Bought this immediately after seeing the unveiling of the late 2016 model. Losing the function keys for a toucher was a deal breaker. I use those for too often to have them be virtualized, moving around or even unavailable. The new one, while touted to be up to x faster, the numbers are based on the slowest 2015 and fastest 2016. The base model went up in price$400, which excludes any performance benefits. As a matter of fact, video is actually slower than this model, without the upgrade. The only real upgrade for the new one, before adding on options is faster memory.
I run windows and linux VMs fairly regularly and while I could run them on a comparable Windows system, adding windows systems to an already portly windows system has never worked out well for me, so while disappointed in the new upgrades, this 2015 model still rocks VMs and does all I need it too for far less$. While USB-C is cool, a bag full of dongles is not. I prefer ports, especially the SD slot, which I do use regularly. With real function keys, I don’t worry about one vendor or another not upgrading fast enough and losing virtual function keys, so this model is golden. Hope Apple puts back the function keys and keeps the touch strip too. I could see it being useful for some things, but not a replacement for real function keys.