New in Forum, Choosing a Mac.

pparadisom · Apr 21, 2015

Hello,

I'm a new user in this forum.

I've been a Windows user all my life but since I tried my cousin's rMBP 15 and saw that amazing Retina Display, that design and sofware it was love at first sight.

Is going to be my first laptop and I'm between this two options:

1st Option > Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro 13 inch (Late 2013 [October]) with this Specs for $929:

2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
128GB Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics

2nd Option > Brand New MacBook Air 13 inch (Early 2015) with this Specs for $999

1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
Intel HD Graphics 6000
4GB memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage

I would love the base 2015 rMBP 13 with ForceTouch and 8GB of RAM for $300 more but something unexpected happened and now I can't afford it.

My usage will be very low. Just keeping a few pictures, videos, less than 1000 songs, sync my iPhone 6 with iTunes, use Safari, watch Youtube videos, Netflix maybe, and a couple of things more but sometimes I have the strange hobby to build a lot of houses on the Sims 3 (lol).

I'm also thinking of keeping the MacBook for about 4 years and that's why I doubt of the 4GB of RAM of both Macs, specially from the 2013 rMBP because is older but that MacBook Air low-res display doesn't convince me despite it's beautiful thin design and battery life that probably I don't need.

Honestly I prefer desktops (iMac *cough*) but I'm moving to another country with my whole family and I need something portable while we choose where to stay.

Thank you for reading this long words and excuse me if I have some misspellings or something like that because English is not my language hahaha.

Meister · Apr 21, 2015

Both will work perfectly fine for your usage.

cycledance · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
I would love the base 2015 rMBP 13 with ForceTouch and 8GB of RAM for $300 more but something unexpected happened and now I can't afford it.

if u can spend 1000 then u can spend 1300. u'll find a way.
u said u keep it for 4 years. its an investment. get your dream machine.

Mikael H · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
Hello,

I'm a new user in this forum.

I've been a Windows user all my life but since I tried my cousin's rMBP 15 and saw that amazing Retina Display, that design and sofware it was love at first sight.

Is going to be my first laptop and I'm between this two options:

1st Option > Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro 13 inch (Late 2013 [October]) with this Specs for $929:

2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
128GB Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics

2nd Option > Brand New MacBook Air 13 inch (Early 2015) with this Specs for $999

1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
Intel HD Graphics 6000
4GB memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage

I would love the base 2015 rMBP 13 with ForceTouch and 8GB of RAM for $300 more but something unexpected happened and now I can't afford it.

My usage will be very low. Just keeping a few pictures, videos, less than 1000 songs, sync my iPhone 6 with iTunes, use Safari, watch Youtube videos, Netflix maybe, and a couple of things more but sometimes I have the strange hobby to build a lot of houses on the Sims 3 (lol).

I'm also thinking of keeping the MacBook for about 4 years and that's why I doubt of the 4GB of RAM of both Macs, specially from the 2013 rMBP because is older but that MacBook Air low-res display doesn't convince me despite it's beautiful thin design and battery life that probably I don't need.

Honestly I prefer desktops (iMac *cough*) but I'm moving to another country with my whole family and I need something portable while we choose where to stay.

Thank you for reading this long words and excuse me if I have some misspellings or something like that because English is not my language hahaha.

I agree with @cycledance. If you're not in an extreme hurry to purchase a new machine, wait until you can afford one that you will want to live with in the years to come.

maflynn · Apr 21, 2015

[MOD NOTE]
Stop with the bickering and arguing.

Samuelsan2001 · Apr 21, 2015

Meister said:
and if u can spend 1300 then u can spend 1600.
and if u can spend 1600 then u can spend 1900.
and so on.
Sounds like you have the formula to infinite wealth there.

Go with the pro you will be disappointed with the airs screen if it is the retina that sold you on a Mac in the first place. I have a 2013 rMBP and it is still an awesome little machine...

maflynn · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
I would love the base 2015 rMBP 13 with ForceTouch and 8GB of RAM for $300 more but something unexpected happened and now I can't afford it.

I agree with the others, try to find a way to swing the extra 300, you'll not be disappointed, especially since you have long range plans of keeping this 4 years.

Check out bestbuy, or amazon for deals. They frequently have sales, also if you have access to a .edu email, BestBuy has promotions that can save you some money.

Fifteen20s · Apr 21, 2015

As others have said, both are good machines. Between the 2 options I would suggest the 2013 rMBP, better processor, graphics and screen.

I do suggest stepping up to 256 storage, I'm surprised Apple even offers 128 anymore. 128 is just too small for long term consideration. Yes you can add external drives but over time you will put more data on it then you expect.

T5BRICK · Apr 21, 2015

cycledance said:
if u can spend 1000 then u can spend 1300. u'll find a way.
u said u keep it for 4 years. its an investment. get your dream machine.

While I agree that you should get the computer you want, I don't agree that the computer is an investment.

Anyway, I'd find a way to buy the current base model. It's got a faster CPU, more RAM and a better GPU in addition to the ForceTouch trackpad.

Meister · Apr 21, 2015

cycledance said:
if u can spend 1000 then u can spend 1300.

and if u can spend 1300 then u can spend 1600.
... and so on ...

----------

maflynn said:
I agree with the others, try to find a way to swing the extra 300, you'll not be disappointed, especially since you have long range plans of keeping this 4 years.

Check out bestbuy, or amazon for deals. They frequently have sales, also if you have access to a .edu email, BestBuy has promotions that can save you some money.

as others have mentioned, 4 years isn't long and computers aren't investments. To check for deals at bestbuy and such is a fantastic idea!

pparadisom · Apr 21, 2015

Guys, I appreciate your answers but honestly, for now I really can't afford the $1.299 2015 rMBP (plus TAX, you're forgetting that).

I'm leaving my country (Venezuela) in about a month and I already sold my Desktop PC, so I need a new computer before I leave. Also my dad will travel to USA before April ends and the idea is purchasing the Mac in the States because is cheaper than Italy (we're moving to Italy).

In my country (with the actual situation) young people like me we don't have any future, the opportunity to be independent of our parents, have or own house, car or buy anything we want, not to mention insecurity, food shortages, unleashed crime, corruption, highest inflation in world, you can't be killed for almost anything, etc. (I can create a huge large post but this is a tech forum). Thank God we also have Italian nationality but the point is I only have $400 and my dad will complete the money for my Mac and I can't ask him for too much because the expenses of moving a family of 7 to another continent are huge.

Anyway I was checking BestBuy like you said and found a base 2015 brand new rMBP from $1099 ($200 less) and maaaaaybe I can buy it if the price is for real. They also have a opened box one from $979 also 2015 rMBP but I'm planning of getting Apple Care in Italy soon as I can and I don't know if those Macs from BestBuy are elegible for Apple Care or not.

About the 2013 rMBP and 2015 MBA maybe I exaggerated saying that I will keep it 4 years. That depends of my future in Italy, maybe in 2 years I will have a good Job and I can sell the old Mac and buy the latest 15 inch rMBP for that moment, who knows

Again, my apologies for this large post. Sorry hahahaha.

dusk007 · Apr 21, 2015

Why don't you look for a used 13" retina with a little more RAM. It doesn't have to be the 2015 version. The older one with Iris graphics is just as good. Actually the newer is not noticably better in anything other than battery life and that already was very good. But you really should have at least 8GB RAM.

Mac laptops hold their second hand value very good which means if money is tight you can grab a much higher quality windows second hand device than a mac. One other reason why windows computers are cheaper.

If you get a mac buy it still in the US. Italy's prices may not be like the phantasy prices you'd have to pay from venzuela to get one but they are still much higher than US prices.
You don't have to pay any tax if you buy online in the US afaik. They got this loop hole with out of state merchandise.

Meister · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
Guys, I appreciate your answers but honestly, for now I really can't afford the $1.299 2015 rMBP (plus TAX, you're forgetting that).

I'm leaving my country (Venezuela) in about a month and I already sold my Desktop PC, so I need a new computer before I leave. Also my dad will travel to USA before April ends and the idea is purchasing the Mac in the States because is cheaper than Italy (we're moving to Italy).

In my country (with the actual situation) young people like me we don't have any future, the opportunity to be independent of our parents, have or own house, car or buy anything we want, not to mention insecurity, food shortages, unleashed crime, corruption, highest inflation in world, you can't be killed for almost anything, etc. (I can create a huge large post but this is a tech forum). Thank God we also have Italian nationality but the point is I only have $400 and my dad will complete the money for my Mac and I can't ask him for too much because the expenses of moving a family of 7 to another continent are huge.

Anyway I was checking BestBuy like you said and found a base 2015 brand new rMBP from $1099 ($200 less) and maaaaaybe I can buy it if the price is for real. They also have a opened box one from $979 also 2015 rMBP but I'm planning of getting Apple Care in Italy soon as I can and I don't know if those Macs from BestBuy are elegible for Apple Care or not.

About the 2013 rMBP and 2015 MBA maybe I exaggerated saying that I will keep it 4 years. That depends of my future in Italy, maybe in 2 years I will have a good Job and I can sell the old Mac and buy the latest 15 inch rMBP for that moment, who knows

Again, my apologies for this large post. Sorry hahahaha.

After what you wrote, I would definitely recommend the cheapest 2013 or newer macbook you can get. In fact I'd recommend you get a base macbook air + :apple:

care. It sounds like you need your resources for establishing a new life and it would be ludacris to "invest" in laptop specs at this point in your life, because some people on the internet believe that you might need them in a few years. That would be really, really crazy. For what you are planing to do, there is no cpu or RAM upgrades necessary. You need a macbook that is portable, proven, fast and reliable. The Air will provide all that.

If you move to Italy, you can order within the EU and in germany mediamarkt and saturn usualy have massive discounts on macbooks. Right now you can get a brand new 2015 mba 11" for 899,- and a 13" for 1049,- including tax!

yjchua95 · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
Hello,

I'm a new user in this forum.

I've been a Windows user all my life but since I tried my cousin's rMBP 15 and saw that amazing Retina Display, that design and sofware it was love at first sight.

Is going to be my first laptop and I'm between this two options:

1st Option > Certified Refurbished MacBook Pro 13 inch (Late 2013 [October]) with this Specs for $929:

2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
128GB Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics

2nd Option > Brand New MacBook Air 13 inch (Early 2015) with this Specs for $999

1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
Intel HD Graphics 6000
4GB memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage

I would love the base 2015 rMBP 13 with ForceTouch and 8GB of RAM for $300 more but something unexpected happened and now I can't afford it.

My usage will be very low. Just keeping a few pictures, videos, less than 1000 songs, sync my iPhone 6 with iTunes, use Safari, watch Youtube videos, Netflix maybe, and a couple of things more but sometimes I have the strange hobby to build a lot of houses on the Sims 3 (lol).

I'm also thinking of keeping the MacBook for about 4 years and that's why I doubt of the 4GB of RAM of both Macs, specially from the 2013 rMBP because is older but that MacBook Air low-res display doesn't convince me despite it's beautiful thin design and battery life that probably I don't need.

Honestly I prefer desktops (iMac *cough*) but I'm moving to another country with my whole family and I need something portable while we choose where to stay.

Thank you for reading this long words and excuse me if I have some misspellings or something like that because English is not my language hahaha.

Given your usage, you don't look like you need anything more than an 11"/13" baseline MacBook Air.

With RAM compression and caching, plus the SSD, 4GB of RAM can really act like 8GB most of the time.

People almost always underestimate the power of 4GB. Read here: http://bgr.com/2013/11/18/apple-13-inch-retina-macbook-pro-review-late-2013/

QCassidy352 · Apr 21, 2015

Both are excellent. The late 2013 rMBP has been my only computer for the last year and a half, and I highly recommend it. Air is a good choice too, but I think you'd enjoy the pro more because of the retina screen.

cycledance · Apr 21, 2015

pparadisom said:
Anyway I was checking BestBuy like you said and found a base 2015 brand new rMBP from $1099 ($200 less) and maaaaaybe I can buy it if the price is for real. They also have a opened box one from $979 also 2015 rMBP but I'm planning of getting Apple Care in Italy soon as I can and I don't know if those Macs from BestBuy are elegible for Apple Care or not.

they are eligible. you can buy apple care in the first year. countries in the eu have 2 years warranty on electronics. so apple care is only for the third year. if you can afford it you should probably buy it though.

Meister · Apr 21, 2015

cycledance said:
they are eligible. you can buy apple care in the first year. countries in the eu have 2 years warranty on electronics. so apple care is only for the third year. if you can afford it you should probably buy it though.

Let's clarify the EU 2 year warranty myth:

Up to 6 months after purchase they have to repair or replace your Mac.
For reclamations after that time period you have to prove that the defect was already present at purchase, which is close to impossible to do. So effectively you get 6 months.

:apple:

care on the other hand gives you unconditional warranty for 36 months.

It should be noted that :apple:

extends their warranty to 1 year in their terms of services.

cycledance · Apr 21, 2015

Meister said:
Let's clarify the EU 2 year warranty myth:

Up to 6 months after purchase they have to repair or replace your Mac.
For reclamations after that time period you have to prove that the defect was already present at purchase, which is close to impossible to do. So effectively you get 6 months.

care on the other hand gives you unconditional warranty for 36 months.

It should be noted that extends their warranty to 1 year in their terms of services.

hardware that has failed through no fault of yours (inherent fault) in the first 2 years is covered. applecare overlaps but also offers extra and direct service.

of course a retailer can be stubborn and push the defect on the customer but that is rarely and only handled in court. that's why many devices have spill sensors for example to easily detect a customers fault. etc.

dusk007 · Apr 21, 2015

The 2 year thing in the EU does not help the op if he buys in the US. It only applies to eu resellers or eu apple purchases. If you buy in the us and not pay the ~20 VAT when entering eu borders you can forget about it regardless.
Personally I think computers that don't fail in the first year are so unlikely to fail in the next two that apple care is always a good deal for apple. Electronics are built to last at least 3 to 5 years. If there is a manufacturing fault it should show in the first year, if there isn't you really need a warranty past the first 3 years to make sense risk vs money wise. Like Dell has 4 year warranty.
The only thing you get is the peace of mind that you get 3 years of guaranteed use. But risk of failure vs money spent it does not pay imo. Also at least not purchase from Apple. Apple care can be had cheaper through ebay codes than directly from apple. It can also be bought with in the first year from anywhere.

Meister · Apr 21, 2015

cycledance said:
hardware that has failed through no fault of yours (inherent fault) in the first 2 years is covered.

Again: this is incorrect.
Theoratically you have a 2 year warranty, except parts and devices which are expected to loose functionality (e.g. Lightbulbs). Within the first 6 months the seller has to prove that the customer caused the defect, otherwise he needs to repair or replace the merchandise. But: After 6 months the burden of prove reverses onto the customer.

Within six months from receipt of the goods, you just need to show the trader that they are faulty or not as advertised. But, after six months in most EU countries you also need to prove yourself that the defect already existed on receipt of the goods, for example, by showing that the defect is due to the poor quality of materials used.

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/shopping/shopping-abroad/guarantees/index_en.htm

Good luck proving "poor quality of materials used". The fact that some retailers exchange products even after the 6 months limit is not part of the law, but their courtesy.

----------

dusk007 said:
The 2 year thing in the EU does not help the op if he buys in the US.

The 2 year EU warranty is a bit of an urban myth. In effect, the legaly required warranty in the EU is the same as in the rest of the world.

Additonal Sources:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31999L0044:DE:HTML

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