I was looking into purchasing a new MacBook and thought I'd share in-case anyone was in the market.
It seems to be the cheapest price for this laptop at the moment. If you have discounted gift cards this would be an even better deal. I think you could also get this price matched at Officeworks for another 5% off before they update their price.
I can't believe they even make PRO with that little RAM
For “Professional” web basic browsing and word processing.
dont forget email
to me you gotta have some balls to sell a $2k product with 8Gb
here's a thing… Motorola sell a $300 phone with 12gb lol
how's a cheap phone have more ram than $2k laptop???
@tonyjzx: Apple always sells underpowered crap at over inflated prices. It's literally their entire marketing strat.
The brand sells the item, and the belief that it's somehow bigger than the second coming of Jesus.
@Ruddaga: So they can say the prices start from like $999 and the masses "wow, so affordable". Apple then charges $300 for an extra 8gb of ram and 256gb bigger SSD.
@CptnObvious: Oh yeah… I love all their amazing Iphone tech which is literally 5 years behind the competition. I see they recently allowed you to change backgrouunds and move apps around while touting it as a revolutionary feature….
JUST THE QUALITY YOU PAY FOR BUYING APPLE!
The only thing Apple has that I can respect is they have extremely efficient CPU's that they've fine tuned the crap out of. They're not worth 2k more than the competition (just like their crappy headset isn't worth 7k AUD or whatever delusional price it's going to be down here). But what the shills like yourself come out and defend it - OMG ITS WORTH 7K YOU DON'T GET IT.
No I do get it sadly mate… The people who don't get it are the brainwashed ones that actually believe this crap.
As long as you don't open many tabs.
Came here to say this.
I can't believe the Commodore 64 only had 64k RAM and 32kb was used up by the OS!
They have that tiered pricing model to get you to spend more. If I buy the RAM upgrade, I'm halfway there to the Pro/Max.
Let me complete it for you - In 2024.
Amusing conflict between their stated ESG goals and creating a product to become ewaste on an accelerated timeline. both in service of more $$$
The company is 60% marketing
wait thought the pros were 16gb standard. When did it get changed?
When did it get changed?
it never 'changed'
MacBook Pro ≠ M1/M2/M3 Pro
The Macbook Pros M1 and M2 14" had the standard 16gb ram.
@nightelves: No, you're getting confused.
The MacBook Pro M1 Pro and M2 Pro had base 16GB RAM.
The MacBook Pro M1 and M2 had base 8GB RAM.
Do you get it yet?
@CrispyChrispy: Its actually very easy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZuvC66rVks&ab_channel=SAMTI…
They decided to stop the 13 inch Pro and instead make a 14 inch pro with the same base chip and RAM configuration as the 13 inch.
The other MacBook Pro configs (Pro 14”/16”) are the same US price as before.
Ok because initially the M1 and M2 Macbook Pros 14" were 16gb ram as standard. Not sure why I was negged.
Also the "Pro" model with M3 chip cannot connect with two external monitors and its laptop screen on.
Which one can?
Macbook Pro with M3 Pro chip or above.
I assume you could also use a displaylink dock to display on 3 screens
@joshk: Yes if you are happy with the Apple Tax. Windows laptops are way ahead on supporting multiple monitors.
@BennyHe2018: Nobody's going to drop the idea of buying a mac in favour of another PC because they have to use displaylink for multiple monitors…
I was running my 13" M1 Pro with 2x external screens and the laptop screen in 2021 with displaylink software.
Port 1 - Thunderbolt > HDMI cable > Screen 1
Port 2 - Cheap ($40) USB-C dock > HDMI cable > Screen 2
Laptop Screen > Screen 3
This is just the 'M3 chip' that replaced the old 13-inch Macbook Pro, not the 'M3 Pro' chip. Confusing times at Apple.
Honestly is BS. They should just drop the MBP naming concept entirely.
Have two physical form factors called “MacBook Air” and the “MacBook”.
Then let the actual specs selected inside determine if the consumers consider if it’s a pro grade device.
A device with 8gb that can’t output to two extra displays should never be consider a Pro device. That’s a basic admin device.
Why only 2 extra? Isn't it a bit of discount for Apple? The Thunderbolt 4 chipset inside supports up to 4 displays (so 3 externals possible). Unless the "Max" chip is used, corner is still cut.
Yeah this got me unfortunately! I swapped laptops at work from a m2 13 pro to an m3 14 thinking all 14's were Mx 'pro' cpus so I could finally use 2 screens again at home, womp womp, single display only. Apparently they'll add dual displays back in clamshell mode like they did for another spec, which would work for me (I don't need it to be open as well as 2 screens) but still waiting!
They must have used "Apple Intelligence" when deciding on product names… How (mod: edited) do you have to be to name a product "MacBook Pro M3 Pro"?
8GB RAM
$2150
apple……
8gb? Really? What a shame! Pro they said! lol
Really not worth the money with 8 GB RAM and a chip that's already outdated by the M4 chip
8GB Ram, 512GB SSD, soldered and not upgradeable and very weak M3 chip. Neg
8GB for a pro. How can anyone justify paying $2k+ for a 'Pro' model?
Because they most likely don't they go with the more expensive models, not defending Apple or saying it's a good thing. Apple are well known for creating products like this to upsell their more expensive models.
I ended up buying a 2021 M1 14" MacBook Pro 16gb/512gb for $2199, refurb from Apple and used GCs
Don't do it. I accidentally bought one of these to cover my M1 Pro 32GB while it was away for a screen replacement. The difference was so noticeable. Absolutely not worth the price.
For reference I paid $2769 for the M1 Pro and I paid $2699 for the M3.
You accidentally bought a $2700 dollar laptop? Don't suppose you can accidentally send me $2700? :P
Accidentally as in I accidentally bought the weak version that I didn't even know existed.
It was always a temporary purchase, I returned it within the 14 day Apple change of mind time frame.
Like I said, just while Apple were repairing my actual laptop.
What are the differences?
The Pro in MacBook Pro stands for PROfiteer. 8gb of ram for 2k is greedy
Unlike the MacBook Air, Pro's absolutely should come with minimum 16gb. Not sure who the target audience is for a MacBook Pro with 8gb.
It makes no sense now, but Apple did hold back releasing Macbook Air for a few months to entice people who really wanted M3 right away.
$2150 for a non-upgradeable 8GB RAM? In 2024? That's a big ol' yikes from me.
Is the RAM so expensive? I don't understand why Apple is so stingy on the RAM size. Windows Laptops offer 16 or 32GB ram commonly
Because they milk us (Apple customers) on those upgrades. Once you factored in the RAM upgrade cost, then the base model with M3 Pro CPU becomes enticing. One extra external display, extra USB-C/USB 4 port, better CPU/GPU.
8gb is very annoy
My sandy bridge laptop had 8GB and more storage than this (though admittedly a much slower HDD)
The mid-2012 update introduced 8Gb on MacBook Pro unibody models… 12 years later they are still the norm.
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook…
I'm pretty sure (might be wrong though) when I was buying my MacBook Pro in 2015 there was no 8GB model. It came with 16GB. The GPU had it's own 1.5GB. Now we get 8GB "shared" as a norm.
Better value than the Air if you want to upgrade to 512gb for the Air. Mini led screen is bonus.
yeah I agree that this is better value than Air 15 - you get best screen and speakers. just don't be fooled, you're not getting Pro kind of performance.
I reckon people buying this “pro” for the screen only.
doesn't worth the money. for half of the bucks, you can get doubled RAM and storage for a PC. The only advantage of buying a new apple computer is the silicon chips (M1 to M4 series), which are lightning fast, however MacOS doesn't feel that fast on the hardware. Besides, if you use an external 4K monitor, it's quite a pain to scale the fonts. Lastly, there is no more bootcamp with the silicon chips, so you can no longer install windows on Mac - the only option is virtual machine.
Centrecom as a dell with 64gb for 1200$
Sorry i try and stay away from these apple 8gig comment wars… but a $2000+ machine that can't be upgraded with minimum amount of ram is not at all a bargain regardless of it being apple or whatever brand.
My phone has more ram than this LOL
Note that this has two Thunderbolt ports, not three — which means that it only has one cooling fan, not the two fans that the Pro case can take. Apple shaves off a port and a fan to create a mid-tier product which is thermally limited.
So, this isn't even a pro Pro —- as the 8GB suggests.
Were I to buy a MacBook Pro, I'd look to the cheapest model with three ports, which should come with a decent amount of RAM.
apple deserves the down vote!
You’d have to be really brainwashed Apple to buy their 8GB is enough propaganda. Even most Apple sites / social media really can’t justify the 8GB RAM in their low end models.
I would say all things considered, it's a rival for MBA 15, and at this price is a better choice as MBA 15 with same config costs $2500
you don't get Pro kind of performance or half decent amount of RAM, but if all you need is a daily driver and you got the budgets, you'll love the display and speakers of MBP.
plus this costs less brand new than buying same model from Apple Certified Refurbished.
but then again, if it's Pro performance you are looking for, skip this. wait and get M1 pro or M2 pro when they show up on apple refurbished, for around this price you can get 16/512, and that's a solid machine for a lot of creative workloads
This is exactly how Apple wants us to think.
I think you give them a bit much credit there
they couldn't have known that JB Hi-Fi would cause such conundrum by discounting this model. apple themselves sell this model for $2699
I'm in the market for a MacBook and getting really tired of seeing these underspec'd machines.
M3 and 16gb ram would be good for $2k but even then I wouldn't call it a bargain
Pro with 8GB.
If you buy it.. you must be a pro at getting scammed.
firstly no m3 pro chip on this machine, which can be forgiven but 8 gb ram? Seriously Apple, can't steep lower. Coming from a mac m1 pro 14 user.
Honestly Apple did nothing pro with this machine. The least they could do would be to rename all the CPUs "Pro" so we have some justification for the monicker.
Apple’s charging you $200 for RAM it buys for $30.
lmao
I feel so relieved for leaving this shitty ecosystem. Best decision I ever made (and I was heavily invested too). Got sucked in by drinking the Kool-aid. Such a false sense of elitism Apple are trying to create. Buying overpriced Apple products isn't a flex, it's foolishness.
Genuinely curious - what's your new ecosystem
and how is it better, apart from it's probably cheaper?
Like, I can tell the shitty parts of it (eg. forced 2FA for certain features like Continuity; Music app; Handoff never worked for me; auto-joining/activating iphone's personal access point from mac has always often been a lottery), but I don't see anything better, overall.
8GB RAM means it's laggy when you collaborate with multiple people on a 20-page word docx. So professional.
Hi - just a word of warning when buying from Officeworks. I bought this less than 2 weeks ago for $2399. They don’t have price guarantee but do allow change of mind returns. HOWEVER, their change of mind does not allow you to even open their box (which Apple and JB Hifi do). So even though I was happy to just get a refund of the difference instead of going through the trouble of return/repurchase, it is not an option for Officeworks. Bottom line - price match and get it at JB or Apple (if within 10% of rrp). Didn’t realise such a big difference in return policies. Hope this helps - will not be making any of the bigger/electronic purchases from OW.
wow first time seeing Apple product deal with so much NEG! This macbook needs to go below $2k
then it will mess up positioning of Airs. Apple just shouldn't have made a Pro that isn't really a Pro
fyi 8GB model