Buy a new MacBook Pro now or wait?

[alex-dlc]

Ive got a late 2008 13" aluminum unibody MacBook (2.4GHz, backlit keyboard, 250GB HDD, 4GB RAM)

Ive had a few problems with it including but not limited to: squeaky unsmooth screen hinges, battery life lasts 1 hour max, theres a permanent white 'stain' on the lcd, and sometimes when it runs out of battery it will abruptly shutdown as if it forgot to hibernate. Oh and this thing gets extremely hot.

(Ive done by very best to take care of the battery, and the white stain is like in between the LCD and the glass and looks like condensation, easily visible when the screen is displaying black/dark images. I can take a pic of it to show you guys)

Im interested in getting one of the newest MacBook Pros, also 13", but I dont want it to have OSX Lion preinstalled. Im still not sure I like Lion, so I would like to buy it with Snow Leopard and later on decide if I want to upgrade to Lion or not.

So my question is: Should I wait for new MacBook Pros? Or get one now in order to avoid getting Lion?

[simsaladimbamba]

New MBPs will not arrive before 2012.

[alex-dlc]

Oh and I forgot to mention, I want to buy it online from the Apple store because that way I have a discount.

So by the time there are new MacBooks Pros, it will be impossible to order one with Snow Leopard? Is it possible that the current models will get a price drop?

(Ive checked the MacRumors Buyers guide already)

[simsaladimbamba]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

Oh and I forgot to mention, I want to buy it online from the Apple store because that way I have a discount.

So by the time there are new MacBooks Pros, it will be impossible to order one with Snow Leopard?

Yes.

Is it possible that the current models will get a price drop?

Possible yes, probable no. If you are talking about a price drop in tandem with the Lion release.

[alex-dlc]

ok, but when will they start shipping MacBooks with Lion? cuz Lion will be released this year right?

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

ok, but when will they start shipping MacBooks with Lion? cuz Lion will be released this year right?

Lion should be released in the next few days

[alex-dlc]

and if i get a macbook with lion, can i downgrade it to snow leopard?

[SXR]

If you would like to get the machine with snow leopard on it , you will have to buy right now - before Lion comes out. I believe you cant downgrade from Lion to Snow.

[mrkramer]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

and if i get a macbook with lion, can i downgrade it to snow leopard?

Usually no, the only exception is machines that originally shipped with snow leopard. For example if Lion is released tomorrow and Apple starts preinstalling lion on the current model of MBP then all of those MBPs can be downgraded to Snow leopard, however when Apple updates the hardware in the MBP the new models will not be able to downgrade. So if you want to be able to run snow leopard there is no reason for you to wait. Go out and buy a computer any time.

[randomrazr]

ok first, if ur like going to college or something this fall, u will need a new macbook.

sure u can wait but, is anything ur gonna do on a current macbook be any different from one next year?

second it seems pathetic that u dont want lion installed? it adds new features and if u dont lik the new features, dont use them. sure u can keep leopeard but apple updates there OS all the time so u will have secuirty issues if u dont. its looks and works the same way as leoperd just new features and better improvements. whats ur problem?

[syan48306]

Originally Posted by randomrazr

ok first, if ur like going to college or something this fall, u will need a new macbook.

sure u can wait but, is anything ur gonna do on a current macbook be any different from one next year?

second it seems pathetic that u dont want lion installed? it adds new features and if u dont lik the new features, dont use them. sure u can keep leopeard but apple updates there OS all the time so u will have secuirty issues if u dont. its looks and works the same way as leoperd just new features and better improvements. whats ur problem?

Since you're looking for a 13 inch macbook pro, there isn't any reason to wait to buy one. An i5/i7 is sufficient for anything you want to do on it. Since you're not getting the 15 inch and won't have a dedicated video card, I'm assuming you won't be playing any games on your 13 inch. Thus CPU wise, the 2012 MBP 13's aren't going to be that big of an upgrade. The 22nm die shrink = slighty cooler maybe 100-200mhz increase marginally better battery life + infinitesimally small increase in integrated video performance.

As for your issue with lion...
Why would you not want a newer operating system that has better security, performance enhancements and more options. People pay extra money to upgrade and you're going out of your way to downgrade?! Oh and for what, a couple changed icons and a handful of options that you can customize to your liking?

People these days...

EDIT: Do you plan on buying a system with Lion next week and then buying Snow Leopard, wipe the hard drive and install SL? XD

[blackbinary]

I think the only issue the OP has with Lion is that it's a .0 release, and may have some flaws.

I would buy now with SL if this is a really mission critical computer, where little bugs aren't acceptable.

Otherwise it really doesn't matter as Lion should get patched quickly for any bugs that show their head, and the features are nice to have.

If you bought now with SL, you'll still get Lion for free as long as you claim it in 30 days.

[mitchz]

Hi,
First of all maybe wait and see how good Lion is. It may kick the butt of SL. The biggest downside is that PowerPC apps will not run any longer under Lion. The other downside to SL is that no security or enhancements will be made for SL after Lion is launched.

Second at only $29 go buy the system install disk for SL that way if you do buy a computer with Lion preinstalled then if you complete a reinstall where as the disk is wiped and SL installed I don't see why that "downgrade" would not work. "Downgrading" from Lion may also require downgrading iphoto, idvd, etc etc.

Hope this helps, :-)

[mrkramer]

Originally Posted by mitchz

Hi,
First of all maybe wait and see how good Lion is. It may kick the butt of SL. The biggest downside is that PowerPC apps will not run any longer under Lion. The other downside to SL is that no security or enhancements will be made for SL after Lion is launched.

Second at only $29 go buy the system install disk for SL that way if you do buy a computer with Lion preinstalled then if you complete a reinstall where as the disk is wiped and SL installed I don't see why that "downgrade" would not work. "Downgrading" from Lion may also require downgrading iphoto, idvd, etc etc.

Hope this helps, :-)

Apple usually gives out security updates for a little while after the next OS is released. Tiger's last security update came in September 09 after snow leopard was already out.

[DWBurke811]

I completly understand not wanting Lion; I've been toying with it since the first preview to GM, and do not plan on bothering to download the final release. I dislike mission control, you can't put spaces in a grid, the overall "dumbed down" feel it has, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

iOS is great on my phone, however, I don't want it on my laptop.

[alex-dlc]

i feel like theres a chance i could order it right now, and still recieve it with lion

[snaky69]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

i feel like theres a chance i could order it right now, and still recieve it with lion

You're paranoid. Lion's not even out for the general public yet. Just click the order now button, and download lion from the App Store in the next 30 days, burn that on a DVD. That way you'll have 2 OS'es for the price of one.

I still don't get why you're scared of Lion though.

[tcador]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

i feel like theres a chance i could order it right now, and still recieve it with lion

I would think so, and even if it doesn't come with it you have a pretty strong case for getting a free download from the App Store.

[snaky69]

Originally Posted by tcador

I would think so, and even if it doesn't come with it you have a pretty strong case for getting a free download from the App Store.

Apple has an official policy: Any mac bought from June 6th an on will receive a free Lion upgrade so long as they order it 30 days from Lion coming out.

He doesn't need to make a case, he'll already be getting it for free.

[alex-dlc]

Originally Posted by snaky69

You're paranoid. Lion's not even out for the general public yet. Just click the order now button, and download lion from the App Store in the next 30 days, burn that on a DVD. That way you'll have 2 OS'es for the price of one.

I still don't get why you're scared of Lion though.

scared? im not scared, i just dont like it.

i like the simplicity of mac spaces and expose. and when i first saw the new ical in lion i wanted to puke....

[ThomasBoss]

if you don't want Lion, I would buy one ASAP as the release date is near. I don't want Lion either, I am going to wait until 7.1

MacBook Pros were updated in February, it is pretty safe to buy one now since it would be quite unlikely that new MacBook Pros would be released by 2012. There are rumors of the 2012 MacBook Pro refresh to have a new case design so if you really want to wait and you can put up with your '08 model then it is really up to you...

[snaky69]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

scared? im not scared, i just dont like it.

i like the simplicity of mac spaces and expose. and when i first saw the new ical in lion i wanted to puke....

Mission control, in my opinion is leaps and bound above exposé, but that's me.

[jamisonbaines]

A couple of reasons to prefer Snow Leopard: Front Row, Virtual Machines (until software gets updated)

Based on the developer releases of 10.7, if you want a new Mac to ship without Lion, you should place the order as soon as possible.

[randomrazr]

Originally Posted by alex-dlc

scared? im not scared, i just dont like it.

i like the simplicity of mac spaces and expose. and when i first saw the new ical in lion i wanted to puke....

thats honestly pathetic.

youwill ahve no choice but to upgrade to lion eventually. apple will stop pushing updates or SL and then you'll be in worse shape when not updating to lion

[simsaladimbamba]

Originally Posted by randomrazr

thats honestly pathetic.

youwill ahve no choice but to upgrade to lion eventually. apple will stop pushing updates or SL and then you'll be in worse shape when not updating to lion

But there are still people out there using 10.4.11 and 10.5.8 without problems, so there is no need to update now or later. Eventually there will be, when one buys a new Mac, which as of now I dread because of Lion.
It is great in many aspects, but it also got rid of important features. For some that is a deal breaker and it is not pathetic.