I upgraded...wait, should I have?

[AppleGoat]

Title may be somewhat misleading. I bought the new baseline 13" MBP online with a education discount and it's expected to arrive on Thursday. I'm wondering if I made a mistake and should just return it to an Apple Store when it comes. Here's the scoop:

This past September (end of month) I picked up the baseline 2010 13" MBP. I had begun a graphic design internship and felt my ever-reliable, going-on 6 year old Powerbook, was holding me back. So, I bit the bullet. The thing is that I had back in May and June forgone upgrading to this very model, because I feared the Core2Duo - although lightyears beyond what I was using - was not particularly future proof. Adding fire to the flame, the very processor Core2Duo 2.4ghz-8600 was in the inaugural 2008 unibody Macbooks!

Everyone always says that if the computer is running well, why consider upgrading? Well, my one is quick and does everything I want it to do today, but will it tomorrow? It's never a question of whether it suffices now, which it does, but will applications and such in the not so distance future exploit hyperthreading and, in general, take advantage of these substantial CPU advancements? Probably.

To which you may retort, well why not just hold out to the next refresh? I'm a use-my-computer-til-the-hard-drive-stops-spinning kinda guy (although I will swap an SSD at some point), so the concept of leasing doesn't entice me. Furthermore, until the next refresh, I'll be conscious of any dink or scratch I may incur that could affect resale value, but otherwise wouldn't matter to me.

So do you think it was right in making the upgrade now, while my computer still has a lot of time under warranty? Or should I send the new computer back when I take delivery of it? If I upgrade, you could see it as essentially a $100-150 glorified, 5-month computer rental.

Note: I bought before selling to make migration easier.

 

[Gen]

If you plan on keeping the laptop for a good 3 years - then yes, good job upgrading to the 2011 machine.

 

[T-bag]

If you don't need the extra power provided with the new 13", I'd strongly consider returning it and rather get a new one when the old one is starting to stutter. That way you

1) get more use out of you current MB,
2) get a better machine once you need it (maybe next release?)
3) don't feel like you're wasting money

Upgrade to an SSD instead. I would never buy another 13" (I have one late 2008, getting a 17"), but I need gpu/screen real estate now so.

Good luck deciding!

EDIT: If you get a considerable price for the old one, just keep the new one. The longer you wait to upgrade, the less you can sell for. Sorry for not considering this before.

 

[AppleGoat]

Thanks for the responses! I'm not one to chase technology, but I feel these are unique circumstances. When I bought this computer I had forecasted a major CPU refresh in the offing, and it, in turn, exceeded my expectations. It's one thing to jump to the latest and greatest, when the spec bumps are minor or the changes are largely cosmetic. Obviously, despite what others may say, that is not the case here.

I'm finding all sorts of creative ways to rationalize shelling out 100-150 bucks (presumably the difference): "Oh well, it's like I spent 150 dollars to significantly upgrade my processor, become Thunderbolt compatible, and get back 5 months of life on my computer and its warranty).

 

[dacapo]

This is the way I'd look at it. (Not sure if it's kinda off, though.)

If you sell your 2010 MBP, you should be able to fetch $900-ish.

So, subtract that from your 2011 MBP, which is probably around $200.

So for $200, you've used your 2010 MBP for about 7 months.

That means you've effectively leased your older MBP for a little less than $30 per month.


Of course, if you keep your 2010 MBP for another year, I'd imagine the resale value to drop but not terribly much from this point on. My guess is you could fetch around $750-ish this time next year? So, 18 months @ $1100 - $750 = $19.50 per month.


---

EDIT: Hmm.. I was kind of considering upgrading this year, and I think I just convinced myself to wait another year!
[Assuming nothing drastic happens like spilling stuff on it, etc.]

EDIT2: The cost difference between upgrading now and upgrading a year later is actually about $150-ish, so maybe it's not a big deal in the end. Whichever the case, this is one of those times that I'm glad MBPs retain their market value so well.

 

[T-bag]

Agreed with op. It's already on its way. You might even have to pay the shipping costs to return it. After thinking it through - upgrading to the latest mac isn't that expensive.

 

[fr4c]

I think it's worth it. The update in my eyes was pretty substantial, and regardless of what anyone says about benchmarks being "synthetic" the new 13" still scores the same if not better than last years 15" i7. If you're able to upgrade to the new one for only $100-200 out of pocket, then I would jump in with both feet.

 

[ddoolin0]

I think it's worth it. The update in my eyes was pretty substantial, and regardless of what anyone says about benchmarks being "synthetic" the new 13" still scores the same if not better than last years 15" i7. If you're able to upgrade to the new one for only $100-200 out of pocket, then I would jump in with both feet.

Seriously. The resale on these is so good you could do this every year and get a new computer for little to nothing. Some people DO DO IT. Nice I guess.

 

[Grouchy Bob]

So do you think it was right in making the upgrade now, while my computer still has a lot of time under warranty? Or should I send the new computer back when I take delivery of it? If I upgrade, you could see it as essentially a $100-150 glorified, 5-month computer rental.

Note: I bought before selling to make migration easier.

My head hurts. (There's a lot of "fluff" to read here).

How will your current MBP which is in perfectly good working order become an issue in the next few years? The software you use now won't mysteriously stop working at midnight on some undisclosed and predestined day.

You made an impulse buy and are now spinning things to justify it and looking for folks to say you did the right thing. You indicate you don't chase specs but it sounds like this is precisely what you did.

That being said, it's ok to have buyer's remorse and want new stuff. I just don't understand why folks just don't admit it instead of feeling guilty.

Most importantly however... in the grand scheme of things here at MR... nobody really cares what you do with your money.

 

[ozred]

When I need (not just want) a new Mac, I do my research and time my purchase accordingly.

I bought a fully loaded 15" 2010 MBP the very first day they were released. That assured me I was future proofed for approx 6 months.

That's the reality of today's short product cycles. The reason I said six months is that's about how long before rumors begin about the next model.

Therefore I ignore the idea of future proofing. I'll worry about that when it gets here.

If my computer is currently meeting my needs I use it, enjoy it, and relax as I read about the bugs others are dealing with on their new laptops.

 

[AppleGoat]

Thanks for the response,


It's a little annoying having to wait to sell it, but like I said I want to migrate my files from one machine to the other, the new Macbook is expected Thursday. Additionally, my original box is upstate, believe me having that will increase resale value. My sister, who lives upstate, is expecting a child (due date today), so I figure I'll hit two birds with one stone: go up there to see my niece and retrieve the box. It's all about perceived value. For example, if I have trouble getting what I want, I can pick up a 128GB SSD from Newegg for say $225 and install it myself, then throw the Macbook on eBay and/or Craigslist for like 1299 or little bit less. People would probably bite at that and the difference would then be negligible. But that's best case scenario.

Returning the new one is still on the table for no cost to me. Shipping to me was free, and I wouldn't have to ship it back. I could just bring it to a brick-and-mortar Apple store. Anand's forthcoming reviews will probably help me decide what to do.

 

[AppleGoat]

My head hurts. (There's a lot of "fluff" to read here).

How will your current MBP which is in perfectly good working order become an issue in the next few years? The software you use now won't mysteriously stop working at midnight on some undisclosed and predestined day.

You made an impulse buy and are now spinning things to justify it and looking for folks to say you did the right thing. You indicate you don't chase specs but it sounds like this is precisely what you did.

That being said, it's ok to have buyer's remorse and want new stuff. I just don't understand why folks just don't admit it instead of feeling guilty.

Most importantly however... in the grand scheme of things here at MR... nobody really cares what you do with your money.

Yeah, well I want to stress that I don't chase specs, unless I upgraded before a major spec upgrade, the situation here. I'm not gonna keep upgrading every year. If I had bought an Arrandale 15-17" Macbook, I would feel less proud about my purchase after this recent refresh, but less of a compulsion to upgrade. The Core2Duo is just so long in the tooth. Sure, it runs all my software today, but what about the software or operating system I want to upgrade to in 3 years?

 

[skiltrip]

Seriously. The resale on these is so good you could do this every year and get a new computer for little to nothing. Some people DO DO IT. Nice I guess.

I did exactly this.

Got 13" 2.4 in April '10 for $1099 (edu).
Put $175 in upgrades into it (ram, hd).
Sold it 2 weeks before the 2011 came out for $1150.

So I got a 13" MBP from April-Feb for $125.
Not too shabby.

 

[AppleGoat]

I did exactly this.

Got 13" 2.4 in April '10 for $1099 (edu).
Put $175 in upgrades into it (ram, hd).
Sold it 2 weeks before the 2011 came out for $1150.

So I got a 13" MBP from April-Feb for $125.
Not too shabby.

What kind of hard drive did you upgrade to -- 7200 rpm?

 

[d0vr]

Hmm, as far as I'm concerned, if you're not interested in next years possible complete refresh then yeh you're latest upgrade was a good move.

If however you are happy with your current MBP 13", and think you'll be happy for another year and want next years possible refresh, return your latest upgrade and keep your current one

 

[C1raider]

It's a wash

With your education discount you're not going to lose that much $ selling your 2010 and moving to the 2011. AND even if you wanted to get the next, 2012, update you can, if still a student, for very little money.

However it doesnt sound like you NEED the 2011 nor the updates that await in the next model considering your experience with your powerbook.

Summary, if its fun for you and money isnt really tight keep the 2011 and see what happens with the next update you're not risking much

 

[Grouchy Bob]

Sure, it runs all my software today, but what about the software or operating system I want to upgrade to in 3 years?

Rumor has it... they will still be selling macs in 3 years. And you'll even get that new OS free with your purchase.

 

[AppleGoat]

Rumor has it... they will still be selling macs in 3 years. And you'll even get that new OS free with your purchase.

True, Lion preinstalled on future machines is something of a reason to wait. What I fear, rationally or not, is that -- from the introduction of the i-core series, 32nm processors -- the software world has begun to very gradually weed out the widely popular C2D processors. You won't see it tomorrow, you won't see it next week, you won't see it next year. But, three years maybe. On this forum, people may encourage a 2007 Macbook owner to upgrade, but question why a 2010 Macbook owner would. Do you realize that both computers, despite being spaced 3 years, have comparable processors? I knew when I purchased my MBP in September that is was probably the last C2D iteration, but I desperately needed something better than my ancient Powerbook for my graphic design internship.

That said, I'm now regretting my decision to upgrade. Yesterday, CNET reviewer, Scott Stein, had more of a beef with the 13" Intel integrated graphics than I thought a professional reviewer would. Additionally, all these nightmarish heating and turbine fan observations on the new MBPs keep cropping up.

More bad news, I called one of my local brick-and-mortar Apple stores, and they don't accept returns for online orders. Who would have expected that, especially from Apple? Are the stores not owned by the same company? I'm sure the baseline 13" is their most popular MBP, they're telling me that if they took my online return it would not sell within a few hours? Seems like it'd be in my best interest to keep the new one. Yes, my vacillation must drive some of you sick.

 

[HBOC]

why not get a 15"? That would seem more of an upgrade imo. I went from an early 08' 2.5GHZ 15" to a 2.2 quad core 15" and i am astounded at how much quicker this machine is. I do need to upgrade the RAM (and probably the HDD).

 

[AppleGoat]

why not get a 15"? That would seem more of an upgrade imo. I went from an early 08' 2.5GHZ 15" to a 2.2 quad core 15" and i am astounded at how much quicker this machine is. I do need to upgrade the RAM (and probably the HDD).

I'd like the top 15" model, but it's nearly twice as much as the base 13". It seems prior to purchasing the 2011 13" I only read and heard of its assets, since then, it seems I have only read and heard of its drawbacks.

 

[Grouchy Bob]

Yesterday, CNET reviewer, Scott Stein, had more of a beef with the 13" Intel integrated graphics than I thought a professional reviewer would.

His review sounded pretty straightforward and unbiased to me. Nothing new about the IGP being lackluster for gaming. He's just telling how it like it is.

And since you were too lazy to link to that review here it is.

Additionally, all these nightmarish heating and turbine fan observations on the new MBPs keep cropping up.

All relative. Depends on which macbook you just came/upgraded from, what version of the power-hungry game you're playing these days, ear wax, etc.

More bad news, I called one of my local brick-and-mortar Apple stores, and they don't accept returns for online orders. Who would have expected that, especially from Apple?

Hogwash.

And why would you order from a retail Apple store and not from Apple directly?

You can shut down that order now with one phone call. (MasterCard, Visa, etc.)