Is a 15" 16gb macbook pro a waste of money if I just use it for simple stuff??

Get a $200 PC. You'll spend most of your time trying to set it up, running virus checks and trying to get rid of trojan horses but they're cheap.

The resale value of a 5-year old 15" Macbook Pro with only 8GB is $600.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=macbook%20pro&_dcat=111422&Release%2520Year=2010&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

If you really are only using it at home, get an LG Chromebase:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-ChromeBase-22CV241-W-22-Inch-Desktop/dp/B00JR625WO

$300 gets you a 21" monitor, awesome internet performance, no viruses, updates, stupid stuff like that.

A 21" laptop?? Stupid stuff like that, for sure.

I was going to say buy the MacBook Air, as it's cheaper and would accomplish anything you throw at it, but you mentioned you're buying the Pro for the screen size. Am I guessing you for sure don't want a 13" laptop?

R2D3 wrote:

Get a $200 PC. You'll spend most of your time trying to set it up, running virus checks and trying to get rid of trojan horses but they're cheap.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Just continue buying your apple product that is marked up twice the cost of production. Sheeple.

Source: Dude that knows about technology and builds computers.

I use both an Air and a Pro. Get the Air with 8 gigs of ram and you'll be forever happy.

Regarding a chromebook. You get what you pay for.

techdude23434 wrote:

Source: Dude that knows about technology and builds computers.

...and has a goatee, wears his cell phone in a belt holster, vapes "e-cig juice", and possibly wears a fedora.

Lap Top wrote:

A 21" laptop?? Stupid stuff like that, for sure.

It's not a laptop, moran.

maccccccccc wrote:

I use both an Air and a Pro. Get the Air with 8 gigs of ram and you'll be forever happy.

Regarding a chromebook. You get what you pay for.

I laugh my azzz off every day when I see kids toting around $1600 macs and using them for twitter, facebook, typical internet browsing and light word processing. Buy a $200 chromebook -- faster, better battery life, cheaper, etc instead.

Basically the Mac is a status symbol, nothing more. Hipsters and posers love them.

Tinfoil Hat wrote:

Lap Top wrote:

A 21" laptop?? Stupid stuff like that, for sure.

It's not a laptop, moran.

Ummm, a MacBook Pro is a lappy.

Chromebook owners drive el-chepo beater cars: candy wrapper and junk fills the backseat. They wonder why woman avoid them like they are plagued.

macbook novice wrote:

Is it a waste of money? Will the thing become obsolete in 5 years?

I'd say yes to both questions. There's no need to buy computing power you don't need. Will it be obsolete in 5 years? No, but close to it. Will it still be working? Possibly. If so, it will be serviceable for years for basic stuff. When it does break, it will be junk. It's not worth fixing older laptops. Here's what I do.

I'm typing this on a 17" HP Pavilion laptop that I bought for $250 on closeout (previous year's model). I added 4GB of RAM for $50, used it for a year and then installed Windows 10 Insider Preview. Windows 10 is a really big improvement over Windows 8 and 8.1. I'm hoping to get a couple more years of use out of it.

For travel, I bought an ASUS 13" Chromebook on Groupon for $185. My files are synced with Dropbox so I can use them on either laptop. The Chromebook has some limitations, but as a travel laptop, it's sufficient for my needs.

I'll repeat this process every three years or so. I've tried Macs, but I just can't get past the price/benefit ratio for what I need a computer to do.

Watch Groupon, Dell Outlet, Best Buy clearance sales and you should be able to pick up a $400 laptop for 25%-50% off.

Definitely get a Macbook or MacBook Air. Make sure to look through benchmark performances of previous models, sometimes they are just as fast as the new models.

You really should look into getting an external monitor. Makes working even better.

Buy refurbished. Or look for sales.

If you are tech savvy, make sure to get a laptop that is low in memory and HD space, then simply purchase those items separately for cheaper. Max out the Memory. Way cheaper than to buy Apple Memory.

The resale value is better in the long run and honestly, my 2007 iMac still runs good as new. My MacBook Pro's usually last about 5 years of heavy usage. And they run clean unlike other Windows laptops that slow down with time.

Totally different experience than cheap Windows laptops. I really can't go back to Windows. (I still use it because there are some specific programs only available in Windows).

Also, you can always dual boot and have Windows running if you need it.

You get what you pay for and Apple has never disappointed me.

maccccccccc wrote:

Regarding a chromebook. You get what you pay for.

Totally true. For $239, 3 years ago, I got a computer that boots in 7 seconds, is faster than my wife's Win7 laptop, updates itself, built on my favorite browser, weighs about 2 pounds, has 6+ hours of battery life, and is as fast as the day I bought it. I've taken it all over the world as a travel laptop, and it doesn't miss a beat.

I can't imagine how special a $1600 Macbook must be.

Care to divulge the make/model of this wondrous device?

Trying this out wrote:

maccccccccc wrote:

Regarding a chromebook. You get what you pay for.

Totally true. For $239, 3 years ago, I got a computer that boots in 7 seconds, is faster than my wife's Win7 laptop, updates itself, built on my favorite browser, weighs about 2 pounds, has 6+ hours of battery life, and is as fast as the day I bought it. I've taken it all over the world as a travel laptop, and it doesn't miss a beat.

I can't imagine how special a $1600 Macbook must be.

Acer, AOPEN, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and LG all make $200 Chromebooks.

If you have a disposable income get the apple.

They are built very well, they user experience is generally smooth. Yes, they are also expensive.

It like getting a nice car. Yes, the value isn't as high and people will swear their $25k car works just as well and is just as nice, but the only people they are fooling are themselves.

If you are poor or a contrarian then get something else.

Re Sale wrote:

The resale value of a 5-year old 15" Macbook Pro with only 8GB is $600.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=macbook%20pro&_dcat=111422&Release%2520Year=2010&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

Uhhh. What's the last supported OS on that hardware?

The point is, a used Mac beyond 24 months is money wasted.