Snippet: Back to the 101 ☇

Marco Arment on why the 2012 non-Retina MacBook Pro still sells:

I’m right there with everyone else who’d strongly advise against buying this machine for most people who’d ask me. But if someone has a tight budget, needs a lot of disk space, and doesn’t care about the screen, it’s hard to argue against the 101.

As we’ve progressed toward thinner, lighter, more integrated Macs, we’ve paid dearly in upgradeability, versatility, and value. There are many Macs to choose from today, but in some ways, we have less choice than ever. The 101 represents the world we’re leaving behind, and our progress hasn’t all been positive.

I owned the top-of-the-line version of this machine and it is still more than capable, and arguably better than a lot of laptops from the competition. Compared to other Macs, the display does feel a bit dated, but these are fairly easy to repair and upgrade, have more than enough power for the average user, and are still relatively compact machines. Mine went to a friend, who has even more ambitious upgrade plans than my simple add-an-SSD idea. In some ways, it’s no sillier than those who have held on to old Mac Pros from 2008 or 2009.