New MBP 13"

silvagti · 15 May 2020 at 13:33

The butterfly keyboard is garbage IMO. Using it just now and I can't stand it honestly! The keys feel shallow, bottom out with every stroke and despite the claims of it being a more level surface/action honestly dont register unless you're pretty accurate to the centre of the switch. My typing speed is noticeably slower on it and I make more mistakes.

Also, I was eating a biscuit the other week and I think a crumb must have fallen onto it as one of the keys wouldn't work when you pressed it at certain angles. Spent a worried 15 minutes blowing compressed air into the thing and holding it upside down. Seems OK now but suffice to say don't eat near a butterfly keyboard equipped Mac! I reckon you could break the thing irreparably if you shook some salt over it! I'm not even joking when I say that........

No spec bump is worth having to put up with this keyboard! There's a reason Apple rolled out a replacement programme and they no longer sell them.....

Vita said:
So narrowed it down to the following.

2.4 mbp 13 2019.

or

base 2020 1.4.

Where would you’re money go?

I think we should consult the Oracle! (@MacRS4 )

As someone who's clearly had a lot of experience with Apple products what model/spec of MacBook Pro 13" would you recommend buying? Or, having tested it recently, is it worth considering spending the extra money (~£400) to get the 10th generation model if that's an option?

silvagti · 15 May 2020 at 14:34

-delete-

Hades · 15 May 2020 at 15:06

Vita said:
So narrowed it down to the following.

2.4 mbp 13 2019. Benefits 4TB ports and an extra fan for cooling. Downside is the butterfly keyboard.

or the base 2020 1.4. Benefit is mainly the keyboard.

Where would you’re money go? The 2019 is an extra £29 on the refurb store.

Personally I wouldn't touch a used butterfly keyboard with a barge pole. I'm not sure when the extended replacement programme ends but eventually these things will fail (even the replacements). Good luck fixing it outside of the replacement programme.

GMac11 · 15 May 2020 at 16:13

Why is there such a long turnaround for the 13" on Apple's website? Is it just order backlog? I see a number of online retailers have it ready for dispatch - or so they claim anyway.

silvagti · 15 May 2020 at 16:24

GMac11 said:
Why is there such a long turnaround for the 13" on Apple's website? Is it just order backlog? I see a number of online retailers have it ready for dispatch - or so they claim anyway.

Yeah, I was wondering that myself. I thought perhaps Apple were waiting for stock but the order date seems to increment daily so the delivery date isn't getting any closer?

GMac11 · 15 May 2020 at 16:27

silvagti said:
Yeah, I was wondering that myself. I thought perhaps Apple were waiting for stock but the order date seems to increment daily so the delivery date isn't getting any closer?

Exactly. I would understand if it had been sitting at say 26th May or whatever for the past week or so but it progressively gets pushed back and is constantly 2 weeks away.

b0rn2sk8 · 15 May 2020 at 16:39

Stock coming from directly from China as they are built and a backlog of orders. Doubt they have any left in a U.K. warehouse.

Online retails would have revived a batch of x hundred/thousand and haven’t sold through them all yet. Apple will have supply contracts that they need to fulfil even if they themselves have ran out.

GMac11 · 15 May 2020 at 17:01

It's no massive problem in my situation anyway. If I am going to buy a 13" I need to return the 16" and get the refund first before I can even place my order.

silvagti · 15 May 2020 at 17:27

GMac11 said:
It's no massive problem in my situation anyway. If I am going to buy a 13" I need to return the 16" and get the refund first before I can even place my order.

I'm not in a huge rush to buy but I do need to get something in the next month or so. It puts me off ordering a laptop when it's clear Apple UK don't currently have any stock and the delivery date keeps moving to 2-3 weeks away each day which suggests to me they're having supply issues.

MacRS4 · 15 May 2020 at 17:33

I'd personally avoid the older units for a couple of reasons - firstly, the 10th gen chips are pretty good, especially with the graphics. The other thing is look at the resale value of butterfly keyboard units, they're falling off a cliff! That may not bother you tbh.

Vita · 15 May 2020 at 17:53

Thanks for the advice guys. Taken on board, will avoid the older models.

silvagti · 15 May 2020 at 22:00

Looks like stock is starting to arrive in the UK. I notice the rainforest store has 10th gen MBP 13"''s for £100 off RRP at £1700.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-MacBook-13-inch-Storage-Keyboard/dp/B0882LN243/

Fusion · 17 May 2020 at 09:40

If you can run to it, the £1800 13” option looks like the one, especially with £100 or so off as shown above. The enhanced cooling is a big one. I do keep coming back to the idea of getting one myself, but tend to struggle with parting the cash.

Hades · 17 May 2020 at 12:08

Dammit, my daughter wants a silver one, not space grey. Otherwise that deal would be perfect.

silvagti · 17 May 2020 at 12:35

Hades said:
Dammit, my daughter wants a silver one, not space grey. Otherwise that deal would be perfect.

If it saved me £100 I'd be ok with either. I do think space grey looks nicer than silver though :cool:

Hades · 17 May 2020 at 13:01

silvagti said:
If it saved me £100 I'd be ok with either. I do think space grey looks nicer than silver though

Yeah I will talk to her about it. I prefer the grey too
But for this much money I would prefer her to get the one she really wants.

EDIT: I just realised that I get a 6% corporate discount on Macbooks. So she can have the silver one and it's even slightly cheaper than the above deal

ultralaser · 17 May 2020 at 22:34

I must admit being in a similar situation, I was really hoping Apple would give us a 14" pro with a 10th generation processor, alas no. I don't think the Air has enough processor power for anything more than basic office work, and the base level pro seems a like it will seem old very quick with the introduction of the 4000's series Ryzen chips in competitor devices. I'll be honest even though I'd like an Apple laptop again (I've got an old 2015 i7 15" MBP) performance per pound is now pretty dire

..... It really only leaves a small number of options.

GMac11 · 18 May 2020 at 20:01

FYI the Space Grey has dropped another bit to £1682.41 on the rainforest - still no dice with the Silver yet.
Has anyone here ordered (and received) a 13" direct from Apple? I see they are still saying anything from 28th May-4th June for delivery, I am wondering how accurate those dates are?

MacRS4 · 19 May 2020 at 10:49

Mine was delivered on the 12th, but then we get them pretty quickly.

blairw · 19 May 2020 at 16:12

Managed to talk a friend away from the base level pro - I don't think 8th gen and 8gig of ram is a sensible purchase at that price, he opted for the 1800 version with the 10th gen and 16 gig of ram... I expect it to last him years, it's what I'd be getting if I was in the market for a 13" laptop