Used Mac for Writing

[MonksMac]

Hey guys -

I sold my Early 2011 MacBook Pro a couple of months ago and intended to purchase a MacBook Air or Retina MBP to replace it. However my work situation has changed in the last couple of weeks (yay, freelance!) and my budget is quite a bit lower than I originally planned for.

The PC laptop I've been using for the last couple of months has a broken keyboard (it's really awkward dragging a wireless KB with me in public), so I'm looking for a reasonably priced laptop to replace it with for the next couple of months until cash flow improves.

I've seen a couple of pretty decent looking/fully functional Late 2007 MBP (with the dreaded 8600M) and 2008 Unibody MacBooks in my budget (the cheaper, the better ~$200).

Are any of these older MBP/MB's worth picking up? I just need a machine that can satisfactorily run Word 2011 and Opera.

Thanks!

EDIT: This wouldn't be my main computer, but just a writing machine for work. I've got another tower and a whole bunch of PPC Macs for everything else.

 

[Starfia]

It sounds like that should be fine if you really mean that. Obsolete Macs will theoretically be able to run some version of Word forever if not the latest.

 

[ignatius345]

If you're not wedded to working in Word, you could probably go even cheaper with a used Chromebook or something, and just write in plain text/markdown, or in Google Drive or whatever. You could always paste your work into a Word doc on one of your other machines.

 

[davidg4781]

How about using a PPC laptop? If you have a few PPCs already you may have one, or at least you know enough about them to buy a used one. Plus, PPC!

 

[kohlson]

The 2008 MBP is nice. Replaceable battery. Still supported for most OS and apps. Somewhat upgradeable - SSD, memory. Plus it looks relatively new-ish. You want to project a professional image.

 

[MonksMac]

Thanks everyone for your advice!

I ended up buying a 2007 MBP 2.4 C2D, 5GB, and adding an SSD to it. It's a wonderful machine so far and has an excellent keyboard.

Unfortunately the people I'm working with insist on using Office and Office only.

It's just easier to give them what they want then to worry about formatting issues. I went Intel Mac for this reason because the only license I have for office is for the 2011 Mac version.

I'm sure it'll hold me over until I'm in a full time position. At the very least, it still has the awesome keyboard as my 12" Piwerbook G4!

 

[ShikariMR]

Professsional Salutations. Ain't no good getting old if y0u do not also get crafty.

I pray in aid the hardened motor industry pro. who said to me when I was thinking of a first car: buy an older car with a BIG engine. When it gives trouble throw it over a hedge and get another car with a BIG engine. Since that was well over sixty years ago, and I was one of a relatively small mnority driving V8s around the UK latterly, and never had a new car, I guess he knew something.

In that meantime, i did most forms of writing and still am. When I press 'About this Mac' I get:

OSX ElCapitan iMac 20 inch early 2008

She (all cars and Apples are she, aren't they?) is a gallant old lady. Easily adopted all the various updates and upgrades Seems to understand Scrivener and iA a sight better than I do so far. She appears to like writng inputs - tried that on a Windows PC and considered suicde as a possible better otioon.

I am a writing pro. When one of the Surgeons who restored my sight asked me what I write i said that I am not one of those "You know, I always felt I wanted to be a writah" types one hears on the British Broadcasting Corporation, more What do you want written, how many words, by when and what are what you paying.... not necessarily in that order!

I do not play computer games, and am guarded about sites I visit. I DID solve a four pack cards version of Solitire, and thought that was the point of 'downhill all the way' from thereon, and quit cold.

I have had considefable pleasure from coaching people to publication even if on occasion it was more of a re-write and typeset job.

Went pretty well once they would 1. write as they speak 2. write as THEY alone see things.

Plus a foolproof way to get around 'Viewpoint'

Was it not William Woolfolk/Jack Woodford who said that professional writers always write the most rambing, ludicrous letters. To which add Emails!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Was it not William Woolfolk/Jack Woodford who said that professional writers always write the most rambing, ludicrous letters. To which add Emails!

Not sure who said it, but any self-aware writer knows it! (As folks here familiar with my posts know, being self-aware does not necessarily mean I act upon that awareness.)

 

[ShikariMR]

Dear ApfelKuchen

If I write 'Welcome io the club; I am not sure if you joined mine or I joined yours. But I suspect we have both reached the stage where we can treat 'creative tension' with the amused contempt it always really deserved - "So much to learn, so little time"?

Or is it the old thihg about self defeating attitudes, as in "When the imagination and the will are in conflict, the imagination always wins." Whatever became of that- the 3 am. nadgers? Could it be somethng as crass as not really needing the money any more? ("Writing is a very poor crutch, but a very good walking stick")

When I sold my first short story on first submssion I got lots of nice comments. The woman I was set to marry (and even did) said: 'When will you get the money?" And I STILL didn't get wise!
[doublepost=1457730905][/doublepost]Another truth fromi 'Jack Woodford' was about the 'amateur.'writer who has just the one idea and asks a pro. to help with it and go 'halvies. Quote: 'Any pro always has far more ideas than he can ever use.'