Hi, Ive got a couple of questions, has anyone got any suggestions where to buy a new Macbook pro from, I need one for my daughter who is going to uni in the new year, I know nothing about Apple products I just see they are quite expensive for the specs compared to a laptop with the same specs and not many people offer discounts, I might look at second hand is there anything to look out for?
TIA.
MacBook Pro Purchase
Lgavin8761 on 25/11/2019 - 16:09
Comments
You don't need uni email to use Apple's Education pricing.
Sorry you're right. One needs to prove if audited that they're a current or newly accepted university student, parent buying for university student, a teacher or staff.
Apple themselves sell refurbed products, you can sometimes get a good price compared to a similar model: https://www.apple.com/au/shop/refurbished. They come with full warranty period etc. that you would get buying a brand new one. The model you get may be a few years old though - they've made some (slight) improvements to the keyboard design in the newer models if that's important to you.
Otherwise, keep an eye on OzBargain this Friday when the Black Friday sales are on, any savings on Apple products will be listed.
Here's a few things I did when I bought my MacBook Pro 2015 second hand.
- Look for major cosmetic damage (dents, deep scratches, staingate etc…)
- Run Apple Diagnostic (Make sure the mac is off, press the power button and hold down the D key)
- Check that there's no firmware password (Apple can remove this only with proof of purchase)
- Check that the mac does not have an iCloud account signed in.
- tried every key on a booted macos, make sure they work.
- (A mac admin I spoke to told me that if they used itunes, that they should "deauthorize this computer")
This is all I can think of for now, but they're the major points i can think of to look out for.
Also look at battery cycles, can give an indication on how well the battery holds a charge as well as whether or not you may need to replace it soon.
make sure power cable ends are not torn or about to get damaged by the looks of it, its bloody expensive to replace the original power cable
Ask your daughter if she can tolerate the terrible keyboard the current macbooks have. I think next year's model will have a new keyboard.
The 2019 MBP has come out with an improved keyboard (they went back to scissor switches instead of the butterfly switch). I tried it at JB the other day and it feels so much better than the butterfly switch keyboard.
Also has a physical escape key and better airflow and battery life because Apple made it thicker (finally Apple seem to be actually listening to their customers for once).
Only the 16" one though.
Yeah good point, may not be ideal if OP's daughter wants a smaller MBP to lug around.
It's wildly expensive though. I don't see many students buying the 16" one.
I agree but that's kind of beside the point regarding the keyboard. OP sounds like they might pay for it too.
Numlock, do you know how we could tell the difference between the keyboards, for instance if buying new and advertised as the latest model(with new keyboard)but is in fact a 2019 with the old keyboard?
Only the Macbook Pro 16" has the new keyboard. The old keyboard feels like hitting bricks with your fingers. The new one has more travel distance and is less noisier. Best way to tell is to look at the product codes. You can look up product codes on the Apple website to ensure you're getting a 16" macbook (first of its kind so don't worry there) or a 2020 13" macbook pro which is yet to be released.
Watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PTm8tBvBus
As a Uni student, your daughter can get Apple's education pricing
https://www.apple.com/au-hed/shop?afid=p238%7CsUzv0VnKl-dm_m…
still not cheap though. Looks to be 150$ off base price for macbooks
What is her course? If it's just using internet and writing documents, she can use something years old at a very good price
Thanks for the info, some great bits of advice. We'll see what happens on black Friday.
wireless1 has 15% off on their ebay store. Express shipping or click and collect at parramatta
Thanks
do u know any shop that gives 20% ebay? and doesnt have an employee named jack…
im looking for the base pro model but they only have this https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CTO-13in-MacBook-Pro-2-3GHz-Dual…, dont know wtf that is. would be very nice if i can get a base pro for 20% ebay coupon. please lmk any shops doing this if u happen to come across one thanks!!!
going to uni and needs a macbook… is she saying she wont take anything else? pretty sure no uni forces macbooks on students, is it some weird program? or is it some arts/music program where students need the apple software?
compsci and software engineering recommends Macbook for easy terminal access or linux OS.
Uni does not stipulate what laptop to buy, all of her other tech is Apple so she wants to stick with them, I personally do not like Apple and would never own any of their products the spec you get compared to a windows op laptop system is terrible.
are u her dad or mom? if dad… ur the head of the house, ur kids need to follow ur rules, this isn't about apple vs non apple this is about dominance. if i had kids they would see me as tywin lannister, with respect and fear.
I assert dominance over my dad by purchasing Apple products and using them in front of him. Even stuck the apple sticker on his Lenovo laptop and people on the bus would ask about his black MacBook
@VictoriousBboy: u have a weak beta male dad. tywin lannister would beat the sh17 out of u for disobeying him.
and put a sticker on his laptop lol, he would flog u half dead.
Beware of the butterfly keyboards currently in the MacBook Pro 13 inch and 15 inch that’s on clearance, the new look MacBook Air and 12 inch MacBook that is on clearance. Apparently fine dust can cause issues without trying, so not worth the pain of getting the keyboard serviced.
If wanting to buy brand new, the 16 inch has the new keyboard, but possibly overkill spec-wise and the old school 13 inch MacBook Air is only available in 128GB storage spec, which will fill pretty quick if there’s a lot of photos and videos syncing from the other devices. It is rumoured that the 13 inch will get the same keyboard in early 2020.
If looking second hand to avoid butterfly keys, the Late 2013 MacBook Pro is the oldest model to go with, as that’s when they rolled out 4th gen Intel, got the Retina display right and moved up to PCIE SSDs and it only gets better from there to the 2015 model.
JB and Good guys have 10% of some models now
JB, good guys, etc. run regular 10% off sales. Apple themselves should have some sort of sale for Black Friday which is this week.
Apple also offer about 8% off for education but one generally needs a uni email to qualify.