Author Topic: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?  (Read 40111 times)

shrnjad

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #100 on: March 27, 2015, 04:45:20 AM »
I had been totally indifferent to Macs a long time. But since I started working as a iOS developer recently, I discovered that the Macbooks are extremely well designed machines (IMHO)!! I am regularly employed, so I have a brandnew Macbook Pro at work, which I do not use at home.

So being in the same dilemma as you, I bought myself a used 4 year old Macbook (without the pro) which is in very good shape. It was rather slow, so I bought a 250GB SSD drive. Now the machine runs really fast and I am having a great time using it.

It does have quite little RAM, so I will eventually upgrade that, too. But right now, I do not notice that in everyday use, so I am not in a hurry. I can buy the RAM used from people who upgraded their own laptops quite cheap.

The Macbook cost me 500 € and I intend to use it for the next 2-3 years, maybe 4, reselling it later should be possible. :)

(changing the parts is very easy, you can look everything up on the ifixit website, however I did have some experience like assembling my own desktop machines, etc.)

Hope this helps!!

Daley

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #101 on: March 27, 2015, 08:00:38 AM »
All told, it depends on what someone wants, but I don't see a clear winner comparing a refurb T420 with a 512GB SSD for $650 to a new MB Air for $680.

Sorry Darin, but you're literally comparing Apples to oranges. The challenge was as follows:

Can someone point me to a laptop that stacks up against this :

Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel i5
Originally released June 2012
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display, 1280-by-800 resolution
4GB (2 x 2GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM
500GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm1
8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Intel HD Graphics 4000

Refurb'ed price is $829 shipped to my door.

What can I get from the PC world that stacks up?

Must be well built and sturdy like the aluminum MBP.
Must have a robust power and peripheral input setup like the Mac mag-safe.
Must have USB3 like the MBP.
Must have a reasonably crisp, high-res display like the MPB.
Must have a sturdy, usable keyboard and pointing surface.

...also, your "brand new" Air for $680 is not a deal you can consistently pick up, and is normally $900. Refurbed Thinkpads are everywhere at the price listed.

On the other hand, the T420 is twice the size, and with an older battery, it probably won't go much above ~3 hours versus 10+ from a new Air.

At least the end user can actually replace the Lenovo battery themselves (or any other failed component) without spending an arm and a leg.

Thanks for playing anyway.

DarinC

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #102 on: March 27, 2015, 11:04:04 AM »
Haha! IP, you're one ornery SOB! :D

The Air is $770 right now instead of $680, but sooner or later BB will drop the price by $100 again and it'll be $680. 77 also didn't ask to have to available this very second, they just were asking if anything in the PC world stacks up.

There are options that do, but they aren't as clear cut as you're making them out to be, which is my point.

A $680 Air is good for some people, a $645 thinkpad good for others, and I love my $245 dual (soon to be triple hopefully) booting chromebook.

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #103 on: March 27, 2015, 11:05:08 AM »
At least the end user can actually replace the Lenovo battery themselves (or any other failed component) without spending an arm and a leg.

Thanks for playing anyway.

I'm surprised the DIY folks here at MMM aren't all about the cost of maintaining/upgrading/replacing stuff.  I've replaced so many things for myself and others on plain jane PC laptops.  $40 for a new LED/LCD panel (kid smashed it by closing it on a mouse), $7 power supplies, cheap ram, cheap HDDs or SSDs, $12 keyboards, cheap batteries, etc.  Instead of "bring it in to the Apple store and it'll be $199 for that". 

arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #104 on: March 27, 2015, 11:26:23 AM »

At least the end user can actually replace the Lenovo battery themselves (or any other failed component) without spending an arm and a leg.

Thanks for playing anyway.

I'm surprised the DIY folks here at MMM aren't all about the cost of maintaining/upgrading/replacing stuff.  I've replaced so many things for myself and others on plain jane PC laptops.  $40 for a new LED/LCD panel (kid smashed it by closing it on a mouse), $7 power supplies, cheap ram, cheap HDDs or SSDs, $12 keyboards, cheap batteries, etc.  Instead of "bring it in to the Apple store and it'll be $199 for that".

I used to.  Nowadays it is not in my interest to do with frustrations. I do it when I have to, but try to avoid it.

Since the wife and I are planning on traveling full-time and getting down to lightweight stuff we can carry in a backpack, I just bought a MacBook air last week on Craigslist. 2013 model, $500.  (Old laptop was old and trackpad stopped working, is it was time to upgrade anyways, but our future plans dictates what I decided to buy.). Chromebook was not an option due to potential lack of Internet access. I'm running Windows 7 via Bootcamp, and shrunk the OS X partition to as small as possible, and may delete it soon.  But it's a decent piece of hardware. Not something I'd get if we were staying at home, but it should serve my needs reasonably well. And access to any Apple Store in the world for service, if necessary, is a nice bonus.
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RootofGood

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #105 on: March 29, 2015, 07:06:16 PM »
I used to.  Nowadays it is not in my interest to do with frustrations. I do it when I have to, but try to avoid it.

Since the wife and I are planning on traveling full-time and getting down to lightweight stuff we can carry in a backpack, I just bought a MacBook air last week on Craigslist. 2013 model, $500.  (Old laptop was old and trackpad stopped working, is it was time to upgrade anyways, but our future plans dictates what I decided to buy.). Chromebook was not an option due to potential lack of Internet access. I'm running Windows 7 via Bootcamp, and shrunk the OS X partition to as small as possible, and may delete it soon.  But it's a decent piece of hardware. Not something I'd get if we were staying at home, but it should serve my needs reasonably well. And access to any Apple Store in the world for service, if necessary, is a nice bonus.

Gotcha.  The lighter weight of a ultrabook or 13" PC notebook or mac air is certainly appealing.  We're planning on traveling light (with 3 kids) and carrying basically carry on backpacks and bookbags for our upcoming 7 wk trip.  I thought about paying up for something a little lighter than our 4.75-5 lb 15" laptops, but can't quite justify the big price bump and don't want to lose the screen real estate or ability to swap out common components for cheap.  Of course we'll be home-based probably 40-45 weeks per year, so traveling isn't the primary focus for electronic gadgets. 

Kids also break things, so losing a $250 laptop hurts less than losing a $500+ laptop.  :) 

arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #106 on: March 29, 2015, 10:04:32 PM »
Yeah, if we had a home base we were at 90% of the time and traveling 10, I'd just put up with the extra weight/size.  When we're fitting everything we own into two 28L backpacks, I'm okay spending a bit more.  Or at least trying to make myself okay with it.  :)
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GuitarBrian

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #107 on: March 29, 2015, 10:22:40 PM »
I would recommend the 2012 i7 15 Macbook Pro (non retina) I just bought a second one for my brother. They are more powerful that 80+% of computers sold today and for sub 1k USD.. hard to beat.

I wanted the anti glare screen, so had to wait a while, I paid 1,011 for 2.3ghz, 16gb, 256gb ssd, with the antiglare screen. The only thing I wanted more was the 2.6ghz because of the upgrade to graphics card... but oh well, I don't play games anyway.

This is the last of the easy RAM/HDD/Optibay 15" Macbook, get the mid 2012 since they have USB 3.0.

That said, if they make a windows with a trackpad that works (multi touch, doesn't jump around) I saw some ~$700 at Sam's Club that were nice. Comparable to what I had just bought. But the trackpad... a disaster IMO.

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #108 on: March 30, 2015, 12:47:39 PM »
Yeah, if we had a home base we were at 90% of the time and traveling 10, I'd just put up with the extra weight/size.  When we're fitting everything we own into two 28L backpacks, I'm okay spending a bit more.  Or at least trying to make myself okay with it.  :)

Woah, 28L!  You guys are seriously going light.  If you have a packing list for what you think you can fit in 28L, PM me (since I'm thinking about the packing list and what special gear or electronics, if any, I should take with us on our trip) .  I'm looking more at 45-55 L backpacks for "only" 7 weeks though, however will be carrying surplus stuff if the kids can't pack it in their packs. 

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #109 on: March 30, 2015, 02:38:16 PM »
Yeah, if we had a home base we were at 90% of the time and traveling 10, I'd just put up with the extra weight/size.  When we're fitting everything we own into two 28L backpacks, I'm okay spending a bit more.  Or at least trying to make myself okay with it.  :)

Woah, 28L!  You guys are seriously going light.  If you have a packing list for what you think you can fit in 28L, PM me (since I'm thinking about the packing list and what special gear or electronics, if any, I should take with us on our trip) .  I'm looking more at 45-55 L backpacks for "only" 7 weeks though, however will be carrying surplus stuff if the kids can't pack it in their packs.

I have travelled with both 28L and 55L.  From my experience, I found it easier going with a half empty 55L pack than a jammed pack 28L.  I think my larger pack had better ergonomic design so was more comfortable, but I was also better able to organize my stuff in the 55L pack.  I'll probably look to buy a 45L pack when my 55L falls apart.

77rider

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #110 on: March 30, 2015, 03:29:05 PM »
77 also didn't ask to have to available this very second, they just were asking if anything in the PC world stacks up.

77 also feels a premium of ~$100 is perfectly reasonable for switching to OSX and not having the baked in OE bloatware.

I'm curious about you all recommending Lenovos. I know the old thinkpads were considered tanks. At work they issue two types of laptops; macbook pros and the flavor the month leased clones running windows. Previously they were HPs. Recently they switched over to Lenovos. I had the displeasure of using a co-workers' BRAND NEW Lenovo T-something-something today. The control surfaces are HORRRIBLE. The touch pad is lousy and the keyboard is not very comfortable to use. Feels like the keys are packed closer together than they should be. Also the machine got rather cranky when we connected it to the AirPlay services in the conference room. He says he's been looking into beta video drivers to cure some display issues he's been having.

And suddenly it all came back.

$100 is nothing in the uber-long run. Thank you all for the suggestions, I'm impressed that there seem to be more, better options than I had realized. But I'll buy another mac when I finish destroying this one.

Daley

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #111 on: March 30, 2015, 03:52:53 PM »
Recently they switched over to Lenovos. I had the displeasure of using a co-workers' BRAND NEW Lenovo T-something-something today. The control surfaces are HORRRIBLE. The touch pad is lousy and the keyboard is not very comfortable to use. Feels like the keys are packed closer together than they should be. Also the machine got rather cranky when we connected it to the AirPlay services in the conference room.

Lenovo Thinkpads up until about the T430/530 series were still tanks, but then they started going downhill abandoning everything that made them great while trying to impersonate the same questionable "features" of the Apple laptops (chicklet keys, etc.). I still swear by the older ones, but I wouldn't buy the new ones if my life depended on it. If I was required to buy new, I'd probably go with a Dell Latitude E5440/6440, but I'd still take a used Thinkpad T420/520 over either of those.

Also, complaining about Apple's proprietary AirPlay service not working well under any other OS is a little disingenuous. Apple's closed platform toys are only designed to work well under Apple's ecosystem. iTunes for Windows, for example. Proprietary vendor lock-in and shunning open standards is a scummy tactic from any software/platform vendor. Blaming the Thinkpad, no matter how badly designed the hardware is these days, is like kicking a dog for not having a small enough neck to keep from choking on some fancy, overpriced, one-size-fits-all collar that you want it to wear.

arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #112 on: March 30, 2015, 05:31:38 PM »
Yeah, if we had a home base we were at 90% of the time and traveling 10, I'd just put up with the extra weight/size.  When we're fitting everything we own into two 28L backpacks, I'm okay spending a bit more.  Or at least trying to make myself okay with it.  :)

Woah, 28L!  You guys are seriously going light.  If you have a packing list for what you think you can fit in 28L, PM me (since I'm thinking about the packing list and what special gear or electronics, if any, I should take with us on our trip) .  I'm looking more at 45-55 L backpacks for "only" 7 weeks though, however will be carrying surplus stuff if the kids can't pack it in their packs.

You have many more people though, it's just the two of us.  :D

I have list of websites I used for research, but I generally find that the shorter the trip, the more luggage you take proportionally to the length.

For example, we pack more for a week with my family in Seattle than we did for 2 months backpacking through Europe.  When you have to really get it down, you do.

With kids though I imagine that'd be much, much harder.
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cdub

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #113 on: March 30, 2015, 05:35:52 PM »
. I also tested an Acer Chromebook but the display was just killing my eyes..

Chromebooks are by far the best. No viruses. No Windows updates. Fast boot. And when you need to run a legacy program (such as YNAB) you can now run Linux in a window within Chrome OS.

You can get a Toshiba Chromebook with a much better screen than the Acer for $300 ish.

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-CB35-B3340-13-3-Inch-Chromebook-Full-HD/dp/B00N99FXIS

cdub

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #114 on: March 30, 2015, 05:40:21 PM »
I always think that a mac or any apple product, is worth it in the long run.

I have gone in and out of the eco-system many times over the years but I always look forward to returning to apple products, regardless of the price.

They just work.

What's funny about that - is that the phrase "they just work" applies in my case so much more to Chrombooks these days. In 2001 I switched from PC to Mac for their ease of use... and in 2011? when the first Chromebook came out I switched from Mac to Chromebook for the exact same reason.

A bus could literally run over my Chromebook right now and I could pick up a brand new Chromebook and log in and everything *EVERYTHING* would be instantly there on the new Chromebook within seconds of logging in.

The only exception to this would be if I had any local data on my Linux install... but since the only thing I use the Linux install for is for YNAB and all that is in the cloud too I still wouldn't lose anything. It'd just take me an hour to install crouton and YNAB again. But as soon as there's a cloud based YNAB that problem would go away too.

jzb11

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #115 on: March 31, 2015, 12:56:04 AM »
A windows chromebook competitor:

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-eeebook-x205ta

It's a budget option, but is a fair one of you want something cheap that runs windows. A little too underpowered for my taste. But it may fit your use case.
« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 01:00:48 AM by jzb11 »

kvaruni

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #116 on: March 31, 2015, 01:40:33 AM »
    This is such a hard question because it changes over the years, and it is very dependent on personal preferences. My personal view at the moment is:
    • for under $300: get a Chromebook, or a Windows tablet with Anker stand and good wireless keyboard. If you want screen size, make sure your laptop/tablet comes with HDMI. For a desktop, look at a bay trail system (see this beauty: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856501010). Or build it yourself (look for J1800 or J1900 motherboards, combined with an SSD these are amazing).
    • for under $500: buy one out of the $300 category now and renew in two years.
    • for $1,000 range (or up) and you want to be mobile: go Apple. Better battery, good build quality, some say it is the better OS, awesome support, great resale value in 3-5 years.
    • for $1,000 range (or up) and you want a desktop: build it yourself. Just the way you want it, no brand premium, fun of building it yourself, and no bloatware in sight (be careful when installing drivers in Windows!).

    Who needs anything but the $300 computers? Hard to say. They are perfect for browsing, mailing, netflix, word processing ... . Do you use computers as a job to program, do research, video editing, RAW photo management ... ? Then you probably need to look at the $1,000 category.

    Is Apple more expensive? To some extent. First, be careful with selecting options as they do come with a premium. Second, take the resale value into account as Apple computers maintain their value for far longer than their PC counterparts. And please: stop looking at the purchase value of goods but look at the total lifetime cost.

TinyLightsBelow

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #117 on: March 31, 2015, 07:09:19 AM »
Personally I like to spend $$$ on the device I will be using every single day of my life.

That's fine. It's still objectively a complete waste of money.

No. My quality of experience is worth it. And Macs easily last twice as long as PCs.
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arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #118 on: March 31, 2015, 07:29:54 AM »
Personally I like to spend $$$ on the device I will be using every single day of my life.

That's fine. It's still objectively a complete waste of money.

No. My quality of experience is worth it. And Macs easily last twice as long as PCs.
Would you like a bedpan and a catheter with that?
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I'm not a huge fan of Apple stuff, but consciously paying for quality is starkly different than paying for comfort due to weakness.

Or do you build your own PCs, because using a motherboard/PSU/RAM designed and built by someone else is weak?
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arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #119 on: March 31, 2015, 07:33:17 AM »
A windows chromebook competitor:

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/asus-eeebook-x205ta

It's a budget option, but is a fair one of you want something cheap that runs windows. A little too underpowered for my taste. But it may fit your use case.

Anyone else have any suggestions for PCs in that $200 range?  We just bought a HP Stream 11 for $200, but have had some small quirks with it, so we may be sending it back.

My wife just needs something small and underpowered to write on (and Chromebook is no good because of lack of Internet access while we travel).

This looks like a good alternative.

Thanks for the link!  :)
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jzb11

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #120 on: March 31, 2015, 07:56:31 AM »
Your used options are endless at around 200-230. I think these are all stronger options, except that the laptop I linked to probably destroys them in battery life. With that said a stronger processor, 4GB of ram, and 500gb of hd space are notable improvements.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00LO3K0B6/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

- That looks like an even better option and a great price at 216 (buy the amazon open box). 4GB ram, 500gb hd. .

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B009F1I1C4/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1427810113&sr=8-1&keywords=vivobook+x202e&condition=used

$100 more but an I3 processor, also seems to be a metal chassis.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00K5DZO5I/ref=sr_1_7_olp?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1427810707&sr=1-7&keywords=asus+11.6&condition=used

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00IQEA8UE/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00F32ZB68/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00E3KQWIC/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

« Last Edit: March 31, 2015, 08:07:29 AM by jzb11 »

arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #121 on: March 31, 2015, 08:36:00 AM »
The MS store is selling this for $200 right now:
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00FCK20SI/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00E3KQWIC

So I'm really trying to decide between these two I think:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/HP-Pavilion-x2-10-k077nr-Signature-Edition-2-in-1-PC/productID.309725500

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-EeeBook-X205TA-US01-BL-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.311268400

Leaning towards the latter, simply because the touchscreen/tablet part won't really be used at all.

While I buy used for most everything, I think in the $200 laptop range new is probably worth it.
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jzb11

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #122 on: March 31, 2015, 08:48:36 AM »
I'd suggest:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00LO3K0B6/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Open box from amazon warehouse deals (I've boughten from amazon warehouse before). You'll get 4GB of ram, stronger processor, and way more storage. I think the power/storage is worth it. You're also getting USB 3 ports as well.

With that said you'll lose out on battery life. The X205 is also lighter and will boot faster due to the SSD.

Good luck!



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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #123 on: March 31, 2015, 09:18:37 AM »
You have many more people though, it's just the two of us.  :D

I have list of websites I used for research, but I generally find that the shorter the trip, the more luggage you take proportionally to the length.

I've noticed that perverse relationship too.  :)  I think it's the willingness to deal with carrying more baggage for a short period of time instead of multiple months. 



Quote
With kids though I imagine that'd be much, much harder.

Yeah, I'm not sure if the kids understand that they are primarily responsible for carrying their own gear.  I think I'm going to let them research their electronic device entertainment options and let them buy the device(s) with their own money.  Otherwise, I think the toys will be 1-2 light outdoor play items and maybe a tiny stuffed animal for the youngest one.  And a wooden train he loves and can provide hours of entertainment.  We're already getting questions like "daddy, how many pesos are in a dollar?"  "15"  "How much can I buy with 15 pesos?"  "A lot"  :)


arebelspy

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #124 on: March 31, 2015, 10:03:31 AM »
I've noticed that perverse relationship too.  :)  I think it's the willingness to deal with carrying more baggage for a short period of time instead of multiple months.

Makes sense. 


Quote
With kids though I imagine that'd be much, much harder.

Yeah, I'm not sure if the kids understand that they are primarily responsible for carrying their own gear.  I think I'm going to let them research their electronic device entertainment options and let them buy the device(s) with their own money.  Otherwise, I think the toys will be 1-2 light outdoor play items and maybe a tiny stuffed animal for the youngest one.  And a wooden train he loves and can provide hours of entertainment.  We're already getting questions like "daddy, how many pesos are in a dollar?"  "15"  "How much can I buy with 15 pesos?"  "A lot"  :)

Yeah, I'm definitely taking notes on child rearing from your example, among a few select others.  :)
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BlueMR2

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #125 on: March 31, 2015, 10:05:35 AM »
I'd avoid Macs.  I like how shiny and cool they are, but every time I let myself get roped back in I end up regretting it.  The price is high.  The design is very nice.  However, better quality can be found elsewhere for less money.  I also chafe under all the limitations you have to live with in their ecosystem.  I've done this cycle a couple times.  I so much *want* to like Apple, I give them a try, then the cold hard facts hit me again and I abandon them yet again...

RootofGood

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #126 on: March 31, 2015, 12:14:03 PM »
Yeah, I'm definitely taking notes on child rearing from your example, among a few select others.  :)

Oh crap, I hope it's mostly good stuff you see and not schadenfreude over my predicament.  :)

 I'm feeling strangely better about our 7 wk Mexico trip than our 5 wk Canada road trip (that we aborted 1/2 way through).  Less traveling this time around, more spread out, and more convenience and luxury (without a huge price tag). 

Can you pm me the link(s) to whatever packing sites you found on traveling light?  Thanks!

TinyLightsBelow

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #127 on: March 31, 2015, 03:39:12 PM »
Personally I like to spend $$$ on the device I will be using every single day of my life.

That's fine. It's still objectively a complete waste of money.

No. My quality of experience is worth it. And Macs easily last twice as long as PCs.
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I'm not a huge fan of Apple stuff, but consciously paying for quality is starkly different than paying for comfort due to weakness.

Or do you build your own PCs, because using a motherboard/PSU/RAM designed and built by someone else is weak?
The person I was responding to didn't say quality, they said "quality of experience", which I take as being synonymous with luxury (though I think my argument still stands by either definition, because I don't think THE BEST QUALITY EVERRRR is really necessary - a dinner at a fancy restaurant is probably objectively better than something you make at home but if you chose that all the time I would still see it as a waste of money, even if you could afford it, because no human being needs to eat fine dining every day, and having more than you need regardless of quality = luxury). That said, Macs really aren't higher in quality -- as some people have already pointed out, they have Windows hardware in them. Obtaining a PC with the same specs as a Mac can be done with far, far less money (my PC is fantastic and cost about $400 to build).

My husband actually is the PC-building one in the family, but that's beside the point. I don't think the MMM article is talking about weakness. It's not WEAK to want luxury, it's simply something that leads away from Mustachianism, not towards it.

cdub

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #128 on: March 31, 2015, 03:51:03 PM »
My wife just needs something small and underpowered to write on (and Chromebook is no good because of lack of Internet access while we travel).

Chromebooks can be used offline now though btw.

mtnrider

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Re: Can't deside - should I really NOT buy a Mac again?
« Reply #129 on: March 31, 2015, 08:30:24 PM »
I don't think there's anything objective out there.  My personal experience:

I've more than gotten my money out of this mac.  It's 7 years old.  I replaced the battery and drive.  And it's still my favorite daily driver for development and web browsing.

Windows is much better than it was.  And if you get a high end machine, it can age on par with a mac.  But the price will be on par too.

I love linux, but it's still not there for the common user desktop.  It's almost perfect for development.

Chromebooks seem like a very good inexpensive option, but they are somewhat unknown, so a bit of a risk.

Good luck!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!