Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Looking to buy a macbook
- Thread starter Jrcnlg8
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Would this be any good?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/254187961262
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
No, that’s a 2009-2010 model (non-Retina). They’re EOL, old, and slow.
Sneaky for them to put 2015 in the description. It’d be better for you to buy a newer/refurb MacBook Air/Pro, otherwise you’re just wasting your money.
Well, I really like the 2015 MacBook Pros. For your use case, I would go with a LATE 2013 or newer MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM and 512GB-1TB of storage. This was the first model with the current wifi standard. I think this would give you the best "bang for your buck". After a quick look on eBay, this one looks pretty good:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Late-2013-...7b3836ba:g:tlIAAOSwZntczMFd&LH_BIN=1#viTabs_0
I have no association with eBay or this seller and claim no responsibility for any decisions to buy through this link.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Late-2013-...7b3836ba:g:tlIAAOSwZntczMFd&LH_BIN=1#viTabs_0
I have no association with eBay or this seller and claim no responsibility for any decisions to buy through this link.
First of all, you need at least an internal storage of 1Tb of storage space as you'll be backing up 2 256Gb iPhone XS Maxes (512Gb in total) plus space for paging, applications and OS. Secondly, you need at least an El-Capitan or High Sierra computer in order for you to be on the net and has the latest iTunes patches (El-Capitan and High Sierra just recently got iTunes updates to deal with certain issues with the latest iPhones) , but even then, you'll be able to use it only for just a few years until you can't use it anymore because you lack the security patches if you keep upgrading your iPhones. The computer you showed us that you are interested in is really a very old version of the Macbook Pro and is end of line. Which means, you run the risk that your newer iPhones will no longer be supported plus lack of net security patches means that you will no longer access certain sites that meet newer https security requirements. If you are willing to look at buying say an older Mac Mini 2012 desktop, this computer can be equipped with a larger internal drive, portable enough for you to move around but you need an external monitor. The 2012 model can be updated for Mojave which will continue to allow backing up your iOS devices with any future iOS updates. The older Macbook Pro you showed us with El-Capitan is simply too old to properly backup your 2 iPhones.
If you truly want to have the best bang for the buck is to just pay for the 2Tb iCloud storage plan for $9.99/month for like $120/year to back up both your phones. I use iCloud myself with my iPhone and restoring to a new phone is SO EASY; much easier than using iTunes and you can even do it inside the Apple Store with their much faster internet access just for this purpose!! You need to pay $1200 for 10 years an even then, $1200 isn't going to help you buy a 2Tb internal storage Macbook Pro of any kind either, plus 10 years later, your rental backup computer Apple provides will still be up-to-date, can support whatever iOS your future iPhone has and be a heck crazy faster with 5G network (lighting faster than through USB)! To me, the 2Tb is the better bang for the buck, protection from end of line software and hardware as Apple will keep updating iCloud to match future products if you are just looking for storage and backup services for both your iPhones.
Last edited:
No. I would not recommend any model older than 2012. This MacBook Pro is way too old.
If you don't mind it being pink, B&H has a stunning deal on a 2017 MacBook with 512GB storage right now. $999.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1342528-REG/apple_mnyn2ll_a_12_macbook_mid_2017.html
But as @iluvmacs99 brought up, this wouldn't be ideal for backing up 2 256GB XS Max's. It'll probably work as I assume your phones are using all 256GB, but it'll be awfully tight. It'd be best to also look into external storage, but perhaps you can get away without needing external storage to start. It doesn't make much sense to buy drive space just so you can backup phones.
If you really only just want to backup phones, they do make mobile device backup stations that don't cost anything near what a laptop will cost you.
Last edited:
For your particular use-case, it sounds like you need Network Attached Storage more than you need a Macbook.
You can create a symbolic link for the iTunes device backup folder to any location on your network.
If this is true, here is your answer:
If the two phones belong to different people then set up a family iCloud storage plan. The key benefit here is that the phones automatically incrementally update the backup (i.e they're not pushing 250gb to the server every time) every time they're on charge in WiFi range.
If something goes wrong with one of the phones, more often than not you have a backup from the night before (rather than the last time you could be bothered to get out your eBay purchased 10 year old MacBook).