£180 cheaper than current Apple retail store price.
bound to go cold as most apple deals do but if your after a Macbook Pro Retina then this is a very decent price (unless you can get one via Higher Education Store, not everyone can) If it helps someone I'll be happy.
i5 2.7Ghz
8Gb Ram
128Gb SSD
Despite the Apple haters the Macbook Pro retina is still one of the best notebooks you can buy. Much more to it than just the spec on paper...yes you can buy faster windows laptops cheaper but the Macbook is a combination of solid hardware combined with an OS written to get the best from the hardware.
A windows ultrabook of the same quality/spec from Dell/HP.Lenovo will cost you around the same with far less resale value in a few years time when it's time to upgrade.
believe it or not some people prefer OSX to windows.....
Cue the hate.....
Top comments
Uridium to DrAllsopp
3 Jan 1625#7
ha ha I'm no Apple Fanboy, never owned an iPhone or iPad, My Personal mobile is android as is my work mobile and I have an android tablet. In my home there is 6 windows laptops, 2 windows desktops, a Windows server, a VMWare server and one Apple Macbook...ah one of my daughters has an iPhone 5c as well....
for a day job I support datacenters full of Windows, VMWare and Linux servers and I'm supplied with a high end Windows Ultrabook as my 'work' laptop...but still choose to own a Macbook as my own machine to use when i get home though.
I can just appreciate a stable, fast OS and good quality hardware.
As far as being over priced it may seem like it compared to a plastic windows laptop...now compare the price to a Windows ultrabook of similar build/spec say the Dell XPS13 at £850 or HP Spectre x360... at £800
LeeLad
3 Jan 1613#15
If you really care what brand of computer or operating system a person uses, you have major issues.
DrAllsopp
3 Jan 169#6
Apple fanboys/supporters/enthusiasts have such persecution complexes.
Apple kit is of a quality build but it is grossly overpriced and massively restrictive.
That's not 'hate' it's reality.
This seems like a good deal if you want a MacBook Pro and a bad deal if you just want a laptop.
Voting accordingly.
willhay555
3 Jan 166#3
Trust your instinct, it's a good deal.
**** the haters.
All comments (92)
willhay555
3 Jan 163#1
Bound to go cold, Apple haters, yes you can buy faster, cue the hate?
Paranoid much?
Uridium to willhay555
3 Jan 163#2
no not paranoid. just realistic...
LocoMoFo9999 to willhay555
3 Jan 16#11
Apple are bitter.
jasif1 to willhay555
3 Jan 16#27
is the ssd upgradeable?
willhay555
3 Jan 166#3
Trust your instinct, it's a good deal.
**** the haters.
ro888
3 Jan 16#4
Question, is it easy to upgrade the SSD?
reutunes to ro888
3 Jan 16#5
impossible
DrAllsopp
3 Jan 169#6
Apple fanboys/supporters/enthusiasts have such persecution complexes.
Apple kit is of a quality build but it is grossly overpriced and massively restrictive.
That's not 'hate' it's reality.
This seems like a good deal if you want a MacBook Pro and a bad deal if you just want a laptop.
Voting accordingly.
Uridium to DrAllsopp
3 Jan 1625#7
ha ha I'm no Apple Fanboy, never owned an iPhone or iPad, My Personal mobile is android as is my work mobile and I have an android tablet. In my home there is 6 windows laptops, 2 windows desktops, a Windows server, a VMWare server and one Apple Macbook...ah one of my daughters has an iPhone 5c as well....
for a day job I support datacenters full of Windows, VMWare and Linux servers and I'm supplied with a high end Windows Ultrabook as my 'work' laptop...but still choose to own a Macbook as my own machine to use when i get home though.
I can just appreciate a stable, fast OS and good quality hardware.
As far as being over priced it may seem like it compared to a plastic windows laptop...now compare the price to a Windows ultrabook of similar build/spec say the Dell XPS13 at £850 or HP Spectre x360... at £800
sebs to DrAllsopp
3 Jan 161#10
here here.
cossy3 to DrAllsopp
3 Jan 163#20
No one here is looking for a review thanks. Is it a good deal in the current market? That's all we want to know.
Likely2
3 Jan 16#8
Fixed for you....
Uridium
3 Jan 16#9
It is possible if you can source one however I'm not aware of any retailers stocking the PCI-E SSD the Macbooks now use.
99rb
3 Jan 16#12
you'll need the keyboard, and the pencil too! And a copy of Procreate. An artistic drawing, image editing app that is a cheap necessity! The Pro is fantastic. Still I've not tried any other 13incher so can't do any informed hating.
Jameseh
3 Jan 16#13
I'd love one but I struggle with 500GB never mind 128GB.
Frukoz
3 Jan 16#14
Isn't it £180 cheaper than apple store and £30 cheaper than Student (though no apple care)?
Good price as long it's UK keyboard and what not.
Uridium to Frukoz
3 Jan 16#16
£940 at Apple store currently
If you can buy at the Apple HES store it's worth doing, I bought my 256gb model from there, saved around 12% and you get 3yrs applecare thrown in.
If you can't though then I think this is a decent price.
LeeLad
3 Jan 1613#15
If you really care what brand of computer or operating system a person uses, you have major issues.
irabbs7
3 Jan 16#17
wow great spec for the price
vegalz0r
3 Jan 161#18
My apple mac air has never let me down. Been using it for a year now. I own a £800 gaming and multimedia pc, and have 3 windows based laptops at home and so far, the mac air is the most reliable device I own.
Overpriced yes. Can you rely on it every time? Yes.
cossy3
3 Jan 163#19
Christ, why would you buy something like this from a nobody on eBay? You can get discount on the apple refurb store or student store and you'd know you'd be covered for any problems.
Uridium to cossy3
3 Jan 16#21
This comes with 12mths Apple warranty and the seller has feedback of over 10k with 99.4% positive. A sound seller I'd say.
I agree about the student store if you can (I bought my own from there) but not everyone can.
Would this be good enough to edit with and use sony vegas 12 or stream via elgato to twitch.
Tim1292 to natty11
3 Jan 16#30
Video editing and streaming is probably pushing it a bit too far. This has no dedicated graphics card either, so you'll take a hit in gaming performance if you stream.
Uridium to natty11
3 Jan 16#32
Only if you Install Windows via bootcamp, parallels or VMWare fusion as Sony Vegas is a windows app...Macbook runs OSX
teleporter_12
3 Jan 16#24
I purchased this for £1000 so it's sad to see it lower now
cossy3
3 Jan 16#25
I'm not talking about the one year warranty. Highly unlikely for anything to go wrong. I'm talking about 3 years down the line when something goes wrong and I call Apple and quote the Consumer Credit Act and they quickly sort things out. I've had to do this many times over the years.
No way you could do this on this with an eBay seller.
Good price, but would rather purchase a 256GB storage option. 128GB is just way too less in the long-run.
ezzer72
3 Jan 166#43
You're getting confused with (crap) iOS and (brilliant) OS X - nothing restrictive about the latter, but you probably just have no experience of it.
bbbazman
3 Jan 16#44
He-heh, called their bluff.
NitrousUK
3 Jan 161#45
Cold due to hyperdefensive and massively inaccurate OP description.
"Best notebook", same spec HP/Lenovo/Dell costs same, better resale value, OSX written to get the best from the hardware?.. err...no. Just no. Cliched Apple fanboy defenses that don't hold up to any scrutiny or information.
I don't deny there's a valid target audience for Apple laptops (price is not as important as doing simple tasks easily and with low technical knowledge), but no need for all the misinformation.
Uridium to NitrousUK
3 Jan 162#50
OK so what windows notebook would you say is a valid comparison to a Macbook Pro if not a dell XPS 13?
5yr old Macbook pro value...£300-£400 everyday of the week on eBay...I'd say that's a decent resale value.
as for the fanboy nonsense....read post #7 on this thread...
Seems to me you are looking for any reason other than the price to vote cold...
vtec
3 Jan 163#46
the tablet I own is android, the phone I own is android but the laptop I own is Mac pro and its the best laptop I have owned hands down.
paul.jacobs
3 Jan 161#47
I had a dell go wonky so had to get a refund for it. Bought a macbook air 13, fantastic machine, super fast and won't buy a PC again. I got a student card via an online course, already got my money back using it at cinemas and shops. Saved £320 off the computer, also sold some headphones that came with it for £80 (expired offer), Ended up with a 13" Air, i7, 256gb, 8gb ram for £1008 direct from Apple, with 3 years applecare
Holding out for the new models that should make an appearance in 3/4 months. Hoping the 13inch Pro gets upgraded to 256gb minimum (along with other needed improvements).
Cameron92
3 Jan 16#49
OS + my music will fill that 128GB. I don't buy a laptop so I can have a portable HD plugged into it all the time. Pass.
salispropnews
3 Jan 16#51
Apple needs to offer more than 12 months guarantee for a 'quality' product.
cuslund
3 Jan 161#52
'Cue the hate' it's not hate, it's pointing out the obvious. Overpriced for an under powered machine when all your being using it for is web browsing and word docs. No dedicated graphics for anything games, video editing, rendering etc £900 down the drain. Dell Inspiron 15 £999 can be haggled down to £915, 4k screen, touch screen, 16gb, 960m 4gb maxwell graphics, i7 6700hq 2.6hzt sky lake quad core, BRAND new, 128ssd & 1tb hdd!!! But snobbery and stupidity means your buy this instead! Hello Mcfly??????? Or go to pc specilaist, co figure your own and support a UK based company!!
ApolloX1
3 Jan 16#53
How much is this on the Apple Store with student discount, does anyone know?
Uridium to ApolloX1
3 Jan 16#54
Usually about 12% discount on apple HES store...Access to the store isn't easy to check anymore sadly. Loophole shave been closed :disappointed:
poopscoop
3 Jan 16#55
I've saved a couple of things into the saved baskets. The usual link "loophole" works ever so often. Bit flakey.
furbix
3 Jan 16#56
Dell xps 13 with 4gb is like £840 isn't it? Plus that won't look so good covered in fibber prints in a few months.
iron1899
3 Jan 16#57
Same here, its rumoured that the new Macbook Pro's will be using the new Skylake processors.
NitrousUK
3 Jan 16#58
You picked the HP Spectre, a convertible laptop. The HP Envy 13 would be a better comparison. £120 cheaper and better specs. 6th gen i5 and 256gb SSD. Frequently has discounts to around the £600 mark. Recently sold a Dell Inspirion on eBay for £200 less than I paid after 2.5 years. Those 5 year old Macbooks were likely 800-1200 new.
The envy is a good comparison yes. I've used them quite a lot (I work for hp) . However the screen isn't great and the build isn't a patch on the MacBook.
Xps13 is closer match and costs virtually the same at this spec
NitrousUK
3 Jan 16#61
Professional review disagrees.
"aluminum chassis with very good build quality"
"QHD display with high color accuracy"
You can see areas where the Macbook is better. More even screen brightness, battery life. Benchmarks are hard to compare as you're comparing Windows to OSX as well. Would be interesting to see Linux benchmarks on it. However this laptop can usually be had for £200+ cheaper, and weighs almost 300g less.
FTM23
3 Jan 161#62
Heat added - reliability some people don't understand.
eslick
3 Jan 16#63
Another Apple thread taken over by the droids :disappointed:
ezzer72 to eslick
3 Jan 16#66
I'm a 'Droid' in that I wouldn't use an iPhone even if free, so you are a bit confused.
There needs to be a bigger distinction between Apple's two platforms - OS X is truly brilliant, and this is why Windows laptops fail, regardless of their specs.
Uridium
3 Jan 161#64
Professional review also concludes with this.....
"Perhaps because of the comparatively mediocre battery runtime of the Envy. All the rivals are better in this regard – and there is still no Windows device that can beat the MacBook Pro 13 Retina".
ezzer72
3 Jan 16#65
Yeah, and that will definitely only be £819...
These kind of posts drive me mad.
rodman
3 Jan 16#67
voting hot for Apple haters, I do not own one but one day I will.
J0n35y
3 Jan 16#68
:laughing: get a grip buddy boy!
happenstance
3 Jan 16#69
Thanks for that, does look like this hawrd drive would be a serious issue with this with taking up 50gb
mus_ne
3 Jan 16#70
£899 John Lewis with 3 Years Guarantee
Uridium
3 Jan 16#71
admittedly I have the 256gb version but I'm running a Win10 VM under parallels on mine using a 30Gb partition
NitrousUK
3 Jan 16#72
The review continues in saying the battery life is the only real issue and it's a solid companion. I got mine for £585. Battery life is plenty for me (lasts a days worth of work), so happy to save the £234, get an extra 128gb and save 300g weight. The reduced battery life is probably due to the 300g difference. Perfect for my needs, but obviously not everyones. If someone really needs 10+ hours battery life then the Macbook becomes a contender.
Marky264
3 Jan 16#73
Great price, I bought it via the Apple Education Discount, would prefer 3 Years of Applecare too if I were to choose between the Two Deals, Plus opted for PayPal Finance to spread it out :smiley:
Uridium
3 Jan 16#74
I don't disagree...the envy is a nice laptop and due to the pricing of the XPS13 it should sell very well. I may well have bought one myself if it had been released when I bought my Macbook...I did look at all the options at the time... Lenovo Carbon, XPS13, Spectre x360 HP's contender at the time) and the Asus UX305..
All but the Macbook had at least one thing that nagged slightly..something not quite right.
OSX was a big selling point to me as well....Its the only mainstream OS that I wasn't over familiar with and having a Mac meant I could add OSX to my CV as well :smiley:
I think the biggest problem with these Aluminium ultrabooks though is that until you've used them you can't understand the price premium hence you always get comparisons made with much higher spec'd plastic gaming laptops etc..but once you have used them it's hard to go back to a normal laptop.
umirza85
3 Jan 16#75
This is a great deal 8gb of ram is the reason to purchase. Storage can always be expanded via flush micro sd card adapter or usb 3.0 drives.
hobsgrg
3 Jan 16#76
Did you even read that? The SSD isn't upgradeable as a practical matter. "Newer-generation 13″ and 15″ Retina MacBook Pros use newer SSDs with faster PCIe connectors. As of early 2015, no third-party SSDs are compatible with this standard". It is still the case that the only source of replacement SSD is from other MacBook Pros, which means even though you could in theory replace the SSD it is virtually impossible to get a different SSD to replace it with.
hobsgrg
3 Jan 16#77
A new model in 3 to 4 months is likely, no chance of it coming with 256Gb minimum though as Apple want to upsell you to larger capacity model with a bigger margin. 128Gb lets them hit an attractive price point but they want people to ultimately pay extra for larger capacity.
aceuk
3 Jan 161#78
Btw, the Macs on the Edu Store are the same price (or cheaper) than your link. You can save at least another £32.40-£39.60 on the base price of the 15" rMBPs for example. On the 13" rMBP, AppleCare is £138.99 on the Edu store and £179.58 via your link. :smiley:
Yeah, agreed, OSX is a selling point (I use Ubuntu, though Windows 10 is surprisingly tolerable). Comparisons to plastic gaming laptops are a bit silly, I've seen at least one in this thread. Ergonomics and details count (eg keyboard, trackpad, fan noise, heat, speakers, etc). But I think in recent years companies like Dell and HP have caught up Apple in terms of build quality. Tbh, my Dell Inspirion and HP Envy are almost Mac clones. Which I'm fine with, shiney and solid but competing on price (tho still seem to be adding a few pennies). I think the differences in criteria for laptops has narrowed a lot now. Can get the best of each characteristic (size, weight, build quality, battery, price, etc) from the top 4, but not all at once.
jespurrier
3 Jan 16#80
The hard drive is the one bit that IS upgradeable.
jespurrier
3 Jan 161#81
WORD
eaxlns
3 Jan 161#82
Expired but you can buy from following seller for the same price:
Just out of curiosity. I need a really really silent laptop cause my Dell inspiron is getting on my nerves.
Could someone possibly help me as to how loud these laptops are? Or when do they get loud if at all? I am considering buying the Asus UX305CA that is core m3 fanless.(problem is i can find it only in the US. so: taxes, etc)
I am not a heavy user: Just a lot of chrome tabs (around 10), a movie or tv series and the only game i play is Football manager. that's about it
I'm considering making the leap if these machines are silent
Thanks for any advices
Uridium to gdm89
4 Jan 16#85
I barely hear a peep from my Macbook Pro.
John Lewis and Pc World bith have Macbooks on display that you can play with before purchasing..I'd strongly advise gong and checking one out before spending your money on a laptop
AzorAhaiMark to gdm89
4 Jan 161#88
My MBP is silent, all Windows machines I have owned have had audible fans but not the MBP.
Perhaps a better comparison is my Macbook Air used in work. My 4gb machine is silent throughout the day, my colleague's 8gb windows laptop whirrs away at random intervals doing the exact same tasks.
Junaidk
4 Jan 16#84
Hey guys, i'm currently thinking of purchasing a Macbook pro (same specs as one listed). Should i wait the 3/4 months to purchase the 2016 one (using student discount) or just go for this one?
Uridium to Junaidk
4 Jan 161#86
ha ha...If only we had a crystal Ball to know what apple have coming...
that said most people seem to think the MBP will remain the same but with an updated Skylake CPU and a storage increase on the base model (probably a price hike too)
Personally my motto in life is to live everyday like it's my last so I'd go for the current model now. If you can stretch to it buy the 256Gb version to give yourself some extra use out of it though.
Who knows for sure though....Apple might surprise everyone and release a mega updated version with touchscreen and a whole new chassis....
one thing for sure though MBP's hold there value very well unlike most laptops so even If Apple do release a crazy new updated MBP you will still be able to sell on your old one for very little loss..(especially If you get it cheap from the HES store)
Average depreciation for a Macbook is around 10% per year...
eaxlns to Junaidk
4 Jan 161#87
The spec improvements between each upgrade is so minimal these days that it's probably not worth the wait. I would just buy it now as these prices might go.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
bound to go cold as most apple deals do but if your after a Macbook Pro Retina then this is a very decent price (unless you can get one via Higher Education Store, not everyone can) If it helps someone I'll be happy.
i5 2.7Ghz
8Gb Ram
128Gb SSD
Despite the Apple haters the Macbook Pro retina is still one of the best notebooks you can buy. Much more to it than just the spec on paper...yes you can buy faster windows laptops cheaper but the Macbook is a combination of solid hardware combined with an OS written to get the best from the hardware.
A windows ultrabook of the same quality/spec from Dell/HP.Lenovo will cost you around the same with far less resale value in a few years time when it's time to upgrade.
believe it or not some people prefer OSX to windows.....
Cue the hate.....
Top comments
for a day job I support datacenters full of Windows, VMWare and Linux servers and I'm supplied with a high end Windows Ultrabook as my 'work' laptop...but still choose to own a Macbook as my own machine to use when i get home though.
I can just appreciate a stable, fast OS and good quality hardware.
As far as being over priced it may seem like it compared to a plastic windows laptop...now compare the price to a Windows ultrabook of similar build/spec say the Dell XPS13 at £850 or HP Spectre x360... at £800
Apple kit is of a quality build but it is grossly overpriced and massively restrictive.
That's not 'hate' it's reality.
This seems like a good deal if you want a MacBook Pro and a bad deal if you just want a laptop.
Voting accordingly.
**** the haters.
All comments (92)
Paranoid much?
**** the haters.
Apple kit is of a quality build but it is grossly overpriced and massively restrictive.
That's not 'hate' it's reality.
This seems like a good deal if you want a MacBook Pro and a bad deal if you just want a laptop.
Voting accordingly.
for a day job I support datacenters full of Windows, VMWare and Linux servers and I'm supplied with a high end Windows Ultrabook as my 'work' laptop...but still choose to own a Macbook as my own machine to use when i get home though.
I can just appreciate a stable, fast OS and good quality hardware.
As far as being over priced it may seem like it compared to a plastic windows laptop...now compare the price to a Windows ultrabook of similar build/spec say the Dell XPS13 at £850 or HP Spectre x360... at £800
Good price as long it's UK keyboard and what not.
If you can buy at the Apple HES store it's worth doing, I bought my 256gb model from there, saved around 12% and you get 3yrs applecare thrown in.
If you can't though then I think this is a decent price.
Overpriced yes. Can you rely on it every time? Yes.
I agree about the student store if you can (I bought my own from there) but not everyone can.
It's at £999 for me here:
http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=MF839B/A&step=config#
No way you could do this on this with an eBay seller.
Some corporate discount link I mange to have cached...;-)
Have some heat OP.
LOL
the SSD is a wee bit quick though
Glad I still have an old MBP which has been upgraded to it's maximum.
_------------------++++++
Good price for this model, though.
Free option that needs rebooting between Windows/OSX
https://www.apple.com/uk/support/bootcamp/
Paid options that allows you to run windows as a virtual machine within OSX
http://www.vmware.com/uk/products/fusion
https://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/
"Best notebook", same spec HP/Lenovo/Dell costs same, better resale value, OSX written to get the best from the hardware?.. err...no. Just no. Cliched Apple fanboy defenses that don't hold up to any scrutiny or information.
I don't deny there's a valid target audience for Apple laptops (price is not as important as doing simple tasks easily and with low technical knowledge), but no need for all the misinformation.
5yr old Macbook pro value...£300-£400 everyday of the week on eBay...I'd say that's a decent resale value.
as for the fanboy nonsense....read post #7 on this thread...
Seems to me you are looking for any reason other than the price to vote cold...
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nus-isic-card-trick-become-a-lifetime-student-buy-course-livingsocial-com-9-13-nus-2183441
Xps13 is closer match and costs virtually the same at this spec
"aluminum chassis with very good build quality"
"QHD display with high color accuracy"
You can see areas where the Macbook is better. More even screen brightness, battery life. Benchmarks are hard to compare as you're comparing Windows to OSX as well. Would be interesting to see Linux benchmarks on it. However this laptop can usually be had for £200+ cheaper, and weighs almost 300g less.
There needs to be a bigger distinction between Apple's two platforms - OS X is truly brilliant, and this is why Windows laptops fail, regardless of their specs.
"Perhaps because of the comparatively mediocre battery runtime of the Envy. All the rivals are better in this regard – and there is still no Windows device that can beat the MacBook Pro 13 Retina".
These kind of posts drive me mad.
All but the Macbook had at least one thing that nagged slightly..something not quite right.
OSX was a big selling point to me as well....Its the only mainstream OS that I wasn't over familiar with and having a Mac meant I could add OSX to my CV as well :smiley:
I think the biggest problem with these Aluminium ultrabooks though is that until you've used them you can't understand the price premium hence you always get comparisons made with much higher spec'd plastic gaming laptops etc..but once you have used them it's hard to go back to a normal laptop.
www.apple.com/uk-edu/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro
http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/231800070038
Could someone possibly help me as to how loud these laptops are? Or when do they get loud if at all? I am considering buying the Asus UX305CA that is core m3 fanless.(problem is i can find it only in the US. so: taxes, etc)
I am not a heavy user: Just a lot of chrome tabs (around 10), a movie or tv series and the only game i play is Football manager. that's about it
I'm considering making the leap if these machines are silent
Thanks for any advices
John Lewis and Pc World bith have Macbooks on display that you can play with before purchasing..I'd strongly advise gong and checking one out before spending your money on a laptop
Perhaps a better comparison is my Macbook Air used in work. My 4gb machine is silent throughout the day, my colleague's 8gb windows laptop whirrs away at random intervals doing the exact same tasks.
that said most people seem to think the MBP will remain the same but with an updated Skylake CPU and a storage increase on the base model (probably a price hike too)
Personally my motto in life is to live everyday like it's my last so I'd go for the current model now. If you can stretch to it buy the 256Gb version to give yourself some extra use out of it though.
Who knows for sure though....Apple might surprise everyone and release a mega updated version with touchscreen and a whole new chassis....
one thing for sure though MBP's hold there value very well unlike most laptops so even If Apple do release a crazy new updated MBP you will still be able to sell on your old one for very little loss..(especially If you get it cheap from the HES store)
Average depreciation for a Macbook is around 10% per year...
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac