Best Way To Spend $2,000 (USD)

[willmtaylor]

The 2009 iMac isn't worth repairing, so the wife & I are looking into getting a notebook. This would be our family's main machine for kids', homework, professional conferences, iPhone/iPad backups, iTunes, photos library, etc.

Looking to spend around $2,000 & an SSD of 500GB-1TB is non-negotiable. What's the best machine we can get for around that amount?

• A new MBP?
• New old stock?
• Refurbished?
• Used?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Apple Stock (as in AAPL)

 

[dukebound85]

Apple Stock (as in AAPL)

That's debatable at this point

 

[willmtaylor]

Apple Stock (as in AAPL)

...so you think that would help the kid with her homework and my wife average grades and me sort out my bills?
[doublepost=1495291696][/doublepost]

That's debatable at this point

Buy high and sell low, right?

 

[dukebound85]

I would lean towards the late 2015 machines just for the ports

 

[BarracksSi]

• A new MBP?
• New old stock?
• Refurbished?
• Used?

- No
- If you can find one
- Most likely
- Yes

I'll sell you my mid-2012 non-retina 13" 1TB MB Pro for as much as $2k-minus-the cost of buying your own SSD to swap into it.

Heck, man... For a new 500GB-1TB SSD at less than $2k? You're looking at either the upper-spec 12" MacBook or non-touchbar 13" MB Pro. For refurbished through Apple, there aren't many 500GB+ examples of the MB Pro at all, but there's a few 512GB 12" MBs (and one 13" mid-2012 500GB MB Pro, much like mine except half the drive space, for less than $900!).

 

[turbineseaplane]

...so you think that would help the kid with her homework and my wife average grades and me sort out my bills?

It was just tongue in cheek
Just having fun and keeping it light around here.

Didn't mean to piss you off - Sorry
[doublepost=1495292103][/doublepost]

That's debatable at this point

I don't know - Berkshire upped their position recently..
Hard to argue with the iPhone (still) and it's total dominance as a single device

 

[willmtaylor]

It was just tongue in cheek
Just having fun and keeping it light around here.

Didn't mean to piss you off - Sorry
[doublepost=1495292103][/doublepost]

I don't know - Berkshire upped their position recently..
Hard to argue with the iPhone (still) and it's total dominance as a single device

Nah, I don't get pissed on MRF. Would've just appreciated some legitimate advice with your tongue-in-cheek is all. No worries. All the best.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Buy a cheap Windows notebook and save more on your money and buy the 2018 iMac.

 

[willmtaylor]

Buy a cheap Windows notebook and save more on your money and buy the 2018 iMac.

Yeah, not going to waste money that way. We're an all-Mac household and my iPad Air 2 gets me by in the mean time. Also, not interested in an iMac going forward. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd probably just get a new 12" rMB once they get spec bumped

 

[NiCk-]

13'' non-TB MBP with 512GB and 16GB RAM .. At the moment that costs $1900 .. I'd wait for the WWDC and either buy the new rumoured spec bumped model with Kaby Lake or if they don't update them the existing ones ..

I have a 13'' tbMBP but I think that the non-TB MBP is the best value for money ..

EDIT

Or if you don't mind refurbs, this looks like a great deal ..

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...-Intel-Core-i5-with-Retina-Display-Space-Gray

 

[maerz001]

Always buy refurbished from Apple when u don't need a newly announced Mac to save 15% or more. In all the years i never read that someone got a lemon and a lot of people recommend it here.

Regarding to your needs: As u do not list any heavy work any Pro machine is overkill. But the 12" MB is for some too small. And touch ID is nice to have...

I was waiting last year for the MBP update but the price increase killed it for me. Tried the MB a couple of times in store and had the feeling that the screen is too small. Anyway than I was in need of something new because my old Air died. So i bought a used 2016 MB from ebay (saved 30%). And i have to say i was getting used to it fast. Now i don't even bother going back to 13" or bigger;-)

 

[ZapNZs]

Have you considered two MacBook Airs or a MacBook Air and a 13-inch MacBook Pro?

While to stay within budget you would need smaller than 1TB, having two systems instead of one might work well for you given it sounds like you need a system for multiple family members. You could utilize low-cost NAS as a possible supplementation to the internal storage, or add up to 256GB internal storage to either with a Transcend Jetdrive Lite.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Also it might be good to wait and see if any of these rumors about the Air getting an update are true.

This is new Apple and they seem to be having some mea culpa moments re: the Mac lineup so it's hard to know what might be next.

If the Air gets a retina screen and a spec bump but leaves the rest unchanged, I predict it will instantly be the #1 seller. In fact, I think it still might be. I keep hearing podcasters (who seem like they know) mention that the Air still sells like hotcakes.

I'd also be in the market for a Retina Air with the retro keyboard and all those handy ports!

I wish Apple would leave the majority of their "next big thing" stuff to their iOS efforts.

There's a huge chunk of Mac people that just want smaller iterations to their traditional Mac workhorses.

 

[macintoshmac]

I really feel the issue with ports is a moot point. We talk about dongles, but we wouldn't need the dongles if we just replace the cable instead. Paying a little more for a proper USB-C cable today will be a better investment than carrying dongles and cribbing about ports any time we get the chance to.

There is just one singular port I miss not having on my MBP 2016, it is HDMI. Coming from a 2011 MBP, seeing as how the new ones were coming with HDMI, I really wanted that. Now, I know I only need a USB-C to HDMI cable instead of an HDMI to HDMI. Still, the whole dongle life thing was all blown too out of proportion, in my opinion. Having 2 ports either side, the ability to charge from any side, is a small little plus that is not appreciated readily till we encounter ourselves falling into the ease of it without even knowing it.

About $2,000. Wait till WWDC, and, if really possible, September. It is just some months more. If you really must have it, then just buy whichever device works for your purpose today, since money saved can be appreciated, but money spent will only depreciate in value. I think, get yourself a spanking new 2017 device this September, and you will also not feel any buyer's remorse.

My 13" 2016 MBP only has 8GB RAM as a flaw against my 2011 15" MBP specced out by me to an SSD and 16GB RAM. But, the new notebook really, truly, kills it in IO. Working on the new machine, it doesn't feel too fast, it feels just right. The only time I get a wow factor is when I transfer stuff here and there. Maybe I have grown accustomed. But, working side by side, I really can see the difference between the old and new. So, save that money for some more months, get a new 2017 device and you will be happy for a far longer time than saving some money and going for 2 year old devices for want of something called ports, the particular problem being easily remedied by using appropriate cables instead of dangling all the dongles. But, the disk IO speeds in the new 2016 notebooks cannot be had in the old, no matter what.

 

[willmtaylor]

Clarification for all: this is simply reconnaissance because that's how I'm wired. We probably wouldn't be pulling the trigger until at least August. Just wanted to know your opinions on what's out there right now. Thanks!

 

[turbineseaplane]

we wouldn't need the dongles if we just replace the cable instead. Paying a little more for a proper USB-C cable today will be a better investment than carrying dongles and cribbing about ports any time we get the chance to.

It's not always possible to just replace a cable and I find it interesting you're mentioning "a better investment"

That's a huge reason why people are upset.

They've already "invested" in existing cables, accessories and infrastructure that'd they'd like to continue using with as little friction as possible.

 

[willmtaylor]

@turbineseaplane & @macintoshmac , ports or lack thereof aren't a deal breaker. We're mostly wireless, but I wouldn't mind buying a "dongle" or two ad hoc.

 

[turbineseaplane]

@turbineseaplane & @macintoshmac , ports or lack thereof aren't a deal breaker. We're mostly wireless, but I wouldn't mind buying a "dongle" or two ad hoc.

I'd still wait to see
Also - Do you care about TouchBar either way?
(potentially another reason to wait and see the updates)

 

[smallcoffee]

The 2009 iMac isn't worth repairing, so the wife & I are looking into getting a notebook. This would be our family's main machine for kids', homework, professional conferences, iPhone/iPad backups, iTunes, photos library, etc.

Looking to spend around $2,000 & an SSD of 500GB-1TB is non-negotiable. What's the best machine we can get for around that amount?

• A new MBP?
• New old stock?
• Refurbished?
• Used?

Look for a refurbished iMac.

Not sure why you need such a large hard drive when there's iCloud and a plethora of online options.

 

[willmtaylor]

Look for a refurbished iMac.

Not sure why you need such a large hard drive when there's iCloud and a plethora of online options.

Because I prefer to have all of my music and photos in 1 place with multiple backups. I don't want to have to bother with an external hard drive in addition to those I use for backups and I don't want to have to rely on internet to access said files. Good question though, as that does narrow my options.

 

[macintoshmac]

It's not always possible to just replace a cable and I find it interesting you're mentioning "a better investment"

That's a huge reason why people are upset.

They've already "invested" in existing cables, accessories and infrastructure that'd they'd like to continue using with as little friction as possible.

True.
[doublepost=1495302291][/doublepost]

I'd still wait to see
Also - Do you care about TouchBar either way?
(potentially another reason to wait and see the updates)

The Touch Bar has its uses as of today. However, I think that major love is yet to come. It has a sweet potential and is slowly being recognised for the dynamic and context-sensitive input capabilities it brings to the table, which is all it is, in my opinion. It is not a gimmick. It has serious potential in terms of extending a row of keys that are dynamic and sensitive to the app you use so that your experience and interaction with that app can be augmented. Like I said, major love is yet to come, but it is by no real means a gimmick.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The Touch Bar has its uses as of today. However, I think that major love is yet to come.

Could be - Hard to know...
To me that's a reason to stay away from it.

It's mostly "in the way" for me at this time and by the time it becomes a "thing", it's likely they'll be shipping "TouchBar 2" that's brighter, runs cooler, has better contrast and resolution, perhaps even haptics (it really needs this), etc - Basically the typical apple Keynote slide about how much better they just made it.

I see very little early adopter advantage on the TouchBar since so much of it feels like Apple throwing it out there to see how it goes.

 

[smallcoffee]

Because I prefer to have all of my music and photos in 1 place with multiple backups. I don't want to have to bother with an external hard drive in addition to those I use for backups and I don't want to have to rely on internet to access said files. Good question though, as that does narrow my options.

I don't follow what your rationale is here, but either way I think iMac is probably the ideal solution.