Would you buy a new Macbook today?

[leeuk321]

I love mine too, but at the price I would take the base MBP all day long, get so much more with it and I was in the apple store with mine the other day and compared there isnt a great deal of difference.

Ive also had lots of screen problems with mine. Its had 3 displays in 3 years, keyboard is too close to the display so the key marks are really bad and the hinge keeps giving up and the play is awful. Basically the hinge is plastic and wears out not like the macbook pro where you can tighten it up.

I also find the one USB c very limiting from a power point of view. It can power one device with a dongle if you plug in a HDD and a memory stick it will unmount. You have to use a pass through charger dongle which means if your out and about and need to move one file from one device to another you have to use a pass through or move it from the device to the laptop unmount the drive and plug in another.

I also find the port unreliable as its got older its got looser and the drives unmount all the time! So frustrating.

Mine is really only used in the house too so its not like im hammering it on the go all the time. Done 300 cycles and is a 2015... not really been happy with its longevity. If I had bought it without applecare I would be one pi$$ed off customer.

Funnily enough no issues with the keyboard.

I would give it a pass.

The single USB-C port is a limiting factor for sure, and obviously it isn't just as simple as sticking another port in. There's the space for the cable, plus the whole architecture would have to be bumped up to handle the extra power and data. Before you know it a fan needs to be put in and you soon arrive at the MacBook Air. I suppose that Apple designed it with it's main focus on 'absolute portability'; and, carrying around an ultra-thin ultra-light laptop with a dongle and a bunch of drives to do a load of file-moving probably goes against the grain of that.

I own a Macbook and I wouldn't sell it to get an Air or Pro. It's got it's compromises, but the fact that it's so light and completely silent wins the contest for me. It's like with anything, you can't have it all.

 

[CrazyForCashews]

No I wouldn't because it'll be refreshed/redesigned next year.

ARM processor, scissor keyboard, implementation of Touch-ID, True Tone, slightly larger screen from reducing the bezels, and a better webcam.

It'll also be renamed the MacBook Air. Two Air sizes, two Pro sizes.

 

[tomscott1988]

Wishful thinking.

 

[sky87]

Argh, so I just picked up the refurb MB 12" I ordered today from the Apple store. Brought it home and it seems to be dead on arrival - won't turn on even with an SMC reset. Looks like it's going to be a trip back to the Apple store to return it...

On the upside, it definitely feels far smaller and lighter than my MBP 13". And it's not that much larger and heavier than my iPad Pro 10.5" with the smart keyboard. So it really looks very attractive as an option to bring around with me since it's the smaller form factor for macOS...

 

[spiderpumpkin]

Argh, so I just picked up the refurb MB 12" I ordered today from the Apple store. Brought it home and it seems to be dead on arrival - won't turn on even with an SMC reset. Looks like it's going to be a trip back to the Apple store to return it...

On the upside, it definitely feels far smaller and lighter than my MBP 13". And it's not that much larger and heavier than my iPad Pro 10.5" with the smart keyboard. So it really looks very attractive as an option to bring around with me since it's the smaller form factor for macOS...

Maybe charge it for a while?

 

[kitt9000]

Argh, so I just picked up the refurb MB 12" I ordered today from the Apple store. Brought it home and it seems to be dead on arrival - won't turn on even with an SMC reset. Looks like it's going to be a trip back to the Apple store to return it...

On the upside, it definitely feels far smaller and lighter than my MBP 13". And it's not that much larger and heavier than my iPad Pro 10.5" with the smart keyboard. So it really looks very attractive as an option to bring around with me since it's the smaller form factor for macOS...

Sorry to hear that. certainly not a good first experience. Good that you bought from apple and have options. Agreed leave it charging for a while to see if it wakes up...can also try your MBP charger to be sure that it is not just a bad usb cable or power brick. If all else fails, just order another refurb and return this one...and you'll be back to using MAC-OS on this small form factor in no time.

I'm just a week out into my Best Buy purchase of the i5 512GB 2017 model and am torn about getting AppleCare +, or AppleCare regular if that's still available over the phone and its cost.

 

[Scarpad]

I don't currently have a Macbook, and I don't need it at the moment. As I said in another thread, I always loved the footprint of the 12" Macbook, but I was waiting on a true refresh (2 USB-Cs, HD Webcam, scissor keyboard) to purchase one. With the discontinuation I'm currently deciding if I should buy a new 2017 Macbook right now while there are some left in stock at a few places just to make sure I have one going forward.

We all know ARM Macbooks are coming at some point (rumors said 2020), and if there was some sort of leak pointing to this 12" Macbook design being used again in the near future for an ARM based Macbook, I'd def wait, but there are no guarantees that this form factor will ever be reused. The 13.3" Air might be the smallest Macbook in Apples lineup for the foreseeable future.

I can currently get either a:
m3/256gb/8gb/silver for $850
i5/512gb/8gb/space gray for $1,150

$300 more for the improved CPU and SSD don't mean much to me, for what I do I wouldn't notice the difference, but I prefer space gray. However, there are no m3/256 config's in space gray available. I'd pay more for 16gb RAM model, but none of the configurations offer more than 8gb.

Buy now or wait and hope this designed is used again in the next couple years when Apple starts selling ARM based Macbooks?

typing this on my rose gold 2017 MacBook now. I bought it in may for $799 I love it it sits so easily on my lap. If you can get it for less than that I say go for it.

 

[sky87]

Maybe charge it for a while?

Sorry to hear that. certainly not a good first experience. Good that you bought from apple and have options. Agreed leave it charging for a while to see if it wakes up...can also try your MBP charger to be sure that it is not just a bad usb cable or power brick. If all else fails, just order another refurb and return this one...and you'll be back to using MAC-OS on this small form factor in no time.

I'm just a week out into my Best Buy purchase of the i5 512GB 2017 model and am torn about getting AppleCare +, or AppleCare regular if that's still available over the phone and its cost.

Well stuck it on my MBP charger for a few hours (which is definitely working as it charges up my MBP!) and still... nothing. Trip back to the Apple store for me then. Thankfully it's not that far away!

Since I have to order another refurb model I'm now thinking of the base m3/256GB/8GB - since it's going to be a secondary laptop I'm thinking I might not need quite that much space on it, especially with things like OneDrive/Synology...

 

[kitt9000]

Well stuck it on my MBP charger for a few hours (which is definitely working as it charges up my MBP!) and still... nothing. Trip back to the Apple store for me then. Thankfully it's not that far away!

Since I have to order another refurb model I'm now thinking of the base m3/256GB/8GB - since it's going to be a secondary laptop I'm thinking I might not need quite that much space on it, especially with things like OneDrive/Synology...

I have the i5, 512gb model, and my wife has the m3, 256gb model...besides space, I don't notice much difference in the two systems running day to day apps. I just sold my MacBook Pro, so this will be my main portable machine so I wanted the larger SSD. Since this is a backup system for you secondary to your MBP, I think that base model should be just fine.

 

[sky87]

Got my refurb 2017 m3/256GB/8GB yesterday - this one turns on! It didn't at first but turns out the battery was just flat (have no idea how long it's been sitting around in the Apple warehouse - the battery at least was manufactured in 2017 according to iStat menus).

Initial impressions:

I love the size of this thing. It feels significantly lighter than my 13" MBP - I can hold it comfortably with one hand whereas with my 13" MBP I need 2 hands to feel comfortable holding it. It even fits into a couple of my small backpacks that my 13" MBP is just a bit too big for.

It definitely feels slower than my 13" MBP (which is a 2018 quadcore i5/16GB). Noticeable when changing between windows and programmes, though definitely still usable. I believe at least part of the slowness is probably due to downloading my photos and other things related to setting up a new device, so will have to wait and see if this gets better.

Anyway, so far I'm rather liking it, and I'm definitely finding the size/weight difference significant for me. I think for my next trip I'll probably bring this along instead of my iPad Pro 10.5 (which doesn't feel much lighter once you add in the Smart Keyboard)...

 

[TheBigApple2006]

Got my refurb 2017 m3/256GB/8GB yesterday - this one turns on! It didn't at first but turns out the battery was just flat (have no idea how long it's been sitting around in the Apple warehouse - the battery at least was manufactured in 2017 according to iStat menus).

Initial impressions:

I love the size of this thing. It feels significantly lighter than my 13" MBP - I can hold it comfortably with one hand whereas with my 13" MBP I need 2 hands to feel comfortable holding it. It even fits into a couple of my small backpacks that my 13" MBP is just a bit too big for.

It definitely feels slower than my 13" MBP (which is a 2018 quadcore i5/16GB). Noticeable when changing between windows and programmes, though definitely still usable. I believe at least part of the slowness is probably due to downloading my photos and other things related to setting up a new device, so will have to wait and see if this gets better.

Anyway, so far I'm rather liking it, and I'm definitely finding the size/weight difference significant for me. I think for my next trip I'll probably bring this along instead of my iPad Pro 10.5 (which doesn't feel much lighter once you add in the Smart Keyboard)...

Could you please comment on whether its become snappier after the initial use, and what you make of the difference in screen quality and brightness? Is the 12” noticeably more washed out and dim?

 

[sky87]

Could you please comment on whether its become snappier after the initial use, and what you make of the difference in screen quality and brightness? Is the 12” noticeably more washed out and dim?

Well it definitely feels more snappy now after it finished downloading the 30+ GB of photographs I have in iCloud! But will need more use with it to comment on whether it works well enough for my uses.

I don't feel there is any difference in screen quality and brightness between this 12" MB and my 13" MBP, but I use them indoors and don't tend to use them on the highest brightness settings. Right now I'm on the 12" MB indoors with brightness set at 2/3 of the maximum and I'm pretty happy with this level of brightness.

Just adjusted the 12" MB to maximum brightness and that is way too bright for me!

The main thing I'm not liking so much is how loud the keyboard is on this 2nd gen butterfly compared to the 3rd gen butterfly on my 13" MBP. However the sound dampens to acceptable levels once I put a keyboard cover on it.

 

[questionwonder]

If the Macbook had a slightly better screen and 4 cores with a little more muscle, yes! My Macbook Air mid 2013 1.7 GHz w/ 8Gb Ram is still strong and I've been looking for a replacement since 2015. I'm a software developer and used to run a Win 10 VM on my Air but now with VS Code (very fast to build, run, debug, etc) on Mac (only consumes 86MB running and 380+MB to install), as well as Azure Data Studio as a replacement for SSMS. No mo need for Win VM running Visual Studio...Don't even need a Macbook Pro! I've been waiting for Ice Lake (10nm) for a while, so I think I can hold on for a little longer.

 

[ondert]

I would get it if there was a huge discount, otherwise it doesn't make sense. The new iPad Pro with the upcoming ipados will be much useful for me.
I wouldn't get the MacBook Air also. Similar cpu to 12" model but with a fan connected to nowhere and spinning at 8000 rpm like a jet engine and does nothing to cool the chip because god damn Apple didn't connect the fan to the cpu heatsink with a copper pipe. For what? To save a penny per unit?
Going for the new base 13" mbp make the most sense right now.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

.

 

[Neodym]

Umm - you are aware that the 2019 MBA still has a butterfly keyboard, only with an additional layer of plastic integrated?!

 

[HappyIntro]

I remember when the MacBook first came out, I checked it out at my local Apple store. The first gen butterfly keyboard was so bad I didn't really consider the MacBook; I thought they went too far for thinness. However later I gave the 2017 MacBook another look when the gen 2 KB was introduced, and it was so much better that I gave it a try by buying one, and I'm really glad I did, the 2017 MacBook is a great product. The keyboards in MBA and MBP are quieter, and apparently less likely to fail, so that's good...but they do lack the "snap" that gen 2 has that I've grown to like. All this being said, I very much look forward to the new scissor-style keyboards Apple is rumored to be using in the near future. The butterfly KBs were a failed experiment that Apple should feel embarrassed about. One of the most important things to make reliable is the keyboard, you know, that thing that is essential to actually use a computer...

 

[mmomega]

I want that 8-Core.... my goodness, it's such a want though.

 

[0989382]

I've been using mine for two weeks now, and the day after I opened it it was discontinued. So far it's great and since Apple still sold it last month, I have full confidence they'll support it for a long time yet.

Had they discontinued it before I ordered mine, I'd probably not have ordered it. But now that I'm stuck in the situation, it's really not so bad.

As some have suggested, there may not be another full Mac in this form .. ever? I mean in the space it'd take to truly develop a new MB and finding a way to make it fit into the Air and Pro lineup and price structure I think the iPad Pro might be the new main computer for the kinds of people who the MB otherwise would appeal to (people who need a good, steady but light computer). Given Apples vision I think there'll be no more MB replacement.

Though I'd like to see it.

This reminds me of the time I briefly had an 11" MacBook Air. What a lovely little computer that was. Wish I'd kept that too. And I was sad to see it be discontinued too. No doubt that was to make way for the MacBook and no doubt a personal thing Steve Jobs pushed for in his pursuit to kill the cheap netbooks of the day.

 

[objektør]

As some have suggested, there may not be another full Mac in this form .. ever? I mean in the space it'd take to truly develop a new MB and finding a way to make it fit into the Air and Pro lineup and price structure I think the iPad Pro might be the new main computer for the kinds of people who the MB otherwise would appeal to (people who need a good, steady but light computer). Given Apples vision I think there'll be no more MB replacement.

Exactly. That's what I 'm afraid of as well. I might get a used 2017 rMB or have a new battery in my 2015rMB.
I've used an iPad (not a Pro tho) as a replacement but prefer the rMB: clamshell, MacOs, footprint etc.

Does anybody has an idea how long Apple will deliver batteries for the 2015 models before they get obsolete after discontinuing the 2017rMB this year? 5years from now or 5 years from 2017 or 2015?

 

[racoop]

This reminds me of the time I briefly had an 11" MacBook Air. What a lovely little computer that was. Wish I'd kept that too. And I was sad to see it be discontinued too. No doubt that was to make way for the MacBook and no doubt a personal thing Steve Jobs pushed for in his pursuit to kill the cheap netbooks of the day.

I'm tempted to get a remaining 2017 MB for the retina screen. But I have the maxed-out i7 11" MBA from 2015 that still rocks. I really really hope they fill this niche and not try to push users to an iPad.

 

[0989382]

I'm tempted to get a remaining 2017 MB for the retina screen. But I have the maxed-out i7 11" MBA from 2015 that still rocks. I really really hope they fill this niche and not try to push users to an iPad.

I think that was their intention until this past year.. Now it's a matter of making the iPad more and more capable as well as keeping the Mac at the cutting edge to compete with PCs as clearly, the industry is still thriving and important.

 

[Fravin]

It definitely feels slower than my 13" MBP (which is a 2018 quadcore i5/16GB). Noticeable when changing between windows and programmes, though definitely still usable.

I have the same as yours. And let tell you something: Turn off some animations and transparency effects of the OSX UI. It will make it a lot faster.

That one is an upgrade from the old "Core M 1.1" from 2015. And this two machines runs very well with some GPUs tweaks. I really think the great point in this setup is the power to run that lovely display.

Try those ones:

1. Disable animations when opening and closing windows.

defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticWindowAnimationsEnabled -bool false

2. Disable animations when opening a Quick Look window.

defaults write -g QLPanelAnimationDuration -float 0

3. Accelerated playback when adjusting the window size (Cocoa applications).

defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSWindowResizeTime -float 0.001

4. Disable animation when opening the Info window in Finder (cmd⌘ + i).

defaults write com.apple.finder DisableAllAnimations -bool true

5. Disable animations when you open an application from the Dock.

defaults write com.apple.dock launchanim -bool false

6. Make all animations faster that are used by Mission Control.

defaults write com.apple.dock expose-animation-duration -float 0.1

7. Disable the delay when you hide the Dock

defaults write com.apple.Dock autohide-delay -float 0

Source:
https://www.defaults-write.com/speed-up-macos-high-sierra/​

 

[GoneDrinkin]

I’m trying to order from the Curry’s and the John Lewis UK sites to deliver to Ireland, but my card is being declined.

Any idea what might bring going wrong here?

 

[Fravin]

lol

It's the Brexit!