This is the worst idea ever.
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Hey how is it going, guys? This is Dave2D and this is a video on which MacBook to purchase in early 2017.
Now, obviously a MacBook isn't the right laptop for every single person out there,
but if you've decided to pick one up for either school, because you need one for a particular application
or you just want to get into the Apple ecosystem, this video is for you.
So, I'm just going to get right into it.
The first thing I want to mention are the common traits between Apple laptops.
The first is build quality.
I know some people might disagree but really no one builds them better.
Some companies are close, like Razer and Dell they make some really good stuff.
Lenovo also has some nice carbon fiber laptops,
but the build quality on Apple's laptops are the best in the business.
The second thing are trackpads.
Apple's really the king of trackpads and they came out with a glass trackpad in like 2008 for the Unibody MacBook,
they were already really good and they've just been getting better ever since.
The third thing is that Apple laptops are expensive.
It doesn't matter how you spin it, for every single MacBook here, there is a cheaper Windows laptop
that provides a pretty similar experience.
Now, whether or not it's overpriced really depends on your budget and what you're kind of looking for,
what you value in a laptop, but in general you're paying a premium for the Apple brand and in some cases,
like the models with newer tech, the premium is even bigger.
Okay, first up, we have the MacBook Air.
This is the oldest model in the lineup here, starts at $1000.
It's also the cheapest one on the menu.
The battery life is incredibly long.
Part of that comes from having a low res screen, it's 1440x900
and then having a relatively slow processor helps as well, giving a full 12 hours of regular use.
It's also one of the last Apple laptops that has the classically awesome keyboard,
MagSafe, regular USB ports and an SD card slot.
There's a lot of stuff that they do right on this thing.
The display however is by far its worst feature.
Comparing this screen to other laptops in 2017 makes it look really pixelated,
and the speakers are also pretty terrible.
So, here's the deal, with the 13-inch MacBook Air you're not getting any fluff you don't get any fancy stuff,
but you're getting a very functional computer with great battery life and I mean the speaker is not great,
the screen certainly isn't good, but if you just want to get stuff done,
you don't care about multimedia too much, this is still going to be a really good fit.
Next up is the 12-inch MacBook Pro.
You get amazing portability with this one and that's what you're paying for.
It's super light, super thin, with a surprisingly good number of high-end features.
The screen is great: high-res, bright, color accurate.
Speakers are phenomenal.
But the CPU performance is weak, weaker than the MacBook Air.
It's fanless, so it's always silent,
and you'll be able to do light computer tasks like emails, web browsing or media consumption,
but if your work or your regular computer happens to require something a little bit more powerful,
I wouldn't get this one.
A couple of other disadvantages.
The notorious single port, it's a USB 3.1 type-C not ThunderBolt 3,
so if you're someone who frequently uses USB devices, this isn't the best choice.
The keyboard is also not the best.
It's the first generation, butterfly switches and I'm sure they'll update this soon,
but if you use it enough you'll get used to it and it's not like the worst keyboard.
So who is this for?
Well if you're a light user and portability is really important to you,
then yeah this can be a pretty good option.
Okay, I don't even have the older 2015 13 inch MacBook Pro here,
Apple still sells it, I really don't recommend buying it, at least not new.
It has a good selection of ports and the hardware features are solid but it's just priced really high.
It's only $200 less than the new 13-inch base model,
but it comes with 128 gigs of storage which is anemic for 2017.
And the moment you upgrade that to a more usable 256,
then you're at the price of that new 13-inch base model without the touch bar.
So, yeah, there's no real compelling reason to purchase it.
Now, if low res screens and Core M processors are deal-breakers,
we have the new 13-inch MacBook Pro without the touch bar.
The feature set is pretty rich, decent CPU and solid GPU, fantastic screen and speakers.
It uses butterfly switches again, but this is the second-generation.
Key travel is still short, but the mechanism feels a lot better than the first generation.
The biggest thing I don't like is the number of ports.
If you're plugged into power, you only have a single Thunderbolt 3 port to work with.
The processor can turbo up but the base clock is slower.
I think a lot of people will overlook this device because it doesn't have the new touch bar.
If you don't need a lot of USB ports the processing power here is more than sufficient for most applications
and the pricing isn't too bad.
Then we have the 13-inch MacBook with the touch bar.
It's significantly more expensive,
paper specs are quite a bit better,
base clock is faster, better graphics card, faster RAM and a couple more ports which is nice,
but the big feature is the touch bar.
It's fun and provides some occasional functionality, but I'm still not convinced of its practicality.
And I said this from a review but it boils down to usage.
Any time you have a really functional or feature-rich touch bar menu you have to look down at it to use it
and this breaks focus from the screen, I don't like that.
Overall it's a good device and it's packing some strong hardware, the issue here though is pricing.
You're looking at $1,800 for a two core CPU
There's nothing wrong with dual core CPUs, but at this price point,
you can get some really high-end quad core thin and light Windows laptops.
But if you want that touch bar experience and you have the budget for it, this is the least expensive way in.
Okay, next up is the 15-inch MacBook Pro with the touch bar.
This is their flagship model.
The Radeon Pro graphics are a nice bump up from the previous generation.
It's nice and if you really want that 15-inch screen with a touch bar,
and you're comfortable dropping 3 or 4 K on one, then go for it.
Same stuff applies though with that touch bar.
Super cool but not super functional for most users and like the other 2016 MacBook Pros,
the display is awesome, vibrant and sharp.
Still not a 4k display, but I'm comfortable editing 4k videos with it.
The brightness of these screens is awesome.
If you work in bright environments frequently and you need a really bright screen, you'll really like these ones.
Speakers are also step up from the older generation, but the pricing was really steep
and if you're on the fence because of the price tag, don't forget the 2015 MacBook Pro.
So, you can't purchase these new from Apple anymore.
You can get them refurbished or used.
It's still a great device and, if you just want a 15-inch screen MacBook or the quad-core processor,
you can save a pretty sizable chunk of money going with the 2015 model.
The difference in weight is noticeable, the new one is easier to hold,
but the difference in performance is negligible for the most part.
For applications that are more GPU dependent like using Final Cut or gaming on Mac OS
or if you just really want that touch bar experience, then sure, go for the 2016 model,
but for most people the 2015 model is still an excellent option.
You get MagSafe, longer battery life, in my opinion a better keyboard,
and a ton of ports, you don't need to live that dongle life.
In case you're interested here are some comparative benchmarks.
The difference in the bars is kind of deceptive,
these CPUs and GPUs get to flex pretty hard on benchmark tests,
but in terms of actual use, like just how it feels when you're using it,
there is a difference that's just not as big as these graphs would suggest.
Fan noise across the board is actually pretty similar, except for the fanless model,
and the thermal output is also proportional.
The quad-core CPU is going to push out more heat.
Battery life on MacBooks tends to be good, here's the spread.
The 2016 MacBook Pros had some inconsistent battery life numbers at launch,
but even resolved for the most part.
One last thing, the current generation of MacBooks are running SkyLake chips.
that's the sixth generation... the sixth generation of chips from Intel.
There's a new set of chips called KabyLake that's just around the corner,
I mean they are available on Windows laptops already, they will be coming into MacBooks soon.
So, I'd say the middle of 2017 is when they're probably going to do a refresh.
If you're thinking of waiting, I mean it never hurts to wait for technology if you don't need something right now,
but if you do, if you need a laptop today or just some early 2017,
don't worry too much, that KabyLake upgrade is pretty incremental.
They are more power efficient
and they have the ability to perform some media encoding and decoding through hardware.
It's all related to power efficiency, so battery life will be a little bit better,
performance though will be really similar,
maybe a little bit snappier with the new speed shifts tech, but it's pretty minor.
The big thing, though, is that the 15-inch MacBook Pro should now be able to support 32 gigs of RAM,
which is nice.
Keep in mind, though, a lot of people want that 32 gigs of RAM because it's a bigger number, bigger is better,
but just try to remember what you're doing, get a meter measure: how much RAM you're actually using.
Very few people are going to make use of that 32 gigs of RAM,
so don't just upgrade that for the sake of having 32 gigs of RAM, because it won't be cheap.
That's the end of this video.
If you're wondering, the laptops were all wrapped in different skins from DBrand, there's a link down below.
I hope this video was helpful. Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
It it's been nice, I'll see you guys next time.