Best Laptop to Buy (2014-2015)

The 2012 Retina MacBook Pro: A Top Recommendation for Laptops in 2014 and 2015

If you're looking for a laptop that's both beautiful and relatively well-priced, look no further than the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro. Released two years before its current counterparts, this laptop is actually quite affordable, with prices starting from around £900-£1,100 on eBay. This is significantly cheaper than newer models, making it an attractive option for those who want a high-quality machine without breaking the bank.

One of the standout features of the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is its stunning display. Measuring 2880 x 1800 pixels, this is above QHD resolution and still boasts exceptional color reproduction and crispness. In fact, it's considered one of the best displays available, even when compared to current models. The reason for this lies in the Retina technology that Apple pioneered with this laptop. It uses a higher pixel density than traditional LCD screens, creating a more immersive viewing experience.

Apple's signature touchpad is another feature that sets the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro apart from other laptops. Its performance cannot be beat, and even after using a variety of other devices, I still find its trackpad to be superior. One reason for this lies in its ability to recognize where you're touching on the screen - rather than requiring precise finger placement like many other touchpads. This means that you can use gestures with confidence, whether it's opening up Mission Control or switching between apps.

In terms of connectivity, the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro offers a range of features that make it easy to connect to other devices. The Magsafe charging adapter is an innovative design that eliminates the risk of overcharging and also makes it easier to remove and replace batteries. Additionally, there's support for HDMI output, which allows you to display your laptop on a larger screen or projector. There's also SD card support, which can be a lifesaver when it comes to transferring files.

While the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is an older model, its specifications are still impressive. The 2.3 GHz Core i7 processor is blazing fast, and paired with 256 GB of SSD storage, this laptop feels incredibly responsive. With eight gigs of RAM, you can run multiple apps simultaneously without any issues - a combination of hardware and software that makes it feel quicker than many laptops in its class.

The keyboard on the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is another area where Apple has prioritized form over function. While it may lack some tactility compared to other keyboards, its design is undoubtedly sleek and stylish. Perhaps the most significant benefit, however, lies in its backlighting - a feature that's both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

For those upgrading from Windows to Mac, one aspect of the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro that's particularly noteworthy is its speakers. While they may not offer the same level of bass as some standalone PC speakers, they're far more powerful than many mobile devices - and can only be matched by a few high-end desktop systems. This makes them an excellent choice for those who want to enjoy music or video on their laptop without any compromises.

Finally, one of the most significant advantages of the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro lies in its free software bundle. With iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, and Numbers included, you get access to a range of highly polished applications that add significant value to your laptop experience. These are equal to Microsoft's equivalents in terms of quality and functionality - and they're all yours for the price.

Overall, the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro is an exceptional laptop that offers both beauty and performance at an affordable price. Whether you're upgrading from Windows or simply looking for a high-quality machine, this laptop should be at the top of your list.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enforeign and in this video I'm going to be talking about my top recommendation for a laptop in 2014 and 2015. so to get the answer straight out the way the laptop I'm actually going to recommend is the 2012 retina MacBook Pro so out of all the laptops I've tried this is by far the most beautiful elegant and actually relatively well priced machine so being two years older than the current models is actually much much cheaper and you can probably find it on a pretty good price pre-owned on eBay something you know like five six hundred pounds off the initial price and that'll net you about 900 pounds or about 1 100 and for that you are getting a glorious machine so to start with the display of the device we have a 2880 by 1800 display so this is above QHD resolution and it's still beautiful even though this is only three years old this is the exact same display that they're still using in the current models and it outshines just about everything I've ever seen in terms of color reproduction and crispness so then we have Apple's signature touchpad and even to this day nothing beats it after using this just about any other laptops touchpad just seems puny insignificant and honestly total rubbish so firstly you can actually click it and it's all basically one big button you can't actually press it right at the very top but just about any other place is perfectly clickable which means that whichever Point your finger is at you can still access all the functions you need to it's also got multi-touch which means that you can do some really awesome things like opening up Mission Control I.E the ability to instantly access any other apps just by swiping upwards and I think most people with Windows laptops will really really appreciate this because all you can do on them is literally just scroll down on one side to actually move down a page and even that barely works but on the MacBook everything you do on this is Flawless and it just works every single time and I've used this machine for over two and a half years and I have not had one issue with the trackpad it's also more comfortable to hold it never seems to get sticky it's not quite made of the same metal as the rest of it but it feels great then we have all the connectivity so firstly that includes the magsafe charging adapter which is an absolutely Brilliant Invention and thank God it's patented we also have the ability to connect it to HDMI so it can go straight into your TV as well as direct SD card support which is an absolute lifesaver so being an older model we have some slightly older specifications here but honestly they're still really really good so as you can see we have a 2.3 gigahertz core i7 which is still blazing fast a 256 gigabyte SSD which is again still top of the line and you know that SSD alone will cost you 200 pounds still we have eight gigs of RAM and yeah I mean this is by no means a slow machine in fact quite the opposite I'd say it's actually very very fast I mean you know if you compare even to a similarly priced you know one thousand pound 1 200 pound laptop it still actually feels quicker and that's a combination of the hardware and the Mac OS software which is optimized amazingly well then we have the keyboard which honestly it lacks a little bit of tactility and it's not the best keyboard that I've used but it's got one massive benefit of looking amazing and it's also backlit which is just super super cool and actually really really useful you know if you have a typing in the dark this is a total lifesaver now one more thing that I think people upgrading from Windows to Mac will notice is that the speakers are significantly better I mean unless your previous laptop was one of those sort of limited edition Beats Audio kind of laptops this one is actually a big step above I mean it's slightly lacking in Bass But it's far more powerful than most mobile devices and can only really be beaten by sort of you know Standalone big PC speakers so I mean I think one of the other things I should mention is that with every single MacBook you also get free applications so this iMovie GarageBand pages and numbers and all sorts and they're all really really impressive you know they're highly highly polished applications and they add a lot of value to the experience that actually I'd say just as good if not better than all of Microsoft's equivalents and yeah they're included in the price so that's another massive benefit so yeah the MacBook 2012 I mean clearly this is a quite a controversial topic because there are so many people on both sides of the fence who strongly agree that their particular machine is better anyway guys thanks for watching please give this video a thumbs up and subscribe for more\n"