Thinking about changing to a mac in my old age - advice? (desktop, monitor)
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Actually, the battery life is not an issue for me. I only use my laptop at home. And I can buy a new battery, right?
I remembered that Square Trade let me buy a warranty for a used old Brother laser printer I bought on Ebay, so thought I'd ask them if they would give me a warranty on a used Mac on Ebay, and they said they will. They have some kind of deal with Ebay, where they normally won't warranty used items, they will if you buy it on Ebay. I've found buyers on Ebay who refurbish and upgrade Macs, and they're much cheaper than the Apple store's refurbished options.
So, I could actually buy an older upgraded MacBook and buy a Square Trade warranty for it. The max length warranty period would be 2 years for a laptop purchased on Ebay.
So, let's say I find one that's been upgraded to the SSD, that's an older Mac, and I get a warranty on it from Square Trade, is there any reason not to do this?
I don't care what it looks like as far as dents or scratches, etc, or if the battery life is good, as long as I can get a new battery for it, if/when I want one later.
Any other reasons this would be a bad idea? Would it do what I need it to do for many years to come, even though it's old, if it's been upgraded to the SSD? Specifically, what I mean is it's capacity as far as software I might want to buy and use on it down the road. This is the issue I have with my old Compaq. It can no longer handle any programs I want to buy and use on it, such as video editing, or even an upgraded virus scanning software. They are too big for my system to handle.
Recent Apple laptops do *not* have user replaceable batteries. They haven't for years.
Apple charges $129 for the Air/Pro battery replacement, and $199 for the pro with a retina display.
I'm not familiar with the square trade program. Somewhere along the lines, batteries went from 2 hours to over 6 hour capacity. If you buy a 4 year old laptop and expect it to last many more years, you might be pushing it. After my bad experiences with their iPhones OS upgrades I'll expect their OS upgrades to be not as friendly to their older hardware a few years later.
Apple also use to have $99 one on one sessions for a year. You could schedule 1 hour a week up to 52 weeks. I think it is an incredible value. If you could go to 50 session it'd come out to $2 a session.
This is interesting. One of the things I like about my Skype subscription is that I can also use it as a landline, and save on my cell phone minutes (cheap plan). I have a Skype number, and with it I can call any phone with it. It will also forward my Skype number calls to my cell phone.
Wondering if this Google Hangouts would have these features, too?
I'm just thinking I'd be too frustrated with a Chromebook, if it limits me from being able to use anything I want on the web.
Here is a nice chart that compares the features of Skype vs Google Hangouts. They look to offer similar features with Hangouts offering some features without having to pay for a subscription like with Skype.
Chromebooks aren't for everyone. I mentioned that option because you said you found Microsoft operating systems counter-intuitive & you're price limit is $400. Chromebook's another option outside of Windows & they're very easy to navigate. People who have them like them for their low price as well as their speed & how easy they are to use. Plus you don't have to pay to have someone change a battery for you like you do for mac, which is just silly. I'm not saying to get a Chromebook, just telling you it's another option out there. Buy what you will feel most comfortable with obviously. Another thing to be aware of with chromebooks is that you have to be online to use most of their programs.
Last edited by everwinter; 07-27-2014 at 06:13 AM..
I'm not familiar with the square trade program. Somewhere along the lines, batteries went from 2 hours to over 6 hour capacity. If you buy a 4 year old laptop and expect it to last many more years, you might be pushing it. After my bad experiences with their iPhones OS upgrades I'll expect their OS upgrades to be not as friendly to their older hardware a few years later.
Apple also use to have $99 one on one sessions for a year. You could schedule 1 hour a week up to 52 weeks. I think it is an incredible value. If you could go to 50 session it'd come out to $2 a session.
This sounds wonderful. I'll check into it. Thanks!
The Square Trade program is really great. Covers hard drive crashes, spills, drops, etc. But, would only cover the used computer for 2 years max. They guarantee to have your computer back to you in 5 days, I think. I have my shredder and my printer covered. The coverage is cheap and I figure that way I know I have a printer and a shredder for 2 years without having to buy new.
Good info on the limitations of getting a used Mac. I just can't see spending the money for a new one. Just to give you an idea of me being cheap (lol) the old Toyota I drive is ugly as sin, but runs like a top, and cost me $900! So, spending $1,000 = $2,000 on a computer isn't gonna happen. I just need something reliable, even if it's old and ugly, that will give me a few good years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by everwinter
Here is a nice chart that compares the features of Skype vs Google Hangouts. They look to offer similar features with Hangouts offering some features without having to pay for a subscription like with Skype.
Chromebooks aren't for everyone. I mentioned that option because you said you found Microsoft operating systems counter-intuitive & you're price limit is $400. Chromebook's another option outside of Windows & they're very easy to navigate. People who have them like them for their low price as well as their speed & how easy they are to use. Plus you don't have to pay to have someone change a battery for you like you do for mac, which is just silly. I'm not saying to get a Chromebook, just telling you it's another option out there. Buy what you will feel most comfortable with obviously. Another thing to be aware of with chromebooks is that you have to be online to use most of their programs.
I really appreciate this. I'll look into it. I wonder if they would have a video editing software I can use, even online? I'm going to be open minded and check it out
No, you are just stuck paying to have the battery replaced.
Batteries last a long time, but I can only speak of a MacBook pro for several years. Haven't had any trouble with it. Also, my wife has a 1st generation iPod with the click wheel, while I have a second generation iPod Touch, and their batteries are still in great shape.
If you could only choose one of these two options, which would you choose? Say they cost the same, and both can have a warranty of 2 years, for a total price of $400.
A 2006 MacBook Pro 15" with upgraded SSD but only 2GB max supported RAM.
OR
A 2008 MacBook Pro 15" not upgraded to SSD but with 4GB max supported RAM.
I ask this because it seems like it's the RAM limitation that keeps me from being able to use newer programs on my PC. Wondering if it's better to have the better drive, but less RAM - or if RAM is more important. Thank you!
I would probably go with the 2008 if I really had to choose between those two.
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