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Buyer's Remorse - My Options?

T

ToastyJ

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 22, 2011
3
0
Hello! I am new to both Macs and these forums, so please bear with me.

Like a lot of people out there, I got swept up in the Macbook Pro refresh. Couple that with a failing Windows laptop in the middle of a semester in college and some money to spare and you might be able to see where I'm coming from.

I like to game and with the more recent trend towards companies releasing games that play natively on OSX, I decided that I wanted a Mac for both reliability and entertainment. After convincing myself that I could actually put a high end laptop to good use, I ordered a customized high end 15" MBP. Stats are 2.2ghz i7, 8gb ram, 128gb SSD, high res glossy screen. The computer is superb, I have been enjoying the gaming and I really enjoy using OSX, but I feel that I over-purchased.

It is past the 14 day window that new purchases have, and I am trying to figure out my best course of action as my semester comes to an end. I now feel that I should forgo the heavy laptop gaming in favor of something that I will more realistically use as an undergrad and possibly in law school (word processing, internet, etc.). I rarely use the optical drive or much hard drive space, nor do I ever use the full power of my processor or ram for that matter. I love the SSD and would not buy a laptop without one, though.

Considering all this, I believe the Macbook Air is a better fit. SSD performance, modest processing and video graphics, much more reasonable form factor and easily transported. I will also be using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Has anyone experienced something similar to me? Should I suck it up and embrace how beastly this laptop is?

Should I just use the Pro until the Ivy Bridge Air comes out in a year or so? The front page speculation on retina displays is a tempting factor for waiting, but it it usually possible to sell down the line if I really wanted to.

Do I just face a loss now and wait for the new Air refresh? My Pro is $2600 without any discounts as spec'd on apple's website and I would probably have to price it well. Is there enough demand for these models that I would have good success without having to drop the price too low?

Are there any websites that are better than others in facilitating sales of high-end Macbook Pros? Amazon and Ebay come to mind, but I would prefer not shipping, but is using craigslist a good idea considering the value and probability of getting mugged? I admit I don't see many of the expensive laptops ending up on craigslist.
 
Just calm down and use and enjoy your laptop. If you really do not like it I'm happy for you to give it to me for free. I will even reimburse you for shipping costs. :apple:
 
Portability is cool, but at an 11.6" screen... with using Illustrator and Photoshop -- I'd keep the 15" beast and embrace its power. It'll have resale value down the road as well. :)
 
Bummer. The truth is that you'll end up losing money so maybe you should hold onto it. If you can't use it to it's full potential, chances are it'll last you longer than a computer that does fit you now.

If you do want a macbook air you may want to wait until their processors get the core i treatment. I would. Chances are you'll get pretty near the same amount of money for your high-end MBP now as you would in a year. In my opinion.
 
i dont think there will be much of a price difference comparing selling now or selling later (provided u dont bash or abuse it). if u absolutely want an mba, i would definitely wait for it to be updated before selling your mbp. The current mba maybe fast due to its SSD n what not, but the truth is its hardware is outdated and it could really use an i series processor.

my vote goes to sticking with the mbp. actually i dont find the mbp heavy at all, its just that the mba is SO DARRN LIGHT. at 5 pounds with 15" of real estate and a powerhouse under the hood, i think its darn good.
 
Hopefully you live in a populous area.

Put it on Craigslist for $100 or so off, with a story of why you are interested in selling it, look to meet in a public place, etc, normal craigslist safety.

Either way, take a fair bit of time to think about this. Obviously you may be prone to making purchases/sales without fully thinking them through, so it would be good to think this through for a while before committing to it.
 
Use the MBP and try to put everything else out of your mind. IMHO, you have the more useful laptop of the machines you desire. You are naturally indecisive and this may take time to overcome. You speak of happiness, and then become stuck in a rut regarding the price and the MBA. You treated yourself to something you truly wanted, now enjoy it. Hope this helps.

Also, I hope my comments do not appear to be smug.
 
5.6lbs is not heavy in laptop world. The form and function of the 15" is strangely close to the 13" (IMHO).

If this is too heavy for you, buy an Air or 13" MBP and sell the 15"...

Honestly, if it were me, I would hunt for the right laptop bag that made the 15" work out and enjoy what I bought.

R
 
One piece of information I could not get from you post .....

Will your computing needs increase in the next 1, 2+ years? Or will you be stuck doing word, light gaming, surfing, etc. Furthermore, is the 15" too big for your needs? If you believe portability is paramount, and money is an issue, then yeah, by all means, get a 13" - for me, it was a matter of prioritizing my needs on a piece of paper.

Bottom line, you have to make your own decision .... if you're happy with a 15", stick with it.

From your posts, I could not tell if you took advantage of the educational discounts? You can customize your macbook pro and get a price break while in school. Good luck with your decision making!
 
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I've been where you are more than once, hopefully I can offer some good insight. You could look back in my recent posts for detailed comments on the topic.

I'm CEO of my company so I've had a chance to try all Mac's. What I don't return gets allocated to staff so it all gets a good home....

I'm an Industrial Designer, from product concept, design, prototyping, manufacturing, writing manuals, designing marketing materials, web design, customer service we're a full service company. Concept/technical drawings, video and photo editing, hours and hours of typing, business to pleasure my computer gets a good work out.

The bottom line. I ALWAYS come back to the 13" MacBook Air. Why? It's plenty powerful for all my work, the heat and fan noise is less than the SB MacBook Pro's, it's fun and an absolute pleasure to use, thin, light easy to take everywhere I love the 13" Air in every respect.

Twice I've gone back to the 15" MBP mainly because I thought I wanted more screen real estate. Then I realize the added 2 inches of screen real estate is not worth the added weight and bulk. The Air is far more enjoyable to use.

I recently tried the 17" MBP thinking I'd find the larger screen was worth the added size and weight. It wasn't, I got more work done on the Air's smaller screen simply because I enjoy working on it more. I'll work on a website, product design etc in my den, living room, office or on the go. With the 17 and 15" I didn't work that way, too big and bulky. I still have my 11" MBA too but the screen is too small for long hours of work, it will go out to my staff this week.

The MacBook Air by far ends up being my choice every time. It handles everything I throw at it. I have a Mac Pro in my office for heavy lifting but I never use it. Having one main computer is great and if you need a larger display then get a real one as in 24/27", then you have the best of both worlds and inexpensive displays are available.

Whether SB and Intel graphics make in into the Air's over the summer I don't know. I did not think it would happen, but reading the recent apparently more credible rumor I'm starting to believe it may happen.

Does that mean a better MacBook Air? Maybe, maybe not, the graphic choices are if'y and it's possible SB will bring more heat and fan noise.

If you dislike you MBP then sell it and get your Air. It's no fun working on a computer you don't care for and it is for sure fun to work on the MacBook Air. You may loose a little money but that's the way it is with electronics, thankfully the Air is such a cool computer I feel it's worth it.

If you're not too many days past the return period then go in and really politely ask them to exchange it for you?

Post back what you end up doing.
 
I'm actually in a very similar boat, ToastyJ.

I purchased the base 13" MBP 2011 thinking I'd value the extra HD space and a higher processor and overall specs over the light-weight and portability of the Air. The sacrifice of the hi-res screen was something I thought I could manage, but I am finding that somewhat regrettable. Not only do my eyes hurt from long usage, but the screen just feels very cramped. I know your 15" is a different experience, however.

In any case, I too feel the Air is a better fit for me. I didn't realize how much I cared about portability and a hi-res screen. Granted, the 13" MBP is portable in its own right, but as someone else said, the ultra-light Air is just that much easier to carry.

I'm also torn whether I should keep my MBP or throw it up on Craigslist and bite the loss of money. I've decided I will hang onto it for now, but the refresh Air rumored to be released in June may sway me to change my mind. I will wait it out and see. Personally, I feel I am being a bit nitpicky and anal, as the difference between the 13" Pro and 13" Air are almost negligible.

Your situation seems to be an easier decision, in my honest opinion. If you're finding portability becoming more and more of an issue, I'd say go with the Air (if you can wait, wait until June though for the refresh specs, ie. Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt ports. I wouldn't go so far as to wait for Ivy. It's a while's off). However, if you find yourself really liking your MBP, I'd say at the very least, try solutions like what a previous poster suggested: getting a really good bag to help with carrying it. Of course, this requires spending even more money >< If you find you can manage with a good bag, you do have an amazing machine on your hands to keep.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours, and only you really know what you want and what's best for you.
 
Thanks for all of the responses - forums this active make discussions so much more interesting. I must admit, I do get somewhat obsessive trying to find the absolute perfect option for me when it comes to just about anything, especially expensive electronics. I did get education pricing and I doubt my computing needs will change much - photoshop and illustrator are hobbies and I will not realistically need to jump into any heavy computing.

My last laptop was a 13" HP tablet PC that was moderately portable. Doing the research, it sounded like anything in the pro line would be an amazing upgrade (and they ARE); the problem is that I miss the versatility. This may just sound like whining but I like to recline with the laptops, balance it on a chair's armrest or just chill with it in bed. The pro seems largely built for a different style of computing habits. Heck, I don't even really take my laptops to coffee shops or anything beyond my or a friends house. I generally don't like sitting at a desk unless I am using a word processor or getting real work done.

My MBP is not heavy per se, especially considering my HP was about the same weight - it just took up less space. When taking my computing habits into consideration, I often end up with very uncomfortable wrists as they often rest on the "sharp" edges of the MBP, especially if I am resting it on my lap with a pillow or other case. I like the slanted keyboard on the air, and I would be curious to hear if anyone complains of any wrist problems using it, as I still notice that there is an edge, albeit a smaller one. One solution is of course to get some kind of laptop stand, but I would much prefer the laptop to work in itself in a casual way - It's actually rather difficult to explain my dissatisfaction.

I have some time before I will be able to even consider an Air, so I have plenty of time to mull it over. I admit it will sound like I have already made my mind up, but I will see if that changes between the time it takes for them to release the new refresh. A few of my thoughts, though - I've heard bit about how the 11" Air is more popular than the 13" just by virtue of the sheer portability of it. I am not sure how I feel about this, as 13" seems to be the cutoff for me; I also prefer the longer battery capabilities. I like the fact that both models retain the graphics card. It's quite possible that I even buy a used or refurbished base 13" when the refresh comes out if the new options aren't game changing.

I have found that laptop gaming really isn't my thing. It really seems to me that the whole couch potato xbox gaming is hard to replace when you grow up like that. I just love the whole HDTV surround sound experience, where the laptop means business, research, youtube or just a peripheral to the entertainment.

Hypothetically, if I went to an apple store and told a genius I was totally dissatisfied with the pro and wanted an air, would they give me any viable options? The Pro is in great condition still, as I put a plastic film on it very early in its life. However, I am about a month out from the original purchase date. The computer doesn't seem to have problems and runs within the specified temperatures, even during Dragon Age with maximum options (hasn't exceeded 92F). Strangely, the second week of my ownership it seems to have lost some of the startup files or something and I had to reinstall the OS just to get it going again (I couldn't imagine anything that I did to do such a thing). Of course, that's over with and there's really nothing left to say about it.

Also, would anyone advise me to just buy an Air to see how I liked it and return it within the 14 days depending on my experience? I don't want to go through the trouble of selling the pro to only find out that I had the same problems with the Air. Sadly, I don't know anyone with an Air but there is an apple store that I could use to test it out. That's not really something I can do in lieu of using it around my home though, honestly.

Sorry for the long read, thanks again for all of the input.
 
ToastyJ said:
often end up with very uncomfortable wrists as they often rest on the "sharp" edges of the MBP
Click to expand...

Me too. This happens with me as well. It doesn't look it, but resting your wrist on the edges can get very uncomfortable and "sharp".

I'd also like to know if Apple is good enough to let someone exchange their "old" (meaning beyond 14-day grace period) laptop for something else.

In any case, keep us updated ToastyJ.
 
Law school case books are very big, and very heavy. If you are definitely going to law school, you should def consider a Macbook Air. Yes, the difference in weight is relatively minor, but once you start carrying 25 pounds of books on your back everyday, you'll appreciate the difference.
 
Also, there is talk of the MBA's getting refreshed with Sandy Bridge (thunderbolt) in the near future. I would hold off until June or so if you can, and perhaps you can score a deal on the current MBAs...
 
I love mbp 15 2011 as much as anyone but I also feel I have over bought.

Just use it and love it but JUSTTTTT in case you need to sell it, keep it ULTRA clean.

2 grand is LOT Of money for most of us -- it def is for me.
 
It's possible if you go to the Apple store and very politely tell them your concern with the sharp edges... digging into your wrists, just can't use it anymore, you've searched online, others have similar concerns and exchanged for the Air which seems to irritate less.

I'm one of those who does not like the sharp edges at all, particularly on the 15 and 17" because of where your wrist rests, the 13 and 11" is better for where you skin comes in contact with the edge.

I won't buy another MBP again until they smooth out the edges and do something about the over-glossy screens. The Air is better in both respects.

The exchange will be at the Managers discretion. You may also mention you need the screen on the Air, the MBP glossy is too glossy and you don't like the fuzzy letters/milky coating that comes with AG screen, the Air screen works better for your needs.

Tell him you need help you've made a $2,000 mistake .... they make take pity and set you up.

Good luck!
 
Well, look at it this way. You have a state-of-the-art machine with amazing hardware. Whatever program/application/... that shows up will run good on that computer, for the following years to come. If you've deposited such amount of money on it, you should really stay with it. Unless you want to end up losing money and selling it elsewhere for another computer which, personally, would seem silly seeing how capable the one you currently have is.

Of course, it always comes down to personal opinion, if you think you overdid it and would want to change, no opinion from anyone else could make you change your mind..
 
ToastyJ said:
Hello! I am new to both Macs and these forums, so please bear with me.

Like a lot of people out there, I got swept up in the Macbook Pro refresh. Couple that with a failing Windows laptop in the middle of a semester in college and some money to spare and you might be able to see where I'm coming from.

I like to game and with the more recent trend towards companies releasing games that play natively on OSX, I decided that I wanted a Mac for both reliability and entertainment. After convincing myself that I could actually put a high end laptop to good use, I ordered a customized high end 15" MBP. Stats are 2.2ghz i7, 8gb ram, 128gb SSD, high res glossy screen. The computer is superb, I have been enjoying the gaming and I really enjoy using OSX, but I feel that I over-purchased.

It is past the 14 day window that new purchases have, and I am trying to figure out my best course of action as my semester comes to an end. I now feel that I should forgo the heavy laptop gaming in favor of something that I will more realistically use as an undergrad and possibly in law school (word processing, internet, etc.). I rarely use the optical drive or much hard drive space, nor do I ever use the full power of my processor or ram for that matter. I love the SSD and would not buy a laptop without one, though.

Considering all this, I believe the Macbook Air is a better fit. SSD performance, modest processing and video graphics, much more reasonable form factor and easily transported. I will also be using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Has anyone experienced something similar to me? Should I suck it up and embrace how beastly this laptop is?

Should I just use the Pro until the Ivy Bridge Air comes out in a year or so? The front page speculation on retina displays is a tempting factor for waiting, but it it usually possible to sell down the line if I really wanted to.

Do I just face a loss now and wait for the new Air refresh? My Pro is $2600 without any discounts as spec'd on apple's website and I would probably have to price it well. Is there enough demand for these models that I would have good success without having to drop the price too low?

Are there any websites that are better than others in facilitating sales of high-end Macbook Pros? Amazon and Ebay come to mind, but I would prefer not shipping, but is using craigslist a good idea considering the value and probability of getting mugged? I admit I don't see many of the expensive laptops ending up on craigslist.
Click to expand...

i have the exact same computer as you. And at first i was in the same boat. One night i was laying in bed and doing all the normal functions, browsing internet, mail open, itunes open etc.. i was playing portal in the background…. and i saw that my CPU usage was like 19%, out of 800% i believe? LOL. i was like wow, this computer is wayyyyyyyyyyy too much for me. Then i started getting into ripping and encoding and whatnot. i then realized that you can never have too much computer! and it made me love my computer that much more! i love how i can use this beast some of the time and only have 2 cores active, and when i need it, have "8 cores" active! its amazing! This is also my first 15" notebook, and i do not believe ill ever go back to a 13, unless its an AIR. but hope this helps.
 
I've sold a laptop, iPhone and my old iPad on craigslist for cash with no problems. You just have to be sensible about it and meet in person at a public place in a good neighborhood. There is always a risk though.

That being said, most people would want a substantial discount on a macbook pro. If you only drop the price by $200 or so then many people will opt to simply get a new one at the Apple store. If you paid $2600 for your pro you may have start at $2100 and possibly down from there.

Anyway. It may seem like you don't need that power now but even casual use is becoming more and more demanding every year. My top of the line 15 inch MBP from 2006 sometimes stutters with youtube, iTunes and even casual internet use. The current crop of MBA are very nice and portable but will not hold up as well over time as your current system.

Perhaps you should have gone with the air, but now that you have your MBP I think you should keep it for awhile. The money that you'd lose by selling and switching would make the air very expensive. Unless you can get a nice manager at Apple to swap it out. They are sometimes more flexible with college age students.
 
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