Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

25% off current MBP or wait for Skylake at full price?

Corrode

Corrode

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 26, 2008
1,007
2,300
Calgary, AB
Want to get opinions here:

I have a friend who works at the Apple Store and can get me 25% off a MBP BUT he stops working there at the end of the month. We all know that there are likely updates to the MBP line in mid/late March.

My needs: I'm a photographer and do all my editing on my iMac, but want some portability. I just use Lightroom so I don't need a powerhouse, but I would like my investment to last as long as possible, and I think buying a Skylake MBP would last longer than buying a current gen.

So it's not a cut and dry "buy if you need it, wait if you don't" situation.

Is the 25% worth buying current gen or should I wait for Skylake and possible redesign?
 
If you can afford to wait, wait. You'll get nothing but performance benefits with the next iteration (well, as long as they don't solder a 5400RPM drive in to save cash ;))

If you need it now, buy it now.
 
25% is a pretty hefty discount. I'd wait till the last possible day and hold onto the receipt. If the new one comes out and you think its worth the 25% premium, you can return it.

Also buy the friend a drink cause thats a good friend lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Corrode
killawat said:
25% is a pretty hefty discount. I'd wait till the last possible day and hold onto the receipt. If the new one comes out and you think its worth the 25% premium, you can return it.

Also buy the friend a drink cause thats a good friend lol.
Click to expand...
It's a 14-day return window so last possible day is February 29th and March 15th (the proposed Apple Event Day) is past those 14 days. Perfectly aligned to force me to make a final decision.
 
The current machine appears to be perfectly fine to handle your needs. I do believe the next rendition will offer improvements, but would they be so great that you would find yourself struggling with this particular machine that you can get at a 25% discount? Also, at 25% off, say you buy now and really want the new one, you can easily sell your machine and likely not lose much, if any, from the purchase. Reason I say that is if you buy today, sell mid-march, I would likely list it for about 25% off, which is exactly what you paid. You're almost not at a loss.

Again though, the machine that is there for you to buy today is perfectly suitable to run lightroom without any issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Corrode
If it were me, I'd think the likelihood that whatever refresh may come about being more than 25% better than the current model is pretty close to zero. If you're in the market now, I'd buy it now with the discount.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Digger148
GoCubsGo said:
The current machine appears to be perfectly fine to handle your needs. I do believe the next rendition will offer improvements, but would they be so great that you would find yourself struggling with this particular machine that you can get at a 25% discount? Also, at 25% off, say you buy now and really want the new one, you can easily sell your machine and likely not lose much, if any, from the purchase. Reason I say that is if you buy today, sell mid-march, I would likely list it for about 25% off, which is exactly what you paid. You're almost not at a loss.

Again though, the machine that is there for you to buy today is perfectly suitable to run lightroom without any issue.
Click to expand...
All good points. I really want to avoid having to sell a brand new machine but I suppose that is an option.

Yes, the improvements are definitely not "necessary", but as an avid Apple fan I would have a hard time buying year-old tech knowing something new (especially a possible redesign) is right around the corner. But is that worth several hundred dollars? Guess that's up to me to decide.

Thanks for the responses everyone.
 
I would get the 25%. If you're not doing stuff like video conversions any CPU made in the last 10 years is way more than enough. I lived very happily with a core2duo until a year ago.
 
Corrode said:
It's a 14-day return window so last possible day is February 29th and March 15th (the proposed Apple Event Day) is past those 14 days. Perfectly aligned to force me to make a final decision.
Click to expand...
I'd wait. When I buy refurb it's always at the first instance they're released, not the moment they're about to be superseded.
Otherwise, go Super cheap 2nd hand. [Takes a lot more effort to find the right deal though.]
 
Corrode said:
Is the 25% worth buying current gen or should I wait for Skylake and possible redesign?
Click to expand...
Worth is subjective but if it were me and I'd be able to save 25% off a very expensive computer now - I'd do it. The difference between what we have now and Skylake won't be earth shattering, imo.
 
I'm a photographer too, and have been waiting for Skylake. If I could get 25% off today, I'd be a buyer now. That's just too good to pass up. Skylake isn't bringing that much to the table.
 
If I was a photographer ( and I just might be) I would also take into consideration a rumor I probably read on this very forum that Apple might remove ports in the next iteration of the MBP. 25% more for a slightly faster, single USB-C port with better battery life might a drawback depending on what you're doing in the field (shooting tethered, wacom tablet,etc.,)
 
GPU will probably be better in the next iteration. A bit better, but still noticeable.
CPU - I don't think you'll notice a difference.
If you can wait, wait till you get a similar deal here or via one of appleinsider's partners.
Else, get a 16GB one. It will last the longest. Will also increase its resale value, up to a point.
 
sarge said:
If I was a photographer ( and I just might be) I would also take into consideration a rumor I probably read on this very forum that Apple might remove ports in the next iteration of the MBP. 25% more for a slightly faster, single USB-C port with better battery life might a drawback depending on what you're doing in the field (shooting tethered, wacom tablet,etc.,)
Click to expand...

My biggest concern is also that the new models will also use USB-C...
 
bigfatipod said:
My biggest concern is also that the new models will also use USB-C...
Click to expand...
I think people are waiting for that and TB3. We may see the legacy USB ports but given Apple's penchant for removing ports, I'd think we'll only see USB-C but you never know.
 
Corrode said:
Want to get opinions here:

I have a friend who works at the Apple Store and can get me 25% off a MBP BUT he stops working there at the end of the month. We all know that there are likely updates to the MBP line in mid/late March.

My needs: I'm a photographer and do all my editing on my iMac, but want some portability. I just use Lightroom so I don't need a powerhouse, but I would like my investment to last as long as possible, and I think buying a Skylake MBP would last longer than buying a current gen.

So it's not a cut and dry "buy if you need it, wait if you don't" situation.

Is the 25% worth buying current gen or should I wait for Skylake and possible redesign?
Click to expand...
 
I would definitely take the 25% discount. Apple products are expensive out of the box, and if you're not expensing them, it's a significant purchase. Then again, if money is no object - then wait and buy new.
 
If you haven't made a decision yet, here is my two cents. The quick answer, wait! 25% off a purchase made at the Apple Store isn't really 25% off because you also have to pay sales tax (6% to 10% depending where you live). So that discount is really 15% to 19% off. Now there are several online places to make the purchase where the current model MBP is offered at roughly 10% off, and they will not charge you sales tax, or shipping...so the real difference of savings is anywhere from 5% to 9% if you had your friend purchase the laptop from the Apple Store, which is probably a savings of about $100-$200 depending on which version MBP you get. So the question becomes, is saving $100-$200 on the current generation now worth it in the long run? Not in my book. If you're like me, you will probably have this laptop for the next five years (or longer) at which point I doubt you will care much about saving the extra $100-$200 vs. possibly getting the older version laptop if Apple were to redesign the new MBP. I know I would want the new design, especially since Apple doesn't change their design for at least another 4-6 years afterwards, the current/old MBP would just feel dated. Furthermore, if you're able to wait until later this year, no doubt, you would still be able to purchase the current model MBP at an even heavier discount, thus saving the same, if not more than what you'd save now...this is assuming you don't opt for the newer MBP model. The real issue will come down to, can you wait/be patient? That's the issue with most consumers...they can't wait! People must have things now! Either way, I'm sure you will be getting a good machine for years to come, so ultimately there's really no right/wrong way here. Hope that helps.
 
If you want to edit using a connected monitor, wait. The Skylakes are expected to be able to drive a 5k monitor. If that's not your thing, I'm with everyone else who doesn't think you'll see a massive change in performance.

Or you could wait and then buy a refurb item from the refurbished store at a discount. The price on the previous gen will drop a bit and then a bit more because it's a refurb. You might be able to come close to that 25% knock down.

Also, this would be a good time to bring up Apple's price match policy. Assuming that it hasn't changed, if the price drops on any Apple item within a set period of time, you'll get refunded the difference. I can't remember if it's 10 days or 14 days. I've taken advantage of this several times, but not in a while. I got a refurb MacBook Pro one time right before the new model was announced and was able to claim an extra discount on the newly reduced price of my older purchase.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back