I had to sell my MBP

[Cicatrix]

Due to an immediate incident a while back, I had to sell my MBP, and MBA. I thought I would be able to pick up another machine fairly quickly but money is tight and it might be another five months or so before I have enough money to buy another MBP. I do have enough money for a MBA however. I do not plan on replacing both of them again as one was plenty. The thing I'm wondering about is if I should just get the MBA now and forget saving up another five months for the Pro. I do not want to buy used either. I know plenty of people have great success with used machines, I know the guy who bought mine did! But I would rather buy new myself so used is out for me. I pretty much know all the advantages, and disadvantages of MBP, and the MBA. Ideally I would want another MBP but I am not sure I can wait that long! I mean that is a reaaally long time to be without when I can have a MBA right now. I don't want to have to tell myself... see you should have waited! What to do? If anyone could happily give their thoughts on the issue and what they might do to maybe help me decide I would appreciate it. Thanks very much!

 

[danpass]

That's pretty vague but here goes:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1230337/




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[Cicatrix]

danpass, thanks for this I will check it out!

 

[darknite38]

So you're tight on money, you know that used/refurbished computers are good, but you want to buy a new laptop? Why don't you get a 300 dollar netbook or just get a refurbished macbook air?

Seriously, get real.

 

[KPOM]

I have had refurbished Apple products in the past, including a 2010 MacBook Air, and have no qualms recommending them. It's a great way to save 15% off the list price. If money is tight, but you need a computer (for work, school, etc.) I would suggest going the refurbished route. You get the full warranty, something virtually brand new, but also something considerably cheaper. The base 13" Pro is probably a better deal if maximizing value is key.

 

[ABernardoJr]

Personally I'm in a similar situation sort of. I'm going from a mbp to a MBA soon (hopefully) and while it's nice to have mbp, money's tight for me too (college expenses) and so im going for the MBA that I can afford now. It might just be me but switching to a MBA from th base mbp I had won't hurt too much, especially considering my budget. If you need a computer now then perhaps the MBA is the best solution, but if you can wait and really want a mbp then waiting is probably ideal. The MBA's portability and ssd are two features that I really look forward to with the air, so I'm not really looking back when I switch. Both would be perfectly capable machines IMO, so it's just a matter of whether waiting I truly a feasible option.

And regarding the new vs refurbished debate, if the op wants a new machine there's no need to try to force the op to change his or her mind. Of course refurbished items (especially from apple) are great choices but many still like new things, I know that I'm looking for a new one personally,

 

[Cicatrix]

Thanks everyone for the generous reply's. There are some very good points brought up here.

ABernardoJr, I hope your transition to the MBA is nice, and smooth for you.

I understand what the perks of buying refurbished unit are, but I would rather get a brand spanking new unit. I don't view myself as being any less real because of it either. Nonetheless, I still appreciate, and respect your response.

Thanks again for advice fellow Macheads! Good folks here.

 

[DryEyez]

Let me just start by saying my first mac purchase was a MBP 13" 2011 brand new in store. 6 days later I took it back. Buyers remorse and hated no discrete graphics, plus those things run HOTHOTHOT!

Anyway - After returning to windows, I started to realise it was already to late for me...I had been infected by the OSX / Apple bug. I personally felt £999 for a laptop was just...overpriced. I like mac, but I also like my money in my account. So, a month later I had purchased a 2010 15" i5 MBP for £800.

Then! - I decided to gift that laptop to my partner. The laptop was fantastic, but I did still miss that old 13" screen I was so use to. Great portability and to be honest, it's the size a laptop should be in my eyes. Again, I was infected with the OSX BUG!!!

And finally!! - My third and final purchase of the year (thus far) a 13" 2010 MBP with that lovely juicy graphics card (it's 256mb but hey, it does what I need) and because it does what I need, it's perfect. I didn't pay cash for this one though. I traded my xbox (Which I hadn't played on for a year) and my iPhone 4 (I missed my old blackberry anyways). This one also came with applecare until 2013...awesome.

So there you have it. My story. My first purchase was brand new, but which I took back. I bought two other mac laptops, both second hand, and in my opinion, fantastic prices. No problems AT ALL, due to the fact I thoroughly questioned the owners, talked with apple, and thoroughly inspected the machines.

First hand, second hand, it's a perspective. They're the same machines and the latest and greatest is not always the best. For me the 2010 runs cooler and has a gpu. I don't need processing power and the amount I paid for these, I think was great.

 

[wrinkster22]

perhaps if you are interested you could
get a used machine
do some cheap upgrades
and use that till you are in a better financial situation

or if you are desperate
you could get an older machine
do some upgrades
sell for a profit on CL
repeat until you make enough for a new model

Depending on your Financail Situation also perhaps you could take advantage of the amazon 20% off thing and sell the kindle

 

[1BadMac]

And finally!! - My third and final purchase of the year (thus far) a 13" 2010 MBP with that lovely juicy graphics card (it's 256mb but hey, it does what I need) and because it does what I need, it's perfect.

You do realize the 320m in the 2010 is still discrete graphics right - that uses shared system memory? Sorry - just sounded like from your post you were touting the memory of 320m.

----------

I understand what the perks of buying refurbished unit are, but I would rather get a brand spanking new unit. I don't view myself as being any less real because of it either. Nonetheless, I still appreciate, and respect your response.

I think you need to understand what Apple refurbished is. A LOT of Apple "refurbs" end up being buyers remorse products or items that were purely returned for no legitimate reason whatsoever.

As an example - think of all of the people on this forum that have been taking their Airs back to Best Buy and Apple to try and play the SSD / Screen Panel lottery just to get what they think is "better parts". All of those that weren't even used for 5 minutes are going to end up in the refurb section.

Bottom line - Apple refurb are heads and tails above what I've experienced with other companies "refurbs" which usually have some sort of cosmetic issues and / or missing parts, manuals, etc...


If you are short on cash like you state, do yourself a favor and wise up now on your spending habits.

 

[DryEyez]

You do realize the 320m in the 2010 is still discrete graphics right - that uses shared system memory? Sorry - just sounded like from your post you were touting the memory of 320m.


Yep of course it's discrete. I used intel 3000 and hate it, runs extra hot with it being in the same bed as the processor. 320m runs cooler, and better in performance from my experience with it. If by touting you mean praising the 320m, I most certainly am

Little off topic there, by my main point was, I had a 2011 NEW, took it back didn't like it, I have a 2010 SECOND HAND and love it. As long as the product in question that you're purchasing has been looked after then there is no reason not to purchase it in my opinion. Go second hand and reign your finances in, do the sensible thing.

 

[redache]

320m

I think you'll find that the 320M is an integrated graphics card as the 13" Pro does not have enough room to house a discreet graphics card. The Intel HD3000 is only marginally slower than it and that probably has more to do with driver quality than actual hardware at this point since the HD3000 is integrated onto the CPU.

 

[1BadMac]

I think you'll find that the 320M is an integrated graphics card as the 13" Pro does not have enough room to house a discreet graphics card. The Intel HD3000 is only marginally slower than it and that probably has more to do with driver quality than actual hardware at this point since the HD3000 is integrated onto the CPU.

Yeah, my terminology was off. Was trying to differentiate that the 320m was using slower shared memory.

 

[VMMan]

Unless you need a Mac to generate income, I wouldn't buy any Mac until you have at least six months of living expenses saved for emergency use.

 

[Gregintosh]

Unless you need a Mac to generate income, I wouldn't buy any Mac until you have at least six months of living expenses saved for emergency use.

Not a bad idea for any completely discretionary spending. But for many people that's not realistic and one could argue that even if you don't need your computer to make a living its not a completely "optional" purchase.

Even if you don't use your mac to make a living but you do use your computer everyday its nice to enjoy a nice computer instead of suffering on a Windows craptop.

A computer these days is a device many people interface with for 5-6 hours a day, so maybe 20 to 25% of their lives. Having a computer that makes you smile and is a joy to use can make your life that much happier.

All I'm saying is the savings obtained by getting a Windows PC over a slightly more expensive Mac are not significant enough to justify suffering for 25% of your life until you reach a higher echelon of financial success.

Example: A good windows laptop (but still not close to a mac in performance) costs maybe $599, Macbook Air is $1299. $700 difference, spread out over 3 years is $19 per month.

I think most reasonable people would agree that $19 per month is a reasonable price premium to pay to be satisfied with the device you spend a quarter of your life interfacing with, even if you aren't completely financially secure.

 

[1BadMac]

Not a bad idea for any completely discretionary spending. But for many people that's not realistic and one could argue that even if you don't need your computer to make a living its not a completely "optional" purchase.

Even if you don't use your mac to make a living but you do use your computer everyday its nice to enjoy a nice computer instead of suffering on a Windows craptop.

A computer these days is a device many people interface with for 5-6 hours a day, so maybe 20 to 25% of their lives. Having a computer that makes you smile and is a joy to use can make your life that much happier.

All I'm saying is the savings obtained by getting a Windows PC over a slightly more expensive Mac are not significant enough to justify suffering for 25% of your life until you reach a higher echelon of financial success.

Example: A good windows laptop (but still not close to a mac in performance) costs maybe $599, Macbook Air is $1299. $700 difference, spread out over 3 years is $19 per month.

I think most reasonable people would agree that $19 per month is a reasonable price premium to pay to be satisfied with the device you spend a quarter of your life interfacing with, even if you aren't completely financially secure.

I do not agree with this logic. If you look at the OP's situation, the fact that he had to sell both of his Mac's to begin with (and we won't even get into the fact that he had two Mac portables for personal use) screams that there was issues with finances. Encouraging someone to incur an additional $19 a month over 3 years is not good. Particularly when the logic is to get a "better" computing experience? Last I checked, Facebook and the rest of the Internet performed about the same on a Windows 7 machine vs a Mac. If he were doing something that required a Mac software wise, then there would be an argument, albeit a minimal one.

This whole thread is wants vs needs and it's clear that what the OP needs is some financial education. Else, don't post about having to basically pawn off your Mac's in what likely amounted to a small financial strain due to not having any savings.

 

[Kendo]

Due to an immediate incident a while back, I had to sell my MBP, and MBA. I thought I would be able to pick up another machine fairly quickly but money is tight and it might be another five months or so before I have enough money to buy another MBP. I do have enough money for a MBA however. I do not plan on replacing both of them again as one was plenty. The thing I'm wondering about is if I should just get the MBA now and forget saving up another five months for the Pro. I do not want to buy used either. I know plenty of people have great success with used machines, I know the guy who bought mine did! But I would rather buy new myself so used is out for me. I pretty much know all the advantages, and disadvantages of MBP, and the MBA. Ideally I would want another MBP but I am not sure I can wait that long! I mean that is a reaaally long time to be without when I can have a MBA right now. I don't want to have to tell myself... see you should have waited! What to do? If anyone could happily give their thoughts on the issue and what they might do to maybe help me decide I would appreciate it. Thanks very much!

Saving up for another 5 months aligns perfectly with when the MacBook Pro will be refreshed. If you can wait (which is evident in the fact that you already suggested in saving up for an other 5 months), I would do just that.

 

[Gregintosh]

It's all a matter of priorities. I would think one would prioritize a device that one will use for 25% of their lives.

I think it was probably a mistake to sell both the MBA and MBP, and I suspect the OP major loss on both. I wonder about a few things, like employment status and age, as well as what the emergency was.

I would think anyone with a steady income could find a way to work something into their budget.

 

[Queen6]

I understand your sentiments regards a new machine, as I have the same feelings, however we are talking $$$ here; Personally I would pick up a used MBP. My own 2.4Ghz Penryn is in superb condition and still very usable on Snow Leopard. You will get the form factor you want and reasonable performance. Once funds are in a better shape you can then sell out the older MBP for little or no loss and go for the latest model.

If you buy a new Air and decide to sell it out for a Pro, you are going to loose a % no matter how you look at it, I have use for both the new Air and my gracefully aging MacBook Pro, however once Apple release a MBP designed from the ground up, my 4.1 will be retired, most likely gifted to a family member as it has more than earned it`s way over the years.

If it`s going to take five months to fund a new Pro, I would seriously think and buy used, many treat their "Mac`s" like gold, so living with a used machine might not be too bad in the short-term, and in five months time the Pro`s may well have been refreshed offering even more performance

 

[Cicatrix]

You do realize the 320m in the 2010 is still discrete graphics right - that uses shared system memory? Sorry - just sounded like from your post you were touting the memory of 320m.

----------



I think you need to understand what Apple refurbished is. A LOT of Apple "refurbs" end up being buyers remorse products or items that were purely returned for no legitimate reason whatsoever.

As an example - think of all of the people on this forum that have been taking their Airs back to Best Buy and Apple to try and play the SSD / Screen Panel lottery just to get what they think is "better parts". All of those that weren't even used for 5 minutes are going to end up in the refurb section.

Bottom line - Apple refurb are heads and tails above what I've experienced with other companies "refurbs" which usually have some sort of cosmetic issues and / or missing parts, manuals, etc...


If you are short on cash like you state, do yourself a favor and wise up now on your spending habits.

Hey, I really appreciate your clarification on the aspect of refurbished models. I think it actually might be something I will definitely consider more. As far as financial situations go. I really didn't want to get into that. But times are tight, and closing costs on a house are ridiculous! That's all I will say about that. Yes, I do regret selling them but you have to do what you have to do to make ends meet sometimes. I will admit I probably made a mistake in getting rid of both. But I can't fret to much about it as it does no good now. I use my MBP for audio for side work, so I know the MBP is the better choice.
After reading through all of these posts I think I actually may be better off just getting a refurb so I can continue on. Someone stated that there is a refresh not to far in the distant future but that is waaay to far out to even consider. I really thought I was going to be able to get by for a few months but I just don't think that's realistic.

 

[Gregintosh]

Don't mean to pry but if you can't afford a $1,000 computer - and had to sell two computers just to make ends meet - how are you buying a house? Are you sure thats the most financially responsible decision to make?

Don't mean to attack personally, but my brother works at a lawyers office handling real estate cases and they see people buying houses who have NO BUSINESS buying properties (i.e. a cashier from a retail store who makes $10 an hour trying to buy a $500,000 house).

It's those kinds of decisions (where such people couldn't make ends meet after playing over their head) that created the mortgage crisis and landed us in this economic crisis.

I am just saying, I would expect someone who is buying a house to be in stable enough financial condition that if they needed to come up with an extra grand for some unforeseen expense they wouldn't have to resort to immediately selling their possessions to make ends meet, that's all.

 

[Cicatrix]

Don't mean to pry but if you can't afford a $1,000 computer - and had to sell two computers just to make ends meet - how are you buying a house? Are you sure thats the most financially responsible decision to make?

Don't mean to attack personally, but my brother works at a lawyers office handling real estate cases and they see people buying houses who have NO BUSINESS buying properties (i.e. a cashier from a retail store who makes $10 an hour trying to buy a $500,000 house).

It's those kinds of decisions (where such people couldn't make ends meet after playing over their head) that created the mortgage crisis and landed us in this economic crisis.

I am just saying, I would expect someone who is buying a house to be in stable enough financial condition that if they needed to come up with an extra grand for some unforeseen expense they wouldn't have to resort to immediately selling their possessions to make ends meet, that's all.

I appreciate your output as it's very wise, and I understand where your coming from however, without knowing all the details of the situation it's unfair to make a clear judgment. It's complicated, and something I don't really want to get further into on the forums. The point you brought up is still very sound advice however, and I thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[Hankster]

I appreciate your output as it's very wise, and I understand where your coming from however, without knowing all the details of the situation it's unfair to make a clear judgment. It's complicated, and something I don't really want to get further into on the forums. The point you brought up is still very sound advice however, and I thank you for taking the time to respond.

Though readers here may not have the all information regarding you situation, it's clear you don't need a MBA or MBP. These laptops are nice to have, not needs. And, if you're having financial issues with real needs the last thing you should be focusing on is a toy.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[vitzr]

Even if you don't use your mac to make a living but you do use your computer everyday its nice to enjoy a nice computer instead of suffering on a Windows craptop.

All I'm saying is the savings obtained by getting a Windows PC over a slightly more expensive Mac are not significant enough to justify suffering for 25% of your life.

I think most reasonable people would agree that $19 per month is a reasonable price premium to pay to be satisfied with the device you spend a quarter of your life interfacing with, even if you aren't completely financially secure.

I use both a Windows 7 Laptop and a new MacBook Pro.

There's not much difference & certainly no suffering. For half the price of a Mac you can buy a very good Windows laptop and get on with life.

Take some time to earn & save, a discipline that will serve you well in life.

Then when you've got financial stability, you can buy any Mac you want.

It's called impulse control. Something that many people never learn.

 

[wordoflife]

I agree with the others that you can get a pretty nice PC for $400-600 that you can use for a bit if you're on a budget, but at any rate, I really don't want to get into that.

To answer your thread question: Exactly which MBP do you want to buy, which MBA would you buy now, and what do you use your computer for?