MacBook Pro 2017

[NatalieThomas89]

Hi there. Hope you are doing good

I’m aware that the 2016 MacBooks are an epic failure at least with the battery life. So bought the 2015 MacBook Pro 15inch instead. Just heard that 2017 Macs will be out soon with new gen. Processor .

I got the 2015 15inch (512 SSD) with Intel Iris Pro Graphics for $2178.

Should I just return it now and wait for the 2017 one?

By that time the 2015 model will be out of production and available officially and only the not so good 2016 will be available along with the 2017 ones which I assume will be damn costly considering the price of 2016 models now.

Is it worth waiting for it expecting it to be good in all departments like the 2015 model incase I can max out my wallet to afford it?

 

[honestone]

The "unknown" here, of course, is whether there will be issues with the 2017 model. Also, if the 2015 model satisfies your needs, why not use it? For some, it is not always necessary to have the latest and greatest.

 

[NatalieThomas89]

The "unknown" here, of course, is whether there will be issues with the 2017 model. Also, if the 2015 model satisfies your needs, why not use it? For some, it is not always necessary to have the latest and greatest.

Kind of feel bad when people ask this question again. I already have a 2016 touch bar model which gives me lower than Apple's promised battery life. I needed a 15" that's why had to go with 2015 model for the price. So I'm not gonna miss out much in returning the 15", waiting till late 2017 to reinvest the money in a newer one. Basically I'll get more value out of the newer models.

Some, contradictory to most early test conducted say that they are getting close to Apple estimated battery life in MBP 15" which is nice to hear and make me wanna wait for the 2017 model with much more optimized that will yield even better battery life. Mean while I get poor battery performance.
I've well tested my battery life with the 15" 2015 during my Safari usage thus far. Here's a brief,

• Brightness always below 40%, at 3 bars or 4 bars.
• Heavy browsing (average of 9 tabs throughout the usage), streaming video simultaneously once in a while with volume @ 50%.
• No key backlight
• No external device connected
• FileVault disabled
• Time machine disabled
• Battery health at 100% capacity

and I get about just 7.5 hours while Apple promises 10 hours for even more intense test with 75% brightness. So if some users report they get 10hrs here why not wait for the successor, right?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-So, you have both a Late 2016 Touch Bar MBP and a Mid 2015 MBP?
-Which version of OS X are they running - macOS Sierra?
-Was the 2015 MBP purchased as a custom build? Sometimes those are not returnable, depending on where you purchased it.

It's really a personal decision on whether you should return your new Mac to wait for the 2017 models. We're happy to discuss it with you and give our opinion, but it is ultimately your decision.

Your battery life times are actually very normal and within the range of Apple's spec. I wouldn't classify 7.5 hours as poor battery life, or the 2016 model's battery life as an epic fail. There has been a lot of discussion surrounding this recently, with the report from Consumer Reports and other third-parties. Apple has worked with them to remedy the issue (linked to a bug in Safari), and the forthcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.3 update will correct the issue for most users. Of course, there are variations depending on settings, and some may get slightly better or worse battery life. Apple's claims are always phrased as Up to 10 hours of battery life and Battery life varies by use and configuration, which is not a definitive, guaranteed, or promised number. See Apple's footnote 4 here for an explanation of their testing: MacBook Pro: A touch of genius.
Yes, some folks report getting close to the 10 hours, and there are also reports of far more than 10 hours. Internet reports, claims, and comments from the general public are not always genuine or honest, nor are the testing environment, computer specs or settings anywhere close to what Apple uses...some like to stir the pot.

I am in no way trying to defend Apple here, just giving more information regarding your issue, so you can decide what course of action is the best in your situation. I use a MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) all day at work, and have never gotten anywhere near Apple's Up to 12 hours of battery life. I get more like 6.5-7 hours, as do most of the folks I work with. Remember, most marketing speak specs are from a perfect world.

Hope that helps,

C

 

[honestone]

It is really up to you which model you want. Myself, for my mid 2013 13" MacBook Air, I have been able to get "about" 10 hours of battery life. When my wife and I flew to Seoul back in September from Seattle, I was able to watch almost 10 hours of video (TV series), and that was also true on the return flight. And, that was about 9 1/2 hours, with some battery life still left. I have been able to get that much on other long flights we have taken. Of course, not sure if that is defined as "heavy usage", and I am not trying to stir the pot. Just honestly reporting what I typically get on the Air on those long flights.

Of course, one thing that helps is that in some instances (based in space requirements), I have such TV Series folders on the internal SSD drive, and thus less "wear and tear" for VLC to access those episodes. But, I get similar battery life when those folders are on an external drive connected to the Air.

I have not been able to use a browser for that length of time (I use Google Chrome, if that makes much of a difference), so I cannot offer anything on that.

By the way, is battery life better with internal SSDs versus internal HDDs? Similar question for external SSDs versus external HDDs.

 

[iMav]

Theoretically, battery life should be better with flash storage, as they take less power overall than HDDs. Whether it is actually enough of a difference to be real world noticeable, I have no idea. (Have never done comparative benchmarks)

 

[Ormond]

I use a MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015) all day at work, and have never gotten anywhere near Apple's Up to 12 hours of battery life. I get more like 6.5-7 hours, as do most of the folks I work with. Remember, most marketing speak specs are from a perfect world.

If 6-7 hours is the real life norm, Apple would be far wiser to simply state that fact without the clever little marketing word games. The price tag for implying that the buyer will get more than they will actually get is disappointed customers and pointless brand damage.

The really smart thing would be to understate the real life battery life, and then have elated word of mouth shoppers posting all over the net to share their excitement at having received more than they expected.

 

[honestone]

It is well known (and has been that way for quite a while) that battery life is a variable statistic, and of course Apple is going to state the high end. It's eerily similar to the MPG ratings automobile manufacturers put out. And i know for a fact that both the battery life and MPG ratings I get with my equipment, for the most part, is not at those maximum stated ones.

Myself, I don't get excited about either equaling or exceeding such figures, but if course I am pleased by it (and I don't share it all over the net. I just state it when necessary and pertinent, like here). The recent stats provided by some of us in this discussion are perfect examples of what I am talking about. Cory stated that with his early 2015 13" MacBook Air, he gets 6.5 to 7 hours of battery life. Yet, I have stated that for my mid 2013 13" MacBook Air, I get between 9 and 10 hours of battery life. And, the original poster stated she is getting 7 1/2 hours.

Note that Cory stated he gets that using his machine all day, and my stats were for watching videos on a flight for 9 hours, which is also could be considered all day. However, I suspect Cory is doing more "intense" processing than I am, although watching videos is a somewhat "intense" use of my Mac's resources.

To sum up, Apple's battery stats are kind of "dream world" ones, and I suspect such high numbers are for machines which are not being "taxed" very much. Same with my cars. As long as I don't go like a bat out of hell, I'll get good gas mileage (along, of course, with maintaining proper tire pressure, and keeping up with the maintenance, both on my own and via the service department).