Advice wanted: Buy now or wait? Can't make up my mind

[Neub]

I'm headed back to school next year to study law and want to buy either a MBA or MBP.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on which one I should get and when I should pull the trigger. On the one hand I'd like to wait for the new Sandy Bridge MBA's and/or the BTS deal, but on the other I'd like to get it sooner rather than later so I can get used to it (and, admittedly, I'd also like to try out the new Starcraft once I get a machine that can run it, and before I get too busy)

Does anyone have any inkling as to when the new MBA's might be out/is it crazy to rely on a MBA as a primary computer? I would be inclined to go with the 11" over the 13" for money reasons.

Also (last question), If I spring for a MBP this Tuesday, and the BTS promotion comes out sometime within the 2-week return period, would I be eligible for it?

Feedback is much appreciated - thanks!

 

[seven7seven]

Wait til Wednesday for sure - that is the rumored release date for both the new MBA and the BTS promo.

But as far as buying now and getting a refund later, there is a 14 day return window but there is a restocking fee I believe so you may or may not be able to get the deal later

 

[Peteman100]

If you want to take advantage to BTS, you need to wait. The discounted item (ipod or whatever) needs to be purchased with the computer to be eligible.

In terms of computer choice, I would go with a MBA for a law student. Nothing you will do necessitates a lot of computing power, and I think you will find the portability to be more of a benefit. I personally would wait for the Sandy Bridge update. But the current version will probably be a little better at games like SC2. So its your call on that end.

 

[Young Spade]

I'd say to get the MBA. It doesn't seem like you're going to be doing anything really CPU intensive, eg. video editing, and the Air will be able to handle anything other than that. 1080p video, photo editing, games, it can do all of that.

Of course I would suggest getting an external harddrive as the SSDs don't really store that much data.

 

[FrankHahn]

An MBA appears to be sufficient for you. However, in consideration that rumors about an update are ubiquitous, it is a good idea to wait for the update as you can.