Topic: Dilemma: Upgrade my Macbook Pro, get another Mac, or get a PC?

[nulldogmas]

Not to disagree with anything anyone else said, but I would add that a four-year-old laptop of any kind is getting close to the point where things are likely to start breaking soon, if they haven't already. I'm generally a fan of investing in last-generation hardware because you it's still functional and you get a better deal, but in this case you might consider skipping the new SSD and putting the money toward your next MacBook.

[stevetoney]

^ SCB...it seems like Apple markets their laptops alot differently than they market their iphones and ipads.  That said, if someone doesn't feel that Apple uses creative marketing, then that's cool.  I'm not going to judge your buying patterns and where you place value, so apologies if my earlier comment came off as overbearing or judgemental.  Just stating my thoughts on how they go about their business.

[dnsacks]

^ SCB...it seems like Apple markets their laptops alot differently than they market their iphones and ipads.  That said, if someone doesn't feel that Apple uses creative marketing, then that's cool.  I'm not going to judge your buying patterns and where you place value, so apologies if my earlier comment came off as overbearing or judgemental.  Just stating my thoughts on how they go about their business.

Few thoughts on this

1) it appears that android phone users have a higher churn rate/shorter lifecycle than iPhone users -- see http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2014/7/30/android-replacement.  Not a big deal either way, but interesting nonetheless.  Part of the 2 year/18 month lifecycle can be explained by improving hardware technology on both platforms (faster processors, storage space, etc.) and the software industry updating these phones' software to take advantage of the faster phones (causing old slower phones to appear to get slower and slower) -- similarly, since batteries can only go through a limited # of charge cycles, this may also be a driver of the churn we're seeing.

2) I agree that it's a LOT easier to get "under the hood" on android phones than it is on iPhones -- however, this can be good at times as well.  I've found myself in the unenviable position of providing support to my extended family whenever technology issues come up.  While I personally wish I had a LOT more control of my iPhone, Apple's limiting configurability options make it a lot harder for my family to screw up their phones, therefore making it easier for them to self-help.  Conversely, it seems a lot harder for my (relatively non-computer savvy) friend who uses an android to pick up on how to perform basic customization that comes second nature on the IPhone.  If I didn't need to support iPhone users, I'm pretty confident I'd be using an android due to its customization options, fwiw.

3) As for Apple's marketing, keep in mind that only a small minority of computer users (or phone users) are using Apple's products.  So, not only is Apple's marketing trying to keep folks using Apples (retain current customers by marketing improvements to products), but it is ALSO looking to bring new users into the fold by consistently highlighting its technological advances -- Like Scott, I have a 2013 13" macbook pro.  While the new features (an even faster SSD interface and force trackpad) are both intriguing, My almost two year old laptop continues to be far more computer than I need and I have no interest in upgrading this product cycle.  OTOH, these enhanced features help distinguish Apple's products from the windows world and could be nice upgrades for folks with even older machines.

Finally, while I agree that the OP's laptop's getting old, my family's continuing to use Apple laptops that are a LOT older than that without issue.  No reason to throw a TON of cash at it, but perhaps replacing the DVD drive with a second (mechanical) hdd while retaining the original SSD will help the OP resolve the issues he's having and help his MBP last through to the next product cycle with only a minimal additional $$$ outlay . . . similarly, the OP (and everybody else) should have a robust backup process in place so that he can easily get a replacement computer up and running when his current one chooses to release some "magic smoke" -- I'm currently running both time machine backups and SuperDuper disk image backups of my MBP to different external drives to minimize the possibility of a catastrophic data loss. . . .

FWIW

[down2earthlandscaper]

Thanks for all of your suggestions and feedback. I really appreciate it.
I was kind of wondering whether a "Mac vs. PC" or "Android vs. iPhone" debate might ensue when I posted the original request…. inevitable, I guess.
I'm not loyal to either, really - I do love how fast my Macbook is with the SSD. I loved my iPhone 4 with iOS 5.1.1 (I NEVER upgraded the iOS when Apple decided to get rid of Google maps) I finally broke down and got the iPhone 5S last May, and HATED it. I returned it after 14 days and went back to my trusty iPhone 4 with the old, good operating system. iTunes bugs the crap out of me. I miss the days of Windows XP.

Anyway, I'm planning to keep the current Macbook for work stuff, and will most likely shift my audio endeavors to a different machine. My former landlord builds custom Macs for a living (he can get new ones or old ones and anything in between with any configuration of hardware and operating systems that is possible. In our first conversation regarding this, he suggested an older version of Mac Pro desktop as a possibility, that would provide gobs of power and speed and be lots lots cheaper than something new. Apparently there's room for 4 internal hard drives and other things with the PCI slots….

There is also still the option of a PC. Decisions, decisions…..

Either way, I'm going to show this conversation thread to my Mac Building friend to see if he can use any of your ideas.

Thanks Again!