When is best time to buy macbook? Mid July vs. Early Aug. vs. Late September

when was the last macbook pro retina released? If it was september then I say wait. But waiting sucks.

Are you sure you need a retina? A Air is pretty awesome and way way cheaper.

What are you going to do on it that you think a air won't last you 4-5 years? I had mine since last July. Love the air and it's 15+ hour battery life. I usually upgrade every 2-3 years but see no reason to unless in a couple years the base model airs or pros come with 512gbs of flash memory.

Apple Refurbished Mac

One way to get a good to a great deal is to buy directly from Apple. Take a look at their refurbished Macs. They are discounted, ship directly to your home. Have the same EXACT warranty as a Mac bought at the Apple retail store or any authorized Apple retailer, ie. Best Buy, B&H, etc. and you can get AppleCare if you wish. You don't get the small pretty box you get at the retailer, but you get a laptop that looks and performs the same as the ones at the retail store, just comes in a larger plain white box.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

I have become an avid Mac user for 3 years now and cant' stand using Windows machines. I can still help friends with their messed up Windows laptops, but that Windows 8, no thanks. And don't get me started with the Android crap.

I'd say buy one when you need it.
Sure you can wait for the newer model but it will be more expensive than the older model at the end of the cycle while not bringing too much of advantages. I recently got late 2012 rmbp for much cheaper than newer model. And one cannot recognize the difference while using the machine unless he/she knows the model number and specs.

hem5602 said:

At first I wanted to buy an air because I am sick of heavy toshiba laptops.

But I plan to use Macbook at least for 4-5 years so I am concerned to buy air (because of its lower specs compared to Macbook pro).

I don't mind buying older version of Macbook pro but it is considerably heavier than Macbook pro retina.

I am looking for a laptop that is light and last for 4-5 years. Any suggestions?

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Do not get an old MBP, as it is a worse performer than a MBA, is heavier, has worse battery life, a worse screen, and the SSD in the MBA is 3-7x as fast as the HDD in the MBP.

You may as well pick up a rMBP right now, or get a MBA if you cannot afford it. If you do not need a laptop right now, go ahead and wait for the new one. Apple does not markdown the prices of old products. They might sell a new product for less than the old product, but rarely, if ever, do they start selling the old model for less.The old 2012 MBP is still selling for $1200, which is crazy. They are selling the iPad 2 for $400.

Just be aware that the new rMBP will most likely release in October or later. It definitely will not be released before September. The MBA is supposed to get a redesign, but considering the way Apple operates, it will have a large premium the first year or two. It is really cheap right now, and you can pick up a baseline model for around 800$ at BB. The difference in performance between the two computers is not that large, as long as you are ok with 4GB RAM (Do you use a VM or professional photography software on a weekly basis? If not, then you will be fine).

If you are planning on getting 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, you may as well get the rMBP, as Apple charges a larger premium on the MBA for some reason. They are both great computers, and you should get about the same performance between the two. The rMBP definitely has some benefits over the MBA, but if you are really worried about doing serious 3D graphics or CPU heavy tasks, then neither of these laptops will be great for that. Get a desktop or laptop with a discrete graphics card if that is your trade.

TL;DR: Don't wait for a price drop on the 2013 rMBP, it is not coming. If you need a laptop before October, get the rMBP for an 8GB/256GB model, get a MBA for a 4GB/128GB model.

Matt