Macbook Pro dying at inopportune time, now what?
My late-2011 Macbook Pro's hard drive is clicking and sounds like it is on its last legs. (Yes I have backed up.) I don't know if it can survive until June/July. What would you do if you were me? All I do with my laptop is surf the web (up to 15 tabs open at once) and use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. No gaming, no intensive graphics, no video editing. I do own a lot of wired peripherals (mouse, speakers, monitor, optical drive) and use my laptop to charge my Kindle and Fitbit, so having standard USB ports (and Thunderbolt) would be more convenient than USB-C port(s). I really don't want to buy the 12-inch Macbook, since even the 13-inch screen is a bit small for my taste. Should I just buy the Macbook Air 13 inch that now comes with 8 GB RAM, even though Air may be obsolete soon? Should I try to [painfully] use my iPad as my primary computing device until June/July? What could I potentially gain by waiting a few months if I'm only a casual laptop user? Would very much appreciate peoples' perspectives.
Comments
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E500B-AM/dp/B00OBRE5UE
http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-free-Enclosure-Optimized-EC-UASP/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S
You'd put the SSD into the enclosure, format it using Disk Utility as GUID and HFS+ Journaled. Then clone the entire internal to it using Carbon Copy Cloner and make it bootable:
https://bombich.com
Once it's cloned, check it boots by holding alt-key and choosing the external. Once you know it's bootable, you can install the drive. There are guides on opening the laptop here:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Early+2011+Hard+Drive+Replacement/5895
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/how-to-replace-your-macbook-pros-hard-drive-with-an-ssd
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Unibody+Early+2011+Hard+Drive+Replacement/5119
http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-2830-Precision-Electronic-27-Piece/dp/B009MKGRQA
It doesn't take more than about 10-20 minutes. Check it boots ok before screwing the bottom cover on.
If you still want to upgrade to a new machine, you'd be better selling the old one with the SSD installed.
When it comes to charging devices, you can use iPhone/iPad chargers to charge USB devices like the Kindle and Fitbit and you can get cables that connect to USB C:
http://www.amazon.com/Unitek-Standard-Devices-Chromebook-Motorola/dp/B00Z5XFMB4
The one USB C port on the Macbook could still get annoying though. The 13" Air doesn't have a Retina display, which isn't just sharper but better colors too.
If you plan on upgrading, I'd say go for the Retina 13" Macbook Pro but in the mean-time switch the drive in the machine you have and you can use it ok until the new one comes out. Apple also has some refurb deals:
http://www.apple.com/us/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/FF839LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-pro-27ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display
If the spec is suitable, you don't have to worry about paying full price just before a new machine comes out. They have a full warranty and are like new machines.