I have to wait for cannonlake which probally we will see only next October, or buy now.
What I hate most is fan noise, I can't live with it.
I've read a lot and people say that skylake consume less power and is quiter, but I've never tried the two models, so I'm in your hands.
The laptop is not cheap and since virtually we are in 2018 I don't know what to do.
I really hope someone can suggest me cause i feel my laptop running mavericks is ready to pass away.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Queen6]

2017 model, far many posts regarding keyboard failure with the 2016 model ands it's an expensive repair once out of warranty. My own experience with Skylake & Kabylake is the latter runs cooler, however this is not with Mac's. The notebook I'm on now has 10 applications open, over 40 windows, 20-30 tabs on the browser across 3 desktops. CPU is 43C, GPU 45C (GTX 1070) ambient is 26C Kabylake 7th Gen 7700HQ, admittedly a light load for this machine.

Don't have anything directly comparable to the 13" my Mac's are too old and my 7th Gen Windows notebooks 45W quad cores or 15W passively cooled duel core.

If you need now, buy now, there's no guarantee when Apple will release the next update or exactly what it will consist of. The upcoming 8th Gen CPU's are a strong driver to hold on, equally only if your workflow can take advantage of the additional CPU cores.

Q-6

 

[poizonx]

In fact due the fact that cannon lake will be out in October i don't know how much i worth to spend less (although 400€ less is a nice sum).
But i think I will take the kaby lake, haven't seen it so horrible, what i don't like is the fact that I'm sure that the TB model has some improvement.
Maybe i will take it in the first day of January, still searching for the problem of using chrome to watch 4k video (h.265 decoding) and i want be sure that i will not hear the fans, I mostly works alone the night, so louding fans piss me off.

 

[poizonx]

Sorry to bump up this thread.
I can also get for 1900€ a macbook pro mid 2015 15.4" Retina, Intel Core i7 2.2 GHZ, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD.
I don't wan't waste my money and bein unhappy.
Please some other advice....I use Vim a lot and without esc key is a pain.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Miltz]

go with the 2016 and get the best bang for the buck. I got my 2016 in 2016 and I have zero issues after one year, no keyboard issues either. Don't get scared of all the negative stuff on the forums.

 

[jerryk]

Sorry to bump up this thread.
I can also get for 1900€ a macbook pro mid 2015 15.4" Retina, Intel Core i7 2.2 GHZ, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD.
I don't wan't waste my money and bein unhappy.
Please some other advice....I use Vim a lot and without esc key is a pain.
Thanks in advance.

I you use vim or vi you want a physical escape key

 

[poizonx]

My first thoght was to go with 2016 model due the fact that skylake run cooler and so you don't hear fan noise.
Maybe the question was if was worth to sped 1900€ on a macbook pro retina 15.4 with 16gb memory, 256gb storage and a normal keyboard.
Since i live in Italy I have two years warranty on every product.
[doublepost=1514654780][/doublepost]

I you use vim or vi you want a physical escape key

Of course i can remap the the esc key to another key, but i can forget to use linux with vmware fusion or parallel desktop...

 

[ZapNZs]

Kaby Lake has some efficiency improvements over Skylake. In some cases, the newer Kaby Lake models have notably improved battery life - this is probably most pronounced with the 13-inch touchbar model, and the 12-inch retina MacBook. For normal usage, you won't hear any fan noise at all because the fans will not be running. For heavier usage, you will hear some fan noise with either revision. The touchbar is noticeably quieter than the non-touchbar, and this seems to be especially pronounced when using 4k displays.

How in a hurry are you to purchase? The potential shift from dual core to lower-voltage quad core has both significant implications for performance as well as battery life. If battery life is important, the next generation MBP may absolutely blow away the current models. (With Windows systems that have adopted quad core CPUs in their smaller laptops, I think even more impressive than the performance gains is the battery life in normal usage scenarios, which represent huge gains over the models they replaced!)

 

[parseckadet]

I you use vim or vi you want a physical escape key

I don’t think it’s that big a deal actually. I’m a touch typist and I use vi quite a bit. Even so, I almost never find the escape key by touch since it’s so far from the home row. The bigger issue in my mind is if you’re hovering over one of the function keys. For example, in eclipse I use F5 and F6 all the time when debugging. It can be a bit annoying on the touch bar, but I’ve adjusted.

 

[mj_]

Please some other advice....I use Vim a lot and without esc key is a pain.

The lack of a physical ESC key was the main reason why I picked the 2016 13" non-Touch Bar model back in early 2017 (other reasons were that I also need the F5 & F6 key for debugging in Eclipse a lot, and the fact that the Touch Bar is nothing but an overpriced and utterly useless gimmick) I can't do without a physical ESC key, it's simply impossible. I've spent endless hours at my local Apple Store trying to hit ESC blindly on the new Touch Bar models, both 13" and 15", and I failed reliably almost every single time not because of the lack of haptic feedback (I probably could've done without) but mainly because, and this might be a deal-breaker, the virtual ESC key is actually located a bit further to the right on the Touch Bar than it is on a regular keyboard:




My hand goes to the top left automatically whenever I need to hit ESC, and I can hit it blindly on every keyboard I've used so far except for the Touch Bar keyboard. If the virtual ESC key was up there in that top left corner I might've gotten used to it.

Thus, the quoted 15" 2015 model for 1,900€ might be the better choice for you if you need that physical ESC key regularly. Ultimately, you have to decide yourself whether or not it's worth it.

 

[poizonx]

Kaby Lake has some efficiency improvements over Skylake. In some cases, the newer Kaby Lake models have notably improved battery life - this is probably most pronounced with the 13-inch touchbar model, and the 12-inch retina MacBook. For normal usage, you won't hear any fan noise at all because the fans will not be running. For heavier usage, you will hear some fan noise with either revision. The touchbar is noticeably quieter than the non-touchbar, and this seems to be especially pronounced when using 4k displays.

How in a hurry are you to purchase? The potential shift from dual core to lower-voltage quad core has both significant implications for performance as well as battery life. If battery life is important, the next generation MBP may absolutely blow away the current models. (With Windows systems that have adopted quad core CPUs in their smaller laptops, I think even more impressive than the performance gains is the battery life in normal usage scenarios, which represent huge gains over the models they replaced!)

I have macabook pro late 2010 2.4ghz core 2 duo, 4gb ram running mavericks! I'm in hurry because i have probelm with sound (low volume) and now my fan should be replaced but i don't know where to find it...
I would love to fix it, i mean i can try, but if i fail i will have to change immediatly.
I really love my macbook has been turned on for 8 years but now it's time to change. Regarding the power someone said that skylake when without power consume less energy. I don't think apple will remove the touchbar, and i don't understand why I can have two fans only with the touchbar version.
[doublepost=1514671685][/doublepost]

I don’t think it’s that big a deal actually. I’m a touch typist and I use vi quite a bit. Even so, I almost never find the escape key by touch since it’s so far from the home row. The bigger issue in my mind is if you’re hovering over one of the function keys. For example, in eclipse I use F5 and F6 all the time when debugging. It can be a bit annoying on the touch bar, but I’ve adjusted.

That's the point, furthermore if i ant run linux with vmware fusion or parallel desktop i will not able to use it!

 

[jerryk]

I don’t think it’s that big a deal actually. I’m a touch typist and I use vi quite a bit. Even so, I almost never find the escape key by touch since it’s so far from the home row.

I have no issue with finding the escape key by touch on my 2015 MBP. So it would be a big deal to me. Since vi was one of the first editors I used, it is muscle memory to reach for the upper left key.

 

[poizonx]

The lack of a physical ESC key was the main reason why I picked the 2016 13" non-Touch Bar model back in early 2017 (other reasons were that I also need the F5 & F6 key for debugging in Eclipse a lot, and the fact that the Touch Bar is nothing but an overpriced and utterly useless gimmick) I can't do without a physical ESC key, it's simply impossible. I've spent endless hours at my local Apple Store trying to hit ESC blindly on the new Touch Bar models, both 13" and 15", and I failed reliably almost every single time not because of the lack of haptic feedback (I probably could've done without) but mainly because, and this might be a deal-breaker, the virtual ESC key is actually located a bit further to the right on the Touch Bar than it is on a regular keyboard:


View attachment 744460 View attachment 744461 View attachment 744463

My hand goes to the top left automatically whenever I need to hit ESC, and I can hit it blindly on every keyboard I've used so far except for the Touch Bar keyboard. If the virtual ESC key was up there in that top left corner I might've gotten used to it.

Thus, the quoted 15" 2015 model for 1,900€ might be the better choice for you if you need that physical ESC key regularly. Ultimately, you have to decide yourself whether or not it's worth it.

Actually in every apple store i can only see the latest model, I'm an avid Vim user along with sublime text (I write python code). Maybe the 2015 quad core is a good solution, with 16gb of ram and a quad processor is still a great machine but i don't know if is the right choice someone reported backlight bleed problem and i don't wnat spend 1900€ for a 3 old laptop.
That's the first time that i find myself in a situation like this

 

[Naimfan]

Avoid the 2016 models.

Either get a 2015 or a 2017.

 

[poizonx]

Avoid the 2016 models.

Either get a 2015 or a 2017.

I few words because i will be forced to take a model without touchbar, can you explain me the difference between the 2016 model and 2017 model non touchbar?

 

[maflynn]

can you explain me the difference between the 2016 model and 2017 model non touchbar?

The issue is the keyboard, the 2017 model has a better keyboard in that its failure rate is less then the 2016. Just my observation

 

[Naimfan]

I few words because i will be forced to take a model without touchbar, can you explain me the difference between the 2016 model and 2017 model non touchbar?

The 2017 Kaby Lake models seem to run cooler and to have fewer keyboard issues as a result.

 

[parseckadet]

That's the point, furthermore if i ant run linux with vmware fusion or parallel desktop i will not able to use it!

What's your point? I made a few observations in my post, so I don't know which one you're referring to. Also, you didn't mention vmware or parallels before, just vim. I had assumed you were using it from terminal.app. Obviously if you're using a vm then it's a different story. The issue there though is that Apple hasn't bothered to provide drivers for the touch bar that will work correctly in Windows or Linux. At least that's the impression I get from perusing the forums, I've only had mine for a week and haven't setup any VMs or boot camp installs yet.
[doublepost=1514783274][/doublepost]

the virtual ESC key is actually located a bit further to the right on the Touch Bar than it is on a regular keyboard:


View attachment 744460 View attachment 744461 View attachment 744463

My hand goes to the top left automatically whenever I need to hit ESC, and I can hit it blindly on every keyboard I've used so far except for the Touch Bar keyboard. If the virtual ESC key was up there in that top left corner I might've gotten used to it.

I don't doubt that you're finding it hard to hit the escape key, but do realize that the area to the left of where the key is actually displayed is still touch sensitive even though nothing is displayed there. If I place my finger so that the edge of the Touch Bar is directly down the middle of my index finger then it registers the input as if I had directly pressed the escape key.

 

[mj_]

I don't doubt that you're finding it hard to hit the escape key, but do realize that the area to the left of where the key is actually displayed is still touch sensitive even though nothing is displayed there. If I place my finger so that the edge of the Touch Bar is directly down the middle of my index finger then it registers the input as if I had directly pressed the escape key.

I did not know that. Apple must've changed that at some point between late 2016 and now because it was definitely not touch sensitive and did not register any input when the 2016 were first released. That's good to know though, thanks.

 

[conifer]

I got the 2016 base model and bought AppleCare plus which I think at the time was around $250 (the old one without liquid damage protection?) which i got it for less at bestbuy with points. I had one key that broke almost a year in and Apple replaced the keyboard with a 2017 one. As a bonus I got a new battery and anecdotally it seems to last longer although I can’t be sure.
Edit: I wouldn’t buy a Mac without AppleCare, too many parts attached together. I also had a screen issue earlier in the year and they replaced that as well.

 

[parseckadet]

I did not know that. Apple must've changed that at some point between late 2016 and now because it was definitely not touch sensitive and did not register any input when the 2016 were first released. That's good to know though, thanks.

I don't have personal experience, but several of the reviews when the 2016 first came out mentioned it, which leads me to believe it's been like that from the start.

 

[poizonx]

The 2017 Kaby Lake models seem to run cooler and to have fewer keyboard issues as a result.

So something is wrong with review on notebookcheck.
[doublepost=1515023209][/doublepost]

What's your point? I made a few observations in my post, so I don't know which one you're referring to. Also, you didn't mention vmware or parallels before, just vim. I had assumed you were using it from terminal.app. Obviously if you're using a vm then it's a different story. The issue there though is that Apple hasn't bothered to provide drivers for the touch bar that will work correctly in Windows or Linux. At least that's the impression I get from perusing the forums, I've only had mine for a week and haven't setup any VMs or boot camp installs yet.
[doublepost=1514783274][/doublepost]

I don't doubt that you're finding it hard to hit the escape key, but do realize that the area to the left of where the key is actually displayed is still touch sensitive even though nothing is displayed there. If I place my finger so that the edge of the Touch Bar is directly down the middle of my index finger then it registers the input as if I had directly pressed the escape key.

Usually i always have a linux vm running so the problem si double.
When i'm on mac i always use Vim, the same when i sue linux iside a vm so i figureg that the touchbar varsion is not for me..

 

[whiteonline]

2016 15" model user here. I use vi daily for work. The touch-esc key was only a problem for maybe half a day. No complaints now.