Buy one now or wait...

[joeymason15]

Hi Guys,

Im very interested in the new macbook and ive spent quite a few hours in PC world playing around with one and really like it. My dilemma is this notebook seems to be nearly through its product cycle. Im looking at getting at getting the 1.1Ghz version, how are you guys finding the power of this laptop? Should i get one now or wait until around April when they will probably release a 2nd generation macbook?

 

[JamesGoodman]

Hi Guys,

Im very interested in the new macbook and ive spent quite a few hours in PC world playing around with one and really like it. My dilemma is this notebook seems to be nearly through its product cycle. Im looking at getting at getting the 1.1Ghz version, how are you guys finding the power of this laptop? Should i get one now or wait until around April when they will probably release a 2nd generation macbook?

I had the same quandary and just decided to go for it. That's partly because I really need it and March or April are still eight weeks away, and even then, of late Apple has been announcing products well before it is easy to actually buy one. So March could be April or May. Of course I know the frustration of buying one day and reading the announcement of the new one the next, but that is a psychological thing and the fact is that for me -- and this is what you need to figure for yourself -- nothing in the new one is going to make a big difference. Sure I would like as much battery life as I can get and also enough snappiness, but for my light duty needs -- especially work processing -- the new processor is not going to make a life and death difference. Any accessories you buy for it are going to be the accessories of the future -- each day brings an announcement of a new USB-c peripheral. Anyway, my two cents.

 

[dannyar]

Hi Guys,

Im very interested in the new macbook and ive spent quite a few hours in PC world playing around with one and really like it. My dilemma is this notebook seems to be nearly through its product cycle. Im looking at getting at getting the 1.1Ghz version, how are you guys finding the power of this laptop? Should i get one now or wait until around April when they will probably release a 2nd generation macbook?

I would say buy one now. Honestly, I wouldn't pay 1300 for one at this stage in its cycle but these can be had for under $1000 on ebay in like new condition. I recently purchased mine from a seller for $900 shipped like new with box and all. Your looking at almost 1400 with tax for a new one so you would be saving $500 easy. At that price definitely worth buying now as I don't see the new models adding enough to warrant the $500 difference. Buy it cheap, enjoy it for the next 4 months and if the new ones are worth the upgrade then sell it and you will break even buying it at 850-900.

 

[joeymason15]

I had the same quandary and just decided to go for it. That's partly because I really need it and March or April are still eight weeks away, and even then, of late Apple has been announcing products well before it is easy to actually buy one. So March could be April or May. Of course I know the frustration of buying one day and reading the announcement of the new one the next, but that is a psychological thing and the fact is that for me -- and this is what you need to figure for yourself -- nothing in the new one is going to make a big difference. Sure I would like as much battery life as I can get and also enough snappiness, but for my light duty needs -- especially work processing -- the new processor is not going to make a life and death difference. Any accessories you buy for it are going to be the accessories of the future -- each day brings an announcement of a new USB-c peripheral. Anyway, my two cents.

Thanks for your response, I think whats making my decision more difficult is the fact that i dont need it right now (although i do want it!) and that makes it feel a bit of a waste to buy a product that's mid lifecycle when i know i can wait, Im also really annoyed that i missed out on the 0% finance offer from apple that ended yesterday whilst i messed around deciding between a MBP and a rMB and once i decided on the Macbook then decided to wait although now i kind of wish i went for it as it would of been here today! Grrr!

 

[dannyar]

Thanks for your response, I think whats making my decision more difficult is the fact that i dont need it right now (although i do want it!) and that makes it feel a bit of a waste to buy a product that's mid lifecycle when i know i can wait, Im also really annoyed that i missed out on the 0% finance offer from apple that ended yesterday whilst i messed around deciding between a MBP and a rMB and once i decided on the Macbook then decided to wait although now i kind of wish i went for it as it would of been here today! Grrr!

Like I said above. Buy used, save $500 then sell for the new one if the difference is big enough to justify the upgrade. Enjoy it now, life is to short.

 

[DNichter]

I would wait. I would imagine we are going to see similar improvements from the original MacBook air to Gen 2. I anticipate Skylake and a $999 starting price point ford the base 128GB model. MacBook airs will be axed. I think you are overpaying right now. If you can wait, I would.

 

[JamesGoodman]

Thanks for your response, I think whats making my decision more difficult is the fact that i dont need it right now (although i do want it!) and that makes it feel a bit of a waste to buy a product that's mid lifecycle when i know i can wait, Im also really annoyed that i missed out on the 0% finance offer from apple that ended yesterday whilst i messed around deciding between a MBP and a rMB and once i decided on the Macbook then decided to wait although now i kind of wish i went for it as it would of been here today! Grrr!

We are cut from the same cloth. I drove myself crazy for weeks trying to make a similar kind of decision. But what makes my driving myself crazier even crazier than you doing the same is that I really needed it. The keyboard on my Air is completely shot and I am a writer with work to do between teaching semesters and very sore wrists. I hate buying stuff toward the end of the cycle and while dannyr's proposal makes all the economic sense in the world, I don't have time or flexibility at this point in my life to deal with buying from anyone but Apple or Best Buy. First it is easier, second, there is a 14 day return, which I really wanted for this big a change in keyboard. Third, it reduces the odds that I am buying someone else's problems. When I was younger, no problem, now, life is getting too short.

I add only what I said above: No one knows exactly when the new stuff is coming, but even March or April for all but a lucky few is going to be April or May or June. It was months after this rMB was announced that you could just go to a store and bring one home. Good luck.

 

[dannyar]

We are cut from the same cloth. I drove myself crazy for weeks trying to make a similar kind of decision. But what makes my driving myself crazier even crazier than you doing the same is that I really needed it. The keyboard on my Air is completely shot and I am a writer with work to do between teaching semesters and very sore wrists. I hate buying stuff toward the end of the cycle and while dannyr's proposal makes all the economic sense in the world, I don't have time or flexibility at this point in my life to deal with buying from anyone but Apple or Best Buy. First it is easier, second, there is a 14 day return, which I really wanted for this big a change in keyboard. Third, it reduces the odds that I am buying someone else's problems. When I was younger, no problem, now, life is getting too short.

I add only what I said above: No one knows exactly when the new stuff is coming, but even March or April for all but a lucky few is going to be April or May or June. It was months after this rMB was announced that you could just go to a store and bring one home. Good luck.

I agree. April 10th is when the rMB was released and apple doesn't always do exactly 1 year upgrades on the laptops. sometimes its 12 month, mostly its 14-16 months. Best case scenario they release exactly 1 year to the day which is April 10 which is still a little over 3 months away. Even then, ask yourself, is the difference going to be worth $500 from buying the first gen either used or brand new on sale?

 

[burgman]

Thanks for your response, I think whats making my decision more difficult is the fact that i dont need it right now (although i do want it!) and that makes it feel a bit of a waste to buy a product that's mid lifecycle when i know i can wait, Im also really annoyed that i missed out on the 0% finance offer from apple that ended yesterday whilst i messed around deciding between a MBP and a rMB and once i decided on the Macbook then decided to wait although now i kind of wish i went for it as it would of been here today! Grrr!

Life lesson is if you don't need something now then save the cash.

 

[BarcelonaPaul]

Wait Wait Wait! It's a few weeks away, come on, what's a couple of months when you're spending your hard earned money? There's bound to be a price drop for the new spec model plus any teething problems may have been sorted. It's silly to buy now. Wait two months and then get a good few years out of it. It's a lot of money, be wise!

 

[dannyar]

Wait Wait Wait! It's a few weeks away, come on, what's a couple of months when you're spending your hard earned money? There's bound to be a price drop for the new spec model plus any teething problems may have been sorted. It's silly to buy now. Wait two months and then get a good few years out of it. It's a lot of money, be wise!

It seems you bypassed everyone's suggestions including mine before posting your opinion so let me clarify it again for those who don't understand. If he can get the current model for $500 under retail and enjoy it for at least the next 2-3 months and then see if the new model has anything significant to offer then why not?? If the new model has not much new to offer to justify the $500 difference then he would be just fine with the current model at a huge discount. If for whatever reason he wants the newer model once its out, he got the current gen at such a huge discount that he could sell it and break even or even make money to get the newer one. Common sense.

 

[boltjames]

Wait Wait Wait! It's a few weeks away, come on, what's a couple of months when you're spending your hard earned money? There's bound to be a price drop for the new spec model plus any teething problems may have been sorted. It's silly to buy now. Wait two months and then get a good few years out of it. It's a lot of money, be wise!

The other posters got it right; there is no indication that Apple will update this product so quickly nor is there a significant enough boost in performance to make the wait or the price worthwhile.

Remember that even though this product was announced in April you couldn't walk into an Apple Store and find every configuration and every color in stock until August which was only four months ago. The supply chain was all about the iPhone and the Watch, the MacBook literally trickled into stores.

I believe firmly that a new MacBook Pro and potentially a new MacBook Air will be announced and released before anything is updated on the 12" MacBook. Apple has higher priorities in it's notebook division and frankly the 12" MacBook isn't built for someone who cares about processors or the one that is in it currently wouldn't have a spec of a model from 2005.

BJ

 

[KPOM]

I agree. April 10th is when the rMB was released and apple doesn't always do exactly 1 year upgrades on the laptops. sometimes its 12 month, mostly its 14-16 months. Best case scenario they release exactly 1 year to the day which is April 10 which is still a little over 3 months away. Even then, ask yourself, is the difference going to be worth $500 from buying the first gen either used or brand new on sale?

Apple released the MacBook Air in January 2008, and a much improved second generation in November 2008. The SSD version came down in price by $1000 and had twice the storage. The processor went from Merom (which overheated and throttled a lot) to Penryn (which did not).

Broadwell to Skylake is much less of a transition, but it would still improve CPU and GPU speeds, and battery life. It could also bring Thunderbolt 3 support.

 

[Amazing Ox Space Monkey]

frankly the 12" MacBook isn't built for someone who cares about processors or the one that is in it currently wouldn't have a spec of a model from 2005.

BJ

neither of Apple's laptops, bar the 15", are built for someone who cares about processor speed. There are slow, slightly less slow, a lil bit less slow, and the 15".

 

[toddzrx]

I believe firmly that a new MacBook Pro and potentially a new MacBook Air will be announced and released before anything is updated on the 12" MacBook. Apple has higher priorities in it's notebook division and frankly the 12" MacBook isn't built for someone who cares about processors or the one that is in it currently wouldn't have a spec of a model from 2005.BJ

Apple has consistently upgraded every laptop model for the last decade, since converting to Intel, at least once a year. Obviously Intel's release schedule affects this upgrade cycle, but that hasn't stopped Apple. Being that Skylake Core M chips were released in September, it is quite safe to say the MacBook will get an upgrade this spring.

 

[MrXiro]

Hi Guys,

Im very interested in the new macbook and ive spent quite a few hours in PC world playing around with one and really like it. My dilemma is this notebook seems to be nearly through its product cycle. Im looking at getting at getting the 1.1Ghz version, how are you guys finding the power of this laptop? Should i get one now or wait until around April when they will probably release a 2nd generation macbook?

My vote is unless you can find one for under $1000 at this point is to wait. I don't think the MBr is worth the retail price, especially this late in the game. It's "fine" for a non graphical intensive notebook (writing, light pictures, web, email) but I wouldn't bother if you want to do any video or heavy photo work with it. The next one will have a better GPU.

 

[matthewHUB]

I'm in the same position. I'm waiting so that I can futureproof my purchase 5-6 years down the line. I would not buy one even if I could get it for $800. Those saying you could resell 1) it's a hassle and 2) as soon as the next Gen comes out the prices for used Gen 1 will drop considerably.

A lot of posters here say buy now, because they are also justifying their own purchases. To each his own. I would wait.

 

[dannyar]

I'm in the same position. I'm waiting so that I can futureproof my purchase 5-6 years down the line. I would not buy one even if I could get it for $800. Those saying you could resell 1) it's a hassle and 2) as soon as the next Gen comes out the prices for used Gen 1 will drop considerably.

A lot of posters here say buy now, because they are also justifying their own purchases. To each his own. I would wait.

You would be an idiot not to buy at $800. These are still selling new for $1299 before tax. Even when a new model comes out lets say the price of the older models goes down to $1000, hell even $900, you would still be making your money back at that price. And what hassle? There are so many venues to which you can sell your old laptop with no issues. I constantly sell my items on Amazon and get great prices for my used stuff and don't have to deal with paypal or ebay. No one has to justify their purchase to anyone, we bought it because we either needed it or got a great deal. In my case I got a hell of a deal at $900 basically brand new with 10 months of applecare still remaining. I bought my late 2013 "15 MacBook pro for $1800 direct from apple 15 months ago and just sold it 2 days ago for $1400. That's a 2 1/2 year old machine that sold for only $400 less than I bought it for. Id say apple holds its value well.

 

[BarcelonaPaul]

It seems you bypassed everyone's suggestions including mine before posting your opinion so let me clarify it again for those who don't understand. If he can get the current model for $500 under retail and enjoy it for at least the next 2-3 months and then see if the new model has anything significant to offer then why not?? If the new model has not much new to offer to justify the $500 difference then he would be just fine with the current model at a huge discount. If for whatever reason he wants the newer model once its out, he got the current gen at such a huge discount that he could sell it and break even or even make money to get the newer one. Common sense.

Each to their own but i strongly disagree with you. Second generation products from Apple are always superior with a price drop too. But i'll leave it at that. I'm not arguing over a damn made in China product with a short lifespan.

 

[Z3man]

Each to their own but i strongly disagree with you. Second generation products from Apple are always superior with a price drop too. But i'll leave it at that. I'm not arguing over a damn made in China product with a short lifespan.

Whats wrong with being made in china, some of the best products in the world are made in china.

All MacBooks have along lifespan, they go on for years and years, you must be thinking of a windows laptop.

Second generations are not always cheaper, in fact they are hardly ever cheaper, not often you see Apple with a price drop.

 

[boltjames]

Apple has consistently upgraded every laptop model for the last decade, since converting to Intel, at least once a year. Obviously Intel's release schedule affects this upgrade cycle, but that hasn't stopped Apple. Being that Skylake Core M chips were released in September, it is quite safe to say the MacBook will get an upgrade this spring.

I understand the history and I hope you are right. That said, I don't think the RMB will be updated that quickly, and for those who are on the fence whether to buy now or wait for later, I say emphatically 'buy now'.

BJ

 

[PatrickNSF]

Unless you're able to get an exceptional deal on one now, I would wait until v2 which I'm assuming is a spring/early summer release. I was able to buy in through the Best Buy/Apple Pay/Discover promo in December, and was able to easily sell my 2+ year old 13" rMBP for much more than the rMB cost, so I felt like the financial hit should I be tempted by v2 would be tolerable. I would not purchase now at MSRP.

 

[toddzrx]

I understand the history and I hope you are right. That said, I don't think the RMB will be updated that quickly, and for those who are on the fence whether to buy now or wait for later, I say emphatically 'buy now'.

BJ

Fortunately I'm not on the fence. I can easily get another year-plus out of my iMac before I'll want to upgrade, and I would guess that the newest OS X variant may be too advanced for it by then. I would think the only real "fence-sitters" are those who either need a machine for work purposes, where their computer is a primary tool for their job, or if they're current machine is in the process of breaking or broken and the cost to repair is high. By all means, I would say in either case, buy now. On the other hand, if it's just a case of having "shiny-new-object-itis", the pain of a 2 or 3 month wait to see if anything new does get announced is worth the inevitable remorse of an impulse buy.

 

[joeymason15]

just thought i would update this thread, i am typing this from my new space grey macbook! My pc finally died its death this morning so went to the apple store to pick one up and I'm very happy with my purchase! I was originally going to wait for the 2nd get to come out as i was bit worried about the specs, although this is really is a remarkable machine! really love it and its nice to be back on os x, i used to own a white late 2006 macbook and sold it to build a gaming machine but find myself using my games console for games, so decided to go back to mac!!

 

[smallcoffee]

Thanks for your response, I think whats making my decision more difficult is the fact that i dont need it right now (although i do want it!) and that makes it feel a bit of a waste to buy a product that's mid lifecycle when i know i can wait, Im also really annoyed that i missed out on the 0% finance offer from apple that ended yesterday whilst i messed around deciding between a MBP and a rMB and once i decided on the Macbook then decided to wait although now i kind of wish i went for it as it would of been here today! Grrr!

Definitely wait then. It's not that far off.