17" 2011 MBP or 15" 2012 MBP

[ShrubbySoup]

It's in the title
specs:

17" early 2011
Glossy screen
750GB HDD
1GB GPU
2.2Ghz Quad core
4GB ram


15" future specs unknown, if the price is kept the same for the low end 15" then I can definitely buy. I will use it for some photoshop and final cut along with a large amount of movies, programmes, Internet surfing etc... I was considering getting a 13" 256 1.8 MBA but decided agains it due to already owning an iPad

Thanks guys, even if it's mildly muddled up Connor

 

[miles01110]

Considering one of the models you are considering exists and the other doesn't, it doesn't make sense not to wait and see what the new models will bring unless you really need something now.

 

[trikky]

It's in the title
specs:

17" early 2011
Glossy screen
750GB HDD
1GB GPU
2.2Ghz Quad core
4GB ram


15" future specs unknown...

This is like asking if you should marry the girl you know now, or the girl who may walk around the corner some time in the next 2-24 months.

If you don't need a new computer now, why do you need other people to suggest you wait or buy now?

I'm sure you can change your own underpants, so make your own decision about what your immediate needs are and act accordingly.

Cheers!

 

[yusukeaoki]

Well you are comparing a machine that doesnt exist yet...
How the hell can we compare?

 

[Zzari]

Are you going to be taking it anywhere? If so, I'd wait and get the (hopefully) thinner 15". A nice external display (Dell U2311h, perhaps?) wouldn't hurt if you're doing photo-type work.

 

[ShrubbySoup]

Are you going to be taking it anywhere? If so, I'd wait and get the (hopefully) thinner 15". A nice external display (Dell U2311h, perhaps?) wouldn't hurt if you're doing photo-type work.

Thanks dude

 

[theluggage]

It's in the title
specs:
17" early 2011
Glossy screen

The advantages of the 17" over the current 15" are:

* Bigger screen with very high resolution (you normally have to go to 24" to get 1920x1200) - this means that the text and UI elements are quite a bit smaller than on other Macs, but you have lots of space for multiple windows, tool palettes etc.
* Extra USB port
* ExpressCard slot that lets you add, e.g. USB3, eSATA, extra FireWire, media card readers... In the long term, Thunderbolt should, if it takes off, make this irrelevant, but currently, Expresscard offers more choice & lower prices.

As for the new rumored 15":

The retina display will offer more pixels than even the 17" - but it seems that, as on the iPad 3, these will be used to make the display sharper rather than cramming more on. I predict that this will be great for photos, but still won't offer the "real estate" of a physically bigger screen.

It certainly won't have an Expresscard slot, probably won't have an optical drive and it might not have an Ethernet or Firewire port. If these things are important to you, you might still want to stick with the 17". OTOH, if Apple is going to drop Ethernet and Firewire ports they might also do something to galvanize Thunderbolt (nice port-laden docking station, please Apple!) - Smart money is on USB 3 making an appearance, but that's not definite.

So I think you need to wait. Nobody seems to know what's going to happen to the 17" - it might get dropped, neglected, a minor speed-bump or a complete overhaul.