What should I get as a new MacBook?

[Mac_Fag]

Hello, I am thinking of replacing my 2007 MacBook Pro and getting a new MacBook Pro. I am not really sure of which one I should get though. Which one would suit my needs? I do:
Web browsing
Emulating
Burning Disks
Messaging
Creating boot USB drives

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[mroy16]

Any MBP will handle these tasks easily. That said, for burning disks and creating USB boot drives, you'll definitely need adaptors. No Mac laptops ship with disk drives, and only the MBA ships with USB-A ports. Do you need to be doing both of these tasks while mobile, or can you rely on an external disk drive and USB hub?

 

[Mac_Fag]

I usually use my MacBook at home, and I can probably make the switch to not using disk anymore. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ChrisA]

Hello, I am thinking of replacing my 2007 MacBook Pro and getting a new MacBook Pro. I am not really sure of which one I should get though. Which one would suit my needs? I do:
Web browsing
Emulating
Burning Disks
Messaging
Creating boot USB drives

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I would think that even an older 2007 Mac could handle those things unless your emulator is requiring a lot of CPU power.

I have a 2011 MBP and a 27" iMac but for embedded development I use an older Alianware notebook PC that runs Ubuntu Linux Older PCs like this are nearly free

 

[MRrainer]

If you want to keep the new one for another 11 years like the old one, I'd get the fastest one you can afford, with the most RAM, the largest SSD and the biggest GPU.

Then, if you keep that working until 2029(!), I'll be mightily impressed.

I have a 2008 iMac and VMWare stopped being usable years ago.

I'd seriously try to hold out for another six months or so. Hopefully Apple will start selling six-core MBPs by then.

 

[Glmnet1]

If you want to keep the new one for another 11 years like the old one, I'd get the fastest one you can afford, with the most RAM, the largest SSD and the biggest GPU.

IMO, that's very bad advice!

Laptops, especially MacBook, are appliances. One thing breaks and you have to replace it all or pay expensive repair fees.

Software support is limited and in 7-9 years it won't support the latest OS.

Also, the requirements for specs is slowing down. Since OP is still using a 2007 MBP, he's not a demanding user in terms of specs and even the base specs (maybe get more storage if needed) of a new MBP should be sufficient for a long, long time.

Maxxing out a MBP to future proof it is a waste of money for OP's usage.

 

[sunapple]

Maybe go to a store nearby and see what screen-size you prefer. Specs don't matter (so don't waste your money there), size is personal.

 

[nvmls]

IMO, that's very bad advice!

Laptops, especially MacBook, are appliances. One thing breaks and you have to replace it all or pay expensive repair fees.

Software support is limited and in 7-9 years it won't support the latest OS.

Also, the requirements for specs is slowing down. Since OP is still using a 2007 MBP, he's not a demanding user in terms of specs and even the base specs (maybe get more storage if needed) of a new MBP should be sufficient for a long, long time.

Maxxing out a MBP to future proof it is a waste of money for OP's usage.

+1

Considering the current MBP generation troll I wouldn't expect to use it more than a semester or 2 before its keyboard fails. In addition to this, all soldered components make it a throwaway machine after 1 year (no apple care in your case/another cash grab anyways).

From our experience with macbooks, the more power it packs, the less it lasts. MBA or previous generations MBP such as 2015 and below, offer a good balance of versatility, power and even a few upgradable components.

The newest laptops are eye-candy with serious downgrades in workflow (adapters, monitor compatibility, upgradeability, smaller battery, removal of substance features such as magsafe, battery led indicator, glowing logo and the touch bar not only complete gimmick but borderline embarrassing under heavy workload on a professional environment)

 

[mroy16]

throwaway machine after 1 year (no apple care in your case/another cash grab anyways).
[snip]
serious downgrades in workflow (adapters, monitor compatibility, upgradeability, smaller battery, removal of substance features such as magsafe, battery led indicator, glowing logo and the touch bar not only complete gimmick but borderline embarrassing under heavy workload on a professional environment)

I think you're exaggerating a bit here. My 2016 13" is over a year old, and is just as effective as they day I bought it. With the keyboard issues that people have been reporting, the AppleCare is especially important - a top case replacement at year 2 would cost more than the AppleCare.

I also find my laptop to be a significant upgrade in my workflow, albeit from a 2011 non-retina 15". It's a more expensive workflow, as I had to invest in a dock / pair of dongles, but now I can plug in 1-2 cables and get power, peripherals, monitor - you name it. For portable workflow, either without peripherals or peripherals at a fixed desk, the current lineup is honestly the best. Yes, it's less versatile without the correct adaptors, but many people use laptops either without peripherals or plugged into a permanent desk setup anyway.

 

[MRrainer]

IMO, that's very bad advice!

Laptops, especially MacBook, are appliances. One thing breaks and you have to replace it all or pay expensive repair fees.

Software support is limited and in 7-9 years it won't support the latest OS.

Also, the requirements for specs is slowing down. Since OP is still using a 2007 MBP, he's not a demanding user in terms of specs and even the base specs (maybe get more storage if needed) of a new MBP should be sufficient for a long, long time.

Maxxing out a MBP to future proof it is a waste of money for OP's usage.

It was more of a joke. As I said, if he can keep a current MBP working for 11 years straight, that would be an absolute achievement.
Whether it's worth the money maxing one out - it's not so clear-cut IMO. At least in theory. If you can eek out another 1.5 to 2 years out of it with this, it might even be worth it (depending on the price difference).
However, if it breaks after the warranty has run out and before it amortized, it's like starting the BBQ with 20 USD bills.

 

[nvmls]

I think you're exaggerating a bit here. My 2016 13" is over a year old, and is just as effective as they day I bought it. With the keyboard issues that people have been reporting, the AppleCare is especially important - a top case replacement at year 2 would cost more than the AppleCare.

I also find my laptop to be a significant upgrade in my workflow, albeit from a 2011 non-retina 15". It's a more expensive workflow, as I had to invest in a dock / pair of dongles, but now I can plug in 1-2 cables and get power, peripherals, monitor - you name it. For portable workflow, either without peripherals or peripherals at a fixed desk, the current lineup is honestly the best. Yes, it's less versatile without the correct adaptors, but many people use laptops either without peripherals or plugged into a permanent desk setup anyway.

I wish I were exaggerating but we have returned ours within the first 3 days and we see issues with them daily, the overall impression is clearly a downgrade for 95% professionals on our end, but if it works for you so be it! Also feel free to share your experience to other frustrated users here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wners-experiencing-keyboard-problems.2033781/

That 2011 non-retina 15" except for screen, resolution, outdated hardware & weight is a much much better machine than the current ones, upgradeable, exceptional keyboard, battery, charge led indicator, magsafe, glowing logo, ports and very reliable.

Suggesting new machines with appleCare on a 1000 budget it's just not an option, also by buying appleCare for these machines, you are supporting these practices of downgrading components quality from previous models which you may not care, but some do.

 

[Glmnet1]

It was more of a joke. As I said, if he can keep a current MBP working for 11 years straight, that would be an absolute achievement.
Whether it's worth the money maxing one out - it's not so clear-cut IMO. At least in theory. If you can eek out another 1.5 to 2 years out of it with this, it might even be worth it (depending on the price difference).
However, if it breaks after the warranty has run out and before it amortized, it's like starting the BBQ with 20 USD bills.

Even if you keep it for 1.5-2 years, maxing out a MacBook Pro is more or less twice as expensive as buying the base one. There's no way you can keep it twice as long, even if nothing breaks.

 

[mroy16]

nvmls - what "professionals on your end" are you dealing with? Different use cases will benefit from different machines.

You say that my 2011 15" is a better machine except for the screen, resolution, hardware, and weight. In other words, it's better in secondary ways, but as a functional and portable computer, it's worse. It also died because of a long-known problem with the discrete graphics card.

I also don't suggest an Apple laptop on a $1000 budget. Purchasing an Apple computer is more expensive. That's a fact of reality. If someone wants to buy an Apple computer, I always recommend AppleCare. If they can't afford that, I would encourage them to save or look elsewhere.

Also - buying AppleCare doesn't promote practices of downgrading component quality. That's not how insurance programs work... Apple still has to pay for any hardware of mine that they replace. It is in their best interest to provide long-lasting hardware, as that keeps users happy, keeps their repair rates down, and encourages return users.

 

[nvmls]

nvmls - what "professionals on your end" are you dealing with? Different use cases will benefit from different machines.

You say that my 2011 15" is a better machine except for the screen, resolution, hardware, and weight. In other words, it's better in secondary ways, but as a functional and portable computer, it's worse. It also died because of a long-known problem with the discrete graphics card.

I also don't suggest an Apple laptop on a $1000 budget. Purchasing an Apple computer is more expensive. That's a fact of reality. If someone wants to buy an Apple computer, I always recommend AppleCare. If they can't afford that, I would encourage them to save or look elsewhere.

Also - buying AppleCare doesn't promote practices of downgrading component quality. That's not how insurance programs work... Apple still has to pay for any hardware of mine that they replace. It is in their best interest to provide long-lasting hardware, as that keeps users happy, keeps their repair rates down, and encourages return users.

The GPUs issue was another case of those "practices" for not acknowledging it properly until class action lawsuits were presented (almost all our amd & nvidia 8600 unsoldered/cracked boards), some even tried the oven approach to re-solder them. Apple thermals on laptops were always subpar, depending on lower consumption 3rd party chips and calling it a day.

"It is in their best interest to provide long-lasting hardware, as that keeps users happy, keeps their repair rates down, and encourages return users". I'd be embarrassed to even write that, I will assume you don't really believe that.

 

[mroy16]

Alright, this is just going in circles and is no longer relevant to the OP's question. You can keep on going with your big talk. Have fun.