Resolved Going back to Macbook Pro

[Wreckus]

Even since I moved into my own condo a few weeks ago, I've been using tasks/reminders much more. Also, since I don't have a landline and use my iPhone, etc for phone calls and imessage & I imagine facetime will be more common as well as the holidays approaches.

I bought a dell XPS 15 inch a couple of years back and I'm realizing it now that it was a mistake. Outlook is a pain in the a$$ to use with my iCloud account and nothing else works to sync my reminders, etc with my iPhone, etc. I tried every other way outside of outlook to sync reminders, etc between Windows 10 & IOS and nothing work; MS Todo always screws up my daily reminder times and I gave up.

With that all said, I was looking at the refurbish MacBook Pro's; However, I'm always leery of buying refurbish items and prefer to buy now. Plus, I not a big fan of Laptops being shipped to me as I'm not a big fan of UPS.

I was looking at the MacBook Pro TB 13" with 512GB SSD as I'd probably regret buying the 256gb in the future. But I have some questions:
First is the video card, how good is it for some gaming if I stay at 1080p resolution.
Second, am I being too paranoid with refurbish computers? is it the better way to go and save some money? or buying new is the preferred way to buy macbooks pro?

Any other suggestions or preference of MacBook pro specs that I should go with will be welcome as well.

Looking forward to going back to a MacBook pro.

 

[maerz001]

GPU is for mid level games ok. But expect no wonders. U will find tests online

Always buy refurbished. They are like new

 

[Wreckus]

GPU is for mid level games ok. But expect no wonders. U will find tests online

Always buy refurbished. They are like new

Gaming wise, i'm going to leave that for the xbox one & Nintendo switch for the most part so I won't be doing much gaming on it (besides WoW & some other pc/mac only type games).

Refurbish wise, i'm still not 100% sure if I want to go that route.

 

[0989383]

Windows 10 is like Pyongyang (capital of North Korea). It looks amazing, well finished and able to compete with the very best competition out there.

But then you use it... and discover it’s like all those North Korean buildings - empty inside, barely functioning and still suffering national power outages: put into Windows terms, those Metro Apps are completely unfinished, unresponsive and couldn’t compete with OSX Mail from 2007... they look good in theory but they’re not written for the real world.

Then you’ve got Outlook which is still a world class industry standard.. but you start to realise it’s just a cleaner ‘classic’ Windows app and all the beautifully designed modern apps on the Mac come rushing back to you. You realise your mistake.

I bought a ThinkPad this year and despite in theory, it being a very nice machine and W10 appearing as great as ever, in practice it couldn’t stand up to the MacBook Pro.

Go for Apple refurbished. All new external parts. Same 1 year warranty. Why not use the savings to buy Apple Care for 3 years and then you’re prepared for anything!

 

[Wreckus]

Windows 10 is like Pyongyang (capital of North Korea). It looks amazing, well finished and able to compete with the very best competition out there.

But then you use it... and discover it’s like all those North Korean buildings - empty inside, barely functioning and still suffering national power outages: put into Windows terms, those Metro Apps are completely unfinished, unresponsive and couldn’t compete with OSX Mail from 2007... they look good in theory but they’re not written for the real world.

Then you’ve got Outlook which is still a world class industry standard.. but you start to realise it’s just a cleaner ‘classic’ Windows app and all the beautifully designed modern apps on the Mac come rushing back to you. You realise your mistake.

I bought a ThinkPad this year and despite in theory, it being a very nice machine and W10 appearing as great as ever, in practice it couldn’t stand up to the MacBook Pro.

Go for Apple refurbished. All new external parts. Same 1 year warranty. Why not use the savings to buy Apple Care for 3 years and then you’re prepared for anything!

It would be an non-issue if MS released Cortana for IOS in Canada. But they won’t and I doubt they ever will. When it comes to ordering the refurbish, I hate UPS shipping and I much, much rather buy laptops in store rather than online and getting them shipped. But I may go the refurbish route since if there’s any issues, I can just go to the Apple Store at West Edmonton Mall or Southgate Center here in Edmonton.

 

[mcpix]

Just picked up a refurbished 2015 15" MBP. I always go refurbished if they're available. Other than the box, they look and work just like new and you get a new warranty. Plus as another poster mentioned you can use the savings to buy Apple Care plus and give yourself 3 years of worry free use.

 

[Wreckus]

Is there much difference between the 13 inch 2016 and 2017 Touchbar Macbook Pros?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Is there much difference between the 13 inch 2016 and 2017 Touchbar Macbook Pros?

less keyboard issues anecdotally and the CPU/GPU bump is pretty good.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Windows 10 is like Pyongyang (capital of North Korea). It looks amazing, well finished and able to compete with the very best competition out there.

But then you use it... and discover it’s like all those North Korean buildings - empty inside, barely functioning and still suffering national power outages: put into Windows terms, those Metro Apps are completely unfinished, unresponsive and couldn’t compete with OSX Mail from 2007... they look good in theory but they’re not written for the real world.

Then you’ve got Outlook which is still a world class industry standard.. but you start to realise it’s just a cleaner ‘classic’ Windows app and all the beautifully designed modern apps on the Mac come rushing back to you. You realise your mistake.

I bought a ThinkPad this year and despite in theory, it being a very nice machine and W10 appearing as great as ever, in practice it couldn’t stand up to the MacBook Pro.

Go for Apple refurbished. All new external parts. Same 1 year warranty. Why not use the savings to buy Apple Care for 3 years and then you’re prepared for anything!

Win 10 is way better than you think! I am glad after getting multiple defective MBPro units to go back to a new Thinkpad P51 with Xeon processor. No squeaky keyboard and everything works.

 

[eddjedi]

In most cases the term "refurbished" is misleading, in 99% of cases it just means used. If nothing has physically been replaced, it is not refurbished. Re-installing the OS is not refurbishing. Unless you can see proof that any of the hardware has been replaced (which is unlikely considering iFixit's repairability rating of 1/10) buying a used MBP is exactly the same as buying a refurbished, only cheaper. Every Mac I've bought for the last 10 years has been used, never had a major problem with any of them.
[doublepost=1507552358][/doublepost]

Is there much difference between the 13 inch 2016 and 2017 Touchbar Macbook Pros?

According to Geekbench the 2017 is about 10-15% faster, which is considerable.

 

[maerz001]

I was hoping that the refurbished price would fall more for the 2016 once the 2017 model is offered in the refurb store. But Apple just gives us in Germany the 2016 for 110€ less than the refurb 2017 model whatever specs. That makes just 20% off the 2016 13" 512GB TB.

 

[cardfan]

I tried a dell xps 15 or at least wife did and it went back. It's hard to go wrong with a 15" MBP that can run windows as well. Can't say I really like the 13" version tho. I'd buy a 17" MBP in a heartbeat if Apple was listening.

 

[maerz001]

In most cases the term "refurbished" is misleading, in 99% of cases it just means used. If nothing has physically been replaced, it is not refurbished. Re-installing the OS is not refurbishing. Unless you can see proof that any of the hardware has been replaced (which is unlikely considering iFixit's repairability rating of 1/10) buying a used MBP is exactly the same as buying a refurbished, only cheaper. Every Mac I've bought for the last 10 years has been used, never had a major problem with any of them.

Ur correct for other smaller resellers who lets say sell on ebay a "refurbished" mac.

But Apple has here much higher standards. U always get a brand new looking device with no marks or scratches. battery has maybe a few cycles. and full warranty. In years I never saw here one single post complaining about a refurb apple product.

 

[eddjedi]

It might have no marks or scratches, but it is still used. Check out the iFixit teardown of the >2016 MBP. It is impossible to replace ANYTHING without destroying it. Therefore, it is not refurbished, just a nice condition second hand Mac with a warranty. You'd be better off buying a used one with 2+ years of Apple Care remaining.

 

[0989383]

Win 10 is way better than you think! I am glad after getting multiple defective MBPro units to go back to a new Thinkpad P51 with Xeon processor. No squeaky keyboard and everything works.

I'm well accustomed to Windows 10, having owned a ThinkPad for 3 months this year. Never again. Though the hardware was nice, it was nothing near Apple's build quality. A well deserved second place, definitely. As for Windows, well again, sure it does the job... but it doesn't compare to macOS.

But if it works for you, that's great. I'm not sure why you're on a Mac forum though! But I certainly struggled to find any Lenovo / Windows forums as good as this when I was on.. the other side.
[doublepost=1507555224][/doublepost]OP, if you're buying refurbished from Apple then it has 100% new external parts - not used at all.

And as for eBay, I personally would never touch something opened up by amateurs... but don't be fooled. The MacBook Pro can be assembled.. therefore it can be disassembled with the right tools.. so it could well be tampered with. If the 'refurbs' on eBay are, as other suggested, just 'nice used models' then I'd dismiss them immediately for being sold under a false condition.

 

[Wreckus]

I'm well accustomed to Windows 10, having owned a ThinkPad for 3 months this year. Never again. Though the hardware was nice, it was nothing near Apple's build quality. A well deserved second place, definitely. As for Windows, well again, sure it does the job... but it doesn't compare to macOS.

But if it works for you, that's great. I'm not sure why you're on a Mac forum though! But I certainly struggled to find any Lenovo / Windows forums as good as this when I was on.. the other side.
[doublepost=1507555224][/doublepost]OP, if you're buying refurbished from Apple then it has 100% new external parts - not used at all.

And as for eBay, I personally would never touch something opened up by amateurs... but don't be fooled. The MacBook Pro can be assembled.. therefore it can be disassembled with the right tools.. so it could well be tampered with. If the 'refurbs' on eBay are, as other suggested, just 'nice used models' then I'd dismiss them immediately for being sold under a false condition.

Never used EBay and I have absolutely no urge to use them now.

In terms of refurbish or new. I’m leaning towards new since I need to get some stuff at walmart anyways so i’ll Just pop over to London Drugs Computer department and see what they got in stock. Like I mentioned before, I hate stuff being shipped (especially computers) via ups, purolator, or whatever, Regardless if its new, used, refurbished, or whatever).

The only sticky part right now is the budget side of things. Good news is my MC is pretty much at zero and I’m planning to pay it off my mid January (my planning anyways). I just not sure making payments every month is a good idea. LoL, been ages since I did that.

 

[BenTrovato]

Never used EBay and I have absolutely no urge to use them now.

In terms of refurbish or new. I’m leaning towards new since I need to get some stuff at walmart anyways so i’ll Just pop over to London Drugs Computer department and see what they got in stock. Like I mentioned before, I hate stuff being shipped (especially computers) via ups, purolator, or whatever, Regardless if its new, used, refurbished, or whatever).

The only sticky part right now is the budget side of things. Good news is my MC is pretty much at zero and I’m planning to pay it off my mid January (my planning anyways). I just not sure making payments every month is a good idea. LoL, been ages since I did that.

What's with the hangup about tech being shipped? If money is tight, refurbished is the way to go. If it arrives to you in condition less than super happy, they take it back free of charge.

 

[Wreckus]

What's with the hangup about tech being shipped? If money is tight, refurbished is the way to go. If it arrives to you in condition less than super happy, they take it back free of charge.

Honestly, won’t make much a different (less than 400.00 after taxes) so that’s not an issue (new or refurbish). Money isn’t an issue as well; however, for some stupid reason, I’m trying to stay above 6k in my savings account and I’m tensing up when I see 5k in there at the end of any month.

But after helping my dad working with Safari on his tablet via the phone. Think I know where my windows laptop is going once I get my MBP.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I'm well accustomed to Windows 10, having owned a ThinkPad for 3 months this year. Never again. Though the hardware was nice, it was nothing near Apple's build quality. A well deserved second place, definitely. As for Windows, well again, sure it does the job... but it doesn't compare to macOS.

But if it works for you, that's great. I'm not sure why you're on a Mac forum though! But I certainly struggled to find any Lenovo / Windows forums as good as this when I was on.. the other side.
[doublepost=1507555224][/doublepost]OP, if you're buying refurbished from Apple then it has 100% new external parts - not used at all.

And as for eBay, I personally would never touch something opened up by amateurs... but don't be fooled. The MacBook Pro can be assembled.. therefore it can be disassembled with the right tools.. so it could well be tampered with. If the 'refurbs' on eBay are, as other suggested, just 'nice used models' then I'd dismiss them immediately for being sold under a false condition.

After what I saw Apple deliver to me three times was now Apple typical quality on MacBooks. Never seen worst junk!

If you buy the cheaper Thinkpad, you do not get the best.

 

[0989383]

After what I saw Apple deliver to me three times was now Apple typical quality on MacBooks. Never seen worst junk!

If you buy the cheaper Thinkpad, you do not get the best.

Yeah.. see that’s the problem .. “Get a ThinkPad, they’re legendary build quality won’t let you down”

* gets a ThinkPad *

“oh.. I forgot to say except the E series” .... I saw ThinkPad fanboys also dismissing the TP13 as an exception too...

Overrated, diluted and fragmented brand in my experience

 

[Wreckus]

Just left the Apple store with a brand new space Grey MBP TB 13 inch 512GB. No issues with the screen as well (no dead pixels)

All I got to say that it’s good to be back all Mac. Will post later in the bought a new Mac thread.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Yeah.. see that’s the problem .. “Get a ThinkPad, they’re legendary build quality won’t let you down”

* gets a ThinkPad *

“oh.. I forgot to say except the E series” .... I saw ThinkPad fanboys also dismissing the TP13 as an exception too...

Overrated, diluted and fragmented brand in my experience

Enjoy you MacBook. I would get the extended Apple care!

 

[ZapNZs]

Just left the Apple store with a brand new space Grey MBP TB 13 inch 512GB. No issues with the screen as well (no dead pixels)

All I got to say that it’s good to be back all Mac. Will post later in the bought a new Mac thread.

They're nice systems - I think you are really going to like it. They've never been much in the way of gaming machines, but they sure are monsters when it comes to productivity.

 

[Wreckus]

They're nice systems - I think you are really going to like it. They've never been much in the way of gaming machines, but they sure are monsters when it comes to productivity.

Installing High Sierra right now, taking a bit of time surprisingly. I was really impressed that it knew my Wifi info when I got home, which I figured it saved in the cloud since I had an iPhone, etc already.

 

[Winterfibre]

I use a windows 10 laptop by msi, fully speced out i get along with it easally enough.
But if i had the money i would get an imac. I bought a macbook pro for my daughter and its lush.