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Buy Now or Wait? That is the question.

J

JackIron

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 30, 2011
2
0
Vassap?,

Ok so I'm going to school next fall and need a laptop. It has to be a powerful laptop too because I'm eliminating my 5 year old HP desktop and giving it to my brother who is entering High School.

So, after listening to all my friends rant and rave about Macs and playing with them I've decided I'm going Mac. Now speed and power matter a lot to me. I'm not doing any heavy gaming but I will be editing videos (albeit small YouTube videos) and eventually recording music on through Logic.

Seeing as this computer is going to have to last 5 years of integrated study, it has to also stand the test of time, which in the realm of technology is ALMOST impossible.

So now that you know my situation here's my question.

Should I spend close to $2700 on a MacBook pro 15", 8gb ram, 500hd @ 7200 rpm and 2.53 ghz intel i5 processor now when the MBPs are due for a refresh and osx lion hits this summer?

I think I should hold out, I don't need the MBP this instant. What so you think though? Do you think the refresh will be that drastic to make me regret doing it now?

Thanks,
Jack Iron
 
NEED NOW ≠ WAIT.
WAIT ≠ BUY NOW.

Therefore I would suggest waiting, as the new MBPs will be quite a good update.
Also take a look at the refurbished section of the Apple Online Store to find better deals.

GGJstudios said:
Apple Certified Refurbished Products
MacRumors Guides: Apple Refurbished Store

If you want more information, here are just a few of many threads on this topic, found by searching the forum with MRoogle:


Refurbished MBP or New?
Getting an iMac - New or Refurbished?
Refurbished vs new
HELP: Refurbished 17" or New High End 15"?!
Are Refurbished Macs as high quality their new counterparts?
Do refurbished fail more often than new MBP's?
New MPB or refurbished model?
Click to expand...
 
there is no good reason for you not to wait another month or two and get about 20% more value. Also, when that day comes it will be best to buy and install the 8gb of ram yourself as Apple will likely charge about 300% over market prices and you get to keep (and sell) the old 4GB that came with it.
 
If you wait until closer to fall, Apple has also historically offered a ~$200 voucher for an iPod with a mac purchase.

Might also be worth waiting for if you do not have an immediate need for a computer.
 
Wait if you don't have to have it and don't buy upgrades from apple. Also why the 2.53? 8gb of ram is <$100 now from retailers.
 
Definitely wait til around may-june. then, you'll have the next generation, a free ipod touch, $100-200 off with edu discount, and get a lot more for your money. Def wait, especially if you're planning on using it for 5 years

Also, get one with the minimum ram. Apple charges $400 to go from 4gb to 8gb. You could do this upgrade yourself for less than $150, and also have 4gb of ddr3 ram that you can sell.
 
Sounds like everyone is saying wait which is what I thought sounded logical as well but I just wanted some outside reassurance. Hopefully they drop the new line soon so I don't have to wait until June but whatever if I do.

Thanks for your advice.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That is the question for many other people on this forum and you should use Mroogle to find your answer.
 
If your brother needs a laptop stat or you need something more capable, get a refurb i7 15in w/ 4GB RAM, the lowest end hard drive, and buy 8GB for $50-100 and a nice SSD and you won't be hurting power/speed/mem wise. The current i7 in the 15/17 is a nice CPU...the C2D in the 13 however, is getting a little old. For users like myself, it really makes no difference as I use basic applications compared to most people here. For what I do, a current i7 or coming i7 SB probably will not have any real 'difference' with what I do...I am power weak lol :eek:
 
Don't bother waiting for Lion to come out, whatever you do. Waiting for Sandy Bridge makes sense, waiting for the free iPod deal (if it's only a month or so) also makes sense.

When Lion comes out, as it always is with new OS releases, will be very buggy, and possibly slow. The worst thing to happen is to buy a notebook that only supports Lion, and then have to wait 3 months for a couple of updates to be released so it doesn't freeze on you all the time.

Also, when it is released, it will likely be around US$99 - $129, depending on where you live (Gotta love Apple's export tax). Not worth waiting months for to get for free.
 
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