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00:00This is the worst idea ever.
00:03Hey, how's it going, guys?
00:10This is Dave2D, and this is a video on which MacBook to purchase in early 2017.
00:14Now, obviously, a MacBook isn't the right laptop for every single person out there,
00:18but if you've decided to pick one up for either school because it needs one for a particular
00:21application or if you just want to get into the Apple ecosystem, this video is for you.
00:26So I'm just going to get right into it.
00:28The first thing I want to mention are the common traits between Apple laptops.
00:31The first is build quality.
00:32I know some people might disagree, but really, no one builds them better.
00:36Some companies are close, like Razer and Dell, they make some really good stuff.
00:39Lenovo also has some nice carbon fiber laptops, but the build quality on Apple's laptops are
00:44the best in the business.
00:45The second thing are trackpads.
00:47Apple's really the king of trackpads.
00:49When they came out with the glass trackpad in like 2008 for the unibody MacBook, they
00:53were already really good, and they've just been getting better ever since.
00:56The third thing is that Apple laptops are expensive.
00:59It doesn't matter how you spin it, for every single MacBook here, there is a cheaper Windows
01:03laptop that provides a pretty similar experience.
01:06Now, whether or not it's overpriced really depends on your budget and what you're kind
01:10of looking for or what you value in a laptop, but in general, you're paying a premium for
01:14the Apple brand, and in some cases, like the models with newer tech, the premium is even bigger.
01:19Okay, first up, we have the MacBook Air.
01:22This is the oldest model in the lineup here, starts at $1,000.
01:25It's also the cheapest one on the menu.
01:27The battery life is incredibly long.
01:29Part of that comes from having a low-res screen, it's 1440x900, and then having a relatively
01:34slow processor helps as well.
01:35You're getting a full 12 hours of regular use.
01:38It's also one of the last Apple laptops that has the classically awesome keyboard, MagSafe,
01:43regular USB ports, and an SD card slot.
01:46There's a lot of stuff that they do right on this thing.
01:48The display, however, is by far its worst feature.
01:51Comparing this screen to other laptops in 2017 makes it look really pixelated, and the
01:56speaker is also pretty terrible.
01:58So here's the deal.
01:59With the 13-inch MacBook Air, you're not getting any fluff, you don't get any fancy stuff,
02:02but you're getting a very functional computer with great battery life.
02:06And I mean, the speaker is not great, the screen certainly isn't good, but if you just
02:09want to get stuff done, you don't care about multimedia too much, this can still be a really
02:13good fit.
02:14Next up is the 12-inch MacBook Pro.
02:16You get amazing portability with this one, and that's what you're paying for.
02:19It's super light, super thin, with a surprisingly good number of high-end features.
02:24The screen is great, high-res, bright, color accurate.
02:27Speakers are phenomenal, but the CPU performance is weak, weaker than the MacBook Air.
02:32It's fanless, so it's always silent, and you'll get to do light computer tasks like emails,
02:36web browsing, or media consumption, but if your work or your regular computer habits
02:40require something a little bit more powerful, I wouldn't get this one.
02:43A couple of other disadvantages.
02:45The notorious single port, it's a USB 3.1 Type-C, not Thunderbolt 3, so if you're someone
02:50who frequently uses USB devices, this isn't the best choice.
02:54The keyboard is also not the best.
02:56It's the first generation butterfly switches, and I'm sure they'll update this soon, but
03:00if you use it enough, you'll get used to it, and it's not like the worst keyboard.
03:03So who is this for?
03:04Well, if you're a light user and portability is really important to you, then yeah, this
03:08can be a pretty good option.
03:09Okay, I don't even have the older 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro here.
03:14Apple still sells it.
03:15I really don't recommend buying it, at least not new.
03:17It has a good selection of ports, and the hardware features are solid, but it's just
03:21priced really high.
03:23It's only $200 less than the new 13-inch base model, but it comes with 128 gigs of storage,
03:28which is anemic for 2017, and the moment you upgrade that to a more usable 256, then you're
03:33at the price of that new 13-inch base model without the touch bar, so yeah, there's no
03:37real compelling reason to purchase it.
03:39Now, if low-res screens and core M processors are deal-breakers, we have the new 13-inch
03:44MacBook Pro without the touch bar.
03:46The feature set is pretty rich, decent CPU and solid GPU, fantastic screen and speakers.
03:52It uses butterfly switches again, but this is the second generation.
03:55Key travel is still short, but the mechanism feels a lot better than the first generation.
04:00The biggest thing I don't like is the number of ports.
04:02If you're plugged into power, you only have a single Thunderbolt 3 port to work with.
04:06The processor can turbo up, but the base clock is slower.
04:09I think a lot of people will overlook this device because it doesn't have the new touch
04:12bar.
04:13If you don't need a lot of USB ports, the processing power here is more than sufficient
04:17for most applications, and the pricing isn't too bad.
04:20Then we have the 13-inch MacBook with the touch bar.
04:23It's significantly more expensive, paper specs are quite a bit better, base clock is faster,
04:28better graphics card, faster RAM, and a couple more ports, which is nice, but the big feature
04:32is the touch bar.
04:33It's fun, and it provides some occasional functionality, but I'm still not convinced
04:37of its practicality.
04:38Now, I said this from a review, but it boils down to usage.
04:41Anytime you have a really functional or feature-rich touch bar menu, you have to look down at it
04:45to use it, and this breaks focus from the screen.
04:47I don't like that.
04:48Overall, it's a good device, and it's packing some strong hardware.
04:51The issue here, though, is pricing.
04:53You're looking at $1,800 for a two-core CPU.
04:55There's nothing wrong with dual-core CPUs, but at this price point, you can get some
04:59really high-end, quad-core, thin and light Windows laptops.
05:02But if you want that touch bar experience, and you have the budget for it, this is the
05:05least expensive way in.
05:06Okay, next up is the 15-inch MacBook Pro with the touch bar.
05:10This is their flagship model.
05:12The Radeon Pro graphics are a nice bump up from the previous generation.
05:15It's nice, and if you really want that 15-inch screen with a touch bar, and you're comfortable
05:19dropping 3 or 4K on one, then go for it.
05:22Same stuff applies, though, with that touch bar.
05:24Super cool, but not super functional for most users.
05:26And like the other 2016 MacBook Pros, the display is awesome, vibrant and sharp.
05:31Still not a 4K display, but I'm comfortable editing 4K videos with it.
05:35The brightness of these screens is awesome.
05:37If you work in bright environments frequently, and you need a really bright screen, you'll
05:41really like these ones.
05:42Speakers are also a step up from the older generation, but the pricing is really steep.
05:46And if you're on the fence because of the price tag, don't forget the 2015 MacBook Pro.
05:51So you can't purchase these new from Apple anymore, but you can get them refurbished
05:54or used.
05:55It's still a great device.
05:56And if you just want a 15-inch screen MacBook or the quad-core processor, you can save a
06:00pretty sizable chunk of money going with the 2015 model.
06:03The difference in weight is noticeable, the new one is easier to hold, but the difference
06:07in performance is negligible for the most part.
06:10For applications that are more GPU-dependent, like using Final Cut or gaming in macOS, or
06:14if you just really want that touch bar experience, then sure, go for the 2016 model.
06:19But for most people, the 2015 model is still an excellent option.
06:22You get MagSafe, longer battery life, in my opinion, a better keyboard, and a ton of ports
06:27so you don't need to live that dongle life.
06:29In case you're interested, here are some comparative benchmarks.
06:32The difference in the bars is kind of deceptive.
06:34These CPUs and GPUs get to flex pretty hard on benchmark tests, but in terms of actual
06:39use, like just how it feels when you're using it, there is a difference, but it's just not
06:43as big as these graphs would suggest.
06:45Fan noise across the board is actually pretty similar except for the fanless model, and
06:48the thermal output is also proportional.
06:50The quad-core CPU is going to push out more heat.
06:53Battery life on MacBooks tend to be good.
06:55Here's the spread.
06:56The 2016 MacBook Pros had some inconsistent battery life numbers at launch, but they've
07:00been resolved for the most part.
07:02One last thing.
07:03The current generation of MacBooks are running Skylake chips.
07:05That's the sixth generation of chips from Intel.
07:10There's a new set of chips called Kabylake.
07:11That's just around the corner.
07:12I mean, they are available on Windows laptops already.
07:15They will be coming onto MacBooks soon, so I'd say the middle of 2017 is when they're
07:19probably going to do a refresh.
07:21If you're thinking of waiting, I mean, it never hurts to wait for technology if you
07:24don't need something right now.
07:25But if you do, if you need a laptop today or just in early 2017, don't worry too much.
07:30That Kabylake upgrade is pretty incremental.
07:33They're more power efficient, and they have the ability to perform some media encoding
07:37and decoding through hardware.
07:38It's all related to power efficiency, so battery life will be a little bit better.
07:42Performance though will be really similar.
07:44Maybe a little bit snappier with the new SpeedShift tech, but it's pretty minor.
07:48The big thing though is that the 15-inch MacBook Pro should now be able to support 32 gigs
07:52of RAM, which is nice.
07:53Keep in mind though, a lot of people want that 32 gigs of RAM because it's a bigger
07:57number, bigger is better, but just try to remember what you're doing.
08:01Get a meter, measure how much RAM you're actually using.
08:03Very few people are going to make use of that 32 gigs of RAM, so don't just upgrade that
08:07for the sake of having 32 gigs of RAM, because it won't be cheap.
08:10That's the end of this video.
08:11If you're wondering, the laptops were all wrapped in different skins from dbrand.
08:15There's a link down below.
08:16I hope this video was helpful.
08:17Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
08:19It's been nice.
08:20I'll see you guys next time.
08:23Bye.