Need Advice: May sell 2010 MBP for MBA

[Mikhailov]

When I bought my MBP, I used it quite a bit for gaming. I used to play World of Warcraft, and I would boot into Windows 7 for Star Trek Online. I may boot for STO in the future, but my WoW playing days are over.

I take this computer to work every day, travel with it, and use it for watching/converting videos, office documents, web browsing, e mail, and education mostly. I would like something a bit more portable, as the MBP is heavy.

Seeing as this computer is a year old, how much do you think I would get for it on eBay? There are two very minor scratches on the bottom of the device. I've been treating this laptop very well.

Is it even worth it to switch to an MBA 13" at this point? The smaller computer would be much better for carrying around on a daily basis, but how much performance would I be sacrificing considering the extra money I would have to put in after selling the MBP?

 

[jenzjen]

... get for it on eBay? There are two very minor scratches on the bottom of the device. I've been treating this laptop very well.

Check eBay's completed auction search and take off some $$$ depending upon your scratches

 

[TC25]

Seeing as this computer is a year old, how much do you think I would get for it on eBay? There are two very minor scratches on the bottom of the device. I've been treating this laptop very well.

Have you gone to eBay and looked at the current prices? A much better soltion than asking people here to guess.

Is it even worth it to switch to an MBA 13" at this point? The smaller computer would be much better for carrying around on a daily basis, but how much performance would I be sacrificing considering the extra money I would have to put in after selling the MBP?

There are a number of threads by people with similar uses, you should read them. No offense, but every laptop is a compromise and only you can define how you want to use the laptop and how important each of those uses are to you. With either MBA, you trade light weight for less performance and less storage.

 

[jmoore5196]

Every laptop is a compromise. You said a mouthful!

When I bought my 13" MBA, I thought my 15" i5 MBP was obsolete and sold it. Now, whenever I have to lug the Superdrive with me to burn a disc - and I have to do that a lot - I question the prudence of giving up my MBP.

The form factor of the MBA is both the key selling point and major drawback. If you commute a lot - and I do - the MBA is the ideal laptop. If you need to go beyond email and word processing, you do come to miss the extra horsepower of the MBP. I know full well the limitations of my MBA - and the strengths. The speed is, in my view, largely illusory. When I'm trying to get something done, I long for the Pro.

On the other hand, I wouldn't give it up. Fortunately, I have an iMac for heavy lifting ... I'm not one of those folks who could rely solely on the MBA.

 

[endhalf]

Are you from USA, or UK? I may help you off your MBP (and I think for better price than on eBay since here are macbooks pricy), but if you are from USA, than it won't be possible. Also, you would have to ship it to Europe... But if you'r somewhere from Europe and if you are interested, you can PM me with your price

 

[jclardy]

I am in a somewhat similar situation...but not quite.

I have a 15" 2010 MBP and I love it...but was considering switching to a 21" iMac and 11" MBA.

I use my MBP for coding, photoshop, aperture, light video editing in premier and some compositing in after effects. And it is great for that, but most of the time when I am doing something processor heavy it is at my desk. So that would be the reason for switching to the iMac.

Whenever I am using the laptop on the go I usually just use it for coding, web browsing and email. Maybe some simple graphics stuff in Photoshop. So the MBA would work great for this.

When I bought my laptop the 11" MBA didn't exist so the desktop/laptop combo didn't really cross my mind.

So I have decided to keep my MBP for at least another year and buy the new MBA when they are released. Then my MBP will be my "portable desktop" until I eventually replace it with an iMac.

The main reason I don't want to sell now is that I feel I will lose too much selling just after 1 year. Laptop's are a lot like cars in that you lose a lot of value once you take them out of the store. My MBP on ebay is going for around $1900 and I paid around $2200 (including Applecare).

Also I have never done a sale on ebay of an item for more than $100, and I'm a little weary of selling a $2000 computer with all the things that could possibly go wrong. I also considered craigslist, but again I don't like selling something worth so much...But I did sell a mac mini for a few hundred and it worked out.

We can't really tell you what you can get for your MBP since you didn't even tell us the screen size though...

 

[Mikhailov]

Oh sorry. It's a 13" core duo 250GB model. They seem to still be going for just under a grand on eBay.

 

[jclardy]

Oh sorry. It's a 13" core duo 250GB model. They seem to still be going for just under a grand on eBay.

Well in that case the performance drop won't be that much. The air will even seem faster for everyday tasks because of the SSD. In games the difference will be noticable, but for everything else I doubt you would be able to tell the difference without the machines side by side.

Personally I would prefer the Air just because of its increased screen resolution.

I would say wait till the next update which should be in the next few weeks and see what Apple is offering in terms of Air updates. With the update you should have a faster CPU, the GPU would be the only area that may be lacking in comparison. And if you want to save money you could buy one of the new old stock models for around $100 or so off.

 

[h00ligan]

Oh sorry. It's a 13" core duo 250GB model. They seem to still be going for just under a grand on eBay.

Wow, really? With AppleCare or without...that's a crazy price to pay when you can basically buy a new one for a g.

 

[hcho3]

Under a grand is not possible. Apple is selling refurbished 2010 MBP for under a grand with full warranty.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Every laptop is a compromise. You said a mouthful!

When I bought my 13" MBA, I thought my 15" i5 MBP was obsolete and sold it. Now, whenever I have to lug the Superdrive with me to burn a disc - and I have to do that a lot - I question the prudence of giving up my MBP.

The form factor of the MBA is both the key selling point and major drawback. If you commute a lot - and I do - the MBA is the ideal laptop. If you need to go beyond email and word processing, you do come to miss the extra horsepower of the MBP. I know full well the limitations of my MBA - and the strengths. The speed is, in my view, largely illusory. When I'm trying to get something done, I long for the Pro.

On the other hand, I wouldn't give it up. Fortunately, I have an iMac for heavy lifting ... I'm not one of those folks who could rely solely on the MBA.

I agree completely with the points made in your post even though I am "one of those folks who relies solely on the MBA". Actually, I had a MBP and sold it as I travel a lot and weight is an issue for me and I found I didn't need both a MBP and a MBA, especially as I used the latter almost all the time. Plus, the SSD is a joy. Plus, i'm not a gamer, so that is an irrelevance for me. Your point about the external Superdrive is a good one and well-taken. For my part, I have had to rebuild my iTunes collection almost from scratch, (HD crashed in the MBP and has been replaced but idiotically I hadn't made back-ups, a mistake I'll not make again) and it is a bit of a bummer, plus very, very, time-consuming.

To the OP, in essence, this is a compromise, or trade off as every laptop is; you must ask yourself what your main needs are. If it is power, the MBP is a fine machine and the internal superdrive is indeed handy; however, the form and light weight (plus very good resolution) and SSD make the MBA just what I need, so if you want an extremely stylish portable machine, there is none better than the MBA.

Cheers

 

[nathanjbrown]

Be careful when investigating previous auctions on eBay. Don't get too excited. Keep in mind that many of those MBPs selling for "just under a grand" include additional software and accessories. I would know. I'm one of the guys who just got a $1,000 for mine (core2duo + 250GB).

In an effort to drive my selling price a bit higher, I included some additional - and no longer needed - software. Keep in mind, however, that your actual "take-home" amount is far less with eBay, PayPal and shipping fees. I sold mine for $1,000 and only $860 is hitting my bank account. Yep...eBay and PayPal make a killing on sellers (kudos to them).

But...After traveling frequently with the 13" MBP - and never using the additional processing power or optical drive - I decided it was time for an Air.

Realistically, I would assume that you'll get around $700 - $800 after selling fees with which you can then apply to a new Air purchase.

Hope that helps.

N

 

[Mikhailov]

Yeah that does help. I was going to include MS Word, iLife 11, and my Laptop case in the mix.

I'm willing to wait until mid July. I'd hate to go through the trouble only to not get the newest.

 

[soLoredd]

Try craigslist and take out the middle man. Include whatever software/accessories you can; people love seeing quantity.

 

[TC25]

Try craigslist and take out the middle man. Include whatever software/accessories you can; people love seeing quantity.

CL adds the bonus excitement of the possibility of getting robbed when you meet.

 

[Mikhailov]

Yeah I'm not a CL fan. eBay may cost more but it's trusted.

 

[jdechko]

CL adds the bonus excitement of the possibility of getting robbed when you meet.

Vs. the possibility of getting scammed and the certainty of getting shafted by eBay/PayPal/et. al.

Yeah I'm not a CL fan. eBay may cost more but it's trusted.

Again, see above.

Personally, I've never had much of a problem with either service, but then again, I've never sold a computer on either one.

 

[TC25]

Vs. the possibility of getting scammed and the certainty of getting shafted by eBay/PayPal/et. al.

eBay and PayPal Scam and Shaft - Bad
Robbed/murdered at a CL meet - Really Bad

 

[Mikhailov]

The only issues I ever had with a non paying bidder were taken care of pretty well. The only issue I have with eBay and paypal are the seller fees.

It is the quickest way in my opinion to sell the thing though, if I decide to sell.

 

[jclardy]

eBay and PayPal Scam and Shaft - Bad
Robbed/murdered at a CL meet - Really Bad

When I meet someone on craigslist for a transaction > $100 I typically take someone else with me. And of course I always speak to them on the phone to make sure they don't sound sketchy and get them to meet in a public place or no deal.

I've sold a mac mini, a few guitars and bought a few guitars and amps for a couple hundred each and haven't had any issues. I've never sold anything for around $1000 though.

Of course, I am 6' 1" male with a decent build and grisly beard so the person I am meeting is probably scared that I am going to rob them...

I'd say craigslist is fine as long as you don't give out personal information and meet in a public place like a mall when people will be there. And if they won't meet you there then you are probably better off not selling it to them...

EDIT: Also, no personal checks unless they want to meet you at the bank that the check is written from so you can cash it directly.

 

[orfeas0]

When I meet someone on craigslist for a transaction > $100 I typically take someone else with me. And of course I always speak to them on the phone to make sure they don't sound sketchy and get them to meet in a public place or no deal.

I've sold a mac mini, a few guitars and bought a few guitars and amps for a couple hundred each and haven't had any issues. I've never sold anything for around $1000 though.

Of course, I am 6' 1" male with a decent build and grisly beard so the person I am meeting is probably scared that I am going to rob them...

I'd say craigslist is fine as long as you don't give out personal information and meet in a public place like a mall when people will be there. And if they won't meet you there then you are probably better off not selling it to them...

EDIT: Also, no personal checks unless they want to meet you at the bank that the check is written from so you can cash it directly.

haha i don't think you'll be robbed soon.

But i don't understand 2 things:
How can people get robbed by a craigslist meeting.
Why don't people meet in public places ? I mean you're meeting someone you don't even know, you gotta be careful ... A mall, a macdonalds, whatever.
Or tell them to meet outside a police station , seems the safest of all hehe

 

[Mikhailov]

I wonder how that would go over with the police.

I'm getting very eager to get my hands on a MacBook Air now. I hope I can hold out for the refresh.

 

[Mikhailov]

Hey a couple more questions:

I get education pricing and the $100 to the Mac App Store so I'm wondering if I can get that on a refurb.

Also, are the rumors saying new Airs will have intel integrated? Is that going to be better or worse than the current nvidia models for light gaming?

 

[hcho3]

Refurb items are not eligible for any additional discount, Period.

Refurb items are not eligible for B2S promo or any promo.

Apple doesn't allow double discounts.

Intel graphic card is better than what they used to be, but they are no where near Nvidia or ATI.

It will allow light gaming, but it will be no match for Nvidia 320M graphic cards. You will get a boost with CPU.

 

[Mikhailov]

So I'm better off with a current generation air it sounds. The last thing I want is Intel Integrated HD.