Should I switch my 2012 rMBP 13 inch for a 2013?

[Sean76]

So this is my dilemma...

Just got my machine on Wednesday at J&R Music in NYC, paid $1,499 at about 10:30am, later on in the afternoon I found out about the small spec bump and that the early 2013 versions got announced...Bummmmmmer

Anyway I'm pretty happy with my new machine, however in my eyes it wouldn't hurt to spend a few extra bucks for double the memory (256) opposed to (128) on mine, with a small bump in processor speeds as well.

My dilemma is in the form of how perfect my machine is as far as build quality goes, and how beautiful the screen is, colors pop, and whites are a really beautiful bright white. I've heard horror stories of people getting new rMBP's with yellow screens, small bumps and nicks in the frame, etc. So I guess you could say I'm a little worried on making the switch not because of the money, but because of the chance of getting a lemon or a new one with a yellow screen.

whats everyones take?

 

[snaky69]

So this is my dilemma...

Just got my machine on Wednesday at J&R Music in NYC, paid $1,499 at about 10:30am, later on in the afternoon I found out about the small spec bump and that the early 2013 versions got announced...Bummmmmmer

Anyway I'm pretty happy with my new machine, however in my eyes it wouldn't hurt to spend a few extra bucks for double the memory (256) opposed to (128) on mine, with a small bump in processor speeds as well.

My dilemma is in the form of how perfect my machine is as far as build quality goes, and how beautiful the screen is, colors pop, and whites are a really beautiful bright white. I've heard horror stories of people getting new rMBP's with yellow screens, small bumps and nicks in the frame, etc. So I guess you could say I'm a little worried on making the switch not because of the money, but because of the chance of getting a lemon or a new one with a yellow screen.

whats everyones take?

If you're unhappy with the purchase, return it within 14 days, if anything, you can do that 3-4 times with a new 13" until you find one you like if you're afraid of getting a bad one.

Remember, what you see on forums is a (very) vocal minority, nobody comes on here to say "I'm perfectly happy with my computer", they come here through a google search trying to find a way to fix a problem, or simply to complain.

 

[chrisrosemusic1]

So this is my dilemma...

Just got my machine on Wednesday at J&R Music in NYC, paid $1,499 at about 10:30am, later on in the afternoon I found out about the small spec bump and that the early 2013 versions got announced...Bummmmmmer

Anyway I'm pretty happy with my new machine, however in my eyes it wouldn't hurt to spend a few extra bucks for double the memory (256) opposed to (128) on mine, with a small bump in processor speeds as well.

My dilemma is in the form of how perfect my machine is as far as build quality goes, and how beautiful the screen is, colors pop, and whites are a really beautiful bright white. I've heard horror stories of people getting new rMBP's with yellow screens, small bumps and nicks in the frame, etc. So I guess you could say I'm a little worried on making the switch not because of the money, but because of the chance of getting a lemon or a new one with a yellow screen.

whats everyones take?

It's not enough speed to even worry about. Everything else is exactly the same. If you are happy already, why take a gamble for 100mhz?

 

[Sean76]

Well my worst fear...went to J & R, exchanged mine for one with more storage for $100, and what do you know... A nice scratch on the bottom of the new machine, and an extremely loose squeaky track pad...Ughhhhhh!

Didn't even start it up, it will be going back to the store tomorrow..

 

[KPOM]

Well my worst fear...went to J & R, exchanged mine for one with more storage for $100, and what do you know... A nice scratch on the bottom of the new machine, and an extremely loose squeaky track pad...Ughhhhhh!

Didn't even start it up, it will be going back to the store tomorrow..

Well, the good news is that in a few hours you'll get a nice new one without a scratch. I'd have them open it up in the store so you can see for yourself. It sounds like you really got a lemon, which is pretty rare. Maybe see if they'll throw in an adapter or USB flash drive for your troubles.

 

[Sean76]

I'm diggin your outlook! I will be there Bright and Early tomorrow to get a shiny hopefully scratchless new Machine

 

[Essenar]

At a certain point, you should spend less time at the store and more time at home enjoying your machine.

I got my 2012 cMBP 13.3" around September 2012. It has the entry level specs: 2.5GHZ and no retina screen. At first, I got the 13.3" Air because everyone swore it was the "go to". It just didn't feel like a full sized computer. It felt like a tablet with no touch screen and a keyboard.

I took it back for the classic and exchanged that because the one I got was returned to the bookstore and had a few scratches on the bottom.

Once I got it, I hadn't played with it for a month when the Retina 13 came out. You can bet I was a little upset. But only a little.

I went to the store, played with the Retina and you know what? I wasn't that impressed. I couldn't return my classic because the 30 days were up already so I spent the $500 difference (I got my cPro with a student discount at $1099) in upgrades. I haven't even fully spent $500 and I'm already pretty speedy for the money. I got 8GB of ram initially and a 750GB Momentus XT (2nd Gen).

And I got to go home and enjoy my machine.

Enjoy it! Play with it. Mountain Lion has some great features and you need to just enjoy your machine.

 

[Sean76]

I appreciate your input, and I see what your saying!

However, I think the Retina display is ridiculously beautiful. I had an Air and the difference to me as far as the screen goes is just plain night and day. Now to be clear I'm a certified Gadget nut, I've owned every single iPhone, iPad, and Android phone known to man the last several years. I'm usually one to only update my lap top every few years, as opposed to every few months (sometimes shorter) with phones and tablets. And if I'm spending upwards of $1,700 with tax for a lap top...I want to make sure there's no blemishes out of the box and at least be happy with it for the next couple of years.

Hopefully tomorrow I get a Good one and call it a day and do what you just said...Enjoy it!

 

[Sean76]

Update...

Went to J&R today and swapped for a new 2012 13inch rMBP with 256GB of memory and paid well below what they were charging...paid $1,519...J&R was charging $1,599 for this model, but they price matched Best Buys pricing that was maybe due to it being Presidents Day weekend.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my purchase and I saved some money along the way, if I would have waited a week or two for them to get the 2013 it would have ran me $1,699 before tax for pretty much the same machine.

 

[alphaod]

The current "2013" release is just a spec bump of the 2012 model; that said I would have done the exchange like you did. Sorry to hear that your first exchange didn't turn out so well.

 

[Sean76]

All good so far with this one! If were talking dollars and cents value it only cost me $19 for double the memory on my rMBP. Pretty good deal all in all.

 

[Sean76]

Well sometimes it better to just keep what you have and call it a day!

Here's my update...

After returning my perfecly good 2012 128GB rMBP for the 2012 256GB model here's what I've encountered...

1st return- Pretty big scratch on the bottom of the machine.
2nd return- Backlit keyboard stoped working out of nowhere.
3rd return (Today)- Loose battery or fan inside machine.
4th return (Today)- Extremely loose battery or fan inside machine.

I give up! No more 2012 units for me, I'll patiently wait for them to get stock of the 2013 model next week.

 

[JeffiJers]

Well sometimes it better to just keep what you have and call it a day!

Here's my update...

After returning my perfecly good 2012 128GB rMBP for the 2012 256GB model here's what I've encountered...

1st return- Pretty big scratch on the bottom of the machine.
2nd return- Backlit keyboard stoped working out of nowhere.
3rd return (Today)- Loose battery or fan inside machine.
4th return (Today)- Extremely loose battery or fan inside machine.

I give up! No more 2012 units for me, I'll patiently wait for them to get stock of the 2013 model next week.

sorry to hear about this.... but at the same time it makes me sane. I have been having issues with macbooks lately as well and I started to think it was me. Fact is, there are a large number of issues recently and Apple Needs to take care of them. Not saying they havent but I too am on my 3rd 15R model and this one the screen is no where near as bright as the previous samsung equipped model i had. Plus the fans come on full throttle randomly when there is no CPU usage. (2013 model for anyone who cares)

 

[Lark.Landon]

Well sometimes it better to just keep what you have and call it a day!

Here's my update...

After returning my perfecly good 2012 128GB rMBP for the 2012 256GB model here's what I've encountered...

1st return- Pretty big scratch on the bottom of the machine.
2nd return- Backlit keyboard stoped working out of nowhere.
3rd return (Today)- Loose battery or fan inside machine.
4th return (Today)- Extremely loose battery or fan inside machine.

I give up! No more 2012 units for me, I'll patiently wait for them to get stock of the 2013 model next week.

Omg...and you still want a MacBook Pro?

 

[Sean76]

sorry to hear about this.... but at the same time it makes me sane. I have been having issues with macbooks lately as well and I started to think it was me. Fact is, there are a large number of issues recently and Apple Needs to take care of them. Not saying they havent but I too am on my 3rd 15R model and this one the screen is no where near as bright as the previous samsung equipped model i had. Plus the fans come on full throttle randomly when there is no CPU usage. (2013 model for anyone who cares)

Wow...so all these issues you've had have been with the early 2013 units?

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Omg...and you still want a MacBook Pro?

Yes sir! Like the above poster said though, Apple needs to address a few things...they are nowhere near the monster they used to be when it comes to build quality IMO....But I still really enjoy they're products. These days it really comes down to luck of the draw, and from what I've heard...Apple's refurb business is through the roof these days. Think about it, all these units that get brought back for issues that were talking about get sold for hundreds less, so Apple has an angle here and wins either way.

 

[JeffiJers]

Wow...so all these issues you've had have been with the early 2013 units?

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Yes sir! Like the above poster said though, Apple needs to address a few things...they are nowhere near the monster they used to be when it comes to build quality IMO....But I still really enjoy they're products. These days it really comes down to luck of the draw, and from what I've heard...Apple's refurb business is through the roof these days. Think about it, all these units that get brought back for issues that were talking about get sold for hundreds less, so Apple has an angle here and wins either way.

First 2012 2.3 LG display - bottom of computer would get ROASTING hot while plugged into the wall. Power nap disabled. So hot it filled my room with a semi burning smell.

Second 2012 2.3 Samsung - after being on for an extended period of time the screen would flicker and leave horizontal lines. Turning it off would temp fix it

Third 2013 2.4 LG display - noticeably dimmer then my previous samsung pannel. Im guessing 20% & my cooling fans will come on max randomly when cpu is not under any load at all. for 2200$ quality control needs to be better, shocking apple would even still be using LG after the amount of issues. And for some to say the majority users dont have them is just the word of a sheep. Your average PC user wont be spending 2k+ on a laptop and even if someone is a general user they are getting taken for their money if they are unaware of what IR is.

I also agree with your last statement.

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

It's not enough speed to even worry about. Everything else is exactly the same. If you are happy already, why take a gamble for 100mhz?

I think you missed the part where he said he can get a 256GB for almost the same price

 

[Sean76]

First 2012 2.3 LG display - bottom of computer would get ROASTING hot while plugged into the wall. Power nap disabled. So hot it filled my room with a semi burning smell.

Second 2012 2.3 Samsung - after being on for an extended period of time the screen would flicker and leave horizontal lines. Turning it off would temp fix it

Third 2013 2.4 LG display - noticeably dimmer then my previous samsung pannel. Im guessing 20% & my cooling fans will come on max randomly when cpu is not under any load at all. for 2200$ quality control needs to be better, shocking apple would even still be using LG after the amount of issues. And for some to say the majority users dont have them is just the word of a sheep. Your average PC user wont be spending 2k+ on a laptop and even if someone is a general user they are getting taken for their money if they are unaware of what IR is.

I also agree with your last statement.

Well I have 2 choices here...I can either wait for them to get the 13 inch rMBP in on Monday...$1,699

or Gamble again with another 2012 model for $1,449 for the 128GB model. They haven't any more 2012 256GB units in the store.

ughhhhhh.....This is why Apple infuriates me sometimes, for this type of money for a lap top....Quality should be spot on!

 

[JeffiJers]

Well I have 2 choices here...I can either wait for them to get the 13 inch rMBP in on Monday...$1,699

or Gamble again with another 2012 model for $1,449 for the 128GB model. They haven't any more 2012 256GB units in the store.

ughhhhhh.....This is why Apple infuriates me sometimes, for this type of money for a lap top....Quality should be spot on!

tough call.. flip a coin haha extra storage is nice although not sure your use of the computer maybe its not needed

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

Well I have 2 choices here...I can either wait for them to get the 13 inch rMBP in on Monday...$1,699

or Gamble again with another 2012 model for $1,449 for the 128GB model. They haven't any more 2012 256GB units in the store.

ughhhhhh.....This is why Apple infuriates me sometimes, for this type of money for a lap top....Quality should be spot on!

I did the exact thing you are contemplating, last thursday. I bought the computer 4 days before, then wedensday they announce the spec bump, I took it back got a free upgrade 2.5-2.6, and got $300 back lol. My first one had a scratch on the case from the factory, the new one is flawless.

 

[Sean76]

tough call.. flip a coin haha extra storage is nice although not sure your use of the computer maybe its not needed

Some personal and business use. Running Parallels for the use of W7, and a lot of use with the Numbers app which stores in the cloud anyway...

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I did the exact thing you are contemplating, last thursday. I bought the computer 4 days before, then wedensday they announce the spec bump, I took it back got a free upgrade 2.5-2.6, and got $300 back lol. My first one had a scratch on the case from the factory, the new one is flawless.

You exchanged for a 2013...And its Flawless? If so that's good news...

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

Some personal and business use. Running Parallels for the use of W7, and a lot of use with the Numbers app which stores in the cloud anyway...

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You exchanged for a 2013...And its Flawless? If so that's good news...

yeah I bought a 2012 256 GB 2.5 i5 on sunday 2/10/13, on 2/13/10 they announce the spec bump, the 2012 I had was fine all except one scratch near the power button, that was like that out of the box. On 2/14/13 I went and returned it and got the 2.6 i5 and got $300+ back, and the 2013 is great no issues either.

 

[Sean76]

yeah I bought a 2012 256 GB 2.5 i5 on sunday 2/10/13, on 2/13/10 they announce the spec bump, the 2012 I had was fine all except one scratch near the power button, that was like that out of the box. On 2/14/13 I went and returned it and got the 2.6 i5 and got $300+ back, and the 2013 is great no issues either.

Yea I'm just gonna wait for the 2013 to arrive in the store this coming Monday. Something inside me just doesn't dig buying last years model....lol

 

[iPhonesandMacs]

Yea I'm just gonna wait for the 2013 to arrive in the store this coming Monday. Something inside me just doesn't dig buying last years model....lol

same here lol. If I ever go to resell, it will be a 2013, which looks better than 2012 haha

 

[Sean76]

Update...

Well at the end of the day I'm just gonna enjoy my machine and call it a day. My sales guy who took care of me called today and said get down there now. I went with the 13inch rMBP 128GB version and paid $1,349...For that price I just couldn't say no. In my eyes 2012, 2013,...Whatever! I was getting caught up in the nonsense and really loosing sight of the fact that its only a computer and I was missing the boat on actually sitting down and enjoying it.

What I got is what I got...If something amazing comes out in the Summer and I fall into the trap of...I JUST HAVE TO HAVE IT, I'll just sell mine as I keep my stuff in pristine condition and keep it moving...lol, what a week!