I was pretty irritated with Apple when they DC'ed the 17" MBPs and got rid of the optical drives. I use my optical drive quite often, and the idea of having to get a peripheral that would clutter up my desk? I loathe clutter. And the new "thinner" iMacs? I seriously can't believe that someone approved that idea and let it get all the way to production.
I've been thinking of ordering one of the few remaining 17" MBP refurbs from the Apple store, but the thing is, the MBP I bought in summer of 2007 (!!!) is still going strong. Really strong. I love this thing.
It's had a few fixes and upgrades: a replacement video card (on Apple's dime; I had the NVIDIA card problem), a new battery, and recently a new hard drive and more RAM. All of that has kept it running really well for what I use it for. Which isn't as much these days, just web surfing, music, downloading, occasional Photoshop and Lightroom use, and more rarely, Painter X. The next thing most likely to go on this machine would be... what, the CPU or the screen? Then, of course, I think she's done.
I'm basically stuck with a dilemma: I have a perfectly good computer (for now), but with an uncertain lifespan remaining to it. If I spend the money on a new one, I get another 17" computer with optical drive -- which is what I want and need -- and then I have potentially another 5 years out of that machine (I hope). But this machine is still all I really need in terms of speed and performance. I don't think it has much resale value at this point. Aesthetically, I also prefer this older style of MBP. The black keyboard is just so tacky. I kind of just love this ol' machine to bits in every way. I wish there was a way to predict how much longer it will hold out.
It's really all about the money. Do I have $2500+ cash to spend right now? Not so much, although I can certainly buy the computer and pay it off over several months. But it's still a lot of money! I'm frustrated because Apple has forced this decision. I'm not crazy: I won't go back to a PC. I can't do a Hackintosh because I need a notebook, and I'm not exactly a tech-oriented person. If I wait until this thing dies, I'll be stuck with an optical drive-less 15" MBP? That is far too small of a screen. I am so... GRRR, right now.
Basically, I think I'm posting this for support to buy (or not?), for opinions, or maybe someone can see into the future and see that 17" notebooks might return to the lineup? Gah! I kind of know I have to buy it now or forget about it, but I needed to get this off my chest.
I've been thinking of ordering one of the few remaining 17" MBP refurbs from the Apple store, but the thing is, the MBP I bought in summer of 2007 (!!!) is still going strong. Really strong. I love this thing.
It's had a few fixes and upgrades: a replacement video card (on Apple's dime; I had the NVIDIA card problem), a new battery, and recently a new hard drive and more RAM. All of that has kept it running really well for what I use it for. Which isn't as much these days, just web surfing, music, downloading, occasional Photoshop and Lightroom use, and more rarely, Painter X. The next thing most likely to go on this machine would be... what, the CPU or the screen? Then, of course, I think she's done.
I'm basically stuck with a dilemma: I have a perfectly good computer (for now), but with an uncertain lifespan remaining to it. If I spend the money on a new one, I get another 17" computer with optical drive -- which is what I want and need -- and then I have potentially another 5 years out of that machine (I hope). But this machine is still all I really need in terms of speed and performance. I don't think it has much resale value at this point. Aesthetically, I also prefer this older style of MBP. The black keyboard is just so tacky. I kind of just love this ol' machine to bits in every way. I wish there was a way to predict how much longer it will hold out.
It's really all about the money. Do I have $2500+ cash to spend right now? Not so much, although I can certainly buy the computer and pay it off over several months. But it's still a lot of money! I'm frustrated because Apple has forced this decision. I'm not crazy: I won't go back to a PC. I can't do a Hackintosh because I need a notebook, and I'm not exactly a tech-oriented person. If I wait until this thing dies, I'll be stuck with an optical drive-less 15" MBP? That is far too small of a screen. I am so... GRRR, right now.
Basically, I think I'm posting this for support to buy (or not?), for opinions, or maybe someone can see into the future and see that 17" notebooks might return to the lineup? Gah! I kind of know I have to buy it now or forget about it, but I needed to get this off my chest.
