New MacBook Pro

I'm getting a new MacBook soon and I can't decide which one. I've read the reviews on the new MacBook with the touch bar, but I'm not so sold on it. Has anyone bought/used one? What do you think hype/useful? The price is outrageous and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm just looking for something to dual boot or run VM on for Linux. It doesn't have any USB ports, Thunderbolt only? Am I missing something. It just seems weird. What do you think buy an old MacBook or MacBook Pro? TIA

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JoJoCal19

Apple has lost their way as a (computer) company. The new MBP are hilariously overpriced. Don't have the latest and greatest silicone, still stuck at 16GB RAM max, and still soldering the internals so you cannot upgrade them. I have a 2011 MBP that is still flawless and have not found a reason to upgrade yet. I've decided to move on from Apple for power needs and have purchased an i7 Surface Pro 4. When my current MBP bites the dust I'm not sure if I'll stick with Apple for my everyday computer use. I might pick up a regular MacBook 12" (which is still overpriced honestly) or just use my SP4 for everyday use. Been using Macs for decades and it's disappointing to see Apple neglect their Mac lineup (see Mac Mini, Mac Pro, etc). I recommend an older MBP, especially a refurbished one from Apple with warranty. I myself would love to find a mint condition 17" though.

NetworkNewb

I'm thinking on getting my next computer and debating on the Surface Pro 4 or HP Spectre 13t (the black and gold one)

I have talked to one person who has used the touch bar on the MBP and he said he loves it. But he isn't in IT and wouldn't really take his opinion on computers... seems like a cheesy gimmick to me.

GeekyChick

NetworkNewb wrote: »

I'm thinking on getting my next computer and debating on the Surface Pro 4 or HP Spectre 13t (the black and gold one)

I have talked to one person who has used the touch bar on the MBP and he said he loves it. But he isn't in IT and wouldn't really take his opinion on computers... seems like a cheesy gimmick to me.

I know, it does sound like a cheesy gimmick. I went in to the Apple store to ask them specifically what their plans were for the bar and I didn't get much of an answer. I keep thinking I'm missing something, because in the past Apple was always ahead of their time (IMHO). This just seems useless to me. I love the Mac OS though and hate to switch to Windows. I might just get the older MacBook.

PocketLumberjack

I'm looking for a Mid 2012 15" MBP. It has a Quad i7, you can take the cd drive out and put an SSD in, and most of the parts are replaceable. https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody_Mid_2012 the only downside is no retina but I don't really care. I have also toyed with the idea of abandoning MacOS and switching to full time Debian or Arch.

chrisone

I was using a MBP Retina from 2012. I used it as a network engineer for over 4 years and I was recently using it as a security engineer for over a year now. I dual boot with BOOTCAMP to Windows 10. I installed a 1TB SSD M.2 drive. Played games and VM virtual box lab stuff on Windows. Did media consumption on the OSX partition along with some VMWARE Fusion labs I had going for F5 bigip and some GNS3 labs. As of today the laptop is still running pretty great for media consumption and runs most games just on low to mid settings. It has an Nvidia GTX640, i7 CPU, 1TB SSD, 8GB ram.

I just recently upgraded to an Alienware that I received last week. This thing is a monster! i7 6700HK, 32GB ram, 515SSD, 1TB 7200rpm, NVIDIA GTX 1080 desktop GPU! I use it to run more VMs in virtualbox now and I use it for gaming now too.

The macbook will serve you well. Just keep in mind there isn't any upgrade possibilities and when you want to upgrade you will have to buy a whole new laptop.

Goodluck!

JoJoCal19

PocketLumberjack wrote: »

I'm looking for a Mid 2012 15" MBP. It has a Quad i7, you can take the cd drive out and put an SSD in, and most of the parts are replaceable. https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Unibody_Mid_2012 the only downside is no retina but I don't really care. I have also toyed with the idea of abandoning MacOS and switching to full time Debian or Arch.

Yup running dual 500GB Sammy EVO 850s in mine. I get better battery live and everything opens fast.

tpatt100

I messed with the Touchbar at my local Apple Store and i think it's cool but you are paying for a touch display running the Apple Watch CPU. They tied it to the higher end models only while raising the price for the entry model which doesn't have it......

I don't really need a laptop anymore, I have one for work and for personal use I prefer to use my iPad and my desktop is pretty much only for gaming now a days anyways.

Mooseboost

I don't think the new MBP is worth the price point. I have a MBP Retina (late 2013) that I use daily for everything from surfing to work related stuff. It has done me well over time and is a solid laptop. I love mine but I wouldn't replace it with one of the new ones just yet. I would recommend seeing if you can find a deal on an older one - maybe someone who is wanting to sell their current one to upgrade. For light stuff an Air is pretty snazzy too - the battery life is good and they can handle generals stuff decently.

I really wish they would offer 32GB in them or at least make the RAM easily upgradable. Who knows what the next generation will have though.