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Wait for new 13" or buy now -> refund -> wait -> buy again?

T

theuidx

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 16, 2010
8
0
Hi, I've been waiting for a new MacBook Pro 13" for about a year. Not joking.
Now I don't really wanna wait anymore.
(Aw, why didn't I buy the new MBP at April!)
Anyways, uh, I really want to use a Mac.
So, what should I do now?

1. Wait for a new MBP.
2. Buy right now -> use it for a few days (3~5 days maybe) -> GET A REFUND -> wait for a new MBP -> buy the new one again
 
Don't buy with the intent to return it for a newer model, that game is lame. Buy it because you want it now. If your plan is to get a newer model then wait.

I purchased a new 13" Macbook Pro a few weeks ago and don't regret it one bit.
 
Get the 13" MBP. It's extremely portable, very capable and overall a super solid machine. I highly doubt that Apple is going to make any upgrades to that machine anytime soon (read probably not within the next month or so). And even if Apple makes any changes to that machine, it'll most likely be a processor bump from the Core 2 Duo to an i3 or maybe even an i5. But Apple already made a slight modification to the MBP line last week when it allowed customers to order 15" and 17" MBPs with either a 2.66 or 2.8 Ghz i7 processor. And even that doesn't deserve to be called a true "upgrade" to the line.

In the end, an upgrade to an i3 13" MBP would result in a relatively negligible increase in speed and benchmark results. Just spring for the 13" now. You definitely won't regret it.
 
I don't see apple updating the 13" MBP line in 2010, so I fail to see the wisdom in option #2. you're throwing money away as you'll need to pay a restocking fee to buy/return one.

If the current configuration doesn't fit your needs/wants then you're only option is to wait it out, or find a laptop that does fit your needs.
 
You won't get a refund and you will pay a restock fee. I'm not sure why people think it's acceptable to buy now and return if something new comes out. Then again, let's review your logic, you think a new MBP will hit the shelves in 3-5 days?

What is wrong with the current machine they sell? Oh wait, nothing.
:rolleyes:
 
So a new 13' MBP runs 1200 at the Apple store in the base model. You take it home and use it for 3 days then return it and you get back $ 1080 (10% restocking fee). You wait a few days and buy another one for $ 1200, then wait 3 more days and get back $1080 again. It's costing you $ 40 per day to have the MBP. This is not good economics. The only way you get a full refund is if you don't open the package, which totally defeats the point of even buying it. if you go for the higher spec at $1500, then you only get back $1350, which would be $ 50 per day if you use and return after 3 days.

Next update for the MBP is not likely until Feb, probably with Sandy Bridge. It will be an improvement, but hardly a huge quantum leap in performance or capabilities.
 
if you need an MBP 13" with the specs on the current product line. buy it. if it dont suit you, do you want the 15"? if not. just wait a little longer. the next MBP update can be jan/feb or the march/april release.
 
I bought the 13" MBP a few days ago with the intent on keeping it in pristine condition. I figure, if a new 13" MBP comes out next year and I think it would be worth it to sell my current MBP and pay the 300-400 dollar upgrade cost, I'll do that.

Personally I have a feeling the next MBP's are just going to be upgraded Core 2 Duo Processors. Who knows, maybe the next MBP won't contain a SuperDrive and there will be a market for old Macs with them built in.
 
LoganT said:
I bought the 13" MBP a few days ago with the intent on keeping it in pristine condition. I figure, if a new 13" MBP comes out next year and I think it would be worth it to sell my current MBP and pay the 300-400 dollar upgrade cost, I'll do that.

Personally I have a feeling the next MBP's are just going to be upgraded Core 2 Duo Processors. Who knows, maybe the next MBP won't contain a SuperDrive and there will be a market for old Macs with them built in.
Click to expand...

Well the 15" and 17" MBP's are already using iX's so Apple won't be moving backwards and making them C2D. The next ones will definitely be Sandy Bridge based.

As for the 13", if Apple doesn't upgrade them to the iX's then they will be severely lagging behind the competition. Apple can't stick with C2D's forever just to keep the nvidia gpu. At some point they'll have to upgrade.

OP, if you need a computer now then buy the 13" and keep it. New MBP's won't be out until February at the earliest. If you don't need one right now though then wait and hopefully Apple will update the 13" to Sandy Bridge.
 
arcite said:
Buy it! I got my 13' three days ago and it works great. It will last me for a few years, and by that time sandy bridge will have the bugs worked out. ...remember, its never a good idea to buy version 1.0 Apple products. :D
Click to expand...

that's what apple care is for ;)
 
you pay 10% restocking fee every time you return an opened merchandise. you virtually pay 100 bucks every time you do that.
 
People forget how well Apple computers hold their value. Even the previous models of laptops.

Buy now and if there is a crazy upgrade next year that you can't live without, sell your 4 month old laptop for $300 less than you paid for it and get the new one. I just ordered a new 15" MBP with the plan to keep it unless the next upgrade is a major overhaul that I just can't live without.
 
My advice to you is to wait. I had to wait 3 years before I got my first Mac! Once the chance finally came, I snatched it up as fast as I could. I knew there were rumors of Apple releasing a new MacBook 13" soon but I figured I better take my chances. It was a graduation gift from my family and if I didn't take the deal, it would possibly mean waiting more months before I could get it.

So I get the MacBook 13" Aluminum Unibody and what do you know, 30 days later Apple bumps my version up to the MacBook Pro 13", improve the specs and they even lower the price. You can't imagine how pissed I was at myself. Every time I saw a MBP 13" in public it would remind me of my mistake. Anywho, I ended up selling it to my sister a year later and I purchased a new i5 MacBook Pro 15". I actually had enough money before the new MacBook Pros came out in April 2010 but I knew there were new ones right around the corner. I'm glad I had the chance to own this computer from the beginning of its product life cycle.

And as other people stated, Apple does charge restocking fee's if you return it, so you should just hold off or buy it. If you buy it now my guess is that you will have 4-5 months maybe before Apple bumps the specs. Keep in mind that waiting longer only means that by the time you get the computer, it will be better than what you would of gotten if you didn't wait. If I got that MacBook the day I wanted it first 3 years before I actually got it, I would still be using a base line white macbook running tiger with 2gb of ram and a horrible processor haha.
 
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