Should I buy a Macbook Pro now, or wait?

[Rodisiac]

Hi all

I'm off to college next year to study film, My current macbook is getting a little out dated and is a little slow when it comes to editing media,
SO
I'm looking to buy a Macbook pro, spending up to £2000,
Now I'm not sure if this is a good time to buy one, are there rumours of a new one, I wouldn't want to buy the latest model, just to find out a newer model comes out within the year.
thanks for any help anyone can give.

 

[ericrwalker]

whenever you buy, now or 6 months from now. Doesn't matter, there will always be a new model right around the corner. That goes for any electronic item you can think of.

 

[macbd]

Based on rumors and the fact that Ivy Bridge is coming in March, I would imagine by summer we'll be seeing new MacBook Pros.

 

[Rodisiac]

ok cheers, How much better will this ivy bridge be?

 

[rgarjr]

Need now, buy now

 

[Rodisiac]

Need now, buy now

This is true, I guess I'll buy it when I go to college then, maybe by then (after summer) the new ones will be out

 

[macbd]

ok cheers, How much better will this ivy bridge be?

Faster, better graphics, less power consumption, etc.

 

[zaxdude]

Hi all

I'm off to college next year to study film, My current macbook is getting a little out dated and is a little slow when it comes to editing media,
SO
I'm looking to buy a Macbook pro, spending up to £2000,
Now I'm not sure if this is a good time to buy one, are there rumours of a new one, I wouldn't want to buy the latest model, just to find out a newer model comes out within the year.
thanks for any help anyone can give.

If you had simply SEARCHED the threads for the word "wait" in the title, you would have seen the linked recent thread along with at least three recent others asking the very same question.

 

[kaydot]

This is true, I guess I'll buy it when I go to college then, maybe by then (after summer) the new ones will be out

Many folks on this forum are a little tired of "should I buy it now" threads, and so you're getting a little bit of their frustration in their short answers.

You currently do not *need* a computer, so you should not buy it now. Buy it when you need it, and if you have the luxury of waiting, do so.

There is a chance that the new models will not be out by the time you go to school. So you should make this decision knowing that whether or not new models come out, you will be buying the computer when you go to school. The fact is that none of us know when a new model will come out, but we only have rumors. The best "business" guesses (based on rumor) are that the Models should come out between March-July of 2012 to be timed with intel's supposedly on-schedule Ivy Bridge. However, this is a guess and if it doesn't happen, then well, sucks to be us. Apple has no official schedule for upgrades to its products.

 

[Sgt. Raven]

I bought a new early 2011 17" MBP on 11/11/'11 as they were marked down $450.00 USD. Then I stuck 8GB of ram in it for $29.99 USD. I can use the savings for AppleCare if I decide I want it, or a fast SSD.

 

[VMMan]

If you can wait, then you should. But this should probably apply to any other items everybody purchases.

I have an early 2011 MBP 17" but am eagerly awaiting a major update. I am, however, not letting it affect my current needs and purchase decisions. I am still probably going to go ahead and purchase an SSD for my current one.

 

[GuitarG20]

^ is correct, we do start to hate the "Should I buy now" threads after a while.

Truth of the matter is, it sounds like you don't need one now. And your electronics will always be out of date eventually, it just depends on how long you want to be up to date. The best time to buy a new one is usually right after an update, but you'll still be surely out of date in 6 months.

Case in point, my MBP. Bought it late may, 2.2 i7, 8 gigs ram, 6750, etc.

They've updated it now. now it's 2.4 and 6770. but i don't really mind because it can more than handle anything i can throw at it, most times without even breaking a sweat.

 

[simox1]

Apple may change the design of the futur macbook pro, remove the optical drive and add SSD for the same price. But if your computer is still working properly, be patient

 

[idunn]

Why not wait?

I would counsel patience.

There is a good chance that before mid-year 2012 Apple will be releasing a new line of MacBook Pros which will be more than an update, but the next major step in evolution. Most likely with Ivy Bridge, which would offer several distinct advantages. Probably a more svelte case design more or less similar to the current MacBook Air, which for anyone favoring aesthetics would be a plus. Then at least a good chance of at last no longer including an internal optical drive, and using the extra space to better effect in performance and/or design. Then also, possibly an upgrade in screen quality. Etc.

As has been the case of late, all these improvements will probably be offered at the same current prices, or perhaps only a modest increase.

Not that the current MacBook Pros are not perfectly capable computers, but it seems a fair chance that in well less than a year the next iteration will instantly date them.

Why would you not wait, if able?

 

[OldMike]

At this point, I would also agree to wait it out. I absolutely love my 15" MBP - the only thing that I don't like is that it tends to run hotter than I would like (I'm sure you've seen all the threads).

So in my mind, if there is any chance at all that the next revision will run at lower temps, then that alone would encourage me to wait to see what happens.

If, for some reason, you end up not liking the changes that were made to the next MBP (which I doubt), you could always pick up the 'old' model late 2011 for a bargain.

 

[cosmicjoke]

Hi all

I'm off to college next year to study film, My current macbook is getting a little out dated and is a little slow when it comes to editing media,
SO
I'm looking to buy a Macbook pro, spending up to £2000,
Now I'm not sure if this is a good time to buy one, are there rumours of a new one, I wouldn't want to buy the latest model, just to find out a newer model comes out within the year.
thanks for any help anyone can give.

what? newer models come out every year, under that line of reasoning you should never buy a macbook pro.

 

[thundersteele]

Hi all

I'm off to college next year to study film, My current macbook is getting a little out dated and is a little slow when it comes to editing media,
SO
I'm looking to buy a Macbook pro, spending up to £2000,
Now I'm not sure if this is a good time to buy one, are there rumours of a new one, I wouldn't want to buy the latest model, just to find out a newer model comes out within the year.
thanks for any help anyone can give.

Apple on average puts an update out every 8-10 month. So there will always be a new model within the year.
If you specifically care about a potential redesign, and not so much about the internals, then yes, there are rumors that a newly designed MBP will appear sometime between march and june next year. You might as well wait for your college to start before buying.

 

[Steve's Barber]

I'd wait.

Because when the new mac models come out your old machine will mysteriously run slower than it did the day before. Also, the software that worked fine yesterday will now take longer to do things.

I'm waiting for the powerbook G5 myself. Any day now - I can feel it.

 

[Zeov]

Basically the strategy for Apple products is, that whenever they just updated (or within a few months ago) ... it's somewhat "safe" to buy (meaning that there will be no upgrade around the corner). The MacBook Pro got updated a few weeks ago (like what? 3?) so nows your time if you want one.. next upgrade has been rumored to have new design and the ivy bridge.. but of course they're going to get better.. who would've thought otherwise.

Nobody knows when they will upgrade, but from previous releases we know that it's not going to be anywhere soon.

Get one now, and enjoy school!

 

[FYDave]

Yeah. Like several other members have stated, unless you need it right now then you should wait because it only means that it puts you closer to whenever the refreshed line of MBP's is going to be released.