Possible future Mac owner.

Number_25 · 15 Feb 2012 at 22:28

Well I'm not exactly new to the entire thing so I'm going to talk you guys through my Mac history.

(2001) Father owned Power Macintosh G3, used for work back in the day. Had a fiddle but I was too young to really take it as it was. Sold a year later.
(2002) My mother bought a iMac G3 for her eBay buisiness, however she couldn't use it to it's full capabilities and it was sold to a family member. Used it quite a lot as it was main family computer, quite enjoyed it.
My primary school also had one iBook G3 of which I used quite frequently in comparison to other class members. Didn't like it as I was first shown XP.
(2006) Parents sold their computers to buy Powerbook G4 on the cheap which was used for 3 years and then given to me. I used it as my backup computer before selling it September last year. Solid laptop, dropped it like 30 times and the only issue was with the Wireless and Battery.
(2011) Bought a PowerMac G5 Dual Core for a fiddle before selling it on to a friend who was very keen on getting into Mac OS X.

Now I'm thinking about buying myself a Macbook Pro as a backup computer or as one for University.

So my questions are-

Whats the build quality like?

How long will I realisitcally be able to use it for?

Is it worth it's pricetag?

Freakitchen · 15 Feb 2012 at 23:02

1) Absolutely fantastic. This is probably just repeating what you can read elsewhere but the unibody makes it as solid as the single piece of metal it is! Nothing I've seen comes close.

2) Mine is 3 years old and it still suits my needs perfectly (it's now on it's third incarnation of OS X),

3) It would be a very expensive 'backup computer'. If I was buying a Pro now I'd have to have a reasonably good reason not to make it my main computer. If I wanted ultra portability, I'd buy an Air. And, fundamentally, it probably isn't worth the price tag unless you want to use Mac OS. But if you do, you'll probably think it's the best computer you've ever bought.

shine · 15 Feb 2012 at 23:08

1. Build quality is excellent, nothing I can add to poster above

2. I bought mine last March when the new MBP's were announced. It's got lots of power and I fully expect to keep mine for a minimum of three years. This is my one and only PC now as I sold my desktop and laptop as power wise it's got everything I need in one place.

3. For me - yes but it will depend on how much you use it. Too expensive to be a backup computer.

lamboman · 15 Feb 2012 at 23:42

Just to further what everybody else has said, the build quality of all the models is brilliant, far better than any PC system. Not just the unibody construction, but the feel of everything, the trackpad, the hinges, the keys, all feel and are solid and beautifully made.

In terms of realistic lifespan, you should get roughly four to five years of software support (OS X updates for example), and for basic usage like web browsing and typing, should be absolutely fine for even longer. At the end of the day, how long a machine will last depends on how demanding a user you are, but generally you should be able to get a good four years out of it at least.

Expensive...not really. If you view it from the economical perspective, of course they are expensive, merely because you cannot get away from the fact that they are more expensive than the comparable Windows counterpart. However, I personally feel that the fantastic hardware, and far more reliable, polished software make the extra price that Apple squeeze from you easy to swallow.

Finally, I very, very much doubt that you will be using it as a backup machine. Lion is a joy to use, and it wasn't until I picked up my MBP that I realised where its strengths are. For a compact machine, Lion makes multitasking so unbelievably manageable.

bloodiedathame · 16 Feb 2012 at 00:14

Build quality is excellent, though I've killed the superdrive 4 times on my 2008 model by picking it up on the corner and throwing it on the floor.

I'm posting from it and still use it for freelance animation and video editing jobs, it's sweet as.

For the £1k I paid for it in 2008 it's worth £400 now, all I've bought for it over the years were a new charger and new battery so <£100.

Get it on the student store if you can, as it will have 3 years warranty.

Number_25 · 16 Feb 2012 at 10:23

If I was to get one it would have to be second hand unless I get my scholarship.

Thanks for all your help, just leaving as many options open as possible!

Lakeland · 16 Feb 2012 at 11:49

I can say from experience that they are not infallible. I've just had both USB ports fail on me. Granted they are under warranty, but you might have less luck if buying second hand. I wouldn't like to think how much the repair bill would be if I had to fund it myself.

Fragil1ty · 16 Feb 2012 at 12:07

Whats the build quality like?

The build quality is fantastic, I cannot fault the build quality of Apple products what so ever and right now, I don't even have one, I've owned a Mac Mini, MBP 13" and a Macbook, all outstanding and I never had a fault with ANY of them.

How long will I realisitcally be able to use it for?

This question is subjective to the user, it all depends on how well you take care of your machine? hardware is updating all of the time, I think if you take care of it, it can easy go for 3 years, but you'll want to upgrade after that time anyhow, but if you do not, then the Mac will proceed on in it's usage.

Is it worth it's pricetag?

That all depends? what will you be using it for? will you be using it frequently? etc.

lamboman · 16 Feb 2012 at 12:18

Number_25 said:
If I was to get one it would have to be second hand unless I get my scholarship.

Thanks for all your help, just leaving as many options open as possible!

Have a good look at refurbished models, and old models at reduced prices. One shop (where you have to get a ticket and go to a collection point) are selling the early 2011 base model for £899, which is really the one to go for out of all the models - the higher end i7 models only really offer 10% more performance in the real world, mainly due to space constraints.

Do not go for imported American models, as tempting as it may be (you will see tons of them when you are searching for used models) - as a student you will be reliant on your system, and Apple will, in most cases, send the laptop off to the US if it needs a repair. I did this with my iMac because the saving was massive, but the savings aren't as big with the sub-£1000 systems. If you buy AppleCare it should be a different case, but I really cannot say for sure.