Should I buy the discontinued MacBook?

[ThunderRoad]

Looking to buy a new laptop, my first since my 2009 MacBook Pro died.

I'm in the UK and the MacBook 12" is priced at £800, with a free 2 year guarantee. For £150 more I can get the MacBook Air.

I'm certain that the MacBook 12 will be able to handle my basic needs. I'll be predominantly using Chrome, Pages and iTunes. I'm sort of concerned about buying a discontinued product though. I know that may sound stupid, but I don't want to be left behind in the near future it terms of updates etc.

Do I have anything to worry about, or should I go for this deal?

https://www.johnlewis.com/2017-appl...-ram-256gb-ssd-intel-hd-graphics-615/p3247789

 

[ruslan120]

I would go with the Air.

Both have the pleasant but unreliable butterfly keyboard, and both are covered under the keyboard replacement program, but it’s from the “first sale of any retail unit,” which as I understand means that the Air gets an additional 2 years of coverage.

With the Air you get a better screen which as I take it isn’t of great importance to you but combined with the additional coverage should make it worth the upgrade.

Edit: (additional information)

With the Air you also get a slightly better processor which should handle webpages better as content gets more demanding. Better video playback, etc.

 

[borgusio]

Just bought three

 

[HappyIntro]

I'd say if you value portability very much, there's no substitute for the 12" MacBook - you should get it while these deals last. The £800 deal you're getting is just too good to pass up. The Air is a nice machine but costs way more than the on-sale 12" MacBook, and as noted on these boards often, it's not much lighter than a 13" MacBook Pro, which has many nice upgrades over the Air.

 

[borgusio]

I'd say if you value portability very much, there's no substitute for the 12" MacBook - you should get it while these deals last. The £800 deal you're getting is just too good to pass up. The Air is a nice machine but costs way more than the on-sale 12" MacBook, and as noted on these boards often, it's not much lighter than a 13" MacBook Pro, which has many nice upgrades over the Air.

Plus the air is much larger than the 12“ and it does not fit airplane and train trays as well...

 

[JamesTheMac]

Plus the air is much larger than the 12“ and it does not fit airplane and train trays as well...

I second that comment. There are many that say the Air is not much bigger than the MacBook. But it really does make a difference in portability.

Mine is a great replacement the old 11” air I had.

 

[nburwell]

The 12" MB is great and as others mentioned, it's ultra portable. I use it for basic tasks, as well is light photo editing and it's a great machine. If I didn't already own one, I would have no reservations about buying a discontinued model.

 

[glhiii]

Just bought a second (spare) MacBook on eBay. Unless you need the power of the pro, the MacBook is a lot more portable and does most things just as well.

 

[sky87]

Looking to buy a new laptop, my first since my 2009 MacBook Pro died.

I'm in the UK and the MacBook 12" is priced at £800, with a free 2 year guarantee. For £150 more I can get the MacBook Air.

I'm certain that the MacBook 12 will be able to handle my basic needs. I'll be predominantly using Chrome, Pages and iTunes. I'm sort of concerned about buying a discontinued product though. I know that may sound stupid, but I don't want to be left behind in the near future it terms of updates etc.

Do I have anything to worry about, or should I go for this deal?

https://www.johnlewis.com/2017-appl...-ram-256gb-ssd-intel-hd-graphics-615/p3247789

I just bought a 12" Macbook last month (after it was discontinued) - the first time I've ever bought a discontinued Apple product. I'm usually a very early adopter and buy my Apple items either launch day or within the first couple of months after launch. No regrets so far, just wish I had bought one earlier!

So far it's been pretty amazing in terms of portability. I bring it around with me and it's so light that I don't feel the weight much (whereas when I carried my 13" MBP around, I was always very aware of its weight). I use it for Safari, Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), PDFs, some photos, occasional iTunes. It does feel slower than my 13" MBP when opening up apps, switching apps, or waking up from sleep, but once apps are loaded it doesn't feel slower compared to my quad-core 16GB 13" MBP when running these apps.

Since you mentioned Chrome - just be aware that for some reason Chrome doesn't seem to run quite so well on Macbooks as it does on PCs. I was a Chrome user on PC but switched to Safari when I switched to Mac last year, and Safari runs pretty well on Mac. I'm not sure how well Chrome might run on the MB 12" as not tried this out.

 

[Nbd1790]

I think the MacBook will be supported for a long time (so no worries in that aspect) I have a 2013 MBP that is still supported and I think it still will be for another few years. In my personal opinion, I think a 13 inch laptop is a great size for portability. I just recently picked up a 13 inch MBP 2018 from Best Buy at a discount in comparison to the newer models. Coming from a 15 inch laptop, its really great in terms of portability. Fits on Airplane tray tables, easy to use on the go in a car or while commuting. For your needs, the MBA or MBP will certainly have a great deal of more power. With that being said, my girlfriend uses the standard MacBook for med school and she has no complaints with it and constantly as multiple apps / windows open in her web browser. At this point, it comes down to personal preference as to what machine you like better. The MBA and MBP will most likely provide you a longer life span in terms of aging and slowing down being that the processors are much more powerful. Hope this helps clarify a few things for you! Good luck

 

[kp98077]

So if one is trying to decide between an iPad Pro 12.9 and a Macbook 12” for portability.... (to accompany a 16” if they ever come out!) would the 12” be as powerful as the IPad 12.9? Assuming so..... I like the idea of a lid/keyboard.....
[doublepost=1566061116][/doublepost]Oh and does anyone know in the US where the best pricing is for a 12”?

 

[racoop]

So if one is trying to decide between an iPad Pro 12.9 and a Macbook 12” for portability.... (to accompany a 16” if they ever come out!) would the 12” be as powerful as the IPad 12.9? Assuming so..... I like the idea of a lid/keyboard.....
[doublepost=1566061116][/doublepost]Oh and does anyone know in the US where the best pricing is for a 12”?

I just got one for the portability factor. Electronic Express still has stock of brand new mid-level i5/512/8GB models in space grey for $1099. That is a great deal and I got another $20 off by ordering through Google Express. No tax and free shipping making the discount huge at $1079 delivered.

I'm not interested in an iPad because of the scientific software I use. This MacBook handles it all flawlessly. I love it.

 

[kp98077]

I just got one for the portability factor. Electronic Express still has stock of brand new mid-level i5/512/8GB models in space grey for $1099. That is a great deal and I got another $20 off by ordering through Google Express. No tax and free shipping making the discount huge at $1079 delivered.

I'm not interested in an iPad because of the scientific software I use. This MacBook handles it all flawlessly. I love it.

good points, I haven't found however, much the iPad can't do on the go surprisingly..... and its snappy as heck.... tough choice!!!

 

[kp98077]

Any concerns given these are all 2017s if bought new over keyboard? Doesn’t seem to be as big an issue as other lines....?

 

[0989382]

The Air is newer, and in most ways better. But it's more expensive too.

The UK deal at John Lewis is what I got about a month ago, and any shortcoming or flaw or weakness the MacBook had is well worth it at this price. It's a steal, really. The two year guarantee is the cherry on the top, because if coming up to two years it 'breaks' and you get a replacement from John Lewis... it's not going to be another new MacBook, it'll be a much better current machine for the time anyway! You can't lose.

Two days after opening mines it was discontinued. Apple won't leave you hanging. For the typical price of the MB without the discount, they'd better ensure users get at least 3 more years of seamless support for these machines. And frankly, if I get 3 years out of mines, it'd be the lowest cost of ownership Mac I've ever owned.

If you ever had any attraction to the MB, now's the time to buy it. As we might not see it or anything like it again in a 'Post PC' world. This is the true thinnest, lightest Mac we'll ever see. Though, in fairness, the new Air is 'as thin' as need be by most measures, but more powerful.

 

[Jack Neill]

Every time I use my 12" PowerBook I want to try a 12" MacBook. I think they are kind of underpowered though and the keyboard is a POS.

 

[kp98077]

The Air is newer, and in most ways better. But it's more expensive too.

The UK deal at John Lewis is what I got about a month ago, and any shortcoming or flaw or weakness the MacBook had is well worth it at this price. It's a steal, really. The two year guarantee is the cherry on the top, because if coming up to two years it 'breaks' and you get a replacement from John Lewis... it's not going to be another new MacBook, it'll be a much better current machine for the time anyway! You can't lose.

Two days after opening mines it was discontinued. Apple won't leave you hanging. For the typical price of the MB without the discount, they'd better ensure users get at least 3 more years of seamless support for these machines. And frankly, if I get 3 years out of mines, it'd be the lowest cost of ownership Mac I've ever owned.

If you ever had any attraction to the MB, now's the time to buy it. As we might not see it or anything like it again in a 'Post PC' world. This is the true thinnest, lightest Mac we'll ever see. Though, in fairness, the new Air is 'as thin' as need be by most measures, but more powerful.

The air is really not much more in the Us. You’re paying for portability I think .....

 

[0989382]

The air is really not much more in the Us. You’re paying for portability I think .....

OP has the opportunity to buy it for £800 , when it is usually £1250 in the UK. Normally, the Pro and Air were also this price until recently.

Now the Air is £1100, still a decent chunk more.

 

[borgusio]

Any concerns given these are all 2017s if bought new over keyboard? Doesn’t seem to be as big an issue as other lines....?

To be honest I did not have any issues with this keyboard on my 2015 and I do not expect issues on the 2017 either.

There is one important thing to mention though: at times it happened to me that a key won't work all of a sudden. Knowing that the reason is for some dust or bread crumb beneath the button, my immediate action was always to gently shake the laptop and after that spray compressed air from a flask I have ordered for 5 USD from amazon into the keyboard.

The keys always worked again right away.

If you try to push the malfunctioning key as hard as you can (like people may have done out of frustration) instead of cleaning it, you will end up potentially breaking the key.

Really it is only about managing your device with a bit of care, that's it. While I understand that it is sub-optimal, is nothing unknown when taking care of expensive electronic. A little inconvenience to pay for an otherwise amazing piece of HW. I mean, do you realise how thin is that?

 

[donnut]

I bought mine maxed out with the light i7 and 16gb RAM. It does most things I want and need flawlessly, including occasional gaming on medium graphics. I have not owned it long enough to notice any issues with the keyboard yet, and I actually love the feel of the butterfly mechanism and prefer it to my 2015 MacBook Pro. I find myself typing faster with greater accuracy on it. I'm a student and value portability over almost everything else. I'm a little sad they discontinued it, but suspect it may return as their first ARM chip laptop.

 

[ThunderRoad]

I went for the discontinued MacBook 12 in the end. £800 and a free two year warranty just seemed too good to pass on.

So far I'm loving it. I really think it's one of the best looking laptops Apple have ever made. It's like their obsession with thinness taken to the limit, which people will either love or hate I suppose.

 

[ascender]

I missed out on that deal unfortunately and I guess stocks are now going to start to become limited. The big attraction of this one for our team is that quite a few of us run/bike to work and need an ultraportable laptop - so the smaller footprint and few hundred g savings over the rest of the range really are attractive.

Will have a look online today - is anybody aware of any really good deals on these elsewhere at the moment?

 

[AudiHeel]

I bought the 12" in March and its been great. Love there is no fan noise. Picked mine up for $590 total open box certified. If you get the Air I think you may as well get the Pro. The 12" is so light, portable and quiet. I can stretch out on the couch and it sits in my lap with ease, and you can pick it up with 2 fingers. I'll have a dozen+ tabs open and it doesn't skip a beat. The 2017 version is a good bit better than the original 2015 version. And I've moved from chrome to safari.

 

[ascender]

Looks like all the UK stock (other than Apple) of the m3 model has now been sold although there's a few left in-store at John Lewis, just not near us! The i5 version with 512GB SSD is on sale for £999 from a few places.

 

[ascender]

Ended up getting a train to Glasgow and picking up their last one for £799 with their two year warranty. Perfect!