The lesser of two MacBooks
June 18, 2020 2:14 AM Subscribe
I was laid off from my job last week, and since I don't have my own laptop, my employer is being kind enough to let me pay to keep my work-issued MacBook Pro. They will charge me $610, plus an additional $150 to install a personal version of Microsoft Office.
This a 15-inch Retina model, made mid-2015, with a 2.5GHz Intel Core 17 processor and 16GB/1600 MHz DDR3 of memory. Running OS El Capitan, 10.11.6
During a weird change in leadership, I also acquired another MacBook Pro through work shortly before being issued this one -- another 15-inch Retina, late-2013, with a 2 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM, running OSX 10.9.5.
Is it worth it to pay almost $800 for a 5-year-old Mac (it seems to still work great), or should I update the OS in the older laptop and deal with the smaller amount of memory? Money is not a huge consideration as I got a decent severance and my spouse is still working.
This a 15-inch Retina model, made mid-2015, with a 2.5GHz Intel Core 17 processor and 16GB/1600 MHz DDR3 of memory. Running OS El Capitan, 10.11.6
During a weird change in leadership, I also acquired another MacBook Pro through work shortly before being issued this one -- another 15-inch Retina, late-2013, with a 2 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM, running OSX 10.9.5.
Is it worth it to pay almost $800 for a 5-year-old Mac (it seems to still work great), or should I update the OS in the older laptop and deal with the smaller amount of memory? Money is not a huge consideration as I got a decent severance and my spouse is still working.
Speaking as somebody who is currently completely happy with his hand-me-down 2008 Dell Inspiron after spending $200 on maxing out its RAM to 4GiB and replacing its old spinning disk with an SSD, and who would never even dream of paying Apple's prices for their mediocre though admittedly pretty engineering, my advice is to drag as much life as you can out of the older machine, stick LibreOffice on it instead of paying MS for Office, and put your $800 aside to buy something better from Dell or Lenovo or Acer after it fails; that way you get new-machine performance and a warranty that's actually worth something.
posted by flabdablet at 3:43 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 3:43 AM on June 18, 2020 [5 favorites]
More on warranties that mean something.
posted by flabdablet at 4:10 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 4:10 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
At $610 the company is kind enough to be making a profit out of you. Most companies depreciate laptops over 3 years max. I would not do it.
posted by zeikka at 4:24 AM on June 18, 2020 [26 favorites]
posted by zeikka at 4:24 AM on June 18, 2020 [26 favorites]
Yeah; I'm also in the court that it's generally not super generous for work to sell you a 5 year old laptop.
Is it worth it? Probably in terms of second-hand value. I guess (as ever!) it mainly comes down to whether it's worth it to you. What are you using it for? Email and internet? I'd stick with the 2013 one and use Gmail/Google Docs. Editing video? Might be worth going to the 2015.
If you're happy using the 2013 one, not sure why you'd want the 2015 one. Save the money and buy a new computer when the 2013 finally goes belly up.
posted by Hartster at 4:33 AM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
Is it worth it? Probably in terms of second-hand value. I guess (as ever!) it mainly comes down to whether it's worth it to you. What are you using it for? Email and internet? I'd stick with the 2013 one and use Gmail/Google Docs. Editing video? Might be worth going to the 2015.
If you're happy using the 2013 one, not sure why you'd want the 2015 one. Save the money and buy a new computer when the 2013 finally goes belly up.
posted by Hartster at 4:33 AM on June 18, 2020 [7 favorites]
I run that same mid-2015 MBP for work and love it.
I would check how long you can expect Apple to release OSes that support both machines: if there is a big difference then you will need to work that into your plan for how long the device should last.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:26 AM on June 18, 2020
I would check how long you can expect Apple to release OSes that support both machines: if there is a big difference then you will need to work that into your plan for how long the device should last.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:26 AM on June 18, 2020
A brand new MacBook starts at 990 right now. I’d hesitate to pay hundreds of dollars for a 5-year-old machine
posted by shaademaan at 5:37 AM on June 18, 2020 [21 favorites]
posted by shaademaan at 5:37 AM on June 18, 2020 [21 favorites]
A new MacBook Air is $900. I would not spend that much on a 5 yr old laptop, no way.
(Jinx, shaademaan!)
posted by MiraK at 5:44 AM on June 18, 2020 [12 favorites]
(Jinx, shaademaan!)
posted by MiraK at 5:44 AM on June 18, 2020 [12 favorites]
I don't know if it affects your decision, but note that you can use the core MS Office applications for free online through office 365. They have reduced functionality and are web-only compared to buying the full versions, but free is free. (This is essentially MS trying to compete with Google Docs.)
posted by Wretch729 at 5:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Wretch729 at 5:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [3 favorites]
$600 for a high-spec 2015 MacBook Pro Retina is a good price. Knowing that the machine is in good working condition and reliable (as you already do) makes it even more valuable. If you need a laptop, and and can afford it, I would buy this today if my mac broke. I much prefer buying known good used items to new. That said, if you own the 2013 outright you might want to pass.
How do I know? I use this exact computer every day and had purchased multiples for a small business. I think the design and ports are the best of any apple laptop ever for basic use - as it has SD card slot and USB A ports built in, not requiring dongles to adapt to USB-C. I have been a mac user since 1984 and regularly get 10-12 years out of mac laptops from this era.
Here are some pros and cons:
Cons:
- You already own a 2013 MacBook Pro retina - on the outside the same computer, just slower on the inside. If you are happy with the 2013, why upgrade, save the $600
- The 2013 and 2015 both support the current version of MacOS - and Apple will continue basic support for that version with security upgrades for three years - meaning at worst your 2013 will be secure and updated until 2023
- The 2013 and 2015 have very similar processors, 2013 were the "Haswell" version of the chip, 2015 "Broadwell" version was not a new chip architecture, but a shrunk down, faster, cooler version. So it is likely that any future software that runs on the 2015 will also run on the 2013, though not guaranteed
- You don't mention storage space - do these computers have enough space on internal drive so you have room for the next few years?
- Battery life - how much has the battery degraded in 5 years - does it still hold a charge? A brand new laptop would probably have better battery life.
Pros:
- The 2015 listed is a high-spec model with fast processor and more RAM - and that's a good price for that level of computing - if you need things to run a bit faster
- 2015 is last version of MacBook that had good reliable keyboard and a variety of ports including USB-A, and a MagSafe power connector that disconnects automatically if you trip on the cord, before a generation of laptops with bad keyboards. The newest-newest laptops have fixed the keyboard issue but goodbye USB-A and MagSafe.
- The computer has known provenance and one owner (you!) so you know what has happened to it.
- If you are unemployed, your personal computer is going to be your lifeline to the greater world and it would be good to have a reliable machine and keep the 2013 as a backup.
posted by sol at 6:05 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
How do I know? I use this exact computer every day and had purchased multiples for a small business. I think the design and ports are the best of any apple laptop ever for basic use - as it has SD card slot and USB A ports built in, not requiring dongles to adapt to USB-C. I have been a mac user since 1984 and regularly get 10-12 years out of mac laptops from this era.
Here are some pros and cons:
Cons:
- You already own a 2013 MacBook Pro retina - on the outside the same computer, just slower on the inside. If you are happy with the 2013, why upgrade, save the $600
- The 2013 and 2015 both support the current version of MacOS - and Apple will continue basic support for that version with security upgrades for three years - meaning at worst your 2013 will be secure and updated until 2023
- The 2013 and 2015 have very similar processors, 2013 were the "Haswell" version of the chip, 2015 "Broadwell" version was not a new chip architecture, but a shrunk down, faster, cooler version. So it is likely that any future software that runs on the 2015 will also run on the 2013, though not guaranteed
- You don't mention storage space - do these computers have enough space on internal drive so you have room for the next few years?
- Battery life - how much has the battery degraded in 5 years - does it still hold a charge? A brand new laptop would probably have better battery life.
Pros:
- The 2015 listed is a high-spec model with fast processor and more RAM - and that's a good price for that level of computing - if you need things to run a bit faster
- 2015 is last version of MacBook that had good reliable keyboard and a variety of ports including USB-A, and a MagSafe power connector that disconnects automatically if you trip on the cord, before a generation of laptops with bad keyboards. The newest-newest laptops have fixed the keyboard issue but goodbye USB-A and MagSafe.
- The computer has known provenance and one owner (you!) so you know what has happened to it.
- If you are unemployed, your personal computer is going to be your lifeline to the greater world and it would be good to have a reliable machine and keep the 2013 as a backup.
posted by sol at 6:05 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
$610 for a well-specced (i7, 16GB) 2015 MacBook Pro is not a bad deal. Macs hold their value and, if you take care of them, can last a very long time. My home computer is a 2014 Mac Mini, and it runs the most recent version of the Mac OS very well. I also have a 2006 MacBook that's still kicking, and although it's not my daily driver by any means, it can still run the latest version of Linux Mint, so I can use it in a pinch.
I would absolutely skip buying Microsoft Office, since the Mac has a built-in productivity suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) that is perfectly good, and largely Office-compatible. No need to buy Office.
Still—the 2013 is a capable machine, and it'll run the latest version of the Mac OS. By the time that Apple stops supporting it with OS updates, you probably will have a new job, and money to buy a new laptop.
I'd maybe counter-offer $450 and see if they take it.
posted by vitout at 6:29 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
I would absolutely skip buying Microsoft Office, since the Mac has a built-in productivity suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) that is perfectly good, and largely Office-compatible. No need to buy Office.
Still—the 2013 is a capable machine, and it'll run the latest version of the Mac OS. By the time that Apple stops supporting it with OS updates, you probably will have a new job, and money to buy a new laptop.
I'd maybe counter-offer $450 and see if they take it.
posted by vitout at 6:29 AM on June 18, 2020 [4 favorites]
Definitely don't take Office unless you really, really need it, but $600 for the Mac -- while not a generous price -- doesn't seem outrageous. I got $400 for an 8-year-old iMac a while back, and $75 for a 12-year-old Mac laptop that didn't have a working battery anymore. They really do hold their value. It's still worth a counter-offer, but like I don't think you're getting screwed at this price.
(fwiw I also have the mid-2015 MBP, though the 13", and I suspect it'll be a while before it starts to feel outdated -- I haven't felt even the barest hint of that up to this point)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:53 AM on June 18, 2020
(fwiw I also have the mid-2015 MBP, though the 13", and I suspect it'll be a while before it starts to feel outdated -- I haven't felt even the barest hint of that up to this point)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 6:53 AM on June 18, 2020
I checked Swappa for machines similar to yours and $610 seems like a good deal compared to the machines listed. Swappa prices do seem a little high, but its still a valid market indicator. There's also the convenience factor; this is a machine you already have in your home, you know its history, you're pretty confident the keyboard wont crap out (actually 2015 should be before the butterfly keyboard fiasco), etc. MBP's are still very useful machines 5 years out, those specs are fine unless you're doing some serious video/audio/image editing or compiling apps.
Stick with 16 GB memory though - the difference between 8 and 16 is very noticeable.
posted by cgg at 6:55 AM on June 18, 2020
Stick with 16 GB memory though - the difference between 8 and 16 is very noticeable.
posted by cgg at 6:55 AM on June 18, 2020
Normally laptops are depreciated over 3 years, so that alone would give me pause. That said, it seems like an okay price.
If money isn't an issue, I'd consider buying new(er) however -- this is an okay deal, but ultimately it's still a 5 year old machine.
posted by so fucking future at 7:48 AM on June 18, 2020
If money isn't an issue, I'd consider buying new(er) however -- this is an okay deal, but ultimately it's still a 5 year old machine.
posted by so fucking future at 7:48 AM on June 18, 2020
I'd take that deal for the 2015 model, but I'd first ask them if they'd be able to sell it for $500 instead. (worth asking - might not get it but if they accept, then that's money in your pocket.)
I too would skip the Office install - if you decide you want it, you can buy it yourself later for $149.99 (sometimes you can find it cheaper, too.).
posted by hydra77 at 8:38 AM on June 18, 2020
I too would skip the Office install - if you decide you want it, you can buy it yourself later for $149.99 (sometimes you can find it cheaper, too.).
posted by hydra77 at 8:38 AM on June 18, 2020
Note that the 2013 MacBook Pro is considered vintage by Apple.
"Vintage products are those that have not been sold for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV vintage products continue to receive hardware service from Apple service providers, including Apple Retail Stores, subject to availability of inventory, or as required by law."
That's one step above "obsolete", or "product? What product?"
In reality it might mean that you won't get major OS releases after the current major release, Catalina. The 2015 MacBook Pro would presumably get additional later major OS releases. In both cases you should expect to get software updates for some unknown amount of time.
The battery life on a 2015 MacBook Pro should be better than the 2013 MacBook Pro due to Intel processor changes, but that depends upon the health of the battery and other factors.
posted by blob at 9:25 AM on June 18, 2020
"Vintage products are those that have not been sold for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago. Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV vintage products continue to receive hardware service from Apple service providers, including Apple Retail Stores, subject to availability of inventory, or as required by law."
That's one step above "obsolete", or "product? What product?"
In reality it might mean that you won't get major OS releases after the current major release, Catalina. The 2015 MacBook Pro would presumably get additional later major OS releases. In both cases you should expect to get software updates for some unknown amount of time.
The battery life on a 2015 MacBook Pro should be better than the 2013 MacBook Pro due to Intel processor changes, but that depends upon the health of the battery and other factors.
posted by blob at 9:25 AM on June 18, 2020
The 2015 MacBook Pro is the best laptop ever made.
That's from 2017, but I happily paid about $1000 for a used, fully loaded 2015 model with Apple care last year. ~$600 to keep your daily driver is a very nice deal.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:32 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
That's from 2017, but I happily paid about $1000 for a used, fully loaded 2015 model with Apple care last year. ~$600 to keep your daily driver is a very nice deal.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:32 AM on June 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would take the 2015 MacBook Pro. The 2013 is going to be borderline unusable if you start using it regularly, and it will stop getting security updates sooner than any other options. The price of the 2015 MBP is not insane, but it's not a bargain.
One thing I definitely would not do right now: buy a new MacBook. New Apple hardware right now is a roll of the dice. Normally that would be OK, but getting things fixed/replaced is extra-tough right now for obvious reasons. The 2015 MBP is known-working hardware.
One last thing: I would not pay $150 to install Office. Unless you have very specific needs, you can probably do all your work/personal projects in Google Docs for free now you're no longer at this employer (which I assume was an Office user).
Another last thing! if the battery is a problem, they're very easy to replace. Look up your model on iFixIt.com.
posted by caek at 9:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
One thing I definitely would not do right now: buy a new MacBook. New Apple hardware right now is a roll of the dice. Normally that would be OK, but getting things fixed/replaced is extra-tough right now for obvious reasons. The 2015 MBP is known-working hardware.
One last thing: I would not pay $150 to install Office. Unless you have very specific needs, you can probably do all your work/personal projects in Google Docs for free now you're no longer at this employer (which I assume was an Office user).
Another last thing! if the battery is a problem, they're very easy to replace. Look up your model on iFixIt.com.
posted by caek at 9:46 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
The 2015 MBP was a great machine. I got about five delightful years from mine and only gave it up when the keyboard gave up the ghost (which probably would've taken longer to happen if I were more careful around it). It was otherwise working fine.
I would try making a counteroffer because it does seem like they're trying to make money off you, but $600 for a machine with a confirmed provenance that will probably take you another three years is not a bad deal in itself. IIRC, I got not much less than that in simple trade-in value from Apple when I did upgrade.
posted by praemunire at 9:56 AM on June 18, 2020
I would try making a counteroffer because it does seem like they're trying to make money off you, but $600 for a machine with a confirmed provenance that will probably take you another three years is not a bad deal in itself. IIRC, I got not much less than that in simple trade-in value from Apple when I did upgrade.
posted by praemunire at 9:56 AM on June 18, 2020
I’m about to pay $500 for repairs to my 2015 15” MBP (due to my stupid carelessness). I originally bought it used on eBay for about $900, about 1.5 years ago.
For me it’s about the screen size. I have a little MacBook that I use for on the go, but I’ve been doing so much working at home and the larger screen size is so much better.
I was thinking about trying to do something with an external monitor or maybe a used AIO, but I have a small apartment without a desk/dedicated space, and very limited storage space for safely stashing an external monitor wile I use my one table for other purposes.
I couldn’t think of a better solution 2 years ago and I still can’t. A new 15/16” MBP costs a small fortune and I know that this one works great for my purposes. The cheapest I saw it used for on eBay was about $750, and that world be rolling the dice without AppleCare. I found this model for AppleCare but not under $1000. So expensive repair it is.
If the 13” screen is big enough for you, especially if a MacBook Air would be powerful enough for you, I might say to look on eBay for what you can find in 13” with AppleCare.
posted by Salamandrous at 10:22 AM on June 18, 2020
For me it’s about the screen size. I have a little MacBook that I use for on the go, but I’ve been doing so much working at home and the larger screen size is so much better.
I was thinking about trying to do something with an external monitor or maybe a used AIO, but I have a small apartment without a desk/dedicated space, and very limited storage space for safely stashing an external monitor wile I use my one table for other purposes.
I couldn’t think of a better solution 2 years ago and I still can’t. A new 15/16” MBP costs a small fortune and I know that this one works great for my purposes. The cheapest I saw it used for on eBay was about $750, and that world be rolling the dice without AppleCare. I found this model for AppleCare but not under $1000. So expensive repair it is.
If the 13” screen is big enough for you, especially if a MacBook Air would be powerful enough for you, I might say to look on eBay for what you can find in 13” with AppleCare.
posted by Salamandrous at 10:22 AM on June 18, 2020
I'm not sure why you'd want to spend that money on a computer that's 5 to 7 years old when you can get a refurb for a few more hundred dollars or brand new for a touch more than that.
posted by slkinsey at 10:24 AM on June 18, 2020
posted by slkinsey at 10:24 AM on June 18, 2020
The problem with getting a refurb on a MBP is that the MBPs post-2015 until the most recent release had a widely-reviled keyboard.
posted by praemunire at 10:28 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 10:28 AM on June 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
Slkinsey - I don’t think I’ve ever seen a refurb 15” for under $1k - I do periodically check the Apple Store. Where are you seeing that kind of price?
posted by Salamandrous at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2020
posted by Salamandrous at 10:33 AM on June 18, 2020
I bought a refurb 2015 MBP a year and a half ago for I think $850 or so. I did it because as others have mentioned it's the last model both with the good keyboard and the variety of ports that make it a Swiss army knife machine rather than a pure Apple proposition.
I would take the deal myself but I am picky about keyboards and ports. If you can't be bothered, you can get more power for the same money in a new machine now. But it's not going to be like 10x faster or anything.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:55 PM on June 18, 2020
I would take the deal myself but I am picky about keyboards and ports. If you can't be bothered, you can get more power for the same money in a new machine now. But it's not going to be like 10x faster or anything.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:55 PM on June 18, 2020
I'm still using a 2011 Macbook Pro, so they really do work for very extended periods, with excellent ongoing software support. They also keep their value - I could probably sell this for a couple of hundred quid, nine years after it was released. Try doing that with a Dell from 2011. So I'd say this is a good deal.
posted by Happy Dave at 2:59 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Happy Dave at 2:59 AM on June 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
You can check the number of cycles on the battery by following these instructions: Determine battery cycle count for Mac notebooks. If the cycle count is high, you might be buying a very expensive desktop.
Battery replacements are not easy to do yourself, and not cheap either.
You may also want to see if the laptop has AppleCare (warranty) still valid, and can be transferred to you - large companies generally pay for extended warranties instead of taking on additional risk.
posted by meowzilla at 10:56 AM on June 19, 2020
Battery replacements are not easy to do yourself, and not cheap either.
You may also want to see if the laptop has AppleCare (warranty) still valid, and can be transferred to you - large companies generally pay for extended warranties instead of taking on additional risk.
posted by meowzilla at 10:56 AM on June 19, 2020
Keep in mind that Apple’s week-long Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts this Monday (the live-streamed keynote is at 10 a.m. PDT Monday), so I wouldn't make your decision before then, just in case they announce a surprise new laptop or something at the end of the keynote.
Up until recently (because of the defective "butterfly" keyboards in the then-most-recent Mac laptops) that 15" laptop was actually the go-to Mac laptop that a lot of people would recommend. Even though it had a years-older processor, it had a great keyboard and a bunch of ports (like SD card slot and the great MagSafe power connector) that were lacking on the later models. Now that Apple has fixed the keyboard problem on their laptops, it's not quite the "must have" that it used to be, but I think it's still a very nice machine.
posted by blueberry at 12:12 PM on June 20, 2020
Up until recently (because of the defective "butterfly" keyboards in the then-most-recent Mac laptops) that 15" laptop was actually the go-to Mac laptop that a lot of people would recommend. Even though it had a years-older processor, it had a great keyboard and a bunch of ports (like SD card slot and the great MagSafe power connector) that were lacking on the later models. Now that Apple has fixed the keyboard problem on their laptops, it's not quite the "must have" that it used to be, but I think it's still a very nice machine.
posted by blueberry at 12:12 PM on June 20, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
(NB. Why are you paying them $150 to install Office? Will you get the license key? This bit seems a bit weird to me.)
Is work not expecting you to return both MacBooks if you don’t pay to keep them? Or have they written off the 2013 MacBook so don’t care about it?
It looks like you can Install Catalina (or Mojave) on both of those laptops, so at least you can get security updates for them both.
Once you know whether the price is fair, only you can decide whether it’s worth it to you!
posted by pharm at 3:39 AM on June 18, 2020