School Me On MacBooks

[DReg350]

If ya hate Apple and MacBooks I get it, but please... move on...

I’m thinking of getting a new laptop and am toying with switching from a PC to a mac. I’ve used Macs before, so I get ‘em. I’m just not familiar with the laptops. I don’t think I need the newest latest greatest. Mostly BARF, surfing, email, docs, stream music, store a bit o music, and TONS o photos... the normal stuff. But, I’d like to play with photo editing. Maybe video too, but probably not... but maybe yeah. Which MacBooks on Craigslist should I be looking for, and what should I be looking out for so I don’t muck it up?

Oh, ya. No, I don’t have a budget yet cause I don’t know what I don’t know yet. Lil’ help?

 

[gnahc79]

Do some research on the butterfly keyboards and see if you're willing to take the risk, even with the availability of the repair program.

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

butterfly keyboards .

ugh.
"interesting"
well there dun some "research" for 'im


https://www.businessinsider.com/mac...-called-worst-product-in-apple-history-2019-3

... a new Wall Street Journal article, written with the latest version of Apple's butterfly keyboard, that has so many typos as a result of the faulty keyboard that it's almost illegible.

Some Mac users have complained that Apple's butterfly keyboard is uncomfortable to type on, as the keys have very little "travel," the distance it takes to press them down

 

[Abacinator]

Just buy a refurb 15" i5 laptop with at least 16GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Probably cost under 5 bills.

 

[dagle]

they're supposed to be releasing a new version this year that addresses a lot of the major issues with the previous gens. the only advantage is in the current 15 because it has 6 cores and up to 32gb of ram. it can get expensive but if you don't plan to buy a new laptop for awhile it's not the worst option.

 

[stangmx13]

16GB of ram and dual GPU. that pretty much limits u to all the MacBookPros that are worth using.

 

[madsen203]

Ought ours at Costco. It works great. Saved a couple hundred and opted to not get warranty. So far, so good.

Wife is still having a hard time learning the differences but is getting the hang of it the more she uses it.

If you have an iPhone, it makes sense. Better than a few high end dells ive had for work recently.

 

[afm199]

I've owned Macs since the eighties.

I prefer Windows laptops. Mac is just too weird.

 

[DReg350]

Thanks for the heads up on the Butterfly Keyboard issue and the repair link. I had no idea. The link included Eligible Models, which is really helpful! :thumbup

Not sure I want to fork out retail dollars for a new unit just now or even down the road. I'd be more interested in a used model. That's where the above helps. I'm also reading through some MacBook evolution articles so I can get a handle on what's what.

I' not worried too much about using one. I've used Macs in the past and; although, they were a bit different than a PC... they both do the same things.

 

[Toast]

Don't get one of the new ones, they are having too many problems (the keyboard fiasco and the screen ribbons).

 

[ScarySpikes]

Yea, at my old job we used MacBook pros, I had to update from an older model (with the old keyboard) to the newer model, with the butterfly keyboard.

The new keyboard is absolute trash. to save a few mm's off of the height of the device, the keyboard has absolutely no feel and it's buggy as hell. If you don't care about performance too much but still want a mac, buy an older model for much cheaper, it's a better product. otherwise avoid it.


It's a pity, because certain parts of macbooks are truly special. Their trackpads are the best I have ever used on laptops, though on that, I again liked the older model a bit better.

 

[bikeama]

I have a mid-2015 15" MBPr works great. Wife has a 2011 13" Air, our first Apple computer. 3 years ago the trackpad on my 2012 MBPr was not working. Took it in and was quoted $250 to fix, new top case and keyboard. Top cases were on back order and I was offered a NEW MBPr with more memory and storage than the one I had for $300. Yes, I like the Apple platform.

 

[Lorry]

I have a 2017 MBP for work. As other's have mentioned, the feel of the new keyboards is a personal taste thing. I don't hate it, but it feels fragile. In addition, three of the keys are broken at the moment. One of them always does 2 characters every time I press it. The other two keys usually take multiple hits.

I could send it in, but a couple of co-workers have new problems even with the repaired keyboards, so I haven't bothered. I usually have a bluetooth keyboard to use with it.

Other than that, it works pretty well. The touch-bar above the keyboard isn't much use to me, but it probably depends on what you use the machine for.

The touch pad is a massive improvement from my previous MBP (2011). It works evenly across the whole surface and has the force-click operation.

 

[yumdumpster]

Thanks for the heads up on the Butterfly Keyboard issue and the repair link. I had no idea. The link included Eligible Models, which is really helpful! :thumbup

Not sure I want to fork out retail dollars for a new unit just now or even down the road. I'd be more interested in a used model. That's where the above helps. I'm also reading through some MacBook evolution articles so I can get a handle on what's what.

I' not worried too much about using one. I've used Macs in the past and; although, they were a bit different than a PC... they both do the same things.

Personally I wouldnt buy a 2015+ MBP without a warranty. Way too many issues. Our engineering and Prod Ops departments at work are almost 100% Mac and the number of brand new laptops that have had issues is kind of staggering, for the last 2 weeks there has been an apple certified tech here doing nothing but replacing keyboards, so yeah, thats awesome.

Further, all the newer MBP have everything on a single logic board, so a failure any one part on there means everything needs to be replaced. I have a 2017 Macbook Pro I use as my work laptop and its already on its second keyboard and has already needed a full wipe and restore when the unit kept get kernel panics right after I got it, though that might have been a bad work image.

 

[stangmx13]

u can buy things called external keyboards these days

if u are using a laptop for many many hours a day, u should probably have an external display or the laptop on a stand and an external keyboard. itll save your eyes and back.

 

[gnahc79]

So in addition to packing a display adapter (no HDMI on Macs), possibly another dongle adapter for USB devices like a flash drive....you should also pack an additional keyboard?

 

[Map8]

I have a refurb 13" MacBook Air I bought in 2015. Its been flawless and gets used several hours a day. Its probably going need battery replacement soon as battery life isn't what it used to be. I've been able to use the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite on it without issue. I doubt it would be the right machine for big time video editing but it handles photo editing just fine.

Refurbs are available going back several years. They are a great way to get a quality computer at a good price.

 

[stangmx13]

So in addition to packing a display adapter (no HDMI on Macs), possibly another dongle adapter for USB devices like a flash drive....you should also pack an additional keyboard?

HDMI? USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) to DisplayPort. thats how u get multiple 4K monitors out of a MBP. USB-C flash storage is nice too. Apple doesnt care if your other hardware is old and doesnt support their latest stuff :laughing

i do actually take my keyboard when im away from my office for a while. its a reasonably old Apple one that fits in my laptop bag easily. oh, I take my mouse and pad too.

 

[gnahc79]

Apple doesnt care if your other hardware is old and doesnt support their latest stuff :laughing

Yep as long as buyers are fully aware of this belief, so be it. I can't be on board with that . For work when traveling, we're at the mercy of the tech available at customer sites, conferences etc. Gotta have a display adapter to project if all they have is HDMI. And the USBC->HDMI dongle doesn't work 100% of the time, so there's always a moment when you're holding your breath hoping it works. This is one reason I elected to stick with Windows/Lenovo X1.

 

[Lorry]

So in addition to packing a display adapter (no HDMI on Macs), possibly another dongle adapter for USB devices like a flash drive....you should also pack an additional keyboard?

Oh yeah, I forgot about the bag 'o dongles. My regular setup is HDMI breakout dongle, network IF dongle, USB->TB2 dongle and lead, plus the regular charging lead, and the USB-C -> USB converter for flash drives.

I think that this is a masterstroke of Apple genius. They now charge you extra to have external versions of all the interfaces that used to be built into the system.