Is my 15 inch 2011 unibody macbook pro obsolete right now? read poster.

[macdaddy612]

I really love my 2011 15 inch unibody macbook pro because it was so far the first quad core laptop apple release therefore the best for photographers. I took care of it very well, and when rmbp was release I was stun with the ratina display resolution. So I though If I sell my current macbook pro the value will decrease like used windows pc. I am waiting to buy 13 inch ratina display macbook pro that's my goal InshAllah.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Macs don't depreciate as Windows PCs and notebooks do, just take a look at eBay and auctions for 2011 MBPs, that are similar to yours. You may lose 300 to 500 €, but you would still get good money to put towards a new MacBook Pro.
Unless you are asking about something else.

 

[Glockron]

What? A 2011? Of course it's not obsolete.... You don't need to replace every year, dude. Every 4 years is more like it.

If you chuck in an SSD with some more RAM - you've pretty much got a retina-speed system. Now it's up to you to see if 1800 USD is worth it for the display upgrade.

If you really want a retina, I'd leave my MBP as is, and wait for the Haswell refresh next year. You're bound to get a huge performance increase, plus the flaws of the 1st gen rMBP will be ironed out. Your current MBP will be fine until then.

I've gotta say though, that my advice is not to fall into Apple's marketing trap, and settle for your far-above-average system that you already have

 

[thekev]

Macs don't depreciate as Windows PCs and notebooks do, just take a look at eBay and auctions for 2011 MBPs, that are similar to yours.

They depreciate much more these days. Last year had two refresh cycles. Some of the refurbished pricing has been more aggressive, and the supply has been higher possibly due to Apple's lenient return policies. Beyond that all of them fall in value. If a 13" or cheaper 15" comes out with an upgraded display, the used ones will come down. Just the IPS upgrade and the adjustments with the front glass to reduce reflections would sell at a ton of them. With computers it's just much easier to view them as sunken costs. If you need to factor in residual value to justify the purchase, you're spending too much. Refurbished late 2011 models are on average $500 less now. Early 2011s are up to $700 or more off. You'd get less selling used, but these things should be factored at the time of purchase.

I've gotta say though, that my advice is not to fall into Apple's marketing trap, and settle for your far-above-average system that you already have

At least someone on here maintained their sanity.

 

[Prime85]

What? A 2011? Of course it's not obsolete.... You don't need to replace every year, dude. Every 4 years is more like it.

If you chuck in an SSD with some more RAM - you've pretty much got a retina-speed system. Now it's up to you to see if 1800 USD is worth it for the display upgrade.

If you really want a retina, I'd leave my MBP as is, and wait for the Haswell refresh next year. You're bound to get a huge performance increase, plus the flaws of the 1st gen rMBP will be ironed out. Your current MBP will be fine until then.

I've gotta say though, that my advice is not to fall into Apple's marketing trap, and settle for your far-above-average system that you already have

Agreed! I put in a Samsung 830 SSD with 16gb of RAM and my late 2011 is amazingly fast. If apple refreshes their style every 3-4 years i will just wait till the next body style is released. I am up for an upgrade on the iPhone though, that really does need to hurry up.

 

[sweetbrat]

Your system becomes obsolete when it doesn't do what you need it to do anymore, not because a newer computer came out. Sure, you can sell the one you have now and buy a new one. But unless you really need some specific feature that new one offers that your current one doesn't, why bother? I'm assuming your current MBP still functions well and meets your needs. If it's a case of always wanting to have the newest thing, you'll be upgrading constantly because technology is always changing.

If you decide to sell it, of course the price will be lower since you'd be selling a used computer, but Macs tend to hold their value better than Windows machines. Look on eBay and Craigslist and see what your model is currently selling for to get an idea of what you could get from it.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Macs don't depreciate as Windows PCs and notebooks do, just take a look at eBay and auctions for 2011 MBPs, that are similar to yours. You may lose 300 to 500 €, but you would still get good money to put towards a new MacBook Pro.
Unless you are asking about something else.

While nothing you said is incorrect, what you missed is that a comparable Windows laptop costs ~1000 less, so when it looses 50% of its value, it's still only lost $500.

 

[Jiten]

Believe my friend, you machine is still very very fast. Do not fall into the trap of trying to keep up, there will always be a better and faster computer in the future.

 

[arashb]

Apple releases two generations of computers, approximately, every year.

A new better and cheaper windows laptop comes out everyday.

Of course they both depreciate the second you buy it, but with a new computer coming out in an average of half a year, a Mac will depreciate far less.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Keep it. There is no reason to upgrade to the rMBP aside from the screen. Besides there are still many issues that need to be ironed out.

 

[jcpb]

I really love my 2011 15 inch unibody macbook pro because it was so far the first quad core laptop apple release therefore the best for photographers. I took care of it very well, and when rmbp was release I was stun with the ratina display resolution. So I though If I sell my current macbook pro the value will decrease like used windows pc. I am waiting to buy 13 inch ratina display macbook pro that's my goal InshAllah.

Depreciation? It's already losing value the moment you turn on the MBP for the first time. Very few cars retain their original purchase price over time, even after adjusting for inflation and constant repairs to keep everything in mint condition.

Obsolete? Only when you stop using it.

 

[musicofmelkor]

Obsolete?
Please...

Relax and enjoy your system
Don't even think about upgrading until you see quads with 20k numbers
Unless, of course, you make money thru the laptop, but you probably don't since you made this thread