Buyer's Guide Refinement needed

[One Bad Duck]

Hi there - I noticed that Buyer's Guide was polished up when the site had a refresh.

However I think its still lacking a very important tool.

Take the iPhone for example. It is well known on this website that there won't be a new iphone till probably at least september i.e. there is a projected date for the next release.

Take the macbook air. A new rumour was released saying there will be new ones on Wednesday... That should go on the buyer's guide at least until Wednesday when the rumour is proven right or wrong

However the Buyer's Guide only currently gives us an average wait in days between each one. With each item there should also be a projected or rumoured date for refresh... That would be so much more efficient. Isn't that what this site is supposed to do - collate all the rumours. That way someone new coming in doesn't have to read pages and pages of rumours to get the latest data..

Thanks - bump this thread if you agree..

 

[FrankHahn]

Right on

I think the Buyer's Guide should be improved as what was said by One Bad Duck.

 

[Hellhammer]

I think this idea is workable but it does have some shortages.

What if there are no rumors about the update? Take for example Mac Mini. It has been about a year since its last update and it is expected that there will be an update soon but there hasn't been a single rumor about it. Would there be no rumored date then?

What is the definition of a reliable rumor? There are quite a few rumors floating around nowadays and they often fight against each other. Who defines what rumors to trust?

Next to the product in Buyer's Guide, there are recent news about the product so that should offer the user a quick look into what is expected and when.

In addition to this, I think it would be cool to have a list of expected and rumored upgrades to the product. For example Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt for MBA etc. Would be helpful for newbies.

 

[MacDawg]

I disagree

Yes, this is a rumor site, but the Buyer's Guide shouldn't be based on rumors as such because it can be extremely misleading and inaccurate

I prefer the way it is currently set up and the buyer can use the hard data it provides plus the rumors in the site to make their own decision

Mixing the rumors with the data found on the Buyer's Guide will only confuse the situation and create a sense of entitlement when rumors do not come to pass

 

[Hellhammer]

Yes, this is a rumor site, but the Buyer's Guide shouldn't be based on rumors as such because it can be extremely misleading and inaccurate

So, do you think it's accurate now? According to it, iPhone should have been updated already. It has been saying "Don't buy now" for months, even though it has been widely known that iPhone will most likely be updated at some point in autumn.

Same thing applies to Mac Pro. The fact that it relies on PPC updates makes the recommendation completely useless. A lot has changed since PPC times. Apple must follow Intel's update cycles now and unfortunately that means no new Mac Pro until Q4 this year.

Buyer's Guide definitely needs some kind of an update. Right now the "Don't buy" tag is used way too much.

 

[maflynn]

I disagree

Yes, this is a rumor site, but the Buyer's Guide shouldn't be based on rumors as such because it can be extremely misleading and inaccurate

I think for a buyer's guide its better to use prior release schedules as opposed to rumored dates.

If you recall on MBP release date, every other week there was a rumored date, it fluctuated all the time.

For a buyers guide trying to have some level of consistency and accuracy is a good thing.

 

[MacDawg]

So, do you think it's accurate now?

I think it is based on the only tangible evidence there is... prior releases

It is a guideline, not an absolute, but adding rumors to the mix is voodoo
Which rumors will you take? The iPad 3 coming out this Fall?

Buying is a crap shoot at best, but at least basing it on prior releases gives you an idea of the cycles. Beyond that, everyone should be responsible to read the rumors and choose as they see fit.

I am not opposed to updating the Buyer's Guide in some ways
But adding the rumors clouds the issue for me

 

[grapes911]

I like it the way it is. Is it accurate? No, not really, but the entire site is rumors. The Buyer's Guide is one of the few places where the facts are presented and isolated from rumors and opinions. It is very useful, but only if you keep it in context.

 

[Hellhammer]

It is a guideline, not an absolute, but adding rumors to the mix is voodoo
Which rumors will you take? The iPad 3 coming out this Fall?

I raised the same question earlier in this thread.

I didn't say OP's suggestion is the way to go but something should be done. My suggestion would be to at least ignore all the PPC stuff and base everything on the updates of Intel Macs. That would make it a lot more reasonable.

 

[One Bad Duck]

In retrospect you're all probably right a projected date might cloud the issue, but I think this would be no more confusing than the current "Don't Buy!" based on old product cycles.

As to the question about which rumours to trust.. This site has already quality controlled the rumours or it wouldnt have posted them in the first place..

Perhaps a little addition to the current system like

"MacRumors thinks product refresh in: 28 days"
or
"MacRumors thinks product refresh window: Late June to early July"

meh at least the mods have heard my suggestion.. thanks

 

[MacDawg]

In retrospect you're all probably right a projected date might cloud the issue, but I think this would be no more confusing than the current "Don't Buy!" based on old product cycles.

As to the question about which rumours to trust.. This site has already quality controlled the rumours or it wouldnt have posted them in the first place..

Perhaps a little addition to the current system like

"MacRumors thinks product refresh in: 28 days"
or
"MacRumors thinks product refresh window: Late June to early July"

meh at least the mods have heard my suggestion.. thanks

And all suggestions are appreciated and considered
In this case the Mods would really have no voice other than a User
This would strictly be the Admins and the Owner's decision

Perhaps instead of "MR thinks..." it would be more appropriate to say, "Possible refresh..." or "Rumored refresh..." with a link to the article(s), although most articles are already shown with the product

I am sure there are improvements that can be made to the BG

 

[McGiord]

I agree that it has to be revamped. And what about sell now, for people selling their stuff before the refresh happens?


Using the past as your only reference is not better than a good estimation based on recent information.

Once an Apple event is announced or confirmed the prediction could be given a more likely status, or something like that.

You can use 2 types of estimates:
1- Based on historic data
2- Based on rumors and news: this could be split in something like historically reliable source and the opposite.

 

[maflynn]

Using the past as your only reference is not better than a good estimation based on recent information.

The problem is that there is no good estimation. Take the latest iPhone rumors. Should MR have posted that an IP5 (or iP4s) be released in June because there were some rumors saying as such? There's a current rumor floating that an IP5 that's LTE is due out later this year which is counter to other rumors stating that we might see a minor update to the IP4 in the 3rd quarter.

Then there's the MBP update that I mentioned in my post. with the last two refreshes, we basically saw multiple probable dates of when those refreshes would occur, this lasted months. Should MR keep changing the buyers guide info based on the weekly/daily iteration of possible dates or should they rely on prior history that provides a more stable estimation.

 

[Hellhammer]

The problem is that there is no good estimation. Take the latest iPhone rumors. Should MR have posted that an IP5 (or iP4s) be released in June because there were some rumors saying as such? There's a current rumor floating that an IP5 that's LTE is due out later this year which is counter to other rumors stating that we might see a minor update to the IP4 in the 3rd quarter.

But both are saying that there will be an update in autumn, so it would be a good estimation to put that iPhone will receive an update in autumn. What the update holds inside is a whole new topic and we are not discussing about that.

Then there's the MBP update that I mentioned in my post. with the last two refreshes, we basically saw multiple probable dates of when those refreshes would occur, this lasted months. Should MR keep changing the buyers guide info based on the weekly/daily iteration of possible dates or should they rely on prior history that provides a more stable estimation.

If MR is ready to post it to their front page, why couldn't they update the BG too? It was known that MBPs would be updated in Q1 2011, most likely around Feb-March time. I don't think any dates should be included but a rough estimation could easily be made. Apple must follow Intel's update cycles and those are well known years ahead.

Currently, the prior updates provide a terrible estimation because all updates since the Big Bang are included. Mac Pro has been in "Don't buy" state for three months now and it is very unlikely that we will see an update for another three months. Is this a stable estimation in your opinion? Lately, Mac Pro's upgrade cycle has been ~15 months so the 9-month estimation is as inaccurate as it gets.