About to buy a new MBP, thoughts?

[lennyantonelli]

#1
Hey all,

I'm pretty close to biting the bullet and purchasing a 13 inch rMBP. I know a brand shiny new MBP is due in Oct, but here's my logic.

My budget is about €1,000, so bottom-of-the-range, and I was trying to decide between at 13 Air, one of last year's Macbook 12s, or maybe a refurb 2016 Macbook 12. But I was struggling to decide between an Air with no Retina screen, and a Macbook with one port and a keyboard that has mixed reviews (I'm a journalist, so the keyboard is important).

I wasn't even looking at the rMBPs, thinking they'd be too expensive, but now I see the 13 incher is floating around online for pretty close to my budget. To me it seems like the best of both worlds: I get the retina screen, and a powerful, upgradeable and still pretty damn portable machine, at a great price. (Note, my current laptop is a mid-2010 13 inch MBP, which has served me really well for six years now, and is only just starting to really slow down — I'm regretting the upgrade to Yosemite).

My logic is that when the new MBPs come out, I won't be able to afford them anyway, with all the new features rumoured, I'm expecting a hefty price bump on the entry level models. I've already looked at the Macbook and while it's beautiful I feel uncertain about it for the reasons stated above, and I don't necessarily need something ultra portable anyway. Plus the rMBP feels like it will have more longevity specs-wise, which is important to me.

The only spanner in the works could be if the Airs gets a nice big upgrade while still maintaining their lower-end price. But then again the main thing I'd want in them would be the Retina screen, which I can get in the rMBP now away.

So there's my thinking. Thanks for humouring me, would love to hear any thoughts, positive or negative.

Cheers,

LA

 

[Samuelsan2001]

#1
Hey all,

I'm pretty close to biting the bullet and purchasing a 13 inch rMBP. I know a brand shiny new MBP is due in Oct, but here's my logic.

My budget is about €1,000, so bottom-of-the-range, and I was trying to decide between at 13 Air, one of last year's Macbook 12s, or maybe a refurb 2016 Macbook 12. But I was struggling to decide between an Air with no Retina screen, and a Macbook with one port and a keyboard that has mixed reviews (I'm a journalist, so the keyboard is important).

I wasn't even looking at the rMBPs, thinking they'd be too expensive, but now I see the 13 incher is floating around online for pretty close to my budget. To me it seems like the best of both worlds: I get the retina screen, and a powerful, upgradeable and still pretty damn portable machine, at a great price. (Note, my current laptop is a mid-2010 13 inch MBP, which has served me really well for six years now, and is only just starting to really slow down — I'm regretting the upgrade to Yosemite).

My logic is that when the new MBPs come out, I won't be able to afford them anyway, with all the new features rumoured, I'm expecting a hefty price bump on the entry level models. I've already looked at the Macbook and while it's beautiful I feel uncertain about it for the reasons stated above, and I don't necessarily need something ultra portable anyway. Plus the rMBP feels like it will have more longevity specs-wise, which is important to me.

The only spanner in the works could be if the Airs gets a nice big upgrade while still maintaining their lower-end price. But then again the main thing I'd want in them would be the Retina screen, which I can get in the rMBP now away.

So there's my thinking. Thanks for humouring me, would love to hear any thoughts, positive or negative.

Cheers,

LA

Well you are wrong about the rMBP being upgradeable, the ram is soldered on and the ssd's use a proprietary connection and unique form factor, making them very difficult to upgrade (it works out more expensive than buying what you need in the first place most of the time).

The air is unlikely to ever get a retina screen and is also unlikely to ever get any more updates, the move to 8gb as standard with the last change as the only change is an indicator of this being the end of the line for the air.

The 13 inch pro with broadwell is a great, little machine and if you can get it on a deal go for it but get the ram and the SSD size you need.

If you haven't done so an SSD in your 2010 may give you another couple of years of use but at 6 years old of course it's always a risk putting any money into an old machine. Newer versions of OS X are seemingly much better optimised for ssd's so you will be fine on any version of OS X.

 

[lennyantonelli]

Thanks for that Sam, that's useful advice.

My plan would be to get the 13-inch 125GB rMBP, I do have a big photo collection but to be honest I think I'll need an external HD for that anyway, so there's no huge advantage in getting the 256GB version, I think the extra cash would be better spent on a big external HD.

 

[Wando64]

Thanks for that Sam, that's useful advice.

My plan would be to get the 13-inch 125GB rMBP, I do have a big photo collection but to be honest I think I'll need an external HD for that anyway, so there's no huge advantage in getting the 256GB version, I think the extra cash would be better spent on a big external HD.

In my opinion 125gb is a very limited amount of storage, regardless of whether you will use an external drive or not.
It will not take you long to fill it just with apps, caches, etc...

 

[Spudlicious]

Thinking about a new computer is always pleasant, I quite envy you. I would definitely advise plumping for the retina screen, you'll want your new toy to look better, and also to avoid the puny Air CPU. Which suggests a rMBP, I guess. Happy bullet biting.

 

[jerryk]

You said the keyboard is important to you, so try a MacBook before you buy one. I don't like the keyboard because of the short key travel.

 

[Fishrrman]

My opinion only:

The Macbook Air and MacBook (not "pro) are both underpowered and over-priced.

Get a MacBook PRO model.

Even the base model MBPro is leaps-and-bounds ahead of both the MBAir and MB.

If you can't buy new, buy Apple-refurbished.

 

[curryvvv]

I'm about to do the same and purchase a refurb rMBP 13. I'm also pretty convinced when the new macbook pros do come out, the base model price will continue to increase. There is no way the initial price will be lower than the existing 12inch Macbook.

 

[wegster]

Shop around - you should be able to get a solid 13" retina MBP. And do not buy one with 128GB - just think of file sizes as we've moved from small camera sensors and SD -> HD -> 4K.

I picked up a nice used late 2013 MBP 13" 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD for a bit over $700 - solid deal, but a quick look on your side of the pond:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MacBook-P...B-512-SSD-83-Battery-Count-Mint-/162186159698
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Latest-20...-3-i5-2-9GHz-8GB-512GB-MF841B-A-/172322661186
are pretty close to your budget..
(note - not my auctions, no affiliation, just a quick search).

 

[lennyantonelli]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I agree 125GB is very low, but there are simply some great deals out there right now on 2015 13-inch 125GB rMBPs that look too good to refuse (£869 on Amazon UK), and I don't really want to buy secondhand, so I think I'm happy to go with that plus external solutions (I have an old 256GB external drive now anyway), whether a drive or something for the USB or SD slot. I don't store any movies or music on my machine, and I need an external drive for my photos anyway, so right now I'm only using about 70GB on space on MBP, for example.

If anyone thinks I'm making a terrible mistake though, do say!

 

[curryvvv]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I agree 125GB is very low, but there are simply some great deals out there right now on 2015 13-inch 125GB rMBPs that look too good to refuse (£869 on Amazon UK), and I don't really want to buy secondhand, so I think I'm happy to go with that plus external solutions (I have an old 256GB external drive now anyway), whether a drive or something for the USB or SD slot. I don't store any movies or music on my machine, and I need an external drive for my photos anyway, so right now I'm only using about 70GB on space on MBP, for example.

If anyone thinks I'm making a terrible mistake though, do say!

Well, how I see it is. If you are on a budget and you're not interested in purchasing the new MBP. I don' think there is a problem getting it.

 

[jerryk]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I agree 125GB is very low, but there are simply some great deals out there right now on 2015 13-inch 125GB rMBPs that look too good to refuse (£869 on Amazon UK), and I don't really want to buy secondhand, so I think I'm happy to go with that plus external solutions (I have an old 256GB external drive now anyway), whether a drive or something for the USB or SD slot. I don't store any movies or music on my machine, and I need an external drive for my photos anyway, so right now I'm only using about 70GB on space on MBP, for example.

If anyone thinks I'm making a terrible mistake though, do say!

IMHO, I think your desire to get a new is a bit misplaced. The 2015 rMBP 13 is not a huge upgrade from earlier models of the rMBP 13. You might want to see how far your money can go if you look at the used market.

Another option is to wait until the new 2016 units are announced. Then Apple will be trying to clear out new 2015 rMBP 13s and likely drop the price significantly.

 

[T5BRICK]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I agree 125GB is very low, but there are simply some great deals out there right now on 2015 13-inch 125GB rMBPs that look too good to refuse (£869 on Amazon UK), and I don't really want to buy secondhand, so I think I'm happy to go with that plus external solutions (I have an old 256GB external drive now anyway), whether a drive or something for the USB or SD slot. I don't store any movies or music on my machine, and I need an external drive for my photos anyway, so right now I'm only using about 70GB on space on MBP, for example.

If anyone thinks I'm making a terrible mistake though, do say!

The 2015 rMBPs are great computers. They're not a huge upgrade over previous rMBPs, but if only for the improved battery life, they are an upgrade.

If the base 2015 13" rMBP will do everything you need it to do, go ahead and buy it.

 

[curryvvv]

IMHO, I think your desire to get a new is a bit misplaced. The 2015 rMBP 13 is not a huge upgrade from earlier models of the rMBP 13. You might want to see how far your money can go if you look at the used market.

Another option is to wait until the new 2016 units are announced. Then Apple will be trying to clear out new 2015 rMBP 13s and likely drop the price significantly.

The problem with that though, doesn't apple usually wait a few months before they lower the prices?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

The problem with that though, doesn't apple usually wait a few months before they lower the prices?

No Apple rarely lower prices and they generally don't sell old models, so you would get a deal from another vendor, b&h photo for example, but not from Apple unless it's refurbished. They still sell the 2012 non retina MacBook Pro for example but it's still £900 pounds at 4 years old.

 

[jerryk]

The problem with that though, doesn't apple usually wait a few months before they lower the prices?

No Apple rarely lower prices and they generally don't sell old models, so you would get a deal from another vendor, b&h photo for example, but not from Apple unless it's refurbished. They still sell the 2012 non retina MacBook Pro for example but it's still £900 pounds at 4 years old.

This is correct. And even now there are lower prices than from Apple. I am using a 2015 15" rMBP. I bought In June from a 3rd party for $2,200+. On the same day Apple wanted $2499. I have the same warranty, etc as if I bought it at the Apple Store.

 

[snaky69]

#1
Hey all,

I'm pretty close to biting the bullet and purchasing a 13 inch rMBP. I know a brand shiny new MBP is due in Oct, but here's my logic.

My budget is about €1,000, so bottom-of-the-range, and I was trying to decide between at 13 Air, one of last year's Macbook 12s, or maybe a refurb 2016 Macbook 12. But I was struggling to decide between an Air with no Retina screen, and a Macbook with one port and a keyboard that has mixed reviews (I'm a journalist, so the keyboard is important).

I wasn't even looking at the rMBPs, thinking they'd be too expensive, but now I see the 13 incher is floating around online for pretty close to my budget. To me it seems like the best of both worlds: I get the retina screen, and a powerful, upgradeable and still pretty damn portable machine, at a great price. (Note, my current laptop is a mid-2010 13 inch MBP, which has served me really well for six years now, and is only just starting to really slow down — I'm regretting the upgrade to Yosemite).

My logic is that when the new MBPs come out, I won't be able to afford them anyway, with all the new features rumoured, I'm expecting a hefty price bump on the entry level models. I've already looked at the Macbook and while it's beautiful I feel uncertain about it for the reasons stated above, and I don't necessarily need something ultra portable anyway. Plus the rMBP feels like it will have more longevity specs-wise, which is important to me.

The only spanner in the works could be if the Airs gets a nice big upgrade while still maintaining their lower-end price. But then again the main thing I'd want in them would be the Retina screen, which I can get in the rMBP now away.

So there's my thinking. Thanks for humouring me, would love to hear any thoughts, positive or negative.

Cheers,

LA

15 replies and no one's asked the question that should've been the very first reply: what do you actually do with a computer? Journalist is fine and dandy, but do you need any specific feature, and do you do anything else than type?

Your post is akin to a random person coming up on the street and asking "Hey there stranger, I've been thinking about upgrading my car lately and I'm not sure whether I should buy a pickup truck or an exotic sports car".

The rMBP, MBA and MB all have their strengths and limitations, it all depends on intended usage.

 

[lennyantonelli]

Thanks Snaky, it's a fair question.

I guess my main uses would be word processing (mostly TextEdit tbh), Gmail, web browsing, a little photo editing when I take pics for articles (usually just use iPhoto or GIMP), Spotify and Netflix.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Thanks Snaky, it's a fair question.

I guess my main uses would be word processing (mostly TextEdit tbh), Gmail, web browsing, a little photo editing when I take pics for articles (usually just use iPhoto or GIMP), Spotify and Netflix.

That use case will be fine on almost any modern computer buy whatever you wish.

 

[d0nK]

Wait to see if they increase the standard hard drive size.

 

[snaky69]

Thanks Snaky, it's a fair question.

I guess my main uses would be word processing (mostly TextEdit tbh), Gmail, web browsing, a little photo editing when I take pics for articles (usually just use iPhoto or GIMP), Spotify and Netflix.

I'd personally steer you away from the MB, a lot of people dislike the keyboard's feel and it could at times feel grossly underpowered when photo editing. The 1 port could also be a problem if you ever need to have more than one thing plugged in at any time.

the rMBP would be my personal choice for your use, the screen'll be easier on the eyes for longer sessions and you get a few ports more than the MBA offers.

 

[lennyantonelli]

Ordered a 13 inch 2015 rMBP with 128GB SSD. Thanks all.

 

[maflynn]

Ordered a 13 inch 2015 rMBP with 128GB SSD. Thanks all.

Congrats and enjoy your new baby

 

[lennyantonelli]

Thanks! Still can't believe I got a machine that's on the Apple Store for €1,499 on Amazon for €1,050.

 

[maflynn]

Thanks! Still can't believe I got a machine that's on the Apple Store for €1,499 on Amazon for €1,050.

They're tough to find, but there are deals around. I have a local computer store that frequently undercuts what Apple charges. Its the same brand new MBP but yet they sell it for hundreds less then what Apple charges.