Need some buying advice

[JPark]

i have a 2012 MacBook Pro. I can’t use it for work, I use my wife’s PC for gaming, and use my iPad for most browsing, etc, so I only use it a few times a year. However, I do get frustrated at times with the limitations of the iPad and feel I’d use my laptop more if it were smaller/lighter/faster. That brings me to my question:

What’s a good year/model used laptop to look for? I’ve heard about all the MacBook keyboard problems. How far back do I have to get to get a pre-butterfly MacBook Pro or Air?

• It doesn’t need to be super powerful, just snappy for everyday tasks.
• I’d like a high res screen, but may be willing to budge on that if I need to.
• Looking to spend under $800

Thanks

 

[sgtaylor5]

2013 - 2015 MBP, 8 GB Ram / 256 GB SSD minimum. Keep looking until you find one without dents.

 

[skaertus]

i have a 2012 MacBook Pro. I can’t use it for work, I use my wife’s PC for gaming, and use my iPad for most browsing, etc, so I only use it a few times a year. However, I do get frustrated at times with the limitations of the iPad and feel I’d use my laptop more if it were smaller/lighter/faster. That brings me to my question:

What’s a good year/model used laptop to look for? I’ve heard about all the MacBook keyboard problems. How far back do I have to get to get a pre-butterfly MacBook Pro or Air?

• It doesn’t need to be super powerful, just snappy for everyday tasks.
• I’d like a high res screen, but may be willing to budge on that if I need to.
• Looking to spend under $800

Thanks

I have a few questions for you.

Why are you frustrated with the limitations of your iPad? What tasks would you like to perform that the iPad can't? Will you continue to use your wife's PC after you buy a new computer? And which MacBook Pro is yours? Is it the retina one already?

It seems like you are not fond of the butterfly keyboard. But all new Apple laptops (I mean, really new, not upgrades of older models), for a few years now, come with the butterfly keyboard. You can still buy a very good laptop without a butterfly keyboard, but it will not be the lightest one available, nor the fastest, or with the greatest features. And your next laptop will most likely have the butterfly keyboard.

In addition to that, notice that your budget is suited for buying used MacBooks. The cheapest MacBook Air sells for $999.00, which is not a great value for a chassis that is so old. The cheapest retina model sells now for $1,199. It will be fine for everyday tasks, but it depends on what your specific needs are. Apple has been increasing prices lately.

That brings another question: do you really want or need another Mac? You can buy a decent PC laptop, thin and light, and suitable for basic tasks, for some $800. In my experience, at lower price points, Macs tend to offer a poorer value than PCs. And you have more options in the PC world: the laptop will not have a butterfly keyboard, and you may come to the conclusion that you do not need some high-end features that come as standard in the Macs increase the costs of the laptop, which could lead you to buying a cheaper one.

So, I could help you better if you could be more specific on what you currently have, and on what you want from the laptop.

 

[Donnation]

There are plenty of 2015 13" MacBook Pro's on eBay and Swappa that are in your price point. There are lots of reputable sellers on both. I tend to like Swappa more because you have to post a lot of pictures and its a less crowded selling space.

The 2015 Pro will do everything you need and you will absolutely not notice a speed decrease over the newer models for every day tasks like email, web, documents, photo browsing and light editing, etc. The only areas you are going to see differences are in heavy processor tasks involving photos, coding, video editing, etc. But those things can all be done the exact same on the 2015 models, albeit a little bit (but not much) slower. The 2015 models are still an excellent buy and you don't have to deal with the butterfly keyboard, get all of the ports, and the high res screen you want.

 

[JPark]

There are plenty of 2015 13" MacBook Pro's on eBay and Swappa that are in your price point. There are lots of reputable sellers on both. I tend to like Swappa more because you have to post a lot of pictures and its a less crowded selling space.

The 2015 Pro will do everything you need and you will absolutely not notice a speed decrease over the newer models for every day tasks like email, web, documents, photo browsing and light editing, etc. The only areas you are going to see differences are in heavy processor tasks involving photos, coding, video editing, etc. But those things can all be done the exact same on the 2015 models, albeit a little bit (but not much) slower. The 2015 models are still an excellent buy and you don't have to deal with the butterfly keyboard, get all of the ports, and the high res screen you want.

Thanks. I’ll take a look.

 

[jerryk]

Thanks. I’ll take a look.

Also re-look at the iPad. With Mouse support and split off of iPadOS from IOS, the gap between the iPad (especially the iPad Pro) and MacBook is closing. The biggest issue is applications that do not have iPad versions, or the iPad version is too limited (although iPadOS may help close that gap).