Is the 2012 classic macbook pro reliable?

[zobomoho]

Hi everyone,

First time poster here. I bought my first mac after spending the rest of my life on PCs, and I decided on the 2012 Classic Macbook Pro for $1050 on Amazon.

I own a 5 year old Ipod Nano and a 1 year old Iphone, both of which have been perfect in terms of reliability. I was tired of my Windows computers always breaking down around year 3 of ownership and requiring pricey repairs, so I assumed that Macbooks held the same level of reliability as Iphones and Ipods, which is, to say, outstanding.

I didn't go for a retina macbook pro based on price, non-upgradeability and repairability of components, and generally not appreciating the retina display. I didn't think the 13 inch pro was too thick or heavy, and I thought that the retina display should have just been a screen option on the regular Macbook Pro, not an entirely new line.

A perfect 13 inch pro to me would have been this computer, but with Haswell and the Iris Pro built in. Apple would never have done this though.

So, my question to you guys is this:

1) Since the pro I bought is the last of its kind, it should be the most reliable, kind of like the last model year in a car before a major overhaul. In your experience, has this been true? How reliable is this unit?

2) I have never purchased Applecare on any of my Apple products. Would you recommend it here?

3) Am I unreasonable to want this unit to last 5 years without breaking?

Thanks guys!

 

[Grohowiak]

Hi everyone,

First time poster here. I bought my first mac after spending the rest of my life on PCs, and I decided on the 2012 Classic Macbook Pro for $1050 on Amazon.

I own a 5 year old Ipod Nano and a 1 year old Iphone, both of which have been perfect in terms of reliability. I was tired of my Windows computers always breaking down around year 3 of ownership and requiring pricey repairs, so I assumed that Macbooks held the same level of reliability as Iphones and Ipods, which is, to say, outstanding.

I didn't go for a retina macbook pro based on price, non-upgradeability and repairability of components, and generally not appreciating the retina display. I didn't think the 13 inch pro was too thick or heavy, and I thought that the retina display should have just been a screen option on the regular Macbook Pro, not an entirely new line.

A perfect 13 inch pro to me would have been this computer, but with Haswell and the Iris Pro built in. Apple would never have done this though.

So, my question to you guys is this:

1) Since the pro I bought is the last of its kind, it should be the most reliable, kind of like the last model year in a car before a major overhaul. In your experience, has this been true? How reliable is this unit?

2) I have never purchased Applecare on any of my Apple products. Would you recommend it here?

3) Am I unreasonable to want this unit to last 5 years without breaking?

Thanks guys!

It's a great machine. Throw out DVD (optibay) and put your old HD there, drop in a SSD, add ram and buy apple care. You might not need it but might be useful down the road. And that hi res screen is absolutely anti glare free beauty.

 

[MOKHAN]

And that hi res screen is absolutely anti glare free beauty.

What?

 

[desi1]

The 13" cMBP is a fantastic notebook. I have the early 2011 model, so 2 years old - soon to be 3. Upgraded it with 8gb ram recently and its still powering through everything I chuck at it, and nothing (touchwood) has wrong with it thus far. Planning on taking out the superdrive and putting a 512gb SSD in place of the current HDD, and the HDD in place of the superdrive when the SSD price becomes a bit more reasonable.

I purchased apple care but that's because I can't live with "what if", still got 5 months left on mine still.

These machines should last 5 years relatively trouble free - first thing to go is probably the HDD, but that gives a good excuse to put an SSD in there! I finish my (second) degree in 2018 so hoping mine will last till then!!

 

[Justinhub2003]

I agree that the 13" Macbook is a great machine that will last a long time if you take care of it.

I have a early 2011 that I upgraded with 16gb of Ram and an SSD that runs and looks absolutely amazing still.

As long as you don't drop it or do anything crazy it should last a very long time with the battery being the only thing you probably have to place around 4 year mark, sometimes sooner somestimes later.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

I have a mid-2009 13" MBP that started have issues at the beginning of the third year, but it was the first of its kind (the 2008 aluminum MacBook only sort of counts). By 2011 Apple learned to use stronger internal cables that don't fail so easily. Mine also survived 4 years of college, so it's been through a lot.

AppleCare is a must. Without it I would've needed a new laptop two years ago instead of this year.

 

[zobomoho]

Thanks for the opinions!

I purchased a matte screen protector to reduce glare, and a hardshell case for when I have to cram the computer into a backpack.

Next upgrade will probably be 8GB of RAM in a couple of months.

I'll buy Applecare before the year's warranty is up, then perhaps another 8GB of RAM and a 256gb solid state drive in a year.

Can't wait!

 

[RichardC300]

Thanks for the opinions!

I purchased a matte screen protector to reduce glare, and a hardshell case for when I have to cram the computer into a backpack.

Next upgrade will probably be 8GB of RAM in a couple of months.

I'll buy Applecare before the year's warranty is up, then perhaps another 8GB of RAM and a 256gb solid state drive in a year.

Can't wait!

This is a great plan. The only thing I would change would be the hard case. I have had my slim Incase neoprene sleeve for over 2 years of college, and I much prefer that, because you can actually appreciate the thinness of the laptop when you're actually using it.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

This is a great plan. The only thing I would change would be the hard case. I have had my slim Incase neoprene sleeve for over 2 years of college, and I much prefer that, because you can actually appreciate the thinness of the laptop when you're actually using it.

Ditto this. Hard cases don't keep the dust out, so you have to take it off often to clean the Mac to prevent scratches. Honestly sleeves do a much better job of protecting inside bags. Grab an Incase neoprene sleeve before they disappear. They were designed for this model, so the fit will be fine.

 

[leman]

I think you totally overpaid for that laptop, seeing how $1,099.00 would have gotten you a refurbished 2013 MacBook Air directly from Apple.. but anyway, to your questions

1. Its just as reliable as any other Apple laptop (which are among the most reliable laptops brands - whatever that might mean)

2. I definitively recommend everyone to get AppleCare if they want to keep the laptop for more then 1.5 years

3. No, its not unreasonable at all. Of course, you might get unlucky. The HDD is also likely to break down before the 5th year, but its easy to replace. I guess 5 years from now they should be still selling SATA HDDs

 

[stroked]

3. No, its not unreasonable at all. Of course, you might get unlucky. The HDD is also likely to break down before the 5th year, but its easy to replace. I guess 5 years from now they should be still selling SATA HDDs

Five years from now, sata SSDs will be dirt cheap.

 

[zobomoho]

Ehh, I don't think I overpaid for that computer, seeing as how I wasn't looking for an Air, and I wanted upgradeable components with easy fixability should something go wrong past 3 years in when Applecare expires. Besides, the Air would have had a smaller hard drive and not as much RAM. Not everyone values thin and light over everything else.

As far as my decision to buy from Amazon, $1050 is only $50 more than what I would have paid in the Apple store for the same computer with the education discount, and Apple charges Tax, which would have negated the difference.

I think you totally overpaid for that laptop, seeing how $1,099.00 would have gotten you a refurbished 2013 MacBook Air directly from Apple.. but anyway, to your questions

1. Its just as reliable as any other Apple laptop (which are among the most reliable laptops brands - whatever that might mean)

2. I definitively recommend everyone to get AppleCare if they want to keep the laptop for more then 1.5 years

3. No, its not unreasonable at all. Of course, you might get unlucky. The HDD is also likely to break down before the 5th year, but its easy to replace. I guess 5 years from now they should be still selling SATA HDDs

 

[leman]

Ehh, I don't think I overpaid for that computer, seeing as how I wasn't looking for an Air, and I wanted upgradeable components with easy fixability should something go wrong past 3 years in when Applecare expires. Besides, the Air would have had a smaller hard drive and not as much RAM. Not everyone values thin and light over everything else.

Oh, I was not really talking about thin and light, but rather about performance. The Air comes with a much faster storage, faster GPU and longer lasting battery life. Not to mention more real screen estate. As far as fixability goes, the two are comparable - the really expensive bits cannot be upgraded or easily exchanged.

Of course, if you need lots of storage and are ready to take the performance hit, then the MBP is of course is a better choice. My gripe with it is that its too expensive for what it is - especially given that a faster/lighter and overall better machine (Air) is priced at the same level. The 13" cMBP should cost around $700 max to be considered good value in my book.

 

[ultra7k]

Just extended my applecare on my cMBP 13" this weekend as it was due to run out. The great thing is it can be added anytime during the original warranty period.

In the year I've had my mid 2012, I can't recall having any issues, or crashes. Sure the odd program kind of dies once in a while, but I sure haven't had any hardware issues or kernel panics.

Overall a very solid machine, and very well built. Once you put in your upgrades it will hum along very nicely. It was a bit of a slug for me out of the box (coming from my gaming PC), so I upgraded the Ram and SSD as soon as I could and it is now super snappy.

 

[flipdippy]

Oh, I was not really talking about thin and light, but rather about performance. The Air comes with a much faster storage, faster GPU and longer lasting battery life. Not to mention more real screen estate. As far as fixability goes, the two are comparable - the really expensive bits cannot be upgraded or easily exchanged.

Of course, if you need lots of storage and are ready to take the performance hit, then the MBP is of course is a better choice. My gripe with it is that its too expensive for what it is - especially given that a faster/lighter and overall better machine (Air) is priced at the same level. The 13" cMBP should cost around $700 max to be considered good value in my book.

This.

Since we'll never see a new Macbook at sub 1k prices, Apple should have done something to make the classic a better value, since it's probably mostly profit for Apple at this point. They could have put in a faster CPU or an SSD.

A 4 GB/128 SSD classic MBP with a haswell CPU at $1099 makes far more sense than the 4 GB/128 SSD 13" rMBP at $1299.

Then they could have started the new 13" rMBP at $1399 with 8 GB/128 SSD.

JMO.

 

[Count Blah]

My sister recently asked me to recommend a laptop for here that will last 5+ years, and she was planning on a mac this time. I pointed her precisely at the 13" cMBP, without question. It will grow with her , 1st RAM, 2nd SSD, a monitor if she wants more space, etc...

So far she is thrilled, and when I see her this thanksgiving, I'll upgrade her OS to Mavericks and allow her HD4000 to access 1Gig of (v)RAM. She does not have large requirements, and has me for support, so I'm sure the 13 cMBP will last her 5+ years, without question.

 

[NewishMacGuy]

The Air comes with a much faster storage, faster GPU and longer lasting battery life. Not to mention more real screen estate. As far as fixability goes, the two are comparable - the really expensive bits cannot be upgraded or easily exchanged.

Of course, if you need lots of storage and are ready to take the performance hit, then the MBP is of course is a better choice. My gripe with it is that its too expensive for what it is - especially given that a faster/lighter and overall better machine (Air) is priced at the same level. The 13" cMBP should cost around $700 max to be considered good value in my book.

Faster (and significantly less) storage

More screen real estate on a much crappier screen

And the two are in no way comparable for fixability/upgradeability

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