Bare minimum for kitchen and FaceTime MacBook?

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Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,049
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My wife's iBook finally died. Actually I think it's just the drive, but I don't want to bother fixing it, as I don't think even investing $50 is worth it now for that machine.

We already have a MacBook Pro and but I don't want her to use that in the kitchen while she's cooking. We also have an 11" Windows machine, but she doesn't like Windows laptops at all.

So, I am maybe going to get her a used MacBook. She really wants an Air, but I don't feel like spending $1000 for one, esp. for a kitchen machine. There are used Core Duo and Core 2 Duo MacBooks out there in the $300-500 range, and she's OK with those too.

We need fast Flash support, FaceTime (and iSight), Office, email, and occasional vlc for HD MKV. I'm thinking a good starting point would be with the 2009 MacBooks. They are officially supported with Mountain Lion, and they have GeForce 9400M. The previous models are Intel X3100 or worse. None of the MacBooks can officially boot 64-bit.

Bare minimum would be the October 2007 Santa Rosa MacBook as it has at least X3100 and supports more than 3 GB RAM.

What do you think?

Here are the Mountain Lion requirements: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5444
 
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TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
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Why does it have to be a full computer? Why not an iPad? I see you mention Office, why does a kitchen machine need that? Flash support for what?

However, to answer your question directly, I would definitely opt for at least the 9400m.
 
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Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,049
1,681
126
TheStu said:
Why does it have to be a full computer? Why not an iPad? I see you mention Office, why does a kitchen machine need that? Flash support for what?
Click to expand...
Well, it's not just for the kitchen. It's also for use when the iPad (which she already has) is not sufficient. That means Flash (eg. restaurant and newspaper websites and such) and Word. Guests use it too. We didn't actually use Flash on her iBook because it was too slow, but that was always a major annoyance for her.

I actually have desktops and a MacBook Pro, but she wants her own Mac. She also prefers having a separate trackpad button instead of a clickable trackpad, so the MacBooks are good for her in that regard.
 
onlyCOpunk

onlyCOpunk

Platinum Member
May 25, 2003
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Just get her a refurbed Air, make her happy and cut the foreplay.

Why does this need discussing?
 
umrigar

umrigar

Platinum Member
Jun 3, 2004
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i saw a used unibody Macbook for $525 shipped today on the Low End Mac swap email list.
 
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Syrome

Member
Oct 15, 2012
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Why not just go with an iPad? It is more than capable of doing FaceBook and FaceTime with ease. Plus it is obviously more portable that a Laptop. If you are dead set on a Mac purchase, I would just go with the base MacBook Air. You could probably find some good cheap ones from a few years back at great prices. Heck even Apples refurbished prices are pretty decent considering what they do to them. Just my 2 cents.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
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I've got an MBA and an Ipad. I facetime from the iPad everytime. The MBA is terrible for facetime to be quite honest. The field width is far too narrow and is impossible to get two people (I'll facetime my wife with the kids) and camera quality itself is worse than the iPad.
 
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Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,049
1,681
126
As mentioned we already have an iPad. However, the iPad is missing some features such as Office and Flash. She wants a real laptop, in addition to the iPad.

Facetime on the iPad isn't great quality though, probably because we have the iPad 2, but it works.

I checked out Craigslist and unfortunately, most people are insane. They expect to sell their 3 year old Airs for 200 less than brand new current models. I can't be bothered with them. A lot of the MacBooks are poorly priced too, and don't come with any warranty. So I went to a shop that carries used ones with 90 day warranties. Unfortunately, only occasional ones are in nice condition, with most looking quite used. Since only a few are in nice condition, the selection is poor.

So, we may consider a brand new edu or refurb Air. However, if we're going to do that, I'd rather just wait until the next iteration. Hopefully the price will drop, and/or it comes with 802.11ac. I don't feel like spending a thousand bucks (after tax) on a refurb just to get something with say USB 2 or 802.11n Or if that model is expensive, at least the refurb 802.11n models will go down in price after the next iteration.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
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Reread your post. Frankly I think you are wasting money on a MBA (or any older macbook for that matter) and getting less utility for face timing than the iPad provides. If you already have an iPad, macbook pro and a windows portable device you need nothing else.
 
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Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,049
1,681
126
vi edit said:
Reread your post. Frankly I think you are wasting money on a MBA (or any older macbook for that matter) and getting less utility for face timing than the iPad provides. If you already have an iPad, macbook pro and a windows portable device you need nothing else.
Click to expand...
I need nothing else, and that's what I told the wife. Nonetheless, my wife wants the laptop for herself, which I guess makes sense since sometimes I take my MacBook Pro with me to work. And she refuses to use my Windows laptop.

FaceTime is not the primary usage BTW. The machine needs to be a Mac for Mac-type usage. An iPad alone is not sufficient.

However, I tell her to wait until the next iteration, and maybe by then she'll get used to the idea of not having her own laptop. ;)
 
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TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
I don't think I or anyone else has said it yet, but have you considered an iPad? If she's only ever going to use it for FaceTime and FaceTime only in the kitchen...
 
ViRGE

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
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I think you're on the right track as far as MacBooks go. A unibody model with the 9400M is a good baseline for any kind of usable MacBook these days; any older and you don't have hardware H.264 decoding. For Facetime use however, keep in mind that the camera in the MacBook was always a bit rubbish since Apple never upgraded it beyond SD.
 
dave_the_nerd

dave_the_nerd

Lifer
Feb 25, 2011
16,992
1,621
126
Yeah, any of the C2D macbooks with 9400m graphics will be fine. You'll want a ram upgrade for content-heavy websites and an SSD for snappiness. Otherwise... joyousness and stuffs.

10.8 and Facetime work great on mine.
 
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runawayprisoner

Platinum Member
Apr 2, 2008
2,496
0
76
MacBook Air has a thin plastic film to protect the screen.

Not gonna do well with oil... or scratches. I personally think she'll be happier with an old MacBook Pro that has a glass screen. At least oil doesn't do much to that sort of thing.

I know this from experience because I have to clean my mom's iPad every other day. The kitchen is a vicious environment.

If the MacBook Air stays a good distance away from the oil, though, then I think they may stand a chance. And then price is the only thing that gets in your way.

And I think it's clear your wife wants a MacBook in addition to her iPad. I'm with some others here. It doesn't even need a discussion. The only thing you should do is go on eBay, or Craigslist, and hound 'em 'til you find 'em.
 
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Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,049
1,681
126
Thanks but it's out of stock. I doubt they'd ship to Canada anyway. (Best Buy is in Canada as well, but their Canadian and American arms function independently from one another. You can't order from Best Buy USA in Canada.)
 
onlyCOpunk

onlyCOpunk

Platinum Member
May 25, 2003
2,532
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Well to be thruthful you then have 1 of 2 options...

You can either spend half the amount on a new Macbook on use C2D model which is only going to become obsolete shortly.

Or you can buy her a refurbed Macbook pro that will have the year warranty, or 2 years however long they give you in Canada and will be usefull for a lot longer.

Why would you spend money on technology from 2008-2010? It's silly. Even 2011 is pushing it.
 
Zaap

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
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I had a similar 'dilema' not long ago. Wife needed a new laptop, all her requirements (except for "let's not spend too much") were right in line with a 13" MacBook Air.

I weighed options... PC laptop that was similar cost nearly as much, and Win8 was not an option.

Used Macs (laptops especially) rarely make sense IMO. They're not really always such awesome machines, it's just that people are used to completely unrealistic resale prices. No, spending half as much as new for 1/4 or 1/3 a machine as new is NOT worthwhile in my book.

So I got her a brand new 13" MacBook Air.

The overriding factor: It's for the wife. She deserves better than what's really an overpriced used laptop with 1/3 the specs it should have vs. a new (or at least newish) laptop for a lot more, but actually worth the price.


My 2cents: Just get her a new MacBook, call it a day.
 
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