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MBPr for elderly lady advice needed

ohenriquez

ohenriquez

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 7, 2005
74
7
Auckland, New Zealand
Dear Members

My 72 year old mother asked my advice before she was on the verge of buying a "cheap" Windows HP laptop

I am writing this as realised that it posted it on the macbook Section. Happy that this thread is passed to the macbook pro but members can still give advice here, thanks
I am glad that I stopped her
I convinced her to buy a MBPr 13 inches 2014 modeL as it will last for the rest of her life
My wife told me that it is an overkill I believe that she would benefit from the retina nice screen and portability
I am reluctant to tell her to buy standard macbook pro as it is heavier (she recently had injury in her arm and fractured vertebrae)

While she is not power user, I may believe that the nice form factor and retina are worth it (new MB it is quite expensive and MBA does not have retina)
She will use Safari, word, excel, lots Facetime
 
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ohenriquez said:
Dear Members

My 72 year old mother asked my advice before she was on the verge of buying a "cheap" Windows HP laptop

I am writing this as realised that it posted it on the macbook Section. Happy that this thread is passed to the macbook pro but members can still give advice here, thanks
I am glad that I stopped her
I convinced her to buy a MBPr 13 inches 2014 modeL as it will last for the rest of her life
My wife told me that it is an overkill I believe that she would benefit from the retina nice screen and portability
I am reluctant to tell her to buy standard macbook pro as it is heavier (she recently had injury in her arm and fractured vertebrae)

While she is not power user, I may believe that the nice form factor and retina are worth it (new MB it is quite expensive and MBA does not have retina)
She will use Safari, word, excel, lots Facetime
Click to expand...

your mother wants a " Cheap Window Laptop" and you recommend her a rMBP?? I'm not sure if you are trolling or not. Can she even tell the difference of extra pixels?

Get her a refurbish MBA for sub 1000 dollars and be done with it.
 
Perhaps retina is not only for young people

Thanks for your responses
I said that she was on the verge of buying one that was supposed to be cheap and that it was a Windows computer, inflated price. She does not necessarily want a cheap one.
I have read that retina would reduce chances of eye strain and that the typefaces look sharper and less pixelated, I also read somewhere that retinas are not necessarily for young people as senior citizens notice and would enjoy the retina display
I believe that the double tap to zoom is nice as the zoomed text may be clearer on the retina that on MBA or MPB
Perhaps I wanted to gather some constructive opinions from users who are senior and they may tell me about their experiences with retina.
My mother is lucid, decent eyesight (wears corrective lenses) and retired recently (worked as a Judge in the Criminal Justice System) and she may be more clever than all my brothers.
 
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There seem to be some rather ageist assumptions here, such as the suggestion that this computer will last for the rest of her life, and that the OP should get his mother the largest possible screen.

Come on you lot, these days 72 is no age at all, especially for a woman who has the mental agility and intellect to have worked as a judge in the criminal justice system until recently.

May she live to enjoy another 5 laptops at least (assuming that she wants a new one every 5 years)!

Furthermore, let her enjoy the pleasures of a retina screen. Lol! #
 
CD3660 said:
There seem to be some rather ageist assumptions here, such as the suggestion that this computer will last for the rest of her life, and that the OP should get his mother the largest possible screen.

Come on you lot, these days 72 is no age at all, especially for a woman who has the mental agility and intellect to have worked as a judge in the criminal justice system until recently.

May she live to enjoy another 5 laptops at least (assuming that she wants a new one every 5 years)!

Furthermore, let her enjoy the pleasures of a retina screen. Lol! #
Click to expand...


This was a hard decision for me to make. But I've finally decided that it is best IMO to get her a Chronebook. It is cheap,easy to use, not loaded with too many features, etc. I assume she does not do video editing or virtual machines. Then she won't need more than Chromebook. The quality of display should be ok for someone her age. Good luck and best wishes to you both.
 
ohenriquez said:
Dear Members

My 72 year old mother asked my advice before she was on the verge of buying a "cheap" Windows HP laptop

I am writing this as realised that it posted it on the macbook Section. Happy that this thread is passed to the macbook pro but members can still give advice here, thanks
I am glad that I stopped her
I convinced her to buy a MBPr 13 inches 2014 modeL as it will last for the rest of her life
My wife told me that it is an overkill I believe that she would benefit from the retina nice screen and portability
I am reluctant to tell her to buy standard macbook pro as it is heavier (she recently had injury in her arm and fractured vertebrae)

While she is not power user, I may believe that the nice form factor and retina are worth it (new MB it is quite expensive and MBA does not have retina)
She will use Safari, word, excel, lots Facetime
Click to expand...

You have to consider the end user here. The best computer for any user is the one that they will use.

She's 72. What OS is she using now? Is she familiar with using any computer at all? If so, you have to gauge her ability to adapt to change, and her desire to learn a new OS if she's currently using Windows.

If her eyesight has degraded at all, get the largest, clearest screen you can. That's very helpful. I'm only 41 and I very much appreciate a 28" 4K display on my desktop. On my MBPr I have to choose what one thing I'm working on at a time. Great display, but more hunching over and the occasional squint.
 
Unless a user is doing high demand processing there is zero - zero - need for the Pro line. The Air line is perfect and the base model is well under $1000 and will last years with no issues.
 
I appreciate CD3660 comment
I expect her to live many years and that is why faith in Mac Computers as they can last forever
I got a good deal 13 retina 2014, 8 GBP for 920 dollars, not new but pristine and 3 month warranty
It may be overkill from spec point of view but it is retina
I may believe that unless the person is a power user, there is no need for pro line, sadly the pro line is the one which comes with retina
I am not pro, but a doctor and I have 15 retina BMP
She has an iPhone, my dad and all my 3 brothers have iPhones and Mac, she is the last in the boat ha
I appreciate your comments (will have a look at the chrome for curiosity)
Sadly with chrome she won't do Facetime, Sync Iphone or do imessage
 
As someone who is not quite as "elderly" (ahem) as your mother, being a couple of years younger, I can definitely say that the retina screen is terrific for eyes that are not as great as they were fifty years ago. I have the 13" rMBP and I am more than pleased with it, and notice how while I sometimes have to zoom in on something with my 21.5" iMac non-retina screen, that I seldom have to do that with the 13" rMBP. The machine is fast, it gets the job done and is also small and easy to carry around the house or can be simply parked on a table and used as a sort of "desktop" with the addition of a mouse and wireless keyboard.

I wouldn't expect any machine that you buy now to last "the rest of her life," as she's probably going to be around through many changes of software and hardware as the years pass! Something we are using right now is not going to cut the mustard in 2025, I can assure you!
 
Clix Pix said:
As someone who is not quite as "elderly" (ahem) as your mother, being a couple of years younger, I can definitely say that the retina screen is terrific for eyes that are not as great as they were fifty years ago. I have the 13" rMBP and I am more than pleased with it, and notice how while I sometimes have to zoom in on something with my 21.5" iMac non-retina screen, that I seldom have to do that with the 13" rMBP. The machine is fast, it gets the job done and is also small and easy to carry around the house or can be simply parked on a table and used as a sort of "desktop" with the addition of a mouse and wireless keyboard.

I wouldn't expect any machine that you buy now to last "the rest of her life," as she's probably going to be around through many changes of software and hardware as the years pass! Something we are using right now is not going to cut the mustard in 2025, I can assure you!
Click to expand...

My 91 year old father-in-law likes his 15" rMBP a lot, but finds the text a little small. Next time we're with them I think I will ask him what resolution he's running. (OP, that's a hint!)
 
Honestly folks, 72 is not that old! My 85 year old grandmother has gone through several computers in the past few years, upgrading when she felt the current one no longer met her needs. She's exceptionally with it for her age, but some of the assumptions in thread really surprise me. Why would an older person not appreciate a retina display as much as anyone else?
 
If anything, an elderly person probably appreciates the retina screen MORE than a kid with perfect eyesight!

The text on a retina screen is sharp, crisp and clear, much more so than on even the "regular" iMacs, which I always thought had a pretty good screen. This makes reading anything on the computer so much more pleasant and is easier on the eyes.

As for what resolution at which one is running the machine, that is a good point. Mine is set at "Default for Display" and I have found it more than satisfactory.
It is certainly easier to increase or decrease the resolution, which then can have an impact on the screen "real estate." There are also ways to make the text larger without doing anything to the display resolution settings, but I haven't felt the need to do that.
 
Vey nice responses from Newelly and clix Pix
I appreciate your views and I agree with them. I may feel she will enjoy retina display
I agree that Senior is appropriate term
My mother s mind is very sharp. She is active and I am sure she will appreciate my efforts on getting her a device that she will enjoy (I will contribute financially to the purchase)
She has worked insanely hard (professional and raising 4 children) all her life and if a person deserves the best is her.
 
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