MacBook Pro or Air?

[Cornell]

Ha! This just proves how effective their store design, training, and marketing can be.

On the flip side, I’ve gone to the store to show someone a new unit and we were able to go in, evaluate the device and exit without speaking with any employee other than a brief hello.

I would also recommend evaluating the new MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro in person. Functionally there’s very little difference for your intended purpose.


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Thank you so much ....I will probably step into the store this weekend. Wish me well!

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

One thing nice about the Apple Stores is that there is no sales pressure whatsoever. The products end up selling themselves!





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[Cornell]

Update -- I went to the Apple store over the weekend. That was a great suggestion. Went to the huge store on North Michigan Ave in Chicago on Saturday. That was an experience in itself -- but it was a nice way to beat the horrible hot day we had. It is a good time to purchase. I knew there was "education" pricing this time of year but I did not know that you get a free pair of Beats headphones ($350) if you buy during the time frame. That was a pleasant surprise. And, buy buying through the UAL shopping portal, I got 8x miles on my Apple purchase. Thank you all - excited to get a new computer.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Update -- I went to the Apple store over the weekend. That was a great suggestion. Went to the huge store on North Michigan Ave in Chicago on Saturday. That was an experience in itself -- but it was a nice way to beat the horrible hot day we had. It is a good time to purchase. I knew there was "education" pricing this time of year but I did not know that you get a free pair of Beats headphones ($350) if you buy during the time frame. That was a pleasant surprise. And, buy buying through the UAL shopping portal, I got 8x miles on my Apple purchase. Thank you all - excited to get a new computer.

So what size and model did you end up purchasing? Did you also purchase Apple Care?





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[Cornell]

I went with the entry level Macbook Pro....I currently have a MacBook Pro and I like the feel of it better than the Air. Also, for $200 more than the Air, it's a much better laptop. No Apple Care. I have it for my iPhone, but doesn't seem necessary for my laptop.

 

[Ken555]

I went with the entry level Macbook Pro....I currently have a MacBook Pro and I like the feel of it better than the Air. Also, for $200 more than the Air, it's a much better laptop. No Apple Care. I have it for my iPhone, but doesn't seem necessary for my laptop.

I consider AppleCare essential. You can add it up to a year from the date of purchase.


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[Cornell]

I consider AppleCare essential. You can add it up to a year from the date of purchase.


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I disagree. The likelihood of accidental damage w/my MacBook is slim to none (unlike a phone) and I have never once needed technical support from Apple.

 

[amycurl]

Went to the huge store on North Michigan Ave in Chicago on Saturday. That was an experience in itself -- but it was a nice way to beat the horrible hot day we had.

Did you ever watch Alias? The recapper for that show on the late, much-missed Television Without Pity website, always referred to the spy HQ as "the Apple store on Michigan Ave" because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE. The writer's recaps always cracked me up. #totallyofftopic

 

[Glynda]

Update -- I went to the Apple store over the weekend. That was a great suggestion. Went to the huge store on North Michigan Ave in Chicago on Saturday. That was an experience in itself -- but it was a nice way to beat the horrible hot day we had. It is a good time to purchase. I knew there was "education" pricing this time of year but I did not know that you get a free pair of Beats headphones ($350) if you buy during the time frame. That was a pleasant surprise. And, buy buying through the UAL shopping portal, I got 8x miles on my Apple purchase. Thank you all - excited to get a new computer.

I watched as they began to put the glass in that store as they built it. The glass was aboard a barge in the river. Glad you got what you wanted plus extras!

 

[bbodb1]

I consider AppleCare essential. You can add it up to a year from the date of purchase.


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Ken,

I'm curious - why do you say this?

 

[Glynda]

I went with the entry level Macbook Pro....I currently have a MacBook Pro and I like the feel of it better than the Air. Also, for $200 more than the Air, it's a much better laptop. No Apple Care. I have it for my iPhone, but doesn't seem necessary for my laptop.

I have had two MacBook Air laptops. The Air has a sharp edge along the bottom of the laptop. After years of resting the laptop on my lap, and holding it still with my right thumb underneath that edge, with my fingers over the top to operate, I have what I believe may be nerve damage to the inside pad of my thumb. Hurts! I don't know if the MacBook Pro, which has a more squared off bottom edge, would do the same.

 

[Glynda]

I consider AppleCare essential. You can add it up to a year from the date of purchase.


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It's certainly paid off for me.

 

[Ken555]

Ken,

I'm curious - why do you say this?

Well, I can refer to dozens of incidents where having AppleCare saves lots of money. Just this weekend a friend who has a MacBook Pro was using his computer Saturday and it suddenly powered off and refused to complete booting to the desktop. He took it in and after initial diagnostics was told its either the battery or the logic board. In either case, the cost of this repair would be much more than the two years of AppleCare.

For those who want to self-insure, like the OP, I wish them the best of luck.


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[bbodb1]

Well, I can refer to dozens of incidents where having AppleCare saves lots of money. Just this weekend a friend who has a MacBook Pro was using his computer Saturday and it suddenly powered off and refused to complete booting to the desktop. He took it in and after initial diagnostics was told its either the battery or the logic board. In either case, the cost of this repair would be much more than the two years of AppleCare.

For those who want to self-insure, like the OP, I wish them the best of luck.


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I was curious because I purchased Apple Care with the first Mac I purchased (a regular MacBook - plain white case) but I found that as I used it, it really became a glorified desktop system. I never really put the unit at risk (as much anyway) by using it as a laptop all that frequently. The second Apple product I purchased was the Mac Mini (late 2012) which I still use but I did not purchase Apple Care on the Mini. As I recall, the price for Apple Care on the Mini was quite high and not fiscally reasonable to me. I am a big fan of the Mini (partially because I already had the other peripherals needed to use the Mini) as it has served me well for going on 7 years. A recent upgrade to a SSD likely means I can get a full decade of service from the Mini. Obviously, the Mini has fulfilled my needs quite well.

I do recall having some issues with the MacBook and Apple support was (and I suspect still is) top notch. In further considering this, I wonder with the better technology in portable computers these days (thinking fewer moving parts, less heat generated, better hard drives, etc) is resulting in fewer Apple Care sales.

Whatever the answer to that is, clearly the first and most important consideration is how (and where) a user will utilize what they purchase.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[Cornell]

I view Apple Care as a form of insurance . To me, insurance is to cover catastrophic costs that I could not recoup from. A damaged laptop doesn't fall into that category. But I get the thinking that once incident would make it worthwhile.

 

[dioxide45]

I view Apple Care as a form of insurance . To me, insurance is to cover catastrophic costs that I could not recoup from. A damaged laptop doesn't fall into that category. But I get the thinking that once incident would make it worthwhile.

With a very high deductible IMO.

 

[Ken555]

I was curious because I purchased Apple Care with the first Mac I purchased (a regular MacBook - plain white case) but I found that as I used it, it really became a glorified desktop system. I never really put the unit at risk (as much anyway) by using it as a laptop all that frequently. The second Apple product I purchased was the Mac Mini (late 2012) which I still use but I did not purchase Apple Care on the Mini. As I recall, the price for Apple Care on the Mini was quite high and not fiscally reasonable to me.

AppleCare+ for Mac mini is $99.

FWIW, my recommendation is that a manufacturer supplied warranty (which is typically easier and faster to handle warranty items vs any third party service) is worth 10-20% of the original product cost. So, if a well configured MacBook Air (for example) is $1900 (before tax) and AppleCare+ is $249, I would buy it. Occasionally you can also find AppleCare on sale for less from third party providers.

I am a big fan of the Mini (partially because I already had the other peripherals needed to use the Mini) as it has served me well for going on 7 years. A recent upgrade to a SSD likely means I can get a full decade of service from the Mini. Obviously, the Mini has fulfilled my needs quite well.

I do recall having some issues with the MacBook and Apple support was (and I suspect still is) top notch. In further considering this, I wonder with the better technology in portable computers these days (thinking fewer moving parts, less heat generated, better hard drives, etc) is resulting in fewer Apple Care sales.

I don't have numbers, but it wouldn't surprise me if they continue to decrease the percentage of AppleCare incidents.

Whatever the answer to that is, clearly the first and most important consideration is how (and where) a user will utilize what they purchase.

Thanks for the insight.

I view Apple Care as a form of insurance . To me, insurance is to cover catastrophic costs that I could not recoup from. A damaged laptop doesn't fall into that category. But I get the thinking that once incident would make it worthwhile.

That's a justified perspective, and one that I share for most purchases. With Apple products, I tend to purchase the AppleCare extended warranty for many reasons.

With a very high deductible IMO.

FWIW, this is the standard AppleCare+ statement:

Every Mac comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary technical support. AppleCare+ for Mac extends your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or external enclosure damage, or $299 for other damage, plus applicable tax. In addition, you'll get 24/7 priority access to Apple experts via chat or phone.(2)

For me, the most important aspect of AppleCare is not in case I drop my MacBook Pro, but if there is a problem with a component requiring an extensive repair. It's not all that uncommon for logic board or other components to need replacement, and without the warranty the cost would easily be ~$500+. On occasion, I've found some stores able to discount the out of warranty repair cost (they have certain policies and ability to discount for phone repairs, in particular) but I don't want the hassle. It's worth it to me to know that if something goes wrong with the computer I can simply take it to any Apple or Apple authorized service center in the world and get it repaired.

AppleCare:
https://www.apple.com/support/products/