Macbook

[Heinrich]

It's a 2017. Worn battery, cracked screen. Recommend actions? Fix, or sell? What should i replace it with? What operating system? Thanks.

[TerrorDæmonum]

It?s a 2017. Worn battery, cracked screen. Recommend actions? Fix, or sell? What should i replace it with? What operating system? Thanks.

If money is not a problem, I'd get a new laptop under warranty and sell the one you have for whatever you can get. These laptops are not built to last and while you can get it fixed, I think new is better for a "disposable by design" product whenever possible and practical.

For what you should get, that depends on what you want to do. Get something slightly overpowered for what you want to do, that way, it will be very good for you and probably last longer for your usage. However, do not get something severely overpowered, as laptops depreciate very quickly.

If you go with Apple, you have to do what Apple says. That is what Apple is: they do the thinking, people just pay them for it. I usually don't recommend Apple users to change unless they specifically want to.

If what you do is mostly in a web browser, then almost any laptop would work. I am partial to Business class products, as they are better built, come with better features, and tend to be better overall. Apple doesn't have any distinction for that, but other companies do.

If you want to use Windows or Linux, I'd look at Lenovo Thinkpads, specifically, the T or X series (and there are others).

If you list the features you need and your preferences, I can probably pick a few specific products that would be worth checking out.

[aquinas138]

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad from work; I really like it, and I will probably get one for my next personal computer. My Macbook Pro is getting long in the tooth, but I don't want to pay what a new one costs, and I don't want to downgrade screen size.

[andy]

We have 15" MacBook Pro 2014, used and abused which fails to fail. Many keys are are completely worn out. The battery still has some steam in it, although nowhere close to when it was new. Build like a tank. I had Mac Book 12" Retina 512, which was abused for 2 years, many motorcycle trips, tossed around and nothing happened to it until I spilled a coffee on it. I got it for like $700-800 used at eBay. New ones are still very good but I am not fan of those new keyboards, they are sensitive to dirt and food crumbles. The new Mac Book Air M1 is quite affordable and excellent machine. it is shame that Apple charges so much for extra storage though.

I type it on my Linux machine running on ASUS i7 14" laptop I got many years ago. Holds up very well but seems to be more fragile than Apple (had to replace the battery once and hinges are less then perfect). No experience on Windows here since 2008.

If you are get-job-done type of person, OS will not matter for you.
If you are attention-to-detail type of person, Windows will drive your crazy.

I personally would attempt to fix the machine. If crack on the screen is not too big, I would live with it.

[maryslittlegarden]

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad from work; I really like it, and I will probably get one for my next personal computer. My Macbook Pro is getting long in the tooth, but I don't want to pay what a new one costs, and I don't want to downgrade screen size.

I have a thinkpad with a linux distro.... love it

[TerrorDæmonum]

It is important to get what fits one's own needs. Any laptop can be a good choice for an individual, but not for another.

The laptop I bought personally is an extremely cheap consumer laptop. I would not recommend it to most people as a starting point unless they were on an extreme budget, and even then, it wouldn't be my first choice. But, given all I know about computers, I know exactly what it is and it fits my needs after I configure it for me.

The same goes for those who use old computers. They are great if you know exactly what you have and it fits your needs.

Any given laptop can be a horrible or great choice for another depending on circumstances.

That is why one needs to focus on one's own specifications: what do you want to do with it? That includes computing specifications, but also size, weight, design, price, and other features.

(But if one is already using an Apple product and happy with it, then getting a new one is usually the recommendation for that individual.)

[Miriam_M]

It's a 2017. Worn battery, cracked screen. Recommend actions? Fix, or sell? What should i replace it with? What operating system? Thanks.

I would certainly prefer to keep a pre-2020 Macbook than buy their newer models, which seem fraught with errors and resemble much more the mass-merchandised, cheap PC's than the machines we Mac-lovers have come to regard as stable.

Me, I would get the screen and battery issues fixed on the 2017.

I wish I had an upgrade to the one I'm using -- a mid-2011 MacBook Air, which is beginning to show much more irresolvable problems than screen and battery.  If I could, I would get a machine to replace it, but I can't afford it at the moment.  In your position, I would rather get a refurbished Mac, pre-2020, than one manufactured in the last 2 years.

Did the PC thing (Lenovo ThnkPad) about 10 years ago.  Big mistake; replaced 1 or 2 hard drives.  Poured $$ into fixes before it finally crashed and overrun by viruses, despite security. Returned to Mac.

[TerrorDæmonum]

Most problems with computers are PICNIC errors, and that is often the case with users who don't have any technical knowledge.

What is best for a user depends on the user and their needs and knowledge.

[Lynne]

PICNIC

https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/p/picnic.htm

Short for problem in chair not in computer. PICNIC is a term used by IT support technicians to imply that the user, not the computer hardware or software, is causing a technical problem.