Laptop - Which one to buy? Where to buy from?

[Sovon Halder]

I signed up here today to get some suggestions from the community regarding my purchase decision of a Laptop. I have my personal preferences and did a bit of research on this to make sure that what I decide to purchase is right for me but I'm still unsure if I'm choosing the right computer. My budget is around 100000 INR (roughly $1500) but I would break the bank a bit more only if it's really worth it.

Where I am and what I need a Laptop for...
-- I'm from India. My job might require me to shift locations, so setting up a full sized desktop isn't really an option for me. I'm a full time web developer and occasional web designer. From time to time I'll use Photoshop or Illustrator. I'm a huge movie buff, so media consumption is a huge part of my entertainment. I need a laptop that does all these well.

Why Apple and why 2K16 Macbook Pro?
I never owned any apple computers before but I've used iPod touch and Classic and I have an iPhone 5s. I love the build quality and design of Apple, that's it. Macbook Pro over Macbook or Macbook Air because it's more powerful in that category. 2K16 Macbook Pro, because these have better display and sound and I would very much like to have to ability to be able to hook up a 4K or 5K monitor which isn't good with older models.

The part where I'm confused and need suggestions about...
There is no apple retail store in India. Indian apple website does not offer build-to-order(BTO) macbooks and the base models cost roughly 35000 INR (roughly $500) more than U.S. price. At this time, I have friends(who are not students) in Singapore and USA. So, I'm thinking of buying one from either of the places, Singapore hopefully since the price is a bit lower there. I would like to get the student discount price if possible. In Apple Singapore's page there is this included GST(Goods and Service Tax). I read a bit about it and it seems that 7% GST is refunded to tourists or something. So, if my friend buys one from an authorized re-seller(e.g. istudiosg.com) what price would have to be paid? With GST or without? And Apple Singapore student's price page does not mention any GST at all. Any information or suggestions would be really appreciated.

Now, with everything that's going on with the macbooks.. speaker issues, gpu issues, battery issues... I think to be properly warranted would be a good idea. I read that macbook warranties are valid worldwide, so that shouldn't be a concern. What I'm worried about though is the BTO models. If I purchase one BTO model from outside the country, what would happen if I need to get it replaced/serviced ?

And if I'm to stick to the base models only(which are offered in Apple India's website), my options are not that many.

The non-touchbar edition is in my budget but I'm not sure if it would be a better idea to spend a few hundred more bucks to go for the touchbar edition with better specs. I am not in need of much internal storage space, so it's CPU, GPU and RAM I'm prioritizing.

The base 13" and 15" touchbar ones are $1699 and $2249 with student discounts. The larger screen size is a plus factor for me but I'm hesitant to spend $600 more only for that because when I hook it up with an external display, it won't matter much. On the other hand, the specs on the 15" looks way better though. I'm not sure if it would be worth spending the extra money. Also, is it really worth spending $200 more for the GPU? Please suggest.

Since I'm trying to have the macbook imported, any other advice(like keyboard settings etc.) regarding this would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

To be honest if you have no Apple support in India then Apple computers probably aren't for you. You want to buy a computer where you can get quick easy support when you need it. That simple really, I love apples stuff and have all apple computers pads phones etc but I live in a country where I can walk into a shop and get support!!

 

[Zazoh]

Sounds like you have done a lot of research already. I would not buy the 15"; scrap that, Moving around with a 15" is a pain and really stands out if you are in a public place. In addition, as you have indicated, if you need a bigger screen go BIGGER and hook to an external.

The specs on any pro will suit your requirements. I'm a developer and use a MacBook 12 for comparison. I came from a 15" MBP (2011 Model) this new machine is more capable than the previous and easier to look at given it has retina screen.

I don't do many tasks that burn CPU power, compiling in Xcode, but I've been doing programing for years and ANYTHING we have today is better than everything we had 7 years ago. ;-)

 

[kschendel]

Speaking very roughly, the people who need heavy duty GPU power are gamers or those spending their days in intensive photo effects and/or video editing. I can watch movies just fine on my 15" 2013 rMBP with integrated Iris Pro graphics, you don't need a fancy GPU to watch movies. Buy the 15 inch for the screen size, not for the specs; if you need the higher spec hardware you probably already know it. Note that depending on how fancy you get with an external monitor, you might want to make sure that the machine you get can drive it.

(I don't think the 15 inch is all that much more to transport, but I'm used to it, and I do depend on the screen real estate.)

Unfortunately I can't speak to your purchasing questions.

 

[bnbaliga]

Who says Apple has no retail store in India? Apple has Channel Partners from Reliance, Mapple etc. in every major city in India!

 

[Sovon Halder]

There are hundreds of resellers and premium resellers of Apple goods across India.
What I meant is that there is no direct Apple retail store in India (as of Dec 10, 2016).

And I have decided to go with the baseline 13" non-touchbar MBP. The deciding factor is firstly requirement and secondly money. I guess the non-touchbar 13" model would be enough for what I intend to do. And having to spend way more than a regular price is just hurtful. This is my latest development...

I managed to get hold of friends(or friends of friends) in USA, Singapore, Japan & Bangladesh. Obviously if I could buy it at $1399 during this holiday season, it would have been perfect. But in order to get it at my home, $40 shipping and ~30% customs tax.. resulting somewhat $1850. At this time, buying from Singapore would be worse than buying from USA. And buying from Bangladesh would be the same as buying from India except there is a slight risk of customs duty. In USA currently this discount of $100 is available. In Japan the general retail price is ~$1410(without any student discount). But again it's the expense for me would be somewhat same compared to buying from USA. Right now, two of the best options available are Amazon 119K(~$1760) and select Apple Retailer 115K(~$1700).

Enough of this ****! I probably won't look anywhere else. I'll buy from my town. I'll either order one from Amazon or buy one from any Apple retailers - whichever serves better at the time of purchase. I'm waiting and researching test results of batter life of 2K16 MBP non-touchbar.

 

[bnbaliga]

There are hundreds of resellers and premium resellers of Apple goods across India.
What I meant is that there is no direct Apple retail store in India (as of Dec 10, 2016).

And I have decided to go with the baseline 13" non-touchbar MBP. The deciding factor is firstly requirement and secondly money. I guess the non-touchbar 13" model would be enough for what I intend to do. And having to spend way more than a regular price is just hurtful. This is my latest development...

I managed to get hold of friends(or friends of friends) in USA, Singapore, Japan & Bangladesh. Obviously if I could buy it at $1399 during this holiday season, it would have been perfect. But in order to get it at my home, $40 shipping and ~30% customs tax.. resulting somewhat $1850. At this time, buying from Singapore would be worse than buying from USA. And buying from Bangladesh would be the same as buying from India except there is a slight risk of customs duty. In USA currently this discount of $100 is available. In Japan the general retail price is ~$1410(without any student discount). But again it's the expense for me would be somewhat same compared to buying from USA. Right now, two of the best options available are Amazon 119K(~$1760) and select Apple Retailer 115K(~$1700).

Enough of this ****! I probably won't look anywhere else. I'll buy from my town. I'll either order one from Amazon or buy one from any Apple retailers - whichever serves better at the time of purchase. I'm waiting and researching test results of batter life of 2K16 MBP non-touchbar.

OK - Good choice - Apple MacBook is a great device which you will enjoy working with. I have never had any problems with any of my MacBooks (I have had 2 so far in the last 8 years). Look out for MacBook 2015 models too - based on your use case you could go either with 2015 model or 2016 base model - with 2015 you get all the ports, while 2016 gets you a better Screen.