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2011 MBPs in Apple Stores?

N

noregretoc

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 8, 2010
15
0
It is time to upgrade and I can afford the base 15" or lower. I couldn't really find somewhere to ask this, but do Apple stores carry previous gen MBPs and sell them at a discount or do you need to go to a 3rd party retailer for that?

Is there a tremendous difference between a base 2012 and the previous gen 15"? I am also considering the 13" for portability.

General use is freelance graphic design, GarageBand and light video work. Also want to play Diablo 3, but dont really care about the graphic settings.

So to sum up:
Would a 2012 13" suffice?
Are 2011's available at a discount at the Apple Store?
Which model would be good for my use? 2012 13", 2011 15" or 2012 15"?

For reference, I do all but play D3 currently on a 2006 White Macbook :(
 
My local Apple store has a few new Retina MBP's in stock that didn't sell yesterday, otherwise, they always move out the old before bringing in the new.

It's the Apple way. Check third party resellers.
 
Is there any reason to be fearful of a refurb? I have to buy from Apple directly, so I assume a refurb would be the only way to get a previous gen from Apple at this point?

Any advice on 13" vs 15" for my uses? With the money saved on a 13" I could upgrade to SSD on it.
 
noregretoc said:
Is there any reason to be fearful of a refurb? I have to buy from Apple directly, so I assume a refurb would be the only way to get a previous gen from Apple at this point?

Any advice on 13" vs 15" for my uses? With the money saved on a 13" I could upgrade to SSD on it.
Click to expand...

No reason to fear a refurb at all. They're basically indistinguishable from new and come with the same 1 year warranty from Apple. You can even add the extended AppleCare warranty if you want, just like on a new model.

Last I checked there was a late 2011 15" model in the refurb store for $1359. I think that would be a great buy.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD318LL/A

There's also this early 2011 15" for $1229. It has a bit slower processor and a lower power graphics card:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC721LL/A

You could upgrade either of those in the future to 8GB of memory and an SSD.
 
noregretoc said:
Is there any reason to be fearful of a refurb? I have to buy from Apple directly, so I assume a refurb would be the only way to get a previous gen from Apple at this point?

Any advice on 13" vs 15" for my uses? With the money saved on a 13" I could upgrade to SSD on it.
Click to expand...

No hesitation at all on refurbs. Have had a refurb mini now for about a year with no problems.

Actually just ordered a refurb laptop for myself today. 15" late 2011 2.2 i7 with HR AG. $1439. Pretty good deal. Same model was $1659 before the refresh.
 
The high res display might be worth it, depends on preference. I don't really see much difference for the tasks you've listed between a late 2011 model and a 2012 model.

The major difference is a faster graphics card and USB 3.
 
Ok, so the one for $1359 should be solid and fit my needs?
Purchasing AppleCare would be easier to swallow as well. I never bought it with my current MacBook and it lasted 6 years with no issues.

The 2012 card is NVIDIA vs AMD in the 2012. Both have 512MB memory. Would there be that much of a difference.

Again, thanks for your help!
 
noregretoc said:
Is there any reason to be fearful of a refurb? I have to buy from Apple directly, so I assume a refurb would be the only way to get a previous gen from Apple at this point?

Any advice on 13" vs 15" for my uses? With the money saved on a 13" I could upgrade to SSD on it.
Click to expand...

any sort of graphic design and video work, you're gonna want the integrated graphics, so stay away from the 13"

And as far as apple refurbs go, if the refurb is done by apple, you'll be fine. They have higher quality standards on their refurbs than they do on their new products. It'll seem brand new in every respect
 
noregretoc said:
Would there be any reason to regret getting a 2011 over 2012. The spec bump seems modest.

Getting this for $120 cheaper than the base seems like an ok deal with a high res display and 1GB graphics card.

Is the high res display and more memory on the graphics card worth the price difference?

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD318LL/A
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0M18LL/A
Click to expand...
Is tax added when you add the refurb to the cart? If you don't live in NY/NJ you can get a new 2011 for close price to a taxed refurb.
 
Rockadile said:
Is tax added when you add the refurb to the cart? If you don't live in NY/NJ you can get a new 2011 for close price to a taxed refurb.
Click to expand...

Yes tax is added, but I have to buy from Apple so I don't think there is a way to avoid tax.
 
noregretoc said:
CA, but like I said I have to buy through Apple. What retailer are you referring to?
Click to expand...
Adorama or B&H Photo.

I get no tax with either (ship to WA state) and you can get Applecare for 50% off if you buy together with MBP at B&H.
 
The Applecare discount may make it worth it to consider. Thanks.

Are those retailers reputable?
 
Awesome thanks. I dont imagine they would come down too much further than $1499 correct?
 
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