Corporate Perks - MacBook or MacBook Pro?

[Dave245]

So for some time i have been going backwards and forwards between getting a MacBook or MacBook Pro, (upgrading from my current 2011) yesterday i discovered that through my work i'm able to get what's called the "Corporate Perks" discount so i accepted the terms and conditions, (all that good stuff) and when i looked at the discounts i was kind of shocked to the see that Apple are offering the MacBook and MacBook Pro base models for the same price granted the discount isn't very much (works out to 6% for a Mac, i can also get 10% off of Apple Care).

MacBook (12") from £1,173.60
MacBook Pro from £1,173.60

The build to order models are also discounted and the 15" is £2,208.00 (see screen shots below)

Providing that it remains the same AFTER Apple update the MacBook and MacBook Pro's this year do you guys think that it's better to get the MacBook Pro over the MacBook?

It will be interesting to see if Apple release a 13" version of the MacBook and what pricing (with discount) they will offer.

Here is a screen shot just incase anyone doesn't believe and want's proof

 

[deepakvrao]

I just switched from a 13 Pro to a 2017 MB. Love it. It does everything I need [even though it is the entry level one], and is fantastic for travel, as well as home. No heat, no weight, no fan noise [though the KB noise is crazy].

I got rid of the dock, and the screen size is fine. I use Alfred to launch apps now. Only downside is the single port, but for the occasional time that I connect multiple stuff, I got the Hootoo hub. For just connecting a single drive/pendrive, I just use the 2 dollar Aukey adapters.

 

[SpitUK]

Unless you are doing video editing get the MacBook. It’s an almost magical machine.

 

[Dave245]

Unless you are doing video editing get the MacBook. It’s an almost magical machine.

I do light editing with 1080 video at the moment however there have been occasions where I’ve took footage 4K footage Fromm my iPhone X but it’s nothing too serious more of a hobby at this point. If I do anything too serious such as helping out a friend who is an editor in his profession then I use my iMac.

I was thinking if I get the MacBook that I would configure it to the 16GB not sure about the processor as I don’t think it would be a dramatic boost. However with the discount that is available to me I can get the 13” MacBook Pro for the same price, if i go for the Touch Bar version it will cost more but I still get a discount so win win either way I think.

 

[Mike Boreham]

This is such a personal decision.

By any measure, if you put the MacBook next to the MacBook Pro, the MBP is the more capable machine, (even the 2 port non-TB I assume you are comparing).

But the MacBook is so much more portable.

So only you can decide if the portability is worth the capability.

Personally after nearly two years with a 2016 M5 MacBook I have recently changed to a 2017 13" MBP (TB four ports, used but as new, £500 less than current new).

Computing power of the MB was never a problem, but in the end it was the single port that caused me to change. The Hootoo is OK for some purposes involving more than one USB device but it has its limitations. A powered USB-C docking station (Caldigit or OWC) is much more capable but not portable. See this thread.

Another consideration is whether it is going to be your only computer. If tasks requiring more than one port (and beyond Hootoo capability) can be done on another machine then the single port is less of a factor. If it is going to be your only machine, then maybe the MBP..... or the MB with a powered USB-C Docking station (as well as the HooToo for travel).

I have a 2017 iMac as my main machine, but I am often away from home with just the laptop and needing more than what the Hootoo could do.

 

[Dave245]

This is such a personal decision.

By any measure, if you put the MacBook next to the MacBook Pro, the MBP is the more capable machine, (even the 2 port non-TB I assume you are comparing).

But the MacBook is so much more portable.

So only you can decide if the portability is worth the capability.

Personally after nearly two years with a 2016 M5 MacBook I have recently changed to a 2017 13" MBP (TB four ports, used but as new, £500 less than current new).

Computing power of the MB was never a problem, but in the end it was the single port that caused me to change. The Hootoo is OK for some purposes involving more than one USB device but it has its limitations. A powered USB-C docking station (Caldigit or OWC) is much more capable but not portable. See this thread.

Another consideration is whether it is going to be your only computer. If tasks requiring more than one port (and beyond Hootoo capability) can be done on another machine then the single port is less of a factor. If it is going to be your only machine, then maybe the MBP..... or the MB with a powered USB-C Docking station (as well as the HooToo for travel).

I have a 2017 iMac as my main machine, but I am often away from home with just the laptop and needing more than what the Hootoo could do.

My dilemma is that the discount i'm able to get puts the 13" MacBook Pro base model at the same price as the MacBook (£1,173.60) so in the long run is it much better to get the MacBook Pro over the MacBook. If i customers build to order i also get the discount, for example if i max out the MacBook (512GB, i7 and 16GB Ram) it costs £1,752.

With that configuration of a maxed out MacBook can it give the 13" MacBook Pro a run for it's money?

 

[Mike Boreham]

There is no right answer here! A maxed out MB is obviously going to be closer in performance to a lower spec MBP, but it still only has one port, which for me was the deciding factor, not performance.

But for other people the combo of higher performance with max portability is very attractive.

Not sure if resale value is what you are asking about, but I would buy for yourself.

 

[Dave245]

There is no right answer here! A maxed out MB is obviously going to be closer in performance to a lower spec MBP, but it still only has one port, which for me was the deciding factor, not performance.

But for other people the combo of higher performance with max portability is very attractive.

Not sure if resale value is what you are asking about, but I would buy for yourself.

Ports don’t really matter to me since I work mostly in the cloud anyway, for example iCloud Drive and Drop Box. Portability is nice but so is keeping a laptop for many years, for example I’m still using a 2011 MacBook Pro and 2012 iMac as I don’t upgrade them as often as I do my iPhone and iPad.

 

[Falhófnir]

I suppose you just have to weigh up the benefits of each - really the MacBook only makes sense (IMO) if you really are wanting to use it a lot of places where space is an absolute premium - so do you travel by train or plane a lot? Otherwise with the pro you get an extra 1.3” of screen diagonal, extra resolution, more CPU power and a lot more GPU power (remember it’s HD 615 on the MB which is quite anemic). One drawback is that for the equivalent priced models you get double the storage on the MacBook (256 vs 128).

 

[Dave245]

I suppose you just have to weigh up the benefits of each - really the MacBook only makes sense (IMO) if you really are wanting to use it a lot of places where space is an absolute premium - so do you travel by train or plane a lot? Otherwise with the pro you get an extra 1.3” of screen diagonal, extra resolution, more CPU power and a lot more GPU power (remember it’s HD 615 on the MB which is quite anemic). One drawback is that for the equivalent priced models you get double the storage on the MacBook (256 vs 128).

Yea considering the prices are the same with the corporate perks discount I can get I’m leaning towards the MacBook Pro, even if I max out a 13” MacBook Pro with Touch Bar it will cost £2,256 vs the maxed out MacBook at £1,732,

It’s £500 more if I do that but that’s for the 512GB storage, 16GB Ram and the 3.5ghz Core i7 dual core with Touch Bar 13” Pro.

OR the other option is to go all in on a 15” MacBook Pro which I could get for £2536.80 with the discount I’m allowed.

 

[Falhófnir]

Yea considering the prices are the same with the corporate perks discount I can get I’m leaning towards the MacBook Pro, even if I max out a 13” MacBook Pro with Touch Bar it will cost £2,256 vs the maxed out MacBook at £1,732,

It’s £500 more if I do that but that’s for the 512GB storage, 16GB Ram and the 3.5ghz Core i7 dual core with Touch Bar 13” Pro.

OR the other option is to go all in on a 15” MacBook Pro which I could get for £2536.80 with the discount I’m allowed.

I’d personally go for the 15” but that’s my personal preference for more screen space - when I have used the TB 15”ers in the past to try out the keyboard I was really impressed with how portable they were!

 

[Dave245]

I’d personally go for the 15” but that’s my personal preference for more screen space - when I have used the TB 15”ers in the past to try out the keyboard I was really impressed with how portable they were!

tempting especially if the rumours of a 6 core processor in this years update is true, i'm going to wait until at least WWDC to see if they update them and then make the jump. Finally upgrading from my 2011 MacBook Pro is going to be worth it

 

[Grey66]

I too get the work benefits 6% discount on Apple products but would still lean towards a refurb and the saving that gives to be honest (around an extra £120 on base models) but you may have to wait for the exact spec to come up if you're not going for a standard configuration. I too would wait until after WWDC before ordering anything.

 

[Dave245]

I too get the work benefits 6% discount on Apple products but would still lean towards a refurb and the saving that gives to be honest (around an extra £120 on base models) but you may have to wait for the exact spec to come up if you're not going for a standard configuration. I too would wait until after WWDC before ordering anything.

I'm definitely going to wait until at least WWDC before buying either the MacBook or the Pro, there will probably be an update to both of those at some point this year.

I was just shocked to see that with the discount the MacBook and Pro (base level) are the same price

 

[mj_]

i was kind of shocked to the see that Apple are offering the MacBook and MacBook Pro base models for the same price

You don't need a discount for that. Apple has been offering the MacBook and MacBook Pro base models for the same price for about a year now. Even without any discounts they are US $1,299 each in the US, or £1,249 in the UK.

The major problem with the MacBook Pro base model is its 128GB SSD though whereas the MacBook base model comes with a 256GB SSD by default.

 

[Dave245]

You don't need a discount for that. Apple has been offering the MacBook and MacBook Pro base models for the same price for about a year now. Even without any discounts they are US $1,299 each in the US, or £1,249 in the UK.

The major problem with the MacBook Pro base model is its 128GB SSD though whereas the MacBook base model comes with a 256GB SSD by default.

Wow you are right, I can’t believe I’ve missed that with the discount I can get I can’t help but feel that value for money wise the MacBook Pro works out the better deal, I can get a maxed out 13” Pro for £2,256 while a maxed out MacBook will cost £1,732! Specs wise the Pro seems to be the better deal.

 

[SpitUK]

Wow you are right, I can’t believe I’ve missed that with the discount I can get I can’t help but feel that value for money wise the MacBook Pro works out the better deal, I can get a maxed out 13” Pro for £2,256 while a maxed out MacBook will cost £1,732! Specs wise the Pro seems to be the better deal.

Yes but the portability of the MacBook is second to none.

 

[tomscott1988]

£2300 is mental imo for a 13" dual core machine with integrated graphics and only 16gbs of ram. The 15 is a far far better deal for the money as you get a quad i7, dedicated graphics, 16gb of ram and a 512gb SSD as standard. Its actual footprint is impressive too but it is much more difficult to use on your lap etc

You will also be able to find the 2.9ghz apple spec 15" 2017 versions cheaper on amazon etc than you will with your perkbox or which ever one it is.

The 12" is a great machine the top spec i7 512gb 16gb for £1700 is within 10% of the top spec over the counter mac pro 13" MBP for the same money and you get an extra 8gbs of ram for the same price.

I have one and for me the port is an absolute ball ache. If you want to use two powered devices at once say a HDD and a card reader or pen drive you cant the USB doesnt give you enough power. So you have to use the charger negating the point of it being so portable.

Im a photographer and I use it in the field, if there isnt a port near by I have to move data from the card to the internal storage then unplug, attach a HDD and copy data over to it.

Just makes everything slower. The actual size and weight between the two isnt that different, its a placebo effect but the 12" just feels far lighter and more portable.

I have the really slow 2015 version but the newest versions really are quite impressive for the small wattage of the CPU.

Its a real toss up because the macbook and macbook pro are very similar bar the port selection there really isnt a great deal of performance difference. The integrated graphics are pretty poor anyway its not going to make a huge difference in most tasks.

With the pricing of the 13" for what it offers is shocking really. The 16/17 under 15" macbook pros are probably the first ones not worthy of their name. Almost exactly the same product as it was in 2008 when the unibody was released.

Hopefully with the 2018 refresh with quad cores the 13" will get a decent upgrade. Im hoping it will get vega m graphics but doubtful.

 

[Dave245]

£2300 is mental imo for a 13" dual core machine with integrated graphics and only 16gbs of ram. The 15 is a far far better deal for the money as you get a quad i7, dedicated graphics, 16gb of ram and a 512gb SSD as standard. Its actual footprint is impressive too but it is much more difficult to use on your lap etc

You will also be able to find the 2.9ghz apple spec 15" 2017 versions cheaper on amazon etc than you will with your perkbox or which ever one it is.

The 12" is a great machine the top spec i7 512gb 16gb for £1700 is within 10% of the top spec over the counter mac pro 13" MBP for the same money and you get an extra 8gbs of ram for the same price.

I have one and for me the port is an absolute ball ache. If you want to use two powered devices at once say a HDD and a card reader or pen drive you cant the USB doesnt give you enough power. So you have to use the charger negating the point of it being so portable.

Im a photographer and I use it in the field, if there isnt a port near by I have to move data from the card to the internal storage then unplug, attach a HDD and copy data over to it.

Just makes everything slower. The actual size and weight between the two isnt that different, its a placebo effect but the 12" just feels far lighter and more portable.

I have the really slow 2015 version but the newest versions really are quite impressive for the small wattage of the CPU.

Its a real toss up because the macbook and macbook pro are very similar bar the port selection there really isnt a great deal of performance difference. The integrated graphics are pretty poor anyway its not going to make a huge difference in most tasks.

With the pricing of the 13" for what it offers is shocking really. The 16/17 under 15" macbook pros are probably the first ones not worthy of their name. Almost exactly the same product as it was in 2008 when the unibody was released.

Hopefully with the 2018 refresh with quad cores the 13" will get a decent upgrade. Im hoping it will get vega m graphics but doubtful.

The top end 15” MacBook Pro (2.9 quad core i7) I can get for £2,536.80 with the discount that’s available to me, (normal price is £2,699) which I have been considering because spec to money wise it seems the better deal than that of a maxed out 13” MacBook Pro which will cost £2,256 for the core i7 3.5 and 16GB Ram. Fort the extra couple of hundred £ the graphics are better if I’m not mistaken? 4GB vs the 13” and the GPU is also better? Forgive me if I’ve got that wrong as I’m not a spec guy and some of these things go over my head.

I currently use a 2011 MacBook Pro which I brought way back then and have been using since, I would like my next to last just as long, it’s not something I plan on upgrading in 2 -3 years time.
[doublepost=1524675174][/doublepost]

Yes but the portability of the MacBook is second to none.

Yea I understand that and the 2017 has more power than the earlier 2015 I get that, I’m just not 100% on using a screen that small when I’m use to using a 15” MacBook Pro 2011 and 27” iMac, however I do own an iPad Pro 12.9” and I like that screen but that’s an iPad with IOS I’m not sure about a 12” version with Mac OS and multitasking with different things open which I like to do a lot (safari, pages mainly).

 

[jeremiah256]

I’m still using a 2011 MacBook Pro and 2012 iMac as I don’t upgrade them as often as I do my iPhone and iPad.

One thing to consider: if you're going to keep this upcoming purchase for 5 years or more, would a MacBook be able to replace both your iMac and MBP if they both went down? I ask because wide spread issues have been reported for both the 2012 iMac and the 2011 MBP. If you occasionally need power, even if it's only a few times per year, there's less risk going with the MBP.

 

[tomscott1988]

Is the mac generally for web browsing, general tasks and a bit of video editing or do you do any more heavy tasks?

Im more of a heavy user. I do a lot of motion graphics, video editing and use high MP cameras that make machines crawl. The reason I wouldn't buy a 13 is because of the expense and they dont offer the spec to do the above competently as a main machine replacement and portable when you consider a high end 13 is the price of a mid to high tier 5k iMac. I have always had a desktop for work and usually an ultrabook portable, traditionally a macbook or a macbook air.

For £2300 your not far off a high end 5k imac and even the base line at £1644 will run circles around anything in that price point (little bit more with an SSD). You get higher wattage quad cores CPUs which are faster, proper dedicated desktop graphics (not mobile chips) and the nicest thing is you get the 5k display. Far better value but obviously you cant take it with you. But worth looking at from a value for money prospective.

This is whats hard to stomach in the mac line up the prices just dont add up for me.

It was a difficult decision for me too when looking in 2016. My 11" air was stolen and it wasn't obvious what to do. The 2016 MBP had just come out and it was a bit of a middle finger to the pro market and like the 2017, had loads of issues. The macbook air isnt worth considering and then there was the macbook.

I have traditionally bought BTO machines, my macbook air was an i7 512 8gb machine the best you could spec at the time and it was only £1300 odd with perkbox in 2013. Benched at 3400 and 6400 which for an 2013 11" machine is pretty impressive again within 10% of a macbook pro at the time at 2/3rds the size, it could handle tasks in the field, had all the ports you needed and was amazingly small. Traveled the world for a year with it and it was a fantastic companion.

Again I didnt think the macbook baseline was worth £1300 as it wasn't as powerful and had one port.

On the same token I didnt think the 2 port macbook pro was worth it either and then a maxed 13 touchbar being £2300 is quite frankly a complete rip off. With them slapping £4-500 premium over the 2015 macbook pros just for the touch bar is again outrageous. What was even worce is the 2016 macbook pros ended up benching almost exactly the same as the 2015 with no ports and the increased price. Everyone was scratching their heads.

The worst bit about that is you had to buy the high end machines to get the touch bar... the best selling macbook pro is the low end OTC machine which guess what... doesn't have it. So no wonder its uptake has not been positive and nobody is bothered. If your going to add something as a new mac feature add it to all the products and more people will use it and more software will be amended to use it.

Anyway, I needed something quickly as i was going abroad so I ended up buying a base 2015 macbook with 15 cycles on it from my local CEX for £675 which is 50% off and who ever bought it originally bought apple care with it too... win win for me and there are a lot of them around. The thing is at that sort of price its an absolute baragin at £1300 its more difficult... Apple care has been a blessing too its had two screens so far. One had dead pixels the next the keyboard and metal piece between the trackpad and keyboard left indentations in the screen.

Obviously the first gen is really not a power house this one benches 2700 5200 which is more 2011 than 2015 but you get the retina display which is amazing.

What I came to realize is that I didnt really need a powerful on the go machine because I dont find myself productive on the small screens but like the small form factor for travel and they still have the capability for me to get 2-3 images out quickly for social media etc. The iPad would be another choice but iOS just isnt there I like having access to fully fledged desktop programmes.

When I get home I can edit the rest. Its easier to be productive with two machines for specific tasks than one that is compromised in some way like a 13" as a docked desktop with an EGPU for example. For the cost it makes more sense to have both.

The newer 2017 i5 and i7 macbook variants are hugely faster and very competent machines in comparison.

That being said macbook seems to be breaking the mold on apple products in terms of resale value, they sink really quickly. Mine is an august 2015 build and I bought it in feb 2016 on the high street. CEX also give you a 2 year comprehensive warranty too.

I dont do a lot of work on my portables, I generally use them for media consumption and data management or when im in the field I drop data onto it. Like I said its not fast by any means, but ive been surprised with it. HS runs flawlessly on it and with the improvements of things like metal 2 etc the graphics performance isnt bad either when you consider the size and weight.

Recently my mac pro died and I have a more powerful windows workstation that I have as a back up but I have been editing my images on the macbook and it can do it, its not lightening but it can do it. Newer updates taking advantage of some of apples new software tech have aided massively because it wasn't that great in the past.

If the 2015 can do it then the 2017 is vastly superior. The main issue is like I said above the single port. If you want to use two powered devices at once say a HDD and a card reader or pen drive and use a USB C hub/adapter the port doesn't supply you enough power. So you have to use the charger to do this negating the point of it being so portable.

If there were two ports you could plug in two spinning drives and have enough power. That is the main draw back, if you can over this or dont need it then the macbook is a great machine.

Its difficult because I dont think the 13" really is very good value for money currently. If your spending £2300 then an extra £200 for the 15" wont break the bank and you get significantly more and it could be a dockable desktop solution. On the other hand if your not going to use the GPU then its a waste and its a bigger laptop.

The 13" could be a desktop solution too with an EGPU but a mid range card like a RX580 is around £400 and the enclosure is £350-500 so thats £3300... and you would have to buy a display to attach it to. Which is why i think a dedicated desktop and ultrabook is more suitable.

See what the next 6 weeks brings at WWDC. The macbook and MacBook pros will be updated and hopefully they may sort the line up, finally! These difficult decisions will hopefully become a lot clearer for a lot of people. The line up is full of difficult decisions and compromise.

 

[Dave245]

Is the mac generally for web browsing, general tasks and a bit of video editing or do you do any more heavy tasks?

For £2300 your not far off a high end 5k iMac and even the base line at £1644 will run circles around anything in that price point (little bit more with an SSD). You get higher wattage quad cores CPUs which are faster, proper dedicated desktop graphics (not mobile chips) and the nicest thing is you get the 5k display. Far better value but obviously you cant take it with you. But worth looking at from a value for money prospective.

See what the next 6 weeks brings at WWDC. The Macbook and MacBook pros will be updated and hopefully they may sort the line up, finally! These difficult decisions will hopefully become a lot clearer for a lot of people. The line up is full of difficult decisions and compromise.

Yes it's for general web browsing, multitasking (having pages open while researching on Safari) some light editing such as 5 minute videos at 1080 but that's not all the while as my profession isn't as an editor i'm a writer, i only edit as a more of a hobby and to help a friend out from time to time but that really isn't very often.

I have thought about upgrading my iMac as i do use it daily when i'm home however i thought it best to wait until the iMac redesign, i'm using a 2012 iMac the very first thin design that they made, i thought why not wait until the next redesign especially since the last one was 2012 and there's probably going to be another one at some point soon (i would of thought). i'm guessing the 5K screen alone would blow my 2012 iMac screen away?

As for my MacBook i just need something that's going to be able to handle the light tasks that i do when i'm not home or don't want to be sat in the home office, ie wanting go write while down stairs in the living room or something like that. I have been going back and forth between the MacBook and MacBook Pro for a while now, on one hand there is the MacBook Pro but i'm not sure i will need that much power and on the other there is the 12" MacBook but will a 12" screen be big enough, if Apple released a 13" version of the MacBook and it was priced somewhere in between i would most likely go for that.

 

[Dave245]

One thing to consider: if you're going to keep this upcoming purchase for 5 years or more, would a MacBook be able to replace both your iMac and MBP if they both went down? I ask because wide spread issues have been reported for both the 2012 iMac and the 2011 MBP. If you occasionally need power, even if it's only a few times per year, there's less risk going with the MBP.

I haven't had an issue with my iMac or 2011 MacBook Pro, obviously they are getting old now and my 2011 MacBook Pro will need replacing hence why i'm thinking of the MacBook or MacBook Pro, however when a new iMac redesign happens i will upgrade my iMac also but for the moment it works well enough.

 

[tomscott1988]

If thats the case the 12" sounds like the perfect product for you. The macbook breezes through 1080 editing and is capable of 4k with Final Cut.

Impressive indeed and this is the base 2016 model.

https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/386

benches 2696 and 5169.

Compare this to the 2017 i7 model. It almost defies belief no fans

https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/422

Benches 3928 7609

32% faster single and multi performance over the base 2016. Those sorts of increases are impressive as its still a dual core.

12" vs 13" its not night and day, like I said it is a bit of a placebo effect the difference isnt huge but in use its polarizing. There is almost no penalty to Carrying the 12 around, it will last a day so taking the charger is also not necessary.

As you say there are rumors of a newer form factor. Its definitely worth the 6-8 week wait to see if there are any updates.

 

[Dave245]

If thats the case the 12" sounds like the perfect product for you. The macbook breezes through 1080 editing and is capable of 4k with Final Cut.

Impressive indeed and this is the base 2016 model.

https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/386

benches 2696 and 5169.

Compare this to the 2017 i7 model. It almost defies belief no fans

https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/422

Benches 3928 7609

32% faster single and multi performance over the base 2016. Those sorts of increases are impressive as its still a dual core.

12" vs 13" its not night and day, like I said it is a bit of a placebo effect the difference isnt huge but in use its polarizing. There is almost no penalty to Carrying the 12 around, it will last a day so taking the charger is also not necessary.

As you say there are rumors of a newer form factor. Its definitely worth the 6-8 week wait to see if there are any updates.

Those are impressive bench marks for a 12” with no fan! I will wait and see what happens at WWDC but if there is no 13” announced either at WWDC or later this year then I will give the 12” a try, I would probably maxed out the Ram to 16GB in the hope that it would last longer (I tend to keep my Macs a lot longer than my iPads and iPhone’s).