So I have a 2014 13" MBP currently. It does work perfectly for me right now. But if I were to upgrade is a 2017 refurb a good option or get a 2018? I ask primarily due to issues I heard such as the keyboard. I don't do anything graphically intensive but having a Mac with 16GB ram and perhaps even a 1TB SSD for longevity would be great. Also Canadian prices are higher than US prices so a refurb is more appealing price wise to me.
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Buy refurb 2017 or new 2018??
- Thread starter bigpoppamac31
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I am in the same boat and was going to ask the same question. I have a late 2013 13” MBP that I upgraded to the i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM. My wife is now using that as her photo editing machine and I need something for school for the next few years. Thinking of buying a refurb 2017 NTB 13” MBP with base specs since I’ll use it as an internet and word processor for the most part. $1099 seems like a good deal for a refurb and I’ll likely not notice the spec bump and don’t care for the touch bar.
My dad still has a 2010 MBP. LOL He definitely needs to upgrade. Again my Mac works fine for me right now so upgrading is not a big priority. But it's always nice to get that "new Mac smell". I still have 240GB free on my SSD but I'm still kinda regretting not getting 16GB ram when I bought my Mac.
OP wrote:
"So I have a 2014 13" MBP currently. It does work perfectly for me right now. But if I were to upgrade is a 2017 refurb a good option or get a 2018? I ask primarily due to issues I heard such as the keyboard."
If the 2014 MBP you have right now is still "working perfectly", my advice is:
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING, just yet.
DO NOT BUY a 2017 MBP -- the keyboard issue remains.
That's all that really needs to be said about that.
DON'T BUY a 2018 MPB for at least 3-4 months.
You want to "wait and see" if the keyboard issues have been addressed or if the rate of failure has at least been reduced somewhat.
The only way you're going to know this is to wait for others to buy it, and report on their experiences with the so-called "3rd-generation" keyboard.
That's my advice and I'm stickin' to it !
"So I have a 2014 13" MBP currently. It does work perfectly for me right now. But if I were to upgrade is a 2017 refurb a good option or get a 2018? I ask primarily due to issues I heard such as the keyboard."
If the 2014 MBP you have right now is still "working perfectly", my advice is:
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING, just yet.
DO NOT BUY a 2017 MBP -- the keyboard issue remains.
That's all that really needs to be said about that.
DON'T BUY a 2018 MPB for at least 3-4 months.
You want to "wait and see" if the keyboard issues have been addressed or if the rate of failure has at least been reduced somewhat.
The only way you're going to know this is to wait for others to buy it, and report on their experiences with the so-called "3rd-generation" keyboard.
That's my advice and I'm stickin' to it !
OP wrote:
"So I have a 2014 13" MBP currently. It does work perfectly for me right now. But if I were to upgrade is a 2017 refurb a good option or get a 2018? I ask primarily due to issues I heard such as the keyboard."
If the 2014 MBP you have right now is still "working perfectly", my advice is:
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING, just yet.
DO NOT BUY a 2017 MBP -- the keyboard issue remains.
That's all that really needs to be said about that.
DON'T BUY a 2018 MPB for at least 3-4 months.
You want to "wait and see" if the keyboard issues have been addressed or if the rate of failure has at least been reduced somewhat.
The only way you're going to know this is to wait for others to buy it, and report on their experiences with the so-called "3rd-generation" keyboard.
That's my advice and I'm stickin' to it !
Fair enough. I usually play the "wait and see" game even with software updates. I'm actually still running El Cap on my Mac. One of the reasons for wanting to upgrade is that the newer Macs can output full 4K 60Hz to an external display. Mine cannot do that. I tried running my Mac to my 4K TV and there was a good amount of lag when scrolling web pages or even just moving the cursor.
I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. I have a 2013 MacBook Air which is great but have decided I will upgrade to 13 MacBook Pro. The issue is the keyboard. I waited through 2016 and 2017 because of it. I was going to make the order this week when I saw the release! Now I am waiting to see how the new keyboard shake out. But how long to wait. If my MacBook Air dies of course I’ll have to do something. This is the longest I’ve owned any laptop with out some kind of issue so I’m a little nervous even though I back up every day.OP wrote:
"So I have a 2014 13" MBP currently. It does work perfectly for me right now. But if I were to upgrade is a 2017 refurb a good option or get a 2018? I ask primarily due to issues I heard such as the keyboard."
If the 2014 MBP you have right now is still "working perfectly", my advice is:
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING, just yet.
DO NOT BUY a 2017 MBP -- the keyboard issue remains.
That's all that really needs to be said about that.
DON'T BUY a 2018 MPB for at least 3-4 months.
You want to "wait and see" if the keyboard issues have been addressed or if the rate of failure has at least been reduced somewhat.
The only way you're going to know this is to wait for others to buy it, and report on their experiences with the so-called "3rd-generation" keyboard.
That's my advice and I'm stickin' to it !
Is 4 months really going to be enough? Now Apple is repairing 2016 2017 laptop keyboards under warranty so I wonder if owners of these model will wait to upgrade. Will there be enough 2018 out there with time on the keyboards. I don’t care about the touch bar but if the 3rd gen keyboard is more reliable I’m in.
I can get a refurb 2017 for a few 100 less than a new 2018 with the same specs.
My conundrum is that I can get a 2017 13” base MacBook Pro for $1099 refurb. That is $700 less than a new 2018 for likely a negligible difference in discernible performance for my needs (Internet, word processing, school).
I’d definitely go for the 2018 over the 2017 as you get a couple extra cores and (possibly) a fix for the keyboard issues. That said, if you aren’t in urgent need I’d wait until the 2018 model is available refurbished (and time will tell if the keyboard tweaks will really help).
Did those of you who are referring to "the keyboard issue" actually have a problem with a MacBook Pro keyboard, or is this just something you've read about? I have a 15" 2017 model that I've used for almost a year and have never had the slightest problem.l
That's what I'm thinking also. For my needs my 2014 still works fine for me. The exception would be displaying to an external 4K TV or monitor which is likely due to the outdated integrated graphics card. Plus only having 8GB of ram.
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Depends which model is purchased. The base 13" non touch bar is still using last years processor. But for my everyday usage I doubt I'd see real performance gains. I know I'll have to upgrade someday. My dad is still using a 2010 17" MBP but he definitely could use an upgrade. Can't afford it though.
come on...just 100? ok, if you could get a 2017 model with 400-500$ less than 2018 model...than yes, but for just 100-200$ less for a less powerful cpu, ram, speakers, display, and with a prone to fail keyboard...there is no question about it
Yeah I agree, but the model I’m looking at is $700 less than the least expensive available 2018 13” MBP. I can’t justify $700 more my needs.
Well for example I can get this refurb for $2,469 --> https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/produ...-Intel-Core-i7-with-Retina-display-Space-Gray ... Or buy the same spec'd one new for $2,829. That is a huge difference for me. The refurb is still way more expensive than it should be but the price new is just thievery on Apple's part.
GuruZac wrote:
"My conundrum is that I can get a 2017 13” base MacBook Pro for $1099 refurb. That is $700 less than a new 2018 for likely a negligible difference in discernible performance for my needs (Internet, word processing, school)."
Although I don't generally recommend the 2017 MBP, in your case it might make sense -- particularly if you're in the "need it now, so I have to buy it now" situation.
The price is very good and you now have the Apple repair program that will cover the cost of keyboard/topcase replacement for four years from the date of purchase.
"My conundrum is that I can get a 2017 13” base MacBook Pro for $1099 refurb. That is $700 less than a new 2018 for likely a negligible difference in discernible performance for my needs (Internet, word processing, school)."
Although I don't generally recommend the 2017 MBP, in your case it might make sense -- particularly if you're in the "need it now, so I have to buy it now" situation.
The price is very good and you now have the Apple repair program that will cover the cost of keyboard/topcase replacement for four years from the date of purchase.
Heat? I haven't heard this one before. Is there any reason to believe that the 2018 model will be an improvement in this regard?
"Well for example I can get this refurb for $2,469 --> https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/produ...-Intel-Core-i7-with-Retina-display-Space-Gray"
hmm why is so much that refurb 2469$? when you can config the new 2018 model at 2,499.00 with
Hardware
hmm why is so much that refurb 2469$? when you can config the new 2018 model at 2,499.00 with
Hardware
- 2.7GHz quad‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz
- Retina display with True Tone
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
- 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
- 512GB SSD storage
- Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
- So for 30$....or i am missing something ??
That is good savings. Another consideration would be long term use. If plan on keeping for at least few years, the 2018 would be better.
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Says $1869 ?
No clue, but I'm about to find out - bought a mid-level 2018 and will pick it up today.
