Upgrading from 2009 MBP

[coppcore]

Hey folks. I'm upgrading from a 2009 MBP that I hardly use anymore because it's gotten quite slow (my own negligence) and has gone through way too many battery cycles. I'm debating between the new Air and latest 13" MBP with or without touch bar, but having been out of the loop for some time on all things Mac, I could use some help in finding the right choice for me.

My usage will consist mostly of web browsing and streaming. That alone would suggest the Air. However, I want to buy Djay Pro 2 and lightly enter the world of DJing, creating mixes, etc. Also, my girlfriend may share this laptop in the near future if she begins dabbling in interior design like she wants to. For those two purposes, albeit not the main purposes, I'm afraid the Air may not be powerful enough. Any thoughts will be appreciated. If it's recommended I go MBP, touch bar w/ 8th gen processor or no touch bar w/ 7th gen processor? I lean toward wanting the MBP with new processor (a sale through Costco this weekend helps) but I've heard the touch bar itself is a bit of a gimmick.

Thanks!

 

[a2jack]

Not the best time to buy a new MBP.

You might consider a referb 2012 or 2013 MBP. These machines can be easily upgraded to fill your needs, and you will save huge bucks.

Just got a 2012 MBP for wife. It cost well under $500 with 8 gig ram etc. She loves it. A2

 

[Diazepam]

Getting a 2018 MBP today is a bit of a gamble, because Apple seems to be trying out this new "ultra slim notebook" design, and it is clearly ridden with issues (read about "T2 kernel panic" and "Gen 3 butterfly keyboard"). You could get a lemon or you could get one that works fine. My 13" 2018 MBP, for the most part, works fine, and I'm very happy with it. It is fast and speeds through any tasks I throw at it. I do a lot of programming with XCode, and some minor gaming (on Windows through BootCamp), and it performs well.

The Touch bar, honestly, is not as bad as it is made out to be. You can configure it to show the normal function buttons so it is almost like having your regular F keys. It stopped responding once or twice (in 4 months), but it is really not that bad. I got used to the Touch Bar Esc key within a day or two ... not a big deal.

I have never bought a refurbished computer (and I never will), but that's just me. A lot of folks do this and are happy with their refurb purchases, but I wouldn't get one. I like knowing that I'm the only owner of a machine.

BTW, is portability a need for you ? How about getting an iMac instead, if this is going to sit at home all the time anyway ? You can get more powerful components at a much better value, and avoid all these MBP issues, if portability is not a requirement.