second hand macbook pro

Hi
A friend of mine has offered to sell me his macbook pro and i am considering it. However I know very little and have only had dell laptops in the past.

It is a 13'' duo core 2.4gh ddr3 ram with 320gb . He will also give me mac office. He is asking for €800.

Im wondering if this is worth the money as it is the duo core and my Dell has the i7 technology. To be honest I dont even know what this means. I just want a decent laptop that will not be slow and outdated in a year!
I would be using it for work-im a teacher.

Any advice would be great thanks!!;D

Hi
A friend of mine has offered to sell me his macbook pro and i am considering it. However I know very little and have only had dell laptops in the past.

It is a 13'' duo core 2.4gh ddr3 ram with 320gb . He will also give me mac office. He is asking for €800.

Im wondering if this is worth the money as it is the duo core and my Dell has the i7 technology. To be honest I dont even know what this means. I just want a decent laptop that will not be slow and outdated in a year!
I would be using it for work-im a teacher.

Any advice would be great thanks!!;D

I think that the BIG question really is...why do you want to switch from always using Dell/Windows laptops in the past...and now use a Macintosh?

This can be a big switch...so what's the "driving force"?

- Nick

Hi Nick

ive actually had serious problems with my dell laptop since i bought it in August 2010 and am finally getting a refund from them now. I found their customer service appalling and had to fight for all this time to get my refund.
So i suppose i dont fancy having to deal with Dell again in the future...and I love my ipod and iphone!!

Merged threads...no need to crosspost! Thanks.

thaired said:

Hi Nick

ive actually had serious problems with my dell laptop since i bought it in August 2010 and am finally getting a refund from them now. I found their customer service appalling and had to fight for all this time to get my refund.
So i suppose i dont fancy having to deal with Dell again in the future...and I love my ipod and iphone!!

Click to expand...

Sounds understandable...but your initial post says that you have always used Dell/Windows laptops in the past. I'm assuming this means more than just this single Dell laptop you most recently had trouble with.

This means that you are familiar with using Windows based hardware & software applications. Switching to a Macintosh computer running Mac OS X is NOT the same as switching from a Dell, to an HP, to a Sony, to a Toshiba computer all running Windows. Mac OS X is different (not necessarily hard)...but different.

So you're not just switching from one hardware manufacturer to another...you're also switching to a very different operating system.

- Nick

I have had three Dells previously but it was just this latest problem that made me reconsider my next purchase. I suppose i should probably have a proper look at the laptop and how it works before I make my decision. But I think id get the hang of it quite quickly.

Im really just wondering if i should spend the extra money to get the more updated technology. And also is my friend asking for a fair price.

Search around, there is a big difference between the Dell and the Macbook. Most people take to the transition really well though.

thaired said:

I suppose i should probably have a proper look at the laptop and how it works before I make my decision.

Click to expand...

Looking at the computer is always a good idea to insure that it's working properly...but...since you're not familiar with Apple Macintosh computers...how will you know what to look for in terms of it operating properly?

thaired said:

Im really just wondering if i should spend the extra money to get the more updated technology. And also is my friend asking for a fair price.

Click to expand...

Yes I know that these are important questions...but purchasing a Macintosh computer (when you've never owned or used one before)...is MUCH MORE about being comfortable with the operating system...than it is about "does this used computer work properly"...and "is it a fair price".

I would recommend going to a local Apple Store (if you have one)...and "playing" around with the computers to get a feel for things...before you make a purchase decision. You don't want to spend somewhere around €800...and then find out that Macintosh computers & Mac OS X is not for you!

HTH,

- Nick

Hi thaired,

I agree if there is a store close by spend a little time on a few Machines and see how they feel.
I will just add that the reason for my switch was similar to yours re newish laptop just giving up the ghost in many areas + the tedium of windows restrictions and protocols.

Since I switched have not looked back and find using my Mac a joy.

Thaired, a 2010 fully refurbed 15" MBP with i5 processor is only 300 pounds more and that's a bigger screen and a faster processor and Apple warranty. I'm not too sure that your friend is giving you that great a deal

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (UK)

A 2011 13" starts at 999.

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro

I don't know about saving 300 pounds the latest mbp took a large step forward.

I do have to agree with most of the posters that you should go some where and play around with a mac before even thinking of buying the mbp.

The other question you really have to answer for your self is can i use the programs I run all the time or find a suitable replacement. Personally I run a new mbp for my Laptop and a pc for gaming prepossess, but thats all my pc runs.

hope this helps

Cheers