get the rMBP 13" or wait for the new one.

[iimac]

Hey guys, I don't post here often, just have a few questions regarding the macbook pro. I'm purchasing my first laptop having been an imac user most of my life. However, i'm going to university at the end of this month and require a laptop. I've decided to purchase a mac, however i'm not sure which one to get.

I'm a fairly casual laptop user, my only uses are: Internet browsing, netflix, Microsoft word andoccasionally games. However, graphics aren't really an issue, just standard MMORPGs like WoW. I don't use any other software, graphic programmes etc.

I was originally thinking of getting the new Macbook Air 2013, however i'm not too sure if it'll suit my needs.

Right now i'm torn between getting the RMBP 13" 2.5ghz (1249£) or waiting for the Haswell one. I really need it quite soon, since I'm off to university at the end of this month. I'm not too bothered for the spec updates, since I won't really be using them anyway. However, I visual changes do bother me. I don't want something that will look outdated. Will the new haswell mac visually look identical to the current ones?

Thoughts? for my needs, would you just go ahead and get the current rMBP 13" or wait? or even get the new macbook air.

 

[CausticPuppy]

I think that the current rMBP will meet your needs just fine, but the "killer feature" of the refreshed version will certainly be much improved battery life.

If you can get by with "only" 7 hours of battery with the current model then you'll be fine. But the next version will allow you to basically forget about your charger.

If you really want 12 hours of battery life, and you need a notebook within the next month, then go ahead with the Air. It won't be any slower in day-to-day use than the rMBP, but you'll give up the retina screen.

 

[ldwoody]

I'm in a similar boat. My way of thinking- if you're not desperate for the back to school voucher, in which case you'll be buying today or tomorrow, hold out till you start Uni (It's what I'm doing), you wont need it straight away (You'll have fresher's week as a bit of a buffer) not to mention your student loan may increase your budget ever so slightly (but I didn't tell you to do that, be sensible with your loan blah blah blah).

 

[Krazy Bill]

I really need it quite soon, since I'm off to university at the end of this month.

Buy it today and remove all links to this forum from your browser. Avoid anything Apple related.

Get a head start on setting up your new machine so you can spend more time drinking and fraternizing with fellow students. Be safe. Do your homework. Enjoy.

 

[Atomic Walrus]

If you have any intentions of gaming you need to wait for the refresh. Ignoring battery life, it'll be a massive improvement in GPU performance compared to the pathetic HD 4000.

Even the Haswell Air is going to get better frame rates at the same resolutions because of its HD 5000 iGPU (though the difference is less significant than we expect from the HD 5100 higher TDP part expected to be in the 13" rMBP).

Don't listen to people who advise buying last year's tech, who will now likely proceed to attack me. Either get the Air, which will be an amazing general machine for school (that battery life, it's crazy) or wait for the rMBP refresh.

 

[fskywalker]

I think this is the right time to buy the 13 inch rMBP and great prices! I just purchased two 13 inch rMBP's:


1- Mint (10 cycles on battery) 2012 13 inch rMBP (2.5/8/256GB) from Amazon open box warehouse deals for $1152 ($2,000 MSRP) for my daughter and

2- Mint (9 cycles in battery) , max -out spec (2.9/8/768 GB) 2012 13 inch rMBP with a lot of licensed software, Apple wireless keyboard and Apple superdrive, and two 60 watt power adapters for $1750 (Ebay, very reputable seller) for myself . I have the Apple original receipt and its cost was $2900 plus tax.

So if were you would look for deals like this right now rather than waiting for the new ones at full retail prices.

 

[PDFierro]

I think this is the right time to buy the 13 inch rMBP and great prices! I just purchased two 13 inch rMBP's:


1- Mint (10 cycles on battery) 2012 13 inch rMBP (2.5/8/256GB) from Amazon open box warehouse deals for $1152 ($2,000 MSRP) for my daughter and

2- Mint (9 cycles in battery) , max -out spec (2.9/8/768 GB) 2012 13 inch rMBP with a lot of licensed software, Apple wireless keyboard and Apple superdrive, and two 60 watt power adapters for $1750 (Ebay, very reputable seller) for myself . I have the Apple original receipt and its cost was $2900 plus tax.

So if were you would look for deals like this right now rather than waiting for the new ones at full retail prices.

It depends if you are willing to pay full-price for the Haswell rMBP or not. No amount of discount could convince me to buy the current rMBP.

 

[fskywalker]

It depends if you are willing to pay full-price for the Haswell rMBP or not. No amount of discount could convince me to buy the current rMBP.

Agree. For me paying full retail was not a good deal, but if paying full retail is not an issue, Haswell rMBP should be better than current rMBP in a few things, like battery life, faster SSD and faster Wifi