Which used MacBook Pro model would you buy in 2023?

[zterm]

I need to buy a used macbook pro that will allow me to use a supported version of MacOs and Keynote for at least a couple of years. Preferably 13 inches and with HDMI output.

I have tried to come to a conclusion for myself, but reading the latest comments about the countless problems that MacBook Pros have been having for a few years, I have decided to ask the forum.

The main use of the computer will be to be able to project Keynote presentations developed on another computer, hence the need to be compatible with current Keynote versions.

They have offered me a 2014 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM / 512GB SSD for just under 300, but without going through OCLP it only supports Big Sur.
I have another option of an early 2020 i5 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM / 512GB for about 600.
There are many other options but most of them come with 8GB.

I'm not looking for the best and fastest machine, just want to buy a solid computer that serves its purpose and is not prone to problems.
I would appreciate any opinion or suggestion.

Tx in advance.
zterm

 

[Bigwaff]

Without posting a budget limit, you will get such a wide range of opinions as to be nearly unhelpful.

 

[kiranmk2]

Do you need a MBP for this use? I would have thought an MacBook Air would be fine for this (and cheaper). Sure you would have to use a dongle to get HDMI output but that isn't a big hassle. In the UK you can pick up a 2018/19 MBA for around £300 on eBay so I would have thought $300-350 in the US would be achievable (and it's still supported by Sonoma)

 

[zterm]

Without posting a budget limit, you will get such a wide range of opinions as to be nearly unhelpful.

Good point. Let's say up to 750 € for a 16GB / 512GB SSD configuration.
Thanks.

 

[zterm]

Do you need a MBP for this use? I would have thought an MacBook Air would be fine for this (and cheaper). Sure you would have to use a dongle to get HDMI output but that isn't a big hassle. In the UK you can pick up a 2018/19 MBA for around £300 on eBay so I would have thought $300-350 in the US would be achievable (and it's still supported by Sonoma)

Thanks for your input. I had not considered the MBA. I'll take a look to see what's available locally here in Madrid.

 

[MBAir2010]

my MacBook Pro 2012 is still great, 16GB 1TB drive but Catalina is losing some iCloud and security features this autumn. any MacBook Pro with the butterfly keyboard you would want to avoid. and the 2013 had a film on the play that can look hideous when not polished or treated.
My MacBook Air m1 is excellent and I use my MacBook Air 2010 for graphic design and watching TV shows with a usb display port nowadays.
 made a great line of MacBooks with th air that seem to have less problem than the Pro last decade.
I would get a I7 processor and check the graphic cards, th eMBP 12 has a very good one.

if you have extra time, please read the OCLP threads here,
some users have success but other have failed, as mine did last week.
OWC has your model for 249US$ but shipping might be costly, I think.


hoped this help!

 

[zterm]

Thanks MBAir2010.
I'm writing this on a 2010 i7 MBP, so I really appreciate your input. I neither want to spend too much on a machine that will only be used occasionally nor do I want to buy a lemon with a bad keyboard, with a flexible cable prone to failure and which, in no case, will I be able to expand the memory or the SSD or be able to repair.

Maybe an MBA M1 is all I need, but 16 MB units are really hard to find.

 

[lowkey]

You won’t need 16GB or ram to do keynote. But I’d suggest a MacBook Air over an older MacBook Pro purely for the weight savings. I presume you will travel around and carry it with you for your keynotes? The lighter the better imo.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Crazy ALT idea: since you have a projector (and thus screen) for those Keynote projections, how about Mac Mini? You can get a "latest & greatest" base unit and/or a bit more as a latest refurb. Create your Keynote presentation on the other Mac and then hook the new Mac Mini to the Projector for display.

This idea would also be buying you a solid Mac that will stay up to date for towards the usual approx. 7 years until vintaged... longer if you use the hacks to make new macOS run on vintaged hardware. You wouldn't be paying up for a screen you probably don't need for this one and I presume the projector probably covers speakers too.

And if you have a few uses beyond Keynote player, pairing it with a screen of any size is not necessarily a $2K purchase. Many people will connect a Mac mini to a cheaper, third-party screen. Example 27". You would not be limited to the stated 13"-16" laptop screen sizes. For working in apps like Keynote, more screen size is often a benefit. I have a 40" ultra-wide connected to my Mac and make great use of that expansive screen R.E. every day.

Crazier Altier idea #2: AppleTV as a Keynote airplay target hooked to that projector? Then airplay from the presentation development Mac if it is available or put this money towards iPhone or iPad on which to run Keynote and airplay the presentations to projector through that AppleTV?

Crazier Altier #3: if that last one has any potential, you could also bypass the AppleTV (purchase) with a direct iDevice to Projector connection using a HDMI dongle. Run Keynote presentation on iDevice to show on projector.

And lastly: if the presentation does not require interactive stops & starts but is something to be watched only (no live narration required), render it as a narrated video and then simply run the video from any technology (even a cheap Windows machine, Chromebook, USB stick or DVD/BD player) on the projector... like playing a movie or TV show on the projector.

 

[kiranmk2]

Another idea - can you run your Keynote presentation from the iOS app your iPhone/iPad via the Lightning-to-HDMI dongle?

Play a presentation on a separate display in Keynote on iPad

In Keynote on iPad, connect to an external display, a projector or an Apple TV with AirPlay to show your presentation on a separate display.

support.apple.com

 

[MBAir2010]

Thanks MBAir2010.
I'm writing this on a 2010 i7 MBP, so I really appreciate your input. I neither want to spend too much on a machine that will only be used occasionally nor do I want to buy a lemon with a bad keyboard, with a flexible cable prone to failure and which, in no case, will I be able to expand the memory or the SSD or be able to repair.

Maybe an MBA M1 is all I need, but 16 MB units are really hard to find.

Im more than happy with 8gb of ram on my M1 mbair.
i think that has 7 cores and 256 gb ssd.

my mental hardness always refused to use a un-upgradeable laptop
until i realized how long the components last.
today I wont think about this issue anymore, as iPads last forever hardware wise.

 

[zterm]

I have a 2018 MBP that my wife took possession of a long time ago (I hate that keyboard), a MacMini server, another 2014 MacMini (both headless), a MacPro 5.1 with 128GB of RAM and my old 2010 MBP, which is the one I have in the kitchen and use for remotely access the Minis in the basement.
We also have 3 iPads, but I only use them for browsing and they are always on my daughters' domains.

I do most of my work on the MacPro and, frankly, I don't need more, except for those rare occasions when I have to collaborate with my team and share Keynote presentations that I then have to project.

I could do it with an iPad, but it is impractical since I often have to install fonts on the fly, correct things and re-send files, so the I think the best option at the moment is a small MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air.

What I would value most at this time is knowing which models to favor and which ones to avoid, since for some time now I have noticed that several models are more prone to failure than others.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I don't think you can get good answers to that last point because Apple fans can't criticize Apple stuff- thus unable to identify "bad" ones- and Apple anti-fans will criticize everything.

Keynote playback and editing can readily be done by ANY Mac. So unless you complicate your needs list, any of them will be fine.

Beyond that, you are going to get "I bought this one because..." with the rest of that fitting something important to THAT person... not your needs.

Even the very generic, "don't buy base specs" rationale won't apply for simple keynote playback. However, if you want to avoid the "bad" ones per this line of rationale step up at least 1 tier from base specs in both RAM and SSD. More RAM than 8GB probably buys some added longevity. More SSD overcomes the dreaded "half speed" issue in M2 Macs (though fans will argue 'no one can notice').

If me, I probably put one of the Macs I have to use on playing Keynote presentations on that projector... maybe getting a cheap mobile screen for that 2014 Mac Mini if I want to use it like a laptop in select situations.

Else, if I'm buying used, I add 7 years to the last year it was sold to best approximate when it will be vintaged. If that's only 1-3 years from now, you'll be facing this same situation again soon... because Keynote will inevitably be slightly upgraded with each macOS update to make files created on a new one not run on a Mac that can't upgrade to that same macOS version. iWorks apps are notorious for this. If anyone on the team edits a group Keynote on an up-to-date Mac, everyone else on a Mac that can't update to that macOS version will probably not be able to open it and/or not be able to preserve select features in the file if they edit something and then save.

 

[Fishrrman]

Fishrrman's rules for used MacBook buying:

DO NOT BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
MacBook Pro 15" -- 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
ALL of these have the disastrous "butterfly keyboards" that are highly-prone to failure. Although Apple has a free replacement program running for 4 years "from new", when that time expires YOU will pay for the repair.
And it's NOT CHEAP -- $750 for even a single key gone bad.
That's because the entire top case has to be replaced... even for a single key failure!

DO BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2020
MacBook Pro 16" -- 2019 and later.
These have the new "magic" (scissors) keyboards, as did the 2015 and earlier MBPs. These keyboards have been very reliable.

Also:
MacBook Pro 14" or 16" -- 2021

 

[Elviss116]

Macbook pro 2021 M1 PRO 14" base model 16GB/512GB

 

[msackey]

Do you need a MBP for this use? I would have thought an MacBook Air would be fine for this (and cheaper). Sure you would have to use a dongle to get HDMI output but that isn't a big hassle. In the UK you can pick up a 2018/19 MBA for around £300 on eBay so I would have thought $300-350 in the US would be achievable (and it's still supported by Sonoma)

I was thinking the same thing. If it is really primarily to just project Keynote, why an MBP? Why not a cheaper option?

 

[zterm]

If me, I probably put one of the Macs I have to use on playing Keynote presentations on that projector.

If it was for making presentations in my office, a Mac Mini with a wireless keyboard would be an excellent option. But arriving at a client's office with a MacMini and a keyboard in your backpack, having to rely on an external screen to present (many times I had to present on the computer due to a damaged HDMi cable or socket) and not being able to see what slide comes next before projecting it... I need a laptop.

 

[zterm]

Fishrrman's rules for used MacBook buying:

DO BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2020
MacBook Pro 16" -- 2019 and later.
These have the new "magic" (scissors) keyboards, as did the 2015 and earlier MBPs. These keyboards have been very reliable.

Also:
MacBook Pro 14" or 16" -- 2021

Thanks. Good info.
There are two MacBook Pro 13" 2020. I guess you mean the M1 model.

 

[zterm]

I was thinking the same thing. If it is really primarily to just project Keynote, why an MBP? Why not a cheaper option?

I guess you mean a MacBook Air. I have not considered it until very recently, only because I have never seen any unit beyond base specs. Maybe its not necessary for Keynote, but as HobeSoundDarryl suggested, it is better to step up at least 1 tier from base specs in both RAM and SSD.

 

[msackey]

I guess you mean a MacBook Air. I have not considered it until very recently, only because I have never seen any unit beyond base specs. Maybe its not necessary for Keynote, but as HobeSoundDarryl suggested, it is better to step up at least 1 tier from base specs in both RAM and SSD.

Yes, I meant a MacBook Air. If you're really just using the laptop to project KeyNote presentations, a MacBook Air is more than enough. And if you need to use it to create presentations, it can do that too.

 

[zterm]

I bought a used MBP 16/250 from 2015 in fairly good condition for about 365 euros. It is the one that came with a 2.2 quad-core processor with only the Iris GPU, but it is fast and agile enough with Monterey.
Yesterday a member of this forum recommended that I install Keynote 6.6.2 on my current MBP and I found that it works fine with Monterey, so now I have a spare laptop

Thanks everyone!