A KZfaqr actually recommending someone to not buy something seems rare

I like Luke, he stays original in a sea of tech videos/channels

Ah, the a1534. Worst repair that I’ve ever had to deal with.

*Awkwardly watching on my 2016 15" touhbar* It has given me some keyboard issues but none that have made me want to get something different. M1X/M2 16" might change my mind on that soon though.

When he said family i swore that dom torreto would appear

And I remember always asking my mom for a 12 inch MacBook…. I’m now glad I didn’t get it. Now I have a m1 air and I can’t be happier.

I went in thinking, “It’s got to be the 2011 or 2016 15 inch”. And one of those it was.

I sold my 2016 13" just after it went out of warranty and even got 2/5 of my money out of it. The keyboard failed 3 times on me and the display started to delaminate. Now I have a M1 Air and it couldn't be happier.

4:35 Luke, I’m “young” enough to remember the “floppy disk transition”! I had to buy an external third-party floppy disk drive because of that. Worth mentioning also that at the same time Apple introduced USB ports (instead of SCSI)! It was a revolution in 1999! • By the way nearly a decade later I’m still using my late 2013 retina 13” MacBook, watching your YT channel on it and editing 4K videos without problem. Probably one of the best MacBooks ever made. Would buy it again.

“This is the Late 2016-“ Me: KNEW IT!!!

I’ve the 2017 MacBook Pro. It’s a shame that Apple sold us this flawed keyboard MacBook. The keyboard has been replaced once but it’s still the flawed keyboard. I hope Apple would own up their mistake and allowed us to upgrade with substantial discount for faulty/unreparable laptop. Felt like the victim bullied by big tech company

The crippling graphics card failures on the early MacBooks is the reason Apple still won't work with Nvidia anymore.

Mid 2015 market still thriving 😎

The SD Card Scene at 5:30 cracked me up! 😂😂😂

Anyone notice at 10:11 the battery level is at like 80% on the Intel MacBook, and when he is done with the test it is at like 50% 10:16

Been subscribed since almost the very beginning -- you sir have made amazing progress with your videos and style. Good work!

Watching this on my mid-2015 15" Macbook Pro. Everything works, never repaired (but changed the battery last year), not a scratch, perfect screen ... don't need higher performance. I hope it runs for 10 more years :)

Luke, thanks a lot for this video. I recently had my full 2016 MBP Top Case replaced due to a keyboard issue. This lasted about 3 months before another key became stuck (worse than the original issues). Last week I was planning on taking it back in to the Apple Store and getting it fixed again, as the new parts came with a new warranty I knew I wouldn't have an issue getting it replaced again, it was just going be inconvenient. After seeing that you had your unit totally replaced with the 2019 model, I politely requested a similar resolution to my issue, and I am picking up my brand new replacement 16" MBP tomorrow, free of charge. It does appear that Apple are willing to do the right thing here, at least in my case. Thanks again. Great content as always.

So happy that I got the 2015 version of my 13” macbook pro. It has all the ports and a good keyboard

Not only great content, but great video quality as well! I still miss the 2014 Mac mini I scored off eBay as a work from machine before I could save up for one of the new M1 minis. That 2014 was a trooper.

Don’t forget the 21.5 inch 2.3ghz iMac model it’s still retailing for 999 dollars. The worst purchase I ever made 🥲

Hey Luke, I don't know if you changed anything but the lighting now makes you look much nice and cleaner 😃

Hi Luke! I have been following your channel for a long time. I literally started loving Macs after I started watching your videos.

My daily is still a 2012 15” MB retina. I guess I got one of the good ones. It must had been made on a Tuesday or Wednesday. 😄

"I seriously think that Apple would do very well if they made a 15 inch Macbook Air like literally M1 same design same everything ... but just larger, people would absolutely buy that", this aged really well, Apple literally just gave us a 15 inch m2 mba

I don’t know how but you still make the older generation macs more interesting than some channels that only talk about new models and updates. Also thanks to you I snacked a 2015 MacBook Pro and and 2010 iMac for less than a new Mac mini and brought it up to todays standards and couldn’t be happier 👌

I've got a 2017 12-inch Macbook and it's been great for me since I bought it new! It still runs well for me and none of the problems listed in this video have demonstrated themselves. It gets a little warm if you use it on your lap, but on a desk, or on a vertical stand like I have it on, even makes that a non-issue.

I can’t believe you left out the 2010 with it’s bad capacitor. But yes, the 2015 15” is probably the best option used.

I still have the A1534 "Macbook 12" Retina 2015". Works smoothly and haven't faced any issues yet. Including the thermal troubles that you have said. My usb C works seamlessly and the keys are working fine, butterfly keys working fine. And i still vouch for the butterfly keys. I simply love em!!!

Honestly, I absolutely adored the butterfly keyboard and never had any problems with it, over about 5 years of having that Mac. I never gave it special treatment and frequently ate whilst typing and stuff

5:36 - OMG that skit was hilarious 😂😂

I love my M1 Air, doin game and software development on it and it has been holding up great! Only thing I'd like to upgrade is RAM, but I am still managing to do fine with 8 GB.

You can still replace the keyboards on those mac books without buying the whole palm rest. The rivets can be cut off with the right angle cutters and the new one will drop right in and holds pretty well since apart from the rivets those keyboards have a tone of screws holding them down. I used to do this at the repair shop I worked at

Bought a mid 2015 15 inch largely based on your advice. Very happy with it - thanks a lot for your help 👍

While I recently bought a M1 MacBook Pro, my 2011 MacBook Pro is still working just fine, which shows how great a machine that was, especially given the ports it has, how quiet it was for an intel machine.

Excellent Video! Thanks for sharing Luke.

I was expecting Dom toretto when he said family

the touch bar on macbook is literally one of my fav thing why do people hate it

I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro from 2017, and it has been a good performer for the most part. I like the keyboard, although its better on my new MacBook Air M1. It has been quite a workhorse, but the M1's are really great!

Rocking a 2010 MacBook Pro which has kernel panics 10 times daily right now and waiting for second generation Apple Silicon chip MacBook ☺️

My fully loaded 2016 MacBook Pro has a 2017 keyboard, with the option key logos. Apple installed it during the replacement program. Had to have the battery replaced too. No problems last 2 years, far more reliable now than when it was new. Crashed all the time for first 2 years. Paid $4300 new, won't be replacing anytime soon.

Back in 2016, when the touch bar was a new and big thing, and my brother was looking to get a new MacBook, he was gonna get the 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro, but I strongly advised him against it. Told him it doesn't have SD reader, less ports, barely performs better, and the touch bar isn't as useful. After some talking, I managed to convince him to get the 2015 model. Of course at the time we didn't know about the problem with the butterfly keys, so that was a massive bullet that he dodged by getting the 2015 model. He's still using it to this day, still going strong.

I use the xd card reader for extra memory. I have a flushed sd card sitting there. USEFUL.

I have an external SD Card reader and an adapter for my USB-C to three USBs and I still got excited when you said possible built in SD card reader in the future

0:13 definetly not reading a script xD

Love the vids Luke!

6:27 I hadn’t used my 2018 MacBook Pro in almost 2 months and now that I’ve started to use it again, the space bar is behaving the same way it always does before it gets stuck. Plus the “I” key is also repeating which is lovely considering this keyboard is only 4 months old and it’s just been sitting there most of the time with the lid closed since I haven’t needed it during the summer. I’d be scared to have a 2016 model with expired warranty because my computer has the “improved” version.

I was working as a mac tech at this point. I did so many logic board replacements because of the graphics card failure recall and also doing the top cases were such a hassle for the keyboard. They did not really test out that design before releasing it.

I have 2016 15” MBP, the first failure i get is Battery Expanding (i repleace it by my self), then the keyboard broken (double type word N sometimes B, maybe because i drop it, now i get to used it), then spacebar, right arrow, top arrow broken, then the final boss of broken is the display (flexgate, and again i fixed it myself). Now still happy with this Macbook, maybe i will use it until it become unusable.

I still push 2015 top spec'd MB Pros when someone needs a used machine. For the ports, easy to work on, keyboard, and reliability over the newer models. Apple did great for a few years allowing the thermal paste to be replaced without removing the logic board, until the 2016 model, where it requires a board removal. 2015 also has the SSD separate and not soldered onto the board like 2016 and up.

I have a 2016 13’ MBP and i only had minor issues with dirt under the keyboard, but spamming the key fixes it. Apart from that i never had any issues with it

Yeah my 2016 15” Pro is solid, had a top case change FOC after 2 years so my battery and keyboard is in great shape, still runs like new and the screen is awesome! I don’t want to leave my touchbar so these new rumoured 16” M1/2’s don’t have my exited but I do need something that’s less dependent on the fans at higher loads

May I nominate my Mid-2015, 15.4" MBP? - Apple already replaced the delaminated screen but declined to do anything about the inflatable battery. The fans blow alarmingly often. The left speaker also became unusable so I had to disable it. I replaced the battery myself but the speaker was beyond my skill set. I'll keep it as long as I can and replace it with an iPad.

I got this mac one and a half years back, to get me through my Master's and some light creative work (along with my iPad pro) and it works fairly well. Nothing compared to my 2015 Mac pro that lasted me 7 years (2015-2022), but I needed something cheap and cheerful, and a MacBook. I got mine refurbished (with a 2017 replacement keyboard) and it worked very well for 7 months until I updated my OS where it reinstalled some firmware (I assume its e-waste from a company) so for a good 8 months I had no working laptop (had to save up) and it was essentially a pretty paperweight, which was a shame because its in fantastic condition and clean inside but the refurbisher didn't completely remove the firmware. Last month I got bored one night and did some more digging around and I found a "life saving tutorial" on how to remove it and it worked so I now have a working laptop and can now wait until the Black Friday sales to buy a new one (here's hoping), so far so good. I tested downloading, reinstalling the OS and the firmware isn't coming back so its definitely gone now. Thats definitely a risk you have buying a refurbished laptop, a lot of them are work machines that are given to independent refurbishing companies as E-Waste and they dont always remove the firmware properly. So if you're not extremely tech savy and have time on your hands then you've wasted money. Don’t risk it! However, should you buy this from a reputable seller? Personally, I would go back and get a well specked 2014-2015 pro retina mac. Because of the terrible keyboard on the 2016, I mean before the issues I had with the firmware (which I sorted) I did have some problems with sticking keys and the touch bar is quite a dumb idea (dont be fooled, the hate is justified), despite all this I'll definitely be holding onto mine for another 5 months. Its a "okay" machine (despite its flaws) but the 2013-2015 is a "great" machine and it still looks great today. The 2012 is "god-tier" and a steal (if you look about) and you can upgrade the ram and hard-drive (to an SSD), if you don't need the retina display and don't mind an older design that still holds up today (especially when the new macbooks are starting to get thicker anyways) that could be a great option. All I'm saying if you are wanting a modern aesthetic (and don't mind the very probable flaws), extended software support, yeah go (with caution) with the 2016. If you don't mind an older looking device that works solidly for normal tasks, school work, light creative tasks and don't mind looking around youtube on how to install the latest (compatible) mac OS with OpenCore legacy patcher then the 2012 is a great option. If you want the best of both worlds then a i7, 16gb 256 gb (I wouldn’t go below these specs personally) 2013-2015 is the way to go in my opinion and is arguably much better than the 2016, you’ll likely have less problems and decent performance, oh and a good selection of ports. Everything is running well (fingers-cross) so waiting until the M1 14 Inch are either back in the apple refurb store or I get a good deal brand new, I'll then sell my current Mac, probably as parts to be honest as I don't want to run the risk of selling it to a "normal" consumer that thinks they're getting a good deal and buy it as a present for their kid at least then I'll be selling it to someone that is likely to understand the pros and cons of this particular mac and is looking for spare parts

I’ve got a mid-2015 15in MacBook Pro and it still runs soooo smooth, but not the fastest. It still works honestly it’s amazing for how old it is.

Solid points. The only Mac's i'm buying right now are Apple Silicon (new) or mid 2015 and prior. Anything in between that's not fully depreciated doesn't make a ton on sense from a value perspective.

Broooo rippppp I actually got my Late 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro right when it came out and I feel like it’s a ticking time bomb. The cycle count is low on the battery and overall I would say it runs like new. However, I did get a stuck “b” key but was able to fix it with some compressed air. For anyone wanting to preserve their Late 2016 MacBook Pros, make sure to NEVER eat over it and ALWAYS wipe down the key caps when you begin to notice oils from your fingertips on it to prevent ScreenGate. I also installed Macs Fan Control on mine so the Mac won’t kill itself when it begins to throttle when editing 4K movies. Hopefully this helps y’all out 🤞🏽🤞🏽

I figured it would be one these models. Good video and glad I watched.

I got a 2016 15" MacBook Pro for $900 AUD back in July 2018, which was a steal back then as they sold for a lot more than that back then (and still command that much for a worn out one today, let alone a nice one). Mine has not shown any of the issues, it's still on it's original 2016 keyboard, it doesn't have any delamination issues, although the screen backlight is uneven in some spots, but otherwise looks normal and is hard to really notice anyway. It's been a really solid machine for me and I'll no doubt keep it for a little while longer as I like the ability to run VMware Fusion and Windows on it which Apple Silicon can't do yet. My guess for the reason it's lasted as long as it has without any issues is because the original owner always had it on a desk with the lid closed and used with an external monitor, keyboard & mouse since they took it out of the box as they replaced an old Mac mini with it, so it was like brand new when I got it. In my ownership since 2018 it has never been a primary machine, it's mostly been a secondary or travel machine. I'm really surprised I've never experienced a keyboard failure as I live in a very dusty environment that's impossible to keep clean. I guess I'm lucky in that regard but it's never given me trouble. Would I recommend one though? Hell no. Maybe before the M1 I would have if the price was way below market value like mine was, but now that the M1 exists you may as well just get a 2015 15" or if you really need Intel over an M1 for running Windows then a 2019 16" over any of the butterfly keyboard ones.

I had a late 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro. I luckily never had a keyboard issue, but I did have a number of bizarre niche issues that are very specific so not worth mentioning tbh that prevented it from being the great machine I was hoping for. I will say though, it was the dawn of excellent speakers on MacBooks - and it was incredibly thin for it's power level.

I'm still sour about losing the super drive. I replaced my TV and DVD player with my computer years ago and after upgrading last year have had to resort to home brewing my device so I can rip all my dvds because It's really difficult to balance a Mac AND an external dvd drive on your lap while having a late night movie marathon🤣

I got the keyboard replaced, and the big plus with that is that they replace the battery as well; however, I never really experienced any issues with it. I just figured I use the program while it was available. None of this is even the worst part. The part that gets me with this MacBook are the internals. It may not even be Apple's fault but the Intel chip gets so damn hot that you can't really have it on your lap. My 2016 is still in mint condition but I scooped up the 16 inch with the 5600m as soon as it came out and it's night and day.

My MBP 16 with i9 is a superb tool for professional mobile working and when connected to a couple of Dell 27 inch 4K monitors. Bit heavy but a good keyboard, great screen, fantastic speakers and new mics. Luckily I also have a new MBP 13 M1, 16/512 from work which is a great carry around and travel machine. Too small a screen to do serious AV editing though. It does beat the MBP 16 on battery life which is handy at times. Horses for courses.

I have the 13" M1 MBP and while it is fully loaded, the display on the computer is not really big enough so I end up using it with my external 5K display when I need more display space. I'd love to have more screen space on the laptop when I am not at my desk but that just isn't really possible right now.

My 2017 13 inch MBP start suffering from stuck keys. I had the top half replaced under warranty but after 2 months or so same problems and its out of warranty now.I found all that is needed is to tap the culprit key a few times (maybe 10 or 20 times) and it fixes it. Its likely food or some crap inside the key.

Cheers mate for this video & thanks for being honest.

I have it and agree the keyboard is annoying, did not even bothered to replace it. However, i had many macs since mac mini g4 and this is the only one that didn't broke in crucial areas.

I have the 2016 mbp 5 yrs now, and never had a problem with the keyboard and it still works fine! I will wait till apple brings out a rlly good one.

Great video. This is why I’m still using my awesome 2014 15” MacBook Pro. As soon as a M1X or M2 16” MacBook Pro is released, I’ll order it.

I'm one of those people watching on a 2016 15" MBP 2.9Ghz 16Gb ram. I hate the keyboard at times because a few keys stick, but so far it's been good to me. It also looks like new because I take care of it and have had a case on it since it was new to me. I bought it used and saved a grand in 2017.

Happily sticking with my Mid-2012 Macbook Pro. Still going strong and meeting all my needs [superdrive included], with no aggravating "quirks" or tragic design flaws :D

When I saw Luke doing that SD card joke, I thought: Damn, this guy is Hollywood star in another universe

I have a Vintage Apple BLACK Macbook that I still use it, all I have to do is replaced the Keyboard is I connected with a external keyboard that also lights up, on which I have a MAC repair person connection.... I like it....

Well, that was discouraging. Still, my late 2013 MBP, which sadly has had to have both the battery and screen replaced, is humming along ok for now, so it looks like I'll be hanging on to that. At least it has an SD card reader.

It's my first time to see you having a dialogue. Entertaining 😁

2017 12 inch MacBook is one of the best computers I’ve ever owned. Such a zipply gorgeous little thing. I love love love love it so much.

I honestly think the problem with the MacBook Pro 16-19 was the heat. The keyboards were being damaged because Apple didn’t have a good cooling system in place. I’ve had mine for like 3 years, and no problems yet. I’ve been very careful to keep it clean and I don’t use it as a main editing machine for long periods of time. And the fan hardly comes on.

Dang I have a 2017 MacBook Pro but 13”. Sadly it had to pay around $300 to fix one damn chip just because I didn’t charge it for a long time.

i waited from 2016-2019 to get the 16" macbook pro ... then, shy of being 2 years old, i sold it and got myself an m1 air ... worth it

I have been holding on to my MacBook Air 2014 (!!!) because I wanted to avoid that butterfly keyboard at all cost. And that was already before they started to fail, I simply found them horrible to type on. Fingers crossed that the new Pros this year are decent. Otherwise I agree, the M1 Air might be the better choice.

I dumped my 2016 for $900 in perfect spec. I never had keyboard issues on my 2016 but it was such a bad keyboard for typing. 2019 16" was a great buy for me, but now I can't wait for the new ones!

Great videos! I had an idea for a video. Doing a March madness type tournament to see what is the best macbook or imac

Still rocking my mid 2015 15inch, the last great one of that era,

I have 2017 MBP with Touch Bar and 4 ports. Is enough for my needs. I’m surprised you didn’t mention 13 inch in used models.

Watching this on my 2017 13 inch MacBook working just fine

I have a 15in 2018 and it fine. Yes, I had the keyboard place under the programme but it was working it did not break. Its all good.

Just after the M1 release last year, I had to buy a MacBook for work, because my older one was really-really slow (2014 13") on Big Sur. I decided to go with a used 2017 15" until everything is sorted out on the ARM architecture. In the development/programming world, there are still use-cases, workflows the M1 can't solve with emulation (Docker, CLI tools, packages), so that was my reason why I didn't choose the M1 macs. To do backend development, I still find myself more comfortable on the Intel Macs. If my issues will be resolved, I will switch immediately :)

I am in the process of rebuilding a 2010 mac book, did I make a mistake? Thank you for telling us about the issue with the different mac books.

I'm still using a late 2016 Macbook pro base model and prefer that keyboard over any other (previous or present)

watching from an MSi Windows Laptop with Windows 11 installed... My MacBook Pro is a 2018 13" model with the 4 USB-C/TB ports. I had to buy a dock for it to get legacy ports. Most of my accessories/external hard drives, etc are still USB-A. There is little incentive to move to a new Macbook Pro because I don't even use the power of this one...

I loved mine! I used a keyboard condom because they are super temperamental but other than that it was great as a daily driver and is still going strong as a hand me down to a family member. That said, I completely agree at second hand prices you'd get much better value on a refurb M1.

ports are an issue if you need more than 2 ports. I need 6 to not need a dongle full time. my 2017 15 inch Pro in its lifetime had a battery replacement under AppleCare everything else works perfectly (as does the new battery). I'll be waiting as long as I can for the next release.

Probably lucky, but I love my 13" MBP 2018 with x4 ports. As I don't need a 15", the smaller version seems a good choice.

I find this interesting as the 2017 12” Macbook I used for 4 years never had one issue. My only issue with it was it stopped receiving Mac Os updates in 2022. I actually really miss the keyboard it had compared to the model I have now. The issue with all MacBooks from 2015-2018 all suffer from lamination damaged from the keys touching the screen when closed for pretty much every model. The touch-bar I was never a fan of as they put the escape key on it. Apple will always get alot of criticism on there products, because there line is so small in every category, and its not until recent years, where the price reflects what you are buying. Just my opinions.

I'm using a 2017 13" touchbar and on my 3rd keyboard which i havent touched since they put it in, I keep a keyboard cover on at all times now.

Im using a 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro right now and have been for over 5 years, zero issues.

I'm watching this video from my 2017 15" MBP and yes, I can completely understand your arguments and I agree with them. The problem ist, that I bought this MBP in early 2018 and I really wanted a big screen and I also liked the Touch Bar. There weren't many other choices. Now I often think about selling my MBP and buy a M1 MBA, but I really like the big display. And I just don't see me paying > 2500$ for a new 16" M1X MBP when it's released... And I didn't had any major keyboard issues (yet).

5:37 That earned you a like instantly. (I usually wait till the end to give the like, but this was fantastic 😅😂)

I have my MacBook Pro 15inch Unibody Mid2012 and still works perfectly fine today with Big Sur Installed.

I came here from genius bar podcast and I'm super glad I did. Awesome video 👍