Which macbook pro to buy for interaction design?

[User@macrumor]

Hi everyone,
I've seen a lot of threads discussing this but I'm just unable to make a decision and therefore, I'm here.

I'm a student from India and I'll soon join an Interaction Design Programme. I'll be working with photoshop, illustrator and likes and also with prototyping platforms such as arduino. For this, I'm planning to purchase a macbook pro and I've 3 models in mind.

1. 15" 2015 i7 16 gb RAM 256 gb SSD
- This model has it all. It's a power beast and I am sure there will not be any performance compromise with this one. The only drawback is the ports. Although, everything I own is good-old USB and they are the ones I'll use now, I want my laptop to be future proof. This is a big investment for me and I intend to use it for atleast 5-6 years. I want to know how long before everything is usb c and would it be fine if I go with this model keeping in mind my work with studio and all? And also, it costs me more than the other 2 newer model.

2. 13" 2017 i5 8 gb 256 gb - non touch bar
- This is the lowest costing model and I like the specs but I am not sure if it will fit my requirements. And if dongle life is worth considering it only has 2 usb c. And also the keyboard is likely to break with minor dust accumulation. So, I'm scared to get this but I want to know if all this can be avoided and what is the battery situation?

3. 13" 2017 i5 8 gb 256 gb - touch bar
- Only reason I am considering this model is because of more number of ports and slightly better power. I don't see any reason for getting it for the touch bar.

So kind people of forum, please enlighten me with your knowledge and experiences with any of these models and guide me to buy a decent macbook pro. I am planning to make the purchase within 15 days.
[doublepost=1527487762][/doublepost]Oh, and also what is the heating situation on all these models and how much damage can it do?

 

[casperes1996]

So... This is extremely tricky. I frankly think all of them will be powerful enough for you. RAM may limit a bit for the future on the 2 13" models, but probably not too much.

The 2 13" models of course offer newer hardware, with newer instructions on the chips, but the 15" model offers more performance, and a larger selection of ports.

Battery is good on all of them, and heating shouldn't be an issue. I find that both the 2015s and 2017s have good thermals. India is of course quite different in temperature to Denmark where I've tested them, but of the Macs I've experienced, these laptops are all amongst the best with respect to heat. The one with Touch Bar doing better than the one without though. An extra fan and an extra heat pipe.

If it were me, I'd go with the 15" model, but it's a tricky one, and I think that all three answers are good honestly

 

[User@macrumor]

[doublepost=1527574168][/doublepost]

So... This is extremely tricky. I frankly think all of them will be powerful enough for you. RAM may limit a bit for the future on the 2 13" models, but probably not too much.

The 2 13" models of course offer newer hardware, with newer instructions on the chips, but the 15" model offers more performance, and a larger selection of ports.

Battery is good on all of them, and heating shouldn't be an issue. I find that both the 2015s and 2017s have good thermals. India is of course quite different in temperature to Denmark where I've tested them, but of the Macs I've experienced, these laptops are all amongst the best with respect to heat. The one with Touch Bar doing better than the one without though. An extra fan and an extra heat pipe.

If it were me, I'd go with the 15" model, but it's a tricky one, and I think that all three answers are good honestly

Yes even I am more inclined towards older 15" model but I want to make sure it won't be outdated 3 year down the line. What are the odds of that?

And are hardware issues with newer models (keyboards especially) are too frequent?

 

[bigtomato]

15 " has discrete cpu which will be helpful when dealing with graphics. To be honest I have a 2012 MacBook Pro 15" still works with everything like a charm so realistically all of them are good but its the extra horsepower on graphics that makes a difference.

 

[User@macrumor]

Alright, I think I'll go with 15" probably but just one last thing. Is it possible to connect usb c devices to older 2015 macbook pro in any way?

 

[smallcoffee]

What's your budget, and what are the prices for each of these?

In the last few years I've had a 2015 MacBook (12") that I no longer have, a 2015 15" MacBook Pro for work, and I have a 2016 15" MacBook Pro for personal use.

The keyboard issue is probably a thing, but nobody knows what the numbers are. I think a lot of it is people are just complaining about the new keyboard, even though it's certainly a better keyboard for typing.

 

[kschendel]

USB-C is a form factor, not an electrical or protocol spec, and USB-C to USB-A adaptors exist.

I'm using a late 2013 rMBP and I can't think of a reason that I won't be using it for a few more years. I don't think you have to worry about the 2015 being too outdated to use in 5 years.

 

[User@macrumor]

What's your budget, and what are the prices for each of these?

In the last few years I've had a 2015 MacBook (12") that I no longer have, a 2015 15" MacBook Pro for work, and I have a 2016 15" MacBook Pro for personal use.

The keyboard issue is probably a thing, but nobody knows what the numbers are. I think a lot of it is people are just complaining about the new keyboard, even though it's certainly a better keyboard for typing.

My maximum budget is 1,35,000 INR (~$2000 US). Following are the prices.

1) 2015 15" - 1,35,000 INR (~$2000 US)
2) 2017 13" (no touch bar) - 1,15,000 INR (~$1700 US)
3) 2017 13" (with touch bar) - 1,30,000 INR (~$1900 US)
[doublepost=1527961755][/doublepost]

USB-C is a form factor, not an electrical or protocol spec, and USB-C to USB-A adaptors exist.

I'm using a late 2013 rMBP and I can't think of a reason that I won't be using it for a few more years. I don't think you have to worry about the 2015 being too outdated to use in 5 years.

Oh that's great. That's exactly what I'm looking for but I couldn't find any proper adapters. All those that I found were said to be difficult to work with or simply not supporting. If you don't mind, and if you know, can you suggest me any good adapter that you might know about or maybe using it?

 

[kschendel]

One possibility is:

https://www.amazon.com/Warmstor-Ada...qid=1527966619&sr=8-6&keywords=usb+c+to+usb-a

and I'm sure there are others. Be aware that an adapter isn't going to let your USB port do things it can't do, like transmit non-USB signals (eg video), run at USB 3.1 gen 2 speeds (10 GB/s), etc. It's just a form factor changer and the computer port is still just a USB port. Reading a few of the reviews of the item I linked to, I suspect that some people don't understand what USB-C is...

 

[smallcoffee]

My maximum budget is 1,35,000 INR (~$2000 US). Following are the prices.

1) 2015 15" - 1,35,000 INR (~$2000 US)
2) 2017 13" (no touch bar) - 1,15,000 INR (~$1700 US)
3) 2017 13" (with touch bar) - 1,30,000 INR (~$1900

I would not under any circumstances but a 3+ year old laptop for $2,000.

Buy a refurb if possible 2017 15”

 

[kschendel]

I would not under any circumstances but a 3+ year old laptop for $2,000.

Buy a refurb if possible 2017 15”

I disagree. The 2015 has similar processing power, larger screen, and double the memory -- plus there's no worries about the stupid keyboard debacle. The OP will easily get 5 years (probably more) out of a 2015 and it will still be fully supported. I can't think of a single game-changer in a 2017 model compared to the 2015.

If the OP does go with the 2017, I'd strongly advise AppleCare or some equivalent to cover the keyboard. Obviously the keyboard works for the majority of people or there would have been a stronger reaction, but the failure rate is clearly much higher than it should be.

 

[smallcoffee]

I disagree. The 2015 has similar processing power, larger screen, and double the memory -- plus there's no worries about the stupid keyboard debacle. The OP will easily get 5 years (probably more) out of a 2015 and it will still be fully supported. I can't think of a single game-changer in a 2017 model compared to the 2015.

I’m not suggesting buying the 13” MacBook pros either. I would advise a refurb 2017 15” or something else instead.

If you’re comparing the 15” models the 2017 is vastly superior to the 2015 lol. Better ports/keyboard too.

 

[kschendel]

"Vastly" according to what measure? and the keyboard is only better when it's working. Anyway, the OP can decide at this point. I don't know if India has the same refurb availability as the US; I suspect not.

 

[smallcoffee]

"Vastly" according to what measure? and the keyboard is only better when it's working. Anyway, the OP can decide at this point. I don't know if India has the same refurb availability as the US; I suspect not.

All measures. Every component is better. There is a possible problem with the keyboard in terms of reliability, but typing on it is far superior.

 

[kschendel]

I didn't ask which components were better, I asked where you get "vastly". Some graphics applications, maybe, but I don't think either photoshop or illustrator used for UX design are going to stress graphics. The CPU is maybe half again faster at best (and not continuously) and that's not enough to be noticeable for most things. Not everyone agrees that the keyboard is better for typing; I suspect it's a wash once you get used to it. (In 40+ years working I've seen maybe 3 keyboards, out of dozens, that I could not type fast on once I adjusted.)

 

[smallcoffee]

I didn't ask which components were better, I asked where you get "vastly". Some graphics applications, maybe, but I don't think either photoshop or illustrator used for UX design are going to stress graphics. The CPU is maybe half again faster at best (and not continuously) and that's not enough to be noticeable for most things. Not everyone agrees that the keyboard is better for typing; I suspect it's a wash once you get used to it. (In 40+ years working I've seen maybe 3 keyboards, out of dozens, that I could not type fast on once I adjusted.)

Well I don’t want to qualify “vastly” so I’ll just say they are all better and worth the money.

I type on both 2015 and 2016 and man I have to say the 2015 keyboard feels like molasses now.

 

[User@macrumor]

I would not under any circumstances but a 3+ year old laptop for $2,000.

Buy a refurb if possible 2017 15”

Yes, I thought about buying 2017 15" refurb but as @kschendel mentioned, India does not have refurb options from apple and importing them from US is going to cost me the same amount as a new one. Maybe more. And buying a new one is wayyyyy out of my budget so I'm stuck with these 3 models and I need to decide with them.

 

[bigtomato]

I use a 2012 MacBook, anything with ssd is fine don't waste your money

 

[smallcoffee]

Yes, I thought about buying 2017 15" refurb but as @kschendel mentioned, India does not have refurb options from apple and importing them from US is going to cost me the same amount as a new one. Maybe more. And buying a new one is wayyyyy out of my budget so I'm stuck with these 3 models and I need to decide with them.

Tough choice

 

[User@macrumor]

I use a 2012 MacBook, anything with ssd is fine don't waste your money

yes that makes sense
[doublepost=1528201956][/doublepost]

Tough choice

exactly...that's why I had to post here.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

yes that makes sense
[doublepost=1528201956][/doublepost]
exactly...that's why I had to post here.

Also support in India is patchy and third party only, I would seriously consider researching your repair options etc before you buy an apple product that you can only service by sending out by post.

 

[bigtomato]

invision studio is coming to windows which will do a lot more than sketch currently might take another month or two before it comes out but good thing is cross platform support. You could also use adobe XD which is free and runs on windows, lots of options in windows nowadays...Mac's are great machines and will last a long time but you will be paying big bucks and not get the latest hardware along with being non-upgradeable...Get yourself a cheap windows laptop just make sure it has SSD storage and HDMI output so you can view on monitor when you need to, they work just fine.

 

[User@macrumor]

invision studio is coming to windows which will do a lot more than sketch currently might take another month or two before it comes out but good thing is cross platform support. You could also use adobe XD which is free and runs on windows, lots of options in windows nowadays...Mac's are great machines and will last a long time but you will be paying big bucks and not get the latest hardware along with being non-upgradeable...Get yourself a cheap windows laptop just make sure it has SSD storage and HDMI output so you can view on monitor when you need to, they work just fine.

Oh that sounds nice..I didn't know about invision studio. I'll look into that.