Applecare plus for macbook pro 15 bought online
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- #Applecare plus for macbook pro 15 bought online mac#
The drawbacks include the butterfly keyboard and the Core M/Y series processor.įinally, there’s the 13in MacBook Pro without Touch Bar (mid-2017), which provides a faster seventh-generation 2.3GHz Core i5 (7360U) processor, much better graphics and better colour rendering for an extra £50, ie £1,249. The new 13in MacBook Air is smaller and lighter than the old version, has a far superior screen, a bigger force-touch trackpad, and better speakers. The only reason for considering this machine is that it’s the smallest and lightest (0.92kg) MacBook you can get. The old 12in MacBook is still available, but it’s underpowered and overpriced, with the 1.2GHz Core M3-7Y32 version (2017) costing £1,249. In all other respects, the new MacBook Air (2018) is far superior. It has, in my view, the best keyboard, and it still has good old-fashioned ports, including an SD card slot and a magsafe connector. Photograph: Simon Lees/Future Publishing/REXĪpple has retained the old 13in MacBook Air, and it looks the best value for money at £949, despite its fifth-generation Core i5-5350U processor and non-retina screen. I wouldn’t buy one as my main machine, and charging £1,200 for one is ridiculous.Ī Core i5-8210Y should be fast enough for your light uses – which may grow over time – but it’s still poor value for money in a MacBook Air. The difference is that it’s a machine for casual/holiday use, not my main system and it only cost me £339.99. I have nothing against Core M/Y series chips, and my 8GB/128GB touch-screen Lenovo Yoga 700 has the same Core M3-6Y30 used in some MacBooks. People who might have been put off by the “Core M” designation probably won’t notice that they are getting a Y series chip – specifically, a Core i5-8210Y – instead of the more powerful U series chips used in mainstream laptops. It’s not obvious because Intel changed its naming scheme. Today, Core M chips are used not only in 12in MacBooks, but also in the latest MacBook Airs. Apple first tried this with the 1.1GHz dual-core M-5Y31 chip used in the 2015 MacBook (12in screen). There is a non-obvious problem in that two of your possible MacBooks have Intel Core M processors, which compromise on speed to provide better battery life. The MacBook uses Intel’s low-power processors. For longevity, it would be better to have 16GB of memory and a 256GB or larger SSD, but Apple charges a huge premium for these upgrades.įortunately, MacBooks hold their value quite well, so the alternative is to go for the base spec and, if you find you need more power, sell it and buy a new one.
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Unfortunately, you cannot upgrade today’s MacBooks, so you have to buy as much power as you will ever need. The lowliest MacBook you can buy today will have better specifications. The base model only had 2GB of memory (expandable to 8GB) and a 160GB hard drive, though custom upgrades included 128GB and 256GB SSDs. The 13in mid-2009 MacBook Pro had an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which is dire by today’s standards. Either way, they are only fitted to the more expensive MacBook Pros, and I assume you’re not interested in buying a much more expensive MacBook than you need. In fact, no one really needs a Touch Bar. The Touch Bar replaces the F keys on the MacBook Pro. I just think you need to give it a serious go – type a few hundred words on it – before you commit to using it all day every day … or carrying an external USB keyboard around. Some people prefer flat, unresponsive keyboards, and you may find you like the butterfly keyboard. (They’re not bad, but they are not as good.) In particular, the touchpad and screen are worse than the ones in the new MacBook Air. Sadly, the old MacBook Air has other problems. This would push me towards the old MacBook Air, which has a very good keyboard by laptop standards.
I learned to touch-type on typewriters, and I prefer keyboards with mechanical keys with lots of travel. We have yet to see how it stands up over time.Īpart from that, I find the butterfly keyboard provides a horrible typing experience.
The latest MacBooks have a third version with extra sealing to keep out dust. The second version appeared in MacBook Pros, where a number of users had keyboard failures due to dust or detritus getting under the keys. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardianįor me, the biggest problem with the new MacBooks is the butterfly keyboard, which was first introduced with the 12in MacBook in 2015.
#Applecare plus for macbook pro 15 bought online mac#
All new Mac laptops come with Apple’s low-travel butterfly keyboard, which has proven divisive.