Advice needed - Saying goodbye to my Macbook Pro 2012

[WorldKraal]

Hi all, first time posting on the forums.

In August 2012 I purchased a Macbook Pro with retina display. It was the first Mac laptop I had ever purchased, after many years of owning Acers, Dells, Lenovos, etc. I had researched it to death and the stellar reviews (that hadn't yet captured some of the battery and dead pixel issues) were persuasive enough to create an early adopter out of me. Additionally I was absolutely fed up with Windows-based PCs and, from what I had experienced, their obnoxious amount of design and performance issues for supposably premium brands (more on that in a bit).

Fast forward over eight years to September 2020 and I can definitively state that it was one of the best purchases I have ever made. Not without some hiccups - the above-mentioned pixel and battery issues required two separate repairs. These were taken care of by Apple support so it wasn't an issue at all. Also, like many I've had one keyboard issue which required replacement, but after 8 years carting this thing all over the world and banging away on the keys for video editing, photos, gaming and work, this again was not a huge issue for.

Compared to the wall-beating experience I had with the 2010 Dell XPS 16, which I purchased with the same criteria in mind (portable, high-powered, good screen, photo/video editing, gaming, etc), the 2012 Macbook Pro Retina was a dream in every conceivable metric; performance, design, reliability, longevity, etc. What drove me particularly mad about the Dell XPS 16, permit me a digression, was the (now well-documented) terrible design flaw of the fan and heat exchange blowing up onto the screen, which caused frequent overheating and crashed. Sure the Macbook Pro was twice the price of the XPS but it's lasted four times as long with a vastly superior user experience.

With that long preface out of the way, suffice it to say that my Macbook has had an extremely good run and delivered a huge amount of value and utility. It's actually still going strong but I did read this MacRumours post about the models becoming obsolete and void of servicing: https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/01/2012-retina-macbook-pro-obsolete-june-30/.

With that in mind I'm in the market for a new Macbook but I'm unsure about the new Macbook Pros vs Macbook Airs. Has anyone purchased either in 2019/2020, who also happened to have owned a 2012 Macbook Pro Retina? Are you as happy with the purchase, less happy, more happy? Are there things that you'd rate as unique and amazing additions (like the new scissor switch keyboards) or things that you think of as far inferior (like the multi-touch strip)?

I'd sincerely appreciate your honest and objective feedback.

 

[kodabear]

I, like you owned a late model 2013 MacBook Pro 13", 512GB SSD with 8GB Ram and sold it to my daughter in 2019. I needed an upgrade but because of keyboard issues with the current laptops, chose to buy a iMac 4K, 512GB SSD, w/ 16GB Ram. She is still using the 2013 MBP today which is approaching 7 years old and runs like it is still brand new. The iMac 4K was a 2017 Refurb and also has been a terrific computer but missing the portability of a laptop, I recently sold the iMac and bought the 2020 MBP 13" with the newer keyboard that has no issues with a 1TB SSD and 32GB Ram from the refurb store. The MBP 13" is hooked up to a external monitor (LG MD4KL 24" Monitor) that I mainly used for editing photos in PS & LR. I chose the 13" over the 16" because of the known issues of the 16" heating up when connected to a external monitor. So, to answer your question, Yes I am very happy with this purchase, the keyboard and touch ID are awesome however I don't use the Touch Bar very much. I do use the Apple BT Keyboard when the Laptop is connected to the monitor. So, yes I'm a happy camper with a large screen for photo editing and I still have the portability of a laptop.

 

[leman]

Wait with your purchase until the end of the year. There will most likely be new models coming out.

 

[aviddk]

Love and continue to use my 2012 MacBook pro Retina. Some describe it as the best MacBook of all time. My wife purchased the 2014 MacBook pro Retina and it has in turn been a great machine.

Currently I am waiting to see what Apple pulls out as "one more thing" at the iPhone event. Still on the fence about continuing to wait for the Apple Silicon or hoping they make a major update to the Intel mac. I like the idea of a 14" but not sure I am willing to give up the screen real estate. I know when I go on month long trips using only my iPad Pro 12.9 I am so happy to start using my 16" again. MacBook Air I will take a pass on until they provide a better cooling or it runs Apple Silicon.

 

[leman]

Currently I am waiting to see what Apple pulls out as "one more thing" at the iPhone event.

If they don’t, there will most likely be a separate Mac event in November.

 

[ArPe]

Wait for Tiger Lake or Apple Silicon. Not long to go.

 

[1rottenapple]

it’s hard to predict when the Silicon MacBook Pro 16 will be released but with the transition to Apple silicon if your current MacBook still works I would hold out. I had to buy a MacBook due to work from home and needing a 16 in laptop. I’m happy with it and it’ll last me years. But if I were you I’d wait.

 

[WorldKraal]

Love and continue to use my 2012 MacBook pro Retina. Some describe it as the best MacBook of all time. My wife purchased the 2014 MacBook pro Retina and it has in turn been a great machine.

Currently I am waiting to see what Apple pulls out as "one more thing" at the iPhone event. Still on the fence about continuing to wait for the Apple Silicon or hoping they make a major update to the Intel mac. I like the idea of a 14" but not sure I am willing to give up the screen real estate. I know when I go on month long trips using only my iPad Pro 12.9 I am so happy to start using my 16" again. MacBook Air I will take a pass on until they provide a better cooling or it runs Apple Silicon.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm seeing a lot of positive feedback on 2012 (and later) MBP purchases, which is really useful. Even good experiences with the touch strip models which is nice to hear. None of the responses seem to be mentioning a transition to the Macbook Air, I'm guessing because most people still have the same power and usage requirements that make even the new Airs impractical.

The second most common thing I'm reading in responses is recommendations to wait until the Apple October event to see if they're releasing the Apple Silicon chip Macbooks. Once again though I get the first adopter heebie jeebies. It'll be the first time Macbooks will be using the new chips, so probably best to wait another 3 months after they come out for Tom's Hardware, etc to do exhaustive performance testing. Won't lie, I'm very interested in a 14 inch Macbook. That, for me, is the perfect size. The 2012 15 Inch is great but I don't actually need that much real estate.

Once again very much appreciate all the feedback and suggestions!