Yes - as the title says.
Who buys the MBP 13" - and why? What is it used for and which config did you buy?
Who buys the MBP 13" - and why? What is it used for and which config did you buy?
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Who buys the MBP 13"?
- Thread starter sergiobaschi
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People who need/want a Mac at a particular price and don't want to buy used. It has been my experience that most people greatly overbuy because they greatly over estimate their needs.
I guess you are talking about the cMBP (Unibody) and not the rMBP and when you say "why", I assume you mean why a 13" cMBP and not MBA or rMBP or 15" MBP?
I've recently purchased a 13" cMBP second hand, but in great condition, just over a year old (so late 2011 model). It was a combination of affordability, portability, performance (more than MBA), ability to upgrade (will soon upgrade RAM and SSD) and I'm working in the Telecoms/IT world, so I've got a preference for notebooks with wired ethernet capability, even if I use it with wireless most of the time.
I've also got a 23" Dell Ultrasharp monitor and desktop machine at home. So if I want screen size and pixels, I can have that too, otherwise I might have gone for 15" if it had to be my only computing device.
I've recently purchased a 13" cMBP second hand, but in great condition, just over a year old (so late 2011 model). It was a combination of affordability, portability, performance (more than MBA), ability to upgrade (will soon upgrade RAM and SSD) and I'm working in the Telecoms/IT world, so I've got a preference for notebooks with wired ethernet capability, even if I use it with wireless most of the time.
I've also got a 23" Dell Ultrasharp monitor and desktop machine at home. So if I want screen size and pixels, I can have that too, otherwise I might have gone for 15" if it had to be my only computing device.
I believe it's the highest selling MacBook Pro so there is a huge diversity of people who buy it and for a large number of different needs. And the biggest reason is it's the least expensive Mac for the highest amount of hard drive space.
Most non-enthusiast buyers don't care about SSD's vs HDD's. They just want the hard drive space.
Most non-enthusiast buyers don't care about SSD's vs HDD's. They just want the hard drive space.
I bought a 13 inch. Although I would have liked a 15" or 13" retina, the difference in price and the fact that I don't really need the features they offer meant I went with the base 13" cMBP, and upgraded it myself to 8GB ram for £30.
If the recent slight price drop of the 13" retina had happened when I was about to buy a MBP, I would have gone for the 256GB retina model, because I am going to upgrade my cMBP to a 256GB SSD anyway, so then the difference in price would be minor for a better form factor and that screen.
If the recent slight price drop of the 13" retina had happened when I was about to buy a MBP, I would have gone for the 256GB retina model, because I am going to upgrade my cMBP to a 256GB SSD anyway, so then the difference in price would be minor for a better form factor and that screen.
I'm waiting to upgrade my base Air 2011 with the new Haswell retina model equals to current 13" 2.6/256SSD. I'll use it for the very same web development and photography.
aaaaaand I'm tired of waiting !
aaaaaand I'm tired of waiting !
I totally agree with you. Given that "most non-enthusiast buyers" usually don't hang around at this forum, I thought it would be interesting.
One reason to cMBP 13" being the highest selling MBP (I don't know that) can be the very same reason I'm using one right now (as my signature reveals): the company where I work bought it. They buy the 13" base model for most of the employees, who normally don't do anything else than write and use the web - some designers and IT-staff get iMacs/rMPB, and I know that we'll buy a couple of the new Mac Pros whenever they are available.
Personally I don't like it at all. I'm used to a much snappier response. It got better after I convinced the IT-guy that I needed 8 GB of RAM, but my 2011 MBA still feels faster.
While you may not care for it, many people do in fact like the 13" MBP.
I've owned one, my wife uses one and its a great laptop that fits a variety of needs. While I'm on a 15" laptop now, I will say I enjoyed the portability of the 13". Its easier to use on your lap or lug around while on your arm.
Different strokes for different folks.
I've owned one, my wife uses one and its a great laptop that fits a variety of needs. While I'm on a 15" laptop now, I will say I enjoyed the portability of the 13". Its easier to use on your lap or lug around while on your arm.
Different strokes for different folks.
The MBP 13 is overpriced for its specs. An MBA 13 is a much stronger value. Better screen resolution, much faster storage sub system and battery life, and a CPU that's within spitting distance of the Pro all for similar or less money.
You do realize you're comparing a SSD equipped computer with a spinning platter hard drive equipped one, right? Which is exactly where 100% of the speed difference you notice comes from, right?
It's a given your MBA will feel snappier for opening apps and such. Start actually pushing the processor though, and your MBA will be left in the dust of your MBP. I guess your usage is not very processor intensive.
I bought a 2012 13" MBP (Base Model) off of craigslist (brand new). It was an upgrade to my Mac Mini (my first mac) so I could bring it around at school. I loved the size and the form factor. I didnt really like the speaker section of the 15" and 17" models, I preferred the edge to edge keyboard. But after a while, the dual-core started to get to me, and my Asus gaming laptop died, so I ended up selling the 13" MBP and upgrading to the 15" rMBP. While I did still prefer the look and feel of the 13", the dimensional ratios of length and width to thickness was a lot more appealing to me than the 13" model. I absolutely love my 15" rMBP now, but if the 13" rMBP refresh were to be thinner and include dedicated graphics, I may just reconsider...
I bought a 2012 13" cMBP around the holidays last year and installed an SSD. It's my primary work machine. I don't care about a fancy display plus most of the time it's hooked up to an external monitor. Thus, I wasn't willing to spend extra for the retina display. While I take it to work everyday, I don't travel enough to care about it's extra thickness and weight. Having a built-in ethernet port is fairly important to me. I'm always plugging into wired networks and carrying an adapter around every time I do that is annoying, although, I realize it's only a matter of time until Apple doesn't have any laptops that have built-in ethernet. The most important reasons, however, were because I needed the option for 16GB RAM (which I'm on the verge of requiring now due to VMs) and I really like that I can install 2, internal, normal-sized hard drives.
For me, the 13" cMBP is the best laptop for my needs even right now. If I had to buy a new one today, I'd buy the same one even though it hasn't been upgraded to Haswell and might not ever. Going with a MBA or rMBP means I'd have to sacrifice too much.
The fact that the 13" MBA and rMBP don't support 16GB RAM are deal breakers for me. I need portability and lots of RAM.
For me, the 13" cMBP is the best laptop for my needs even right now. If I had to buy a new one today, I'd buy the same one even though it hasn't been upgraded to Haswell and might not ever. Going with a MBA or rMBP means I'd have to sacrifice too much.
The fact that the 13" MBA and rMBP don't support 16GB RAM are deal breakers for me. I need portability and lots of RAM.
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+1 and plus storage space. the 13" MBP can be fitted with not only larger drives (both SSD or HDD), but also the ODD can be removed and swapped out with yet another SSD or HDD.
The screen on the MBA might have a higher resolution but it looks terrible compared to the MBP panel. Being able to put 16 gb of ram a ssd or maybe two of them in the pro is pretty cool.
You need an SSD. That is where the snappyness of the Air comes from. Not sure what you can do since it is a company machine. If you have to carry it around a lot you might complain about the weight and request a 13'' Air (almost same cost).
The 13" is the ideal size for me. It has more than adequate performance, plenty of HDD space, enough RAM, decent size, not too heavy to carry, etc.
The 13" cMBP was Apple's largest selling laptop up until recently. Even now at $1199, it's still a great buy. While retina gets all the hype, the cMBP is still a very capable machine.
I'd probably still pick it over the air, simply because the screen is better.
The 13" cMBP was Apple's largest selling laptop up until recently. Even now at $1199, it's still a great buy. While retina gets all the hype, the cMBP is still a very capable machine.
I'd probably still pick it over the air, simply because the screen is better.
I've had my 2009 13" MBP since just after release. It was a great machine at the time despite shipping with Leopard. I got the base model with 2 gb RAM and just recently upgraded to 8 gb in hopes of getting Mavericks (been running SL for a year but want the new features). I'm on HDD #3, but SSDs are more than I can afford as a college student. This machine has served me well for four years, and hopefully I can get another year out of it before it bites the dust.
I almost upgraded to the newish cMBP, but my 2009 decided it could hold out a while longer. Retinas are too pricey for me, and I don't like the Air form factor.
I almost upgraded to the newish cMBP, but my 2009 decided it could hold out a while longer. Retinas are too pricey for me, and I don't like the Air form factor.
Not so much about saving money for me...if that were the case I'd get a nice looking, powerful PC. It's the fact that it's the perfect size, shape, look, feel and has good performance along with more conventional parts which can be upgraded easily. Basically, everything that sets it apart from the rMBP is what I love about it. I'm no fan of the rMBP because as slim as possible at the cost of upgradeability isn't what I look for in a Mac. I guess it makes sense for an Air but not for the Pro in my opinion.
I bought one for my wife over the MBA-13 because:
1. You can put a 750GB hybrid in it
2. It was easy to cheaply upgrade the memory to 8GB
3. It has a higher quality display (though lower resolution)
4. Should she need even more drive space I can use the optibay
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1. You can put a 750GB hybrid in it
2. It was easy to cheaply upgrade the memory to 8GB
3. It has a higher quality display (though lower resolution)
4. Should she need even more drive space I can use the optibay
>
If you categorize "entry level" only by the absolute lowest PRICE then sure. While the 11" MBA is a nice machine, IMO it is a niche machine and I wouldn't recommend it to many as their sole computer or their first entry in the the Mac realm.