Would it be a terrible time to buy a MB/MBP?
Okay, so here's the deal: I need a computer. I have one now, but I'm selling it to my brother for his first year of college.
School, for me, starts mid-August. From what I've been hearing, the MB/MBP updates aren't expected until September at the earliest, with the MacBook update coming even later.
I guess I could put off buying for a month, but I'd have to borrow someone else's computer to work on homework.
Are these updates going to be significant enough to make the month+ wait worth it? MacRumors http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ says it's okay to go ahead and buy now, but I don't want to be the guy who buys two weeks before the update. :P
Right now, I've got my eye on the black MacBook with 4 GB RAM - cost comes out to about $1800 with the education discount.
I'm thinking of waiting, but I'm really not sure if it's going to be worth it. What do you guys think?
School, for me, starts mid-August. From what I've been hearing, the MB/MBP updates aren't expected until September at the earliest, with the MacBook update coming even later.
I guess I could put off buying for a month, but I'd have to borrow someone else's computer to work on homework.
Are these updates going to be significant enough to make the month+ wait worth it? MacRumors http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ says it's okay to go ahead and buy now, but I don't want to be the guy who buys two weeks before the update. :P
Right now, I've got my eye on the black MacBook with 4 GB RAM - cost comes out to about $1800 with the education discount.
I'm thinking of waiting, but I'm really not sure if it's going to be worth it. What do you guys think?
Comments
School, for me, starts mid-August. From what I've been hearing, the MB/MBP updates aren't expected until September at the earliest, with the MacBook update coming even later.
PC notebooks on Montevina are going to start shipping in 5 days. There have already been leaked ones:
http://www.notebookjournal.com/news/976
The last time, Apple released new MBPs at the beginning of June and the Santa Rosa platform was launched in early May. I would hope they wouldn't wait more than 4 weeks. The Macbooks took a while to be updated though and didn't come out until November.
I think it would be unwise of Apple to miss the back-to-school crowd especially with redesigned enclosures. A Santa Rosa bump wasn't that much to be bothered about but these ones will be popular. New CPU, new GPU, new case, Leopard OS for people who don't have it.
Are these updates going to be significant enough to make the month+ wait worth it?
I'd say it's definitely worth the wait. Apple can release things at the most annoying times though. The Macbook Pro if it gets easy upgrades like the Macbook as well as redesigned magsafe, magnetic latch and a new keyboard will be a nice improvement. The Macbook will just feel so much more robust in a metallic enclosure. People say plastic is more durable but it feels cheap - I've owned a powerbook and an ibook and used a macbook and I can say without hesitation the metal laptops are so much better.
As for spec, Penryn should bring 30% or so faster performance for the same price, faster memory among other things. This is a new fabrication process so they should run cooler, last longer on battery. Overall, it's a big upgrade and I would personally hold off as long as I could.
At least hold out until the end of July.
They definitely do release updates at awkward times, though. You would think that they'd have put the updates out ASAP to get college kids to buy them before the school year (like me, lol). Even if it conflicts with the iPhone's "month".
I'll just hold out until right before school, I guess. I just hate not knowing when the updates are coming.
Thanks for the reply!
Major feature and speed boosts won't come until Intel releases Nehalem next year.
But at the same time, I don't want to buy one then have the update come out weeks after. Because then I would have essentially over-payed for what I just got. Like, the MacBook I have configured now costs $1800, but that price would drop with the update.
I don't want to get screwed, basically. :P
Well, I want a computer that's going to last me several years. At least through college. I'm a graphic design student, and I make music also, but I think 4 GB RAM and a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo will be good enough. EDIT: As it is now, I'm on a 1.80 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB HD Sony Vaio. So, actually, this is quite a large step up performance-wise.
But at the same time, I don't want to buy one then have the update come out weeks after. Because then I would have essentially over-payed for what I just got. Like, the MacBook I have configured now costs $1800, but that price would drop with the update.
I don't want to get screwed, basically. :P
How are you getting screwed? Your computer would not function as usual if new model was introduced after you bought it? There will always be another model on the horizon, wake up!
While a MacBook with a 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, and 250 GB HD costs $1800 now, after an update it would cost less; potentially a lot less, depending on how severe the actual upgrades are.
Now, if I wait for the update and spend $1800, I would get a better computer. But if I stick with the same configuration I've already selected, I'll spend less. I'm planning on the latter.
I'm not the kind of person that has the money to be buying a computer every year; in fact, I'm going to be flat broke after buying this. I just want to get the most bang-for-my-buck, since I won't be able to afford another computer for several years. kthx
I would get screwed out of a couple hundred dollars, at least.
While a MacBook with a 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, and 250 GB HD costs $1800 now, after an update it would cost less; potentially a lot less, depending on how severe the actual upgrades are.
Now, if I wait for the update and spend $1800, I would get a better computer. But if I stick with the same configuration I've already selected, I'll spend less. I'm planning on the latter.
I'm not the kind of person that has the money to be buying a computer every year; in fact, I'm going to be flat broke after buying this. I just want to get the most bang-for-my-buck, since I won't be able to afford another computer for several years. kthx
Let's start at the beginning.
What do you plan to use this machine for? What apps do you plan to run?
Then we can help you make a logical decision as to which machine will be best for you.
I would get screwed out of a couple hundred dollars, at least.
While a MacBook with a 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, and 250 GB HD costs $1800 now, after an update it would cost less; potentially a lot less, depending on how severe the actual upgrades are.
I'm not the kind of person that has the money to be buying a computer every year; in fact, I'm going to be flat broke after buying this. I just want to get the most bang-for-my-buck, since I won't be able to afford another computer for several years. kthx
WRONG! You will have gotten what you paid for!!!! You selfish little snot, you think that progress should go on hold just because YOU bought a new laptop? Get over yourself!!!! Neither the World, or the manufacturers owe you anything. You do not lose a dime if a newer model replaces yours.
Do you live at home, with your mother still feeding you and washing your clothes? Because you are the spitting image of "Mama's boy"! Grow up!
WRONG! You will have gotten what you paid for!!!! You selfish little snot, you think that progress should go on hold just because YOU bought a new laptop? Get over yourself!!!! Neither the World, or the manufacturers owe you anything. You do not lose a dime if a newer model replaces yours.
Do you live at home, with your mother still feeding you and washing your clothes? Because you are the spitting image of "Mama's boy"! Grow up!
Calm down. The guy just needs a little advice. Not a brow beating.
And no, progress shouldn't hold up for me. I just want to know where the progress currently is so I can plan around it.
@ backtomac: I use Photoshop quite a bit for my Graphics work. For music, I'll have Logic, and FL Studio 7 on a Windows partition. Besides that, I don't really game a lot, so I'm not worried about the integrated graphics being a problem.
Yeah, guy. Shut up. :P
And no, progress shouldn't hold up for me. I just want to know where the progress currently is so I can plan around it.
@ backtomac: I use Photoshop quite a bit for my Graphics work. For music, I'll have Logic, and FL Studio 7 on a Windows partition. Besides that, I don't really game a lot, so I'm not worried about the integrated graphics being a problem.
Cool. My thoughts:
The MBP will only see modest performance gains with this update. I think that Apple is updating the enclosure at this time because performance wise their won't be a big reason to get a new MBP. When the MBP went from the Napa chipset to Santa Rosa the speed improvements were pretty modest. I expect the same this time. MBPs already have LED displays, backlit keyboards and multi-touch track pads, so I don't know what they can add HW wise that isn't already there.
The MB on the other hand may really benefit and should benefit greatly from an update. While I don't think they'll be a lot faster, I do think they'll see a lot of improvements on the HW side. The enclosure is widely expected to move from plastic to brushed aluminum. While the aluminum can dent, the MB's current plastic enclosure seems to be plagued by chipping at the corners. The MB should also get LED displays, a multi-touch track pad and perhaps a backlit keyboard. It also should get better integrated graphics which should help.
Bottom line; If I was in the market for a MBP and didn't want to wait I would buy now without hesitation. If I was in the market for a MB I would wait if I could. If not I would get a refurb and save some money in case I decided to sell and get the next model. A refurbished 2.4 ghz black MB (should be the Penryn model) can be had for $1299.
Hope that helps.
If you're really looking at a machine that will grow with you, not having the card slot can really be a bitch, especially if you're ever going to consider integrating motion or still cameras. Just a thought, but I can say as someone who uses computer equipment in the visual arts you're going to be happier with a MBP.
As an example I have a lovely 12" g4 that I love to travel with for accounting, light photo work email etc. but I can't use it in the field for production photography or video because of the lack of a slot and a few other features including max ram, not because it is underpowered.
While we're talking, it might be worth putting together a tower kit if it's longevity and "bang for the buck" you're worried about, but I understand there are reasons, like portability (over rated if you only have one computer), aesthetics and coolness.
Also consider ergonomics, something laptops are inherently lacking in. If you do buy a laptop, for your own sake buy an external keyboard and mouse and if you're looking for a great stand for it check this out...
http://macimports.com/macimp/kamasMB.html
I have a couple of them (different gen's) and they are F-cking Cool! The angled orientation keeps the book cool, running much quieter and it raises the monitor to a a more ergonomic height.
I guess my bitch with any laptop is that they age horribly and run pretty poorly when you need to push them. My towers have a much longer useable life-span than any of my laptops and they run better during long production schedules.
Further, it seems that you are just starting out and if so you can take your time upgrading your tower, with better video cards, more and more ram etc. There's no reason to pay a premium for Apple's factory upgrades and if I'm not mistaken on the MB you can't upgrade the RAM or the HD without voiding a warranty. Just get a nice case for your tower and monitor if you have to move frequently. I can tell you where to find cases for these things in the $100 range, not a big investment for something you are going to spend $2k for whether it's a laptop or a tower. :CD's are allot easier to lug around than a CRT and you're young, take it like a man or a woman, adult.
Good used equipment in another thing to think about but I understand that you have the discount, but remember, Apple is like any other corporation. They aren't calling their student discount "a program to help students" in their board rooms. Student discounts are an "incentive to buy" and an "incentive to capture permanent users". Think of them like cigarette manufacturers; once you go mac you never go back. DRRRHRR
I love Apple stuff, but you know what, when I got out of school it was 6 years before I ever worked on a mac in the business environment and that only happened because I started my own company. A high end PC will perform every bit as good as an equivalent MAC and may be 10-20% less. I'm not saying go buy PC, but don't get too wrapped up in the MAC is cool hype either.
Keep in mind you're just starting out, you don't know what you are going to do after school or if you need any equipment period. Employers provide gear.
I don't know the vicissitude of your personal finances but I know that I had to get job out of school the chances that you are going to be a freelance artist out of college are slim at best. As such whatever you are buying now will accomplish 2 things 1) keep you out of the computer lab and give you the ability to work in "your own space" and 2) give you either a great personal computer after school or a great start to an infant, part time business; it just depends on what you want to buy.
If you're really stuck on buying a laptop, buy whatever is available, the best you can afford, as late as you can and don't worry about the next revision. It'll mater little to anything other than your ego.
Refurbished MacBook 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Black
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
250GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera
• Save 14% off the original price
\tOriginal price: $1,499.00
Your price: $1,299.00
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...m=CertifiedMac
You could then rest assured that you bought your notebook when you need it and got a great deal
Just buy your RAM from Crucial or similar
Edit: backtomac just beat me to it as I was posting
I would get screwed out of a couple hundred dollars, at least.
While a MacBook with a 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, and 250 GB HD costs $1800 now, after an update it would cost less; potentially a lot less, depending on how severe the actual upgrades are.
Now, if I wait for the update and spend $1800, I would get a better computer. But if I stick with the same configuration I've already selected, I'll spend less. I'm planning on the latter.
I'm not the kind of person that has the money to be buying a computer every year; in fact, I'm going to be flat broke after buying this. I just want to get the most bang-for-my-buck, since I won't be able to afford another computer for several years. kthx
hold on a sec…
you're planning on buying apple ram AND a blackbook, and planning on having to pay $1800 for the system as a whole? bad idea.
what you should do instead (working from the current line of products) is buy a mid-range, 2.4ghz white macbook, then buy your own 2x2gb of ram, someplace like this, and spend under $100 instead of the $200 or so apple'll charge you. now, in terms of hard drives, if you've got your heart set on a larger internal hard drive, buy one like this and install it yourslf (or if you want to splurge/maximize its size, something like this). if you want more space, consider an external hard drive, like this. neither user-upgrading your hard drive nor your ram will void your warentee, and both are pretty easy. note that all of the products i linked to are from top-tier brands with great warentees and customer support.
now, with that user-upgraded macbook that i described (with the internal hard drive upgraded, but no external one), AND applecare AND 10% tax AND shipping and handling on the upgrades, you still come to just about $1750. you'll have a comptuer with the same processor, same ram, 70gb more hard drive capacity, and all the extra stuff and fees for less money than buying direct from apple.
now, if you really want to save money, you can skip on applecare and buy the macbook on apple's online store, thus negating state tax at the expense of waiting for it to ship. this will bring the price down about $350, to about $1400. want it cheaper? sell the free ipod touch you get with the purchace on craigslist or to a friend; that's another $175 or so back, at least. sell your old hard drive and memory sticks to someplace like this, or on ebay or craigslist for at least $55 more back. all this brings the cost of that tricked-out macbook down to about $1175, which is even less than buying a raw mid-range macbook with the education discount! there, i've just saved you over $600. flat-broke now? lol.
now, if you really want to save money, you can skip on applecare and buy the macbook on apple's online store, thus negating state tax lol.
uh I'm positive you have to pay sales tax. The deal is, that if a company operates a retail store in the state of shipment then the retailer has to charge you sales tax and I'm pretty sure Apple has a store in just about every state at this point. If not (at least in NY) your still supposed to report it on you income taxes.
milimetersquared's is not entirely accurate, I would recommend you check first.
Also don't skip on the apple care that would be stupid. Especially for a laptop, they always have problems, if not always getting damaged and they are expensive to repair. It's worth it in this case. If it were a tower I'd say you could get away without the extended warranty.
uh I'm positive you have to pay sales tax. The deal is, that if a company operates a retail store in the state of shipment then the retailer has to charge you sales tax and I'm pretty sure Apple has a store in just about every state at this point. If not (at least in NY) your still supposed to report it on you income taxes.
milimetersquared's is not entirely accurate, I would recommend you check first.
Also don't skip on the apple care that would be stupid. Especially for a laptop, they always have problems, if not always getting damaged and they are expensive to repair. It's worth it in this case. If it were a tower I'd say you could get away without the extended warranty.
i'm pretty sure that you can buy sales tax-free online. maybe i made a mistake; maybe you can't buy it from the apple online education store, but i know online vendors, including amazon, macmall, and others have this feature. and, as is obvious, sales tax != income tax; completely different story there.
and even if you can't get both the education discount and 0 tax, you can use this amazon tip to save 5% off of your purchase, a cool $60 off, while avoiding sales tax that way.
and i never said that i suggested skipping on applecare for the macbook, i just said "if you really want to save money"; there's almost always a trade-off when not buying something as important as an extended laptop warentee. i would also hesitate to sell back the old ram and hard drive, since if there is a problem with the computer and it's running on non-apple hardware pieces, you're less likely to get service from them. again, i was just pointing out options to minimize your initial expenses, if those are most important to the buyer.
WRONG! You will have gotten what you paid for!!!! You selfish little snot, you think that progress should go on hold just because YOU bought a new laptop? Get over yourself!!!! Neither the World, or the manufacturers owe you anything. You do not lose a dime if a newer model replaces yours.
Do you live at home, with your mother still feeding you and washing your clothes? Because you are the spitting image of "Mama's boy"! Grow up!
How can you not see what he is saying? If he spends the money now and a new laptop comes out a month later, the same laptop will be worth significantly less. He will lose money, as his same money could have bought him a newer better laptop had he waited a few more weeks.
Not everyone is happy with simply buying what is available. We know the current machines will work for just about everything we would want to do, however, much like myself, he wants the latest and greatest for his money. He wants the new case and the minor speed bump, and he doesn't want to cheat himself out of these things because he didn't wait an extra month. Nobody asked the computer industry to stop progress so that laptops wouldn't depreciate, on the contrary, we have asked them to speed up the release of this one.
You need to take a pill.The is the RUMOR section of this forum, people are going to be discussing updates and qualming over the release of them. If you cannot take that then I don't think you belong here.
You could always try a refurb like this one and sell it next year when the new model has proved itself to be glitch free
Trouble is -- refurbished is just a fancy word for "used."
I had a friend in school order a refurbished laptop through apple and the thing arrived to him with lots of scuff marks on the casing. About two months in, he lost a pixel in the center of the display.
It doesn't strike me as a great deal to buy someone else's laptop when it still ends up costing you north of a grand.
As it is right now, I'm going to go ahead and wait. I can borrow friends' computers until I buy one, plus that will give me a chance to get some extra cash.
Can't wait to see what the update will bring.
Every Tuesday loading the Apple store for a glimmer of hope that today is the day, and then reloading to make sure that yes, the apple store is exactly the same as it was five seconds earlier.
YOU ARE DOOMED!!