Time to replace Macbook Pro?

[Mountaineer]

This discussion has been very helpful.

My 2010 MacBook Pro should have been turned out to pasture a long time ago.

Any opinions on where to shop? Apple? Best Buy? Some place else?

Partly depends on deals and if you quality for any special discounts.

In the past, I've bought directly from Apple (online and in store, which obviously isn't an option right now, and that I think was for phone for a kid).

As well as Other World Computer (OWC), which is where I would get my after market RAM and SSDs (internal and external) -- https://eshop.macsales.com

Amazon as last resort.

+1

[CT-Scott]

I'm normally a big fan of buying from Apple's refurbished store. The products look good-as-new (I wouldn't be surprised if they were new units that they sell at a discount...at the very least, they appear to be returns where they completely replace the outer shell, because I've never seen *ANY* cosmetic flaws with any of their refurbs). And you still get the full warranty. *BUT* I wouldn't recommend a refurb Apple MacBook now, because those will all (most likely) have the Butterfly-style keyboard.

When buying new, if you qualify for Apple's education discount, that's not bad, but you'll pay sales tax. It can sometimes be a little better deal to find something from Adorama when they're having a sale, as they don't charge sales tax.

As far as frequent upgrading goes...if you have a "lease" mentality, you wouldn't do badly by purchasing a brand new Apple MacBook in one of their base configurations (no upgrades) and then trading it in to Apple after 2 years, where they'll give you a decent trade-in value and you won't have to deal with selling to strangers.

[Dieter]

I've been able to time my own larger purchases around deal times -- Black Friday had historically been one of the few times to get direct deals on Apple products.

[drumminj]

I've bought my past few MBP's used off Craigslist. A 2-3 year old model has worked well for me in the past, but I doubt the CL market is that great these days

I've been a mac person for....almost 20 years now? But my girlfriend has a SurfaceBook that I've been intrigued by. The touch screen and "detachability" seem like nice features. I've not priced one however.

Sounds like Apple refurb is the way to go if you're looking to stick with a mac. My 2015 13" MBP is still working fine for me, but I suspect I'll be in your position soon...

[europeanwizard]

If Mac, I'd steer clear of the 13" MacBook Pro until updated with a better Keyboard (rumors say this year soonish).
(no direct experience, but LOTS of online complaints about the keyboard.

I do have experience with those keyboards, and I can tell you: it's going to annoy you. If you are going to buy now, get the 16". If you really want the 13", do wait for the new keyboard. Or simply get the new 2020 MacBook Air, which has been out for barely a couple of weeks and has the good keyboard.
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/18/20 ... announced/

As an aside, are you making backups regularly? That 2013 is going to croak sooner or later.

[WiseOne]

I hear you guys loud and clear on the keyboard! That is a big deal, and I've heard about the keyboard issues before. I'm going to limp along with this computer until the stores reopen and the 2020 Macbook comes out, so I can test out the keyboard in person.

I would really prefer the Pro to the Air, because of upgradeability and performance. There are Matlab/data crunching tasks that I'd rather do on the laptop than the remote server. But then, it's hard to upgrade any Mac product now. The issue with the battery replacement on this machine is that it is GLUED in and you have to break it out. Sounds like you only do it if you're prepared to deal with completely breaking the machine. Apples are otherwise great for longevity. I've had Windows laptops in the past and something expensive always breaks by the 3 year mark. And it always happens when you're at a conference or something, where it's a disaster rather than an annoyance.

Don't worry wizard, all my data are safely on Dropbox. BTW how many of you rely on SmartSync? It makes it possible to have a smaller hard drive, since you only pull files from the cloud when you need them. It runs seamlessly and it's pretty cool, except that the download delay can be a little irritating.

[WiseOne]

Also thanks for the Adorama link! I'm still better off with the Apple store, since the university discount more than covers the sales tax and I can upgrade at will. But that site is good to know about.

[Mark Leavy]

There are Matlab/data crunching tasks that I'd rather do on the laptop than the remote server.

Matlab makes my heart go pitter-patter. And madame Curie. Sigh.
And my current mac has the crappy keyboard. I can't wait to ditch it.
Let us know what you end up with.

[dualstow]

...
As far as frequent upgrading goes...if you have a "lease" mentality, you wouldn't do badly by purchasing a brand new Apple MacBook in one of their base configurations (no upgrades) and then trading it in to Apple after 2 years, where they'll give you a decent trade-in value and you won't have to deal with selling to strangers.

I just want to add that the trade-in value is not as decent as it used to be. They quietly lowered it in '19. But still, better than nothing.

[Xan]

Soldered RAM should be an absolute non-starter. Do they have any offerings without it?

[CT-Scott]

Soldered RAM should be an absolute non-starter. Do they have any offerings without it?

Not for laptops, only their desktop computers.

[dualstow]

I had my Mac mini souped up by a shop. They installed an SSD and extra RAM for me. Now the RAM is soldered in by Apple. Not cool.

Soldered RAM should be an absolute non-starter. Do they have any offerings without it?

(CT-Scott answered above)

Xan, I guess that's how much I appreciate the operating system. I hate Windows, post-XP and I hate Linux even more. MacOS and late OSX before it are so stable and everything just works the way I want it to. If they also soldered in something that releases a skunk smell all day long just to torture me, I would still stick with their products. Mac mini forever.

[WiseOne]

Soldered RAM and glued batteries....geez, Apple.

That removes the disadvantage that Macbook Air used to have, that you couldn't ever upgrade it. But I agree with dualstow. Windows is way too finicky and I have no patience for Linux. Mac OS has gotten more finicky and Windows-like in the post Steve Jobs era, but it is still the best operating system for people who just want to use a computer and not have go through multiple hoops every time they want to get something done.

[dualstow]

{Apple is} not worth the extra $, IMO, and still too many programs that can't be run on Mac. At least 4 that are essential to my business fall into that category.

How about this https://www.macpractice.com/dental-software

[dualstow]

Understandable.

[Dieter]

Apple porn (rumour mongering) -- https://www.tomsguide.com/news/macbook- ... ell-xps-13

[yankees60]

Don't worry wizard, all my data are safely on Dropbox. BTW how many of you rely on SmartSync? It makes it possible to have a smaller hard drive, since you only pull files from the cloud when you need them. It runs seamlessly and it's pretty cool, except that the download delay can be a little irritating.

All Excel files that I use are kept in my dropbox folders so each time I save them not only are they saved to the computer I'm currently using but also going to dropbox and being distributed to all other computers I currently have turned on. And, for QuickBooks which I'm running remotely on my office computer, I'm constantly doing backups of it during the day to a dropbox folder so that in case I lose the VPN connection to my office computer I can get at that latest backup via dropbox at this computer I'm using at home.

I could not live without dropbox. Totally stopped me from using flash drives.

Vinny

[yankees60]

Xan, I guess that's how much I appreciate the operating system. I hate Windows, post-XP and I hate Linux even more. MacOS and late OSX before it are so stable and everything just works the way I want it to. If they also soldered in something that releases a skunk smell all day long just to torture me, I would still stick with their products. Mac mini forever.

Have you used Windows 10? I liked XP a lot. Windows 7 even more. But Windows 10 has absolutely spoiled me.

VInny

[yankees60]

Soldered RAM and glued batteries....geez, Apple.

That removes the disadvantage that Macbook Air used to have, that you couldn't ever upgrade it. But I agree with dualstow. Windows is way too finicky and I have no patience for Linux. Mac OS has gotten more finicky and Windows-like in the post Steve Jobs era, but it is still the best operating system for people who just want to use a computer and not have go through multiple hoops every time they want to get something done.

Maybe. But not worth the extra $, IMO, and still too many programs that can't be run on Mac. At least 4 that are essential to my business fall into that category.

Has QuickBooks ever created a satisfactory product for Apple use?

Vinny

[yankees60]

Has QuickBooks ever created a satisfactory product for Apple use?

Vinny

No idea, as I use Windows and Quicken.

I use Quicken extensively to keep track of all my personal income and expense items plus all investment transactions. But it's a poor, poor, poor substitute for business accounting. QuickBooks is far more efficient for inputting information and vastly superior reporting.

Have you used Windows 10? I liked XP a lot. Windows 7 even more. But Windows 10 has absolutely spoiled me.

VInny

Not a fan of W10. Liked XP a lot, loved 7. But 10 is too non-intuitive.

I think I read one or two books on it prior to using it. Windows 10 just has so many nice features which Windows 7 lacks. I feel it every time and miss it whenever I use my office Windows 7 computer. Oh, you can't do that. This isn't Windows 10.

[yankees60]

I use Quicken extensively to keep track of all my personal income and expense items plus all investment transactions. But it's a poor, poor, poor substitute for business accounting. QuickBooks is far more efficient for inputting information and vastly superior reporting.

The only thing Quicken can't do is accurately track Equity. So I use Wave Accounting (online, free) to produce a Balance Sheet that includes Equity. The P&L (Income & Expense) works fine with Quicken. Those are the only 2 reports my CPA needs to complete my 1120.

Windows 10 just has so many nice features which Windows 7 lacks. I feel it every time and miss it whenever I use my office Windows 7 computer. Oh, you can't do that. This isn't Windows 10.

Can you site a couple of examples? I find that functions that worked seamlessly in 7 are a pain in 10, particularly networking among several computers.

I left click on the start button. It brings up the column of my apps. I click on the # sign. It brings up a square of all the letters in the alphabet. I want to open Quicken. I click on Q, which brings me to all the programs / apps that start with Q. I like methodical processes.

When I have multiple Excels file open and I click on the Excel icon on my taskbar it does not only show me the title for the file but also gives me a view of it.

I'd tell you more if I were using my office computer more extensively but for now I'm mostly just using it to access the QuickBooks file that is on our server.

Vinny

[yankees60]

Both of those things work in 7 with the proper settings.

Both my office computer and my home computer were installed using standard windows installations without making any changes.

I'm looking at my Windows 7 office computer now and I'd not have any guess where to go to match the settings that Windows 10 seems to have right "out of the box".

VInny

[Smith1776]

I'm currently rocking a 2015 15" MacBook Pro, and I'm also thinking replacement within the next year is in order. When I graduate and start working in industry, I'll use my first pay check on a new laptop as my "reward."

I have the following specs:

- Core i7 4770HQ
- 16GB RAM
- Iris Pro 5200
- 256GB SSD

My biggest gripe is that I didn't layout the extra 500 bucks for dedicated graphics and double the storage when I first bought this. Otherwise I'd probably keep it for a while longer. Either way, I should be able to get a decent chunk of change to use towards a new machine.

[WiseOne]

Soldered RAM and glued batteries....geez, Apple.

That removes the disadvantage that Macbook Air used to have, that you couldn't ever upgrade it. But I agree with dualstow. Windows is way too finicky and I have no patience for Linux. Mac OS has gotten more finicky and Windows-like in the post Steve Jobs era, but it is still the best operating system for people who just want to use a computer and not have go through multiple hoops every time they want to get something done.

Maybe. But not worth the extra $, IMO, and still too many programs that can't be run on Mac. At least 4 that are essential to my business fall into that category.

Has QuickBooks ever created a satisfactory product for Apple use?

Vinny

Everything that Intuit makes is optimized for Windows. Their Mac versions universally suck, especially Quickbooks.

I found that Quickbooks on Mac lacks some key functionality, and the exported data/backup files are incompatible between Mac and Windows versions. Absolutely insane. It's sort of a big giant message that says "We at Intuit hate Macs and want to punish you for using one." Your only real option if you want to cover both platforms is to spring for Quickbooks Online, which is not only more expensive than buying the desktop software but also lacks some key functionality, even worse than the Mac desktop version.

I agree that in a commercial situation you pretty much have to use Windows. It's personal or academic computing where Mac shines.

[yankees60]

Has QuickBooks ever created a satisfactory product for Apple use?

Vinny

Everything that Intuit makes is optimized for Windows. Their Mac versions universally suck, especially Quickbooks.

I found that Quickbooks on Mac lacks some key functionality, and the exported data/backup files are incompatible between Mac and Windows versions. Absolutely insane. It's sort of a big giant message that says "We at Intuit hate Macs and want to punish you for using one." Your only real option if you want to cover both platforms is to spring for Quickbooks Online, which is not only more expensive than buying the desktop software but also lacks some key functionality, even worse than the Mac desktop version.

I agree that in a commercial situation you pretty much have to use Windows. It's personal or academic computing where Mac shines.

Isn't it just a situation where they (and other software developers) look at the potential market for their software and decide to serve the largest market? What is the breakdown between commercial users of Windows and Apple? 98% / 2%.

Reason why I've never owned an Apple computer.

On the other had I knew that my first tablet should be an iPad because in 2012 it had by far the largest
installed base which meant app developers would be first certain to serve that market and, possibly, if they had any resources left over they'd develop the same apps for other operating systems.

I guess Apple computers are these wondrous machines. But when I compare specs for an equivalent Windows computer the Apple computers always seem way overpriced. And, then we get to the software problems above.

That's led me to own just about every type of Apple device except for their computers.

Vinny