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buy now or wait for leopard?

P

praguer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 29, 2007
5
0
ive been patiently riding out my 12 inch for four years now and am finally ready to bite on these new MBPs. but im torn between buying now and getting the free nano or waiting till october and leopard. Is there any notable advantages to having leopard preinstalled on your system (other than the price of leopard)? or, for that matter, any reason to wait just a little longer; after all ive waited this long.
side question; would there be a noticeable difference between the 5400 and the 4200 rpm hds on a daily operational basis? is the extra 40 gigs worth it?
 
Besides fixing some QC issues such as the yellow tint, I don't see Apple changing the Macbook Pro lineup anytime soon. There were some rumors that Intel might have a price slash in July (and thus Apple too), but those are just rumors.

Waiting is very difficult and it might just be best to get the laptop now if you need it. The MBPs they will be selling when Leopard comes out will likely be the same as the ones now so all you are paying is the $75 dollar difference. However, you're getting a free ipod nano and that deal might not be available later :].

As for the hard drive, I'd go with the 5400 rpm. The difference between the 7200 and 5400 might not be that apparent, but I heard that the difference between the 5400 and the 4200 is much more apparent (though I have no personal experience with the issue).
 
I bought my iBook G4 with Panther and then installed Tiger, other than the price of Tiger, I really didn't see any cons of it. The price of the iPod will more than make up for the price of Leopard though. Yes, there will be a difference between 4200RPM and 5400RPM, the system will feel generally snappier and hard drive tasks will be faster. And about the extra 40GB of space being worth it, it will if you use it :p.
 
For me, I'd wait. Reason is this: Look at the current MBP lineup today. You've
  • the 15", that has LED backlit but no hi-res
  • the 17", that has hi-res (as an option!) but no LED backlit
Yes, you can argue LED backlit is subject to LCD market availability (and pricing feasibility), but hi-res is not. You can see complaints all over that 15" 1680x1050 is very common in the laptop market, so the question is why isn't the 15" MBPro using it? Why 17" MBP has hi-res as an option and not just by default?

I'm banking on the following update at around Leopard's release (in time for X'mas 07?)
  • 15" MBP default 1680x1050 (not as an option) & LED backlit
  • 17" MBP default 1920x1200 (not as an option) with or without LED backlit depending on LCD market availablity
You will notice above, the lineup today is very unclear / messy / 'shouts out TEMPORARY', while what I am suggesting is clear, simple.

(a smaller reason I'll wait, is for the SR platform teething issues (as you can see on this forum) to settle down)
(in all fairness, I should give you some background to my perspective. I've been waiting for SR MBP since 2006. Cash for 15" MBP is all ready, but lately I decided I've a more important need for it. This, coupled with the fact that 15" has no hi-res now made me decide to wait it out, at least until Oct 07 Leopard and/or Jan 08 Macworld)
 
I would suspect, going by the updates since the MPB came out that the next update will be in Nov/Dec.

I can't really see an upgrade before Leopard, and that said I can't also see Apple updating the MPB when Leopard comes out, it's more likely to be several weeks later.

MB's will probably be updated sooner (maybe October).
 
hhmm im kinda stuck of what to think, will they bring out updates before leopard, so that it will make people upgrade to leopard when they want, giving them the option to keep he stable 10.4, or will they bring it out after; having leopard which mightnt be as stable....

im not sure what they will do. but im sure itl be the right decision :) its apple!!
 
I would buy, I hate playing the waiting game. Sure as ivan98 pointed out -maybe- you will get a hi-r res screen on the next update, but maybe not (only steavie knows :rolleyes: ). There always will be something better around the corner, if you need a new computer get it. Also never go by a forum like this to gauge how many defects there are... the numbers in your head will start to skew.
 
praguer said:
ive been patiently riding out my 12 inch for four years now and am finally ready to bite on these new MBPs. but im torn between buying now and getting the free nano or waiting till october and leopard. Is there any notable advantages to having leopard preinstalled on your system (other than the price of leopard)? or, for that matter, any reason to wait just a little longer; after all ive waited this long.
side question; would there be a noticeable difference between the 5400 and the 4200 rpm hds on a daily operational basis? is the extra 40 gigs worth it?
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, the 'waiting game' question. :)
My recommendation is to set a path to do upgrades on, for instance 3-4 years where you start looking around year 3 for an upgrade and definitely jump by year 4. This approach helps remove that 'should I wait for the next (version x) as well it gives you the flexibility of a full year wait time if it looks like an update may be imminent. The other factor should involve the software that you normally use. If the upgraded versions of the software are starting to run slow then that would also start to influence your purchase decision.

Sopranino
 
I think Apple will upgrade the MBP with the Leopard release. They often
upgrade the laptops in spurts, then no updates for awhile.

Think Oct will be the time to take the plunge, hopefully with a new processor.
 
ive been playing waiting game with the macbook since 2006. Ive decided no matter what I will purchase by Macworld Jan 08. Hopefully penryn will be there (like merom was for last xmas) but after the latest macbook revision I can't get too hopeful.

Ultimately the difference is going to be minimal between revisions. Even if some are 30%/40% faster on some apps - at the end of the day who cares (unless you are a professional who really needs those extra minutes every day).
Whats more important is you are using what you have and enjoying that. You could wait forever really - and a little bit better sometimes isn't better at all in the big picture (the only thing I can really think about which is vaguely better in the last few years is dual core - I like being able to do lots of things at the same time these days).

Should you wait for leopard? Yeah why not. If you can. Its not far off! its already half way through the year now! october is close.
Although, I don't know why Apple would update its line at that point (in October). Especially since it has kept in line with Intels 6 monthly release cycle so far.
 
The other thing to bear in mind is that Apple had to wait until Intel released the SR C2D before updating the previous MBP's as what what I understand that generation of C2D processors had 'topped' out.

You would assume then that the next MBP update would be to Penryn.

If you want to get a MPB it's probably best to get it now or in the next few months. There's less of an incentive to get the current generation in September/Oct/November of this year as the upgrades will be close. I remember also reading somewhere on these forums that the best time to buy is 6 - 8 weeks after a major refresh.
 
If you need it, buy it.
If you want it, wait.
If you're on the cusp, don't postpone joy.
 
ivan98 said:
For me, I'd wait. Reason is this: Look at the current MBP lineup today. You've
  • the 15", that has LED backlit but no hi-res
  • the 17", that has hi-res (as an option!) but no LED backlit


I'm banking on the following update at around Leopard's release (in time for X'mas 07?)
  • 15" MBP default 1680x1050 (not as an option) & LED backlit
  • 17" MBP default 1920x1200 (not as an option) with or without LED backlit depending on LCD market availablity
You will notice above, the lineup today is very unclear / messy / 'shouts out TEMPORARY', while what I am suggesting is clear, simple.
Click to expand...

mmm, i dont think this is the case, how would waiting give you any benefit if by (going on your speculation) all that is changing is having 1920x1200 as default rather than an option, whether it has LED or not is negligible.
If you buy now your not losing out on any screen technology.

There is never really a good time to buy PC technology unless its recently been updated in which case the MBP has, technology moves foward so quickly so there is always a 'better' model round the corner.
 
buy now or wait for leopard?

I just started following mac releases about a year ago, and I don't know whether Apple releases new machines with their new operating systems. So, should I buy a macbook now or wait for OSX leopard? Another thing is, is apple like microsoft where they come out with a new OS and certify it as "new OS" compatible? I'm just worried that the specs of the macbooks and pros right now might not be able to handle Leopard.
 
you should probably get it now if you really need it, why wait if it is necessary?

also, i think you are referring to SNOW leopard, and this thread is two years old.
 
car-zone said:
I just started following mac releases about a year ago, and I don't know whether Apple releases new machines with their new operating systems. So, should I buy a macbook now or wait for OSX leopard? Another thing is, is apple like microsoft where they come out with a new OS and certify it as "new OS" compatible? I'm just worried that the specs of the macbooks and pros right now might not be able to handle Leopard.
Click to expand...

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your post is funny as. snow leopard will most likely run on ANY intel mac (so basically anything that is up to three years old) - the current mac products will DEFINETELY run SnowLeopard.

apple does have something to the "new OS" compatible list, but not on parts.. its basically only on particular computers.
 
car-zone said:
I'm just worried that the specs of the macbooks and pros right now might not be able to handle Leopard.
Click to expand...

766MHz G4 computers from 2003 can handle LEOPARD. :eek::confused:

A little reading before posting is always nice.

No PowerPC computer will support Snow Leopard, and it is possible that Core Duo/Solo machines won't work, either.

Everything that Apple has sold since September 2007 will work with Snow Leopard.

Again, reading.
 
Tallest Skil said:
766MHz G4 computers from 2003 can handle LEOPARD. :eek::confused:

A little reading before posting is always nice.

No PowerPC computer will support Snow Leopard, and it is possible that Core Duo/Solo machines won't work, either.

Everything that Apple has sold since September 2007 will work with Snow Leopard.

Again, reading.
Click to expand...

thats debatable i guess (in relation to it being compatible with CD intel chips).. no solid evidence.
 
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