MacBook Pro Pricing : Will 2016 be dead?

ge.caroline

Hey there! How are you? A long time PC user here. Finally giving up and looking for a MacBook Pro. Read the 2017 models are coming up at the end of this year.

Current pricing for 15-inch (stock configurations) :

2016 : 2399$

2015 : 1999$

The question is,

Future pricing for 15-inch (stock configurations) :

2017 : 2399$

2016 : 1999$

<<(OR)>>

(Apple removes 2016 edition as it was the case in previous years where incremental updates didn’t coexist. Example: 2012 MacBook Pro sold even at 2015 instead of 2014, CMIW)

2017 : 2399$

2015 : ????$

Thank you

Mike Wuerthele

I wouldn't count on an update at the end of this year. Maybe, if Intel gets their act together with the Cannonlake family, but I'm highly skeptical about a 2017 update.

spheric

My guess is early/mid 2018, depending a bit upon how intel has their shit together. 

nht

Mike Wuerthele said:

I wouldn't count on an update at the end of this year. Maybe, if Intel gets their act together with the Cannonlake family, but I'm highly skeptical about a 2017 update.

First, the processor is not the only area of improvement in a laptop that would warrant an update.  For example Kaby Lake comes with Optane support.  

Intel has its act together especially from a performance per watt perspective that Apple has emphasized since the switch to Intel.

Second, Apple has done updates in the past using the same CPU.  The early 2015 15" MBP used the same haswell i7s as the 2014.

While a 2017 update is not guaranteed it isn't tied at all to cannonlake.  Optane by itself is a worthy update.

A 16GB Optane Drive + 256GB SSD fusion drive is something that MacOS is already designed to support.  If that appears in the 2017 MBP then I would expect pricing to remain where it is and maybe go up a notch or two at the high end.