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Is the wait worth it?

D

de kaib

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 30, 2007
8
0
Chicago, IL
I am for sure planning on obtaining my own Mac before the fall semester but this wait is killing me.. I guess you can say I don't really need it right now and I could afford the wait. I spoke with some Apple Store employees about the options on waiting and one individual said they offer a free iPod with a Macbook purchase. Is it really worth it? Or also, for the new Leopard OS and Santa Rosa chipset, will they really make a big difference if I wait til the summer to purchase?

I am leaning towards getting a Macbook but also looking into a Macbook Pro. My current idea is to wait for a White Macbook 2.0GHz to go up on the Refurbished section for about 899.00 and snag that with whatever RAM/HD is offers. Then I would just upgrade the RAM/HD myself. I would also have to purchase Leopard on my own to factoring that in would make it probably costing close to what a new White Macbook 2.0GHz would cost.

Will Leopard be installed in all Macbooks once released and when? Is there a big difference between the current chipset and the new upcoming Santa Rosa chipset? Will the Santa Rosa chipset be installed in the Macbooks (not MBP)? Should I just purchase a low priced iBook/Powerbook now and sell it later on to purchase the new Macbooks with Leopard?

My main use for it would be for school assignments and paperwork, iTunes, Photoshop, and basic web surfing and chatting. I do play some games on my PC that I hope to be able to play on a Mac, but I can always play it on my PC nonetheless.

Thank you for taking your time reading this post of mine, I know it is probably unnecessary but please don't flame me for my newbiness. Thanks again!
 
Well if you don't absolutely need a new computer (laptop) at the moment, then I guess you might as well wait. But buying now wouldn't be a bad thing, at least in my opinion. Plus if you get a free iPod...doesn't sound too bad. :p But I probably couldn't answer your questions about Santa Rosa and all that. If you do buy now, and really want Leopard whenever it comes out, you can always buy it after, for probably around 129$.
 
Just wait until Leopard is released; you'll end up getting it eventually anyway and it will almost certainly come preinstalled on Macs once it is out.
 
What if I look into purchasing a cheaper iBook/Powerbook right now then selling it later on? Are the old iBook/Powerbooks still capable of performing applications fast or are they just dinosaurs now?
 
de kaib said:
What if I look into purchasing a cheaper iBook/Powerbook right now then selling it later on? Are the old iBook/Powerbooks still capable of performing applications fast or are they just dinosaurs now?
Click to expand...

you could do that, but what's your money situation? how good are you at selling things?

but definitely wait til Leopard and the new iLife before you buy a new mac. and the specs will be updated also....well worth the wait.

look, i know what you're going through....don't give in....be strong
 
I'm a sophomore in college. I have a rev E 17" Powerbook (last rev.). I love this thing and am very happy with it. I bought it used and got a really good deal. It works great for everything I do, the most computer demanding things I do with it are photography. With 2GB of ram it handles most everyday tasks without any slow downs. I plan on keeping it for at least 3 more years.

Anyway, for your situation, I would recommend waiting at least until Leopard comes out. You'd be glad you did when you don't have to shell out another $100 or so to upgrade. Is your current computer really that bad? It all comes down to how long you are willing to wait. If I can remember correctly, in the past Apple has waited until after the student iPod promotion before fall semester to update the laptop line. It was almost as if the promotion was just to help push sales before they upgraded the lines. Don't quote me on that though.

It seems as though you already made the decision to go with a notebook, and I second that choice. Laptops are the best for college, for me, this period of my life is full of traveling. I always somewhere, and haven't lived in the same place for more than 6 months for a few years now. Laptops are great cause it's easy to take everywhere, and I never have to use the school's PC's. :p

hope that helps.

...now I really should get back to studying :D
 
If you can wait until June 11th then, I would probably recommend doing so.
This is the ever increasingly likely date for the release of Leopard in my opinion. :)
 
Go! Get out! Now! Run! The phone calls are coming from inside the house!!!! Oh sorry, I got carried away.

If you find a good deal on a MacBook, I would just get it now. Five months is a long time to wait, and you have the money now it sounds like. You can then also sell your old computer to help make up the difference. The MBP is great, but if you're a student you should probably be saving your $$$.

BTW you had a question about Leopard - a refurb most likely will *not* come with Leopard installed, but you'll get the disks and can do it yourself.
 
I am waiting for Leopard, but I don’t need any new computer right now so I can wait.
 
Okay, I have better advice now - wait for the next update and then buy. Good chance of an update in the next 90 days. I forgot how "late" the current MacBook model is getting.

One thing you can do is to wait for the update to be announced, and then buy a refurb older model - you usually get some great deals then.
 
tristan said:
Go! Get out! Now! Run! The phone calls are coming from inside the house!!!! Oh sorry, I got carried away.

If you find a good deal on a MacBook, I would just get it now. Five months is a long time to wait, and you have the money now it sounds like. You can then also sell your old computer to help make up the difference. The MBP is great, but if you're a student you should probably be saving your $$$.

BTW you had a question about Leopard - a refurb most likely will *not* come with Leopard installed, but you'll get the disks and can do it yourself.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it. When you say Leopard will not come with refurbished Macs will they come with the disks though? Will Apple provide the Leopard OS to install myself or will that be extra money in my pocket?

Just to state, I haven't purchased anything yet. I am a college student with a tight budget (just like all other college students in the world) so waiting right now would be my best bet. Just like crazydreaming, I am always busy moving around. I am actually moving out of this apartment at the end of August and hopefully finding another place.

I do have another set of questions again.. I was wondering how I can check on announcements from Apple about Leopard and the Santa Rosa chipset. Is there a BIG difference between the current chipset and Santa Rosa? I am beginning to lean towards a MBP for the long run.. but I am wondering is the only difference between the MB and MBP screen size and graphics capabilities? Will I be able to run Photoshop on a 2.0GHz MB flawlessly compared to running it on a MBP? Thanks again everyone!
 
de kaib said:
Thanks everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it. When you say Leopard will not come with refurbished Macs will they come with the disks though? Will Apple provide the Leopard OS to install myself or will that be extra money in my pocket?

Just to state, I haven't purchased anything yet. I am a college student with a tight budget (just like all other college students in the world) so waiting right now would be my best bet. Just like crazydreaming, I am always busy moving around. I am actually moving out of this apartment at the end of August and hopefully finding another place.

I do have another set of questions again.. I was wondering how I can check on announcements from Apple about Leopard and the Santa Rosa chipset. Is there a BIG difference between the current chipset and Santa Rosa? I am beginning to lean towards a MBP for the long run.. but I am wondering is the only difference between the MB and MBP screen size and graphics capabilities? Will I be able to run Photoshop on a 2.0GHz MB flawlessly compared to running it on a MBP? Thanks again everyone!
Click to expand...

i would say wait, and get a MBP if you can afford it......the graphics will come in handy.....
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear. My own PowerBook G4 is a refurb and came with Panther preloaded. However, in the PB box, I also received paper CD sleeves with the four CDs for Tiger, which I then installed.

I assume that's because I bought an older model as a refurb, and it still had Panther, yet as a new customer I was entitled to Tiger, which had already been released by that time.
 
tristan said:
Sorry if I wasn't clear. My own PowerBook G4 is a refurb and came with Panther preloaded. However, in the PB box, I also received paper CD sleeves with the four CDs for Tiger, which I then installed.

I assume that's because I bought an older model as a refurb, and it still had Panther, yet as a new customer I was entitled to Tiger, which had already been released by that time.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, so you still benefitted getting it later on. After looking around for a while, I think a refurbished model would be my best choice because of financial reasons (being a college student). I have really been eyeing this model on apple.com:

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo - White
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera

Original price: $1,299.00
Your price: $899.00

I plan to upgrade it to 2GB RAM and 120GB HDD after market. Will this model be most likely on sale later on this summer as it has been for the past couple weeks? Do you think they will include Leopard installation disks if I purchase it when Leopard is out? Will upgrading this model be worth it compared to buying a higher MB or possibly a MBP? And is there a significant difference between 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz? Thanks again everyone, you have all been great!
 
de kaib said:
Ah ok, so you still benefitted getting it later on. After looking around for a while, I think a refurbished model would be my best choice because of financial reasons (being a college student). I have really been eyeing this model on apple.com:

Refurbished MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo - White
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
1280 x 800 resolution
512MB memory (2x256MB SODIMMs)
60GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in iSight camera

Original price: $1,299.00
Your price: $899.00

I plan to upgrade it to 2GB RAM and 120GB HDD after market. Will this model be most likely on sale later on this summer as it has been for the past couple weeks? Do you think they will include Leopard installation disks if I purchase it when Leopard is out? Will upgrading this model be worth it compared to buying a higher MB or possibly a MBP? And is there a significant difference between 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz? Thanks again everyone, you have all been great!
Click to expand...

That's a substantial discount. I might have to rethink my plans...
 
I mean come on what 3 months to wait now, yeah it may seem like a while but if you keep on saving you could be able to afford a MBP and it will have a new specs and have leopard preinstalled so no paying out for that aswell.
 
There might not be any more Core Duo refubs when Leopard hits. Good news though, if there is a new Santa Rosa model the current Core 2 Duos will see a price cut in the refurb store.
 
The only time I will get a laptop to replace my trusty G4 powerbook, is when Apple put some decent displays on their 15" or 17" MBP's, ie. 1920x1200 res with brightness & contrast like the Sony laptop displays.

There is just so much better display technology that could, and should be in their 'Pro' line - that it is getting annoying now waiting for someone to wise up and put a proper HD resolution in there. A better graphic card than the X1600 should also be heavily considered. The MBP just never seemed special enough to me, to warrant the 'Pro' monkier. The Mac Pro is an example of how to do something right for an Apple Pro machine. The lack of a true HD display, or decent graphics card is something that is reeking on a tech generation or two ago.

I'd much rather have these two components tweaked rather than a core refresh or speed bump - as a new core or speed bump won't nearly have as much impact on the system as a new graphics system and HD display. And it isn't as if it can't be done - so why not? :(

I'm half expecting a decent update for the Mac Mini, where a core update would make sense. If that were to happen, I think I'd grab one straight away to start making up a cheap decent Media center, the envy of any :apple:TV owner.
 
jordygreen said:
I mean come on what 3 months to wait now, yeah it may seem like a while but if you keep on saving you could be able to afford a MBP and it will have a new specs and have leopard preinstalled so no paying out for that aswell.
Click to expand...

i agree here. i highly advise you to do this. and you will want a Core2Duo, for the 64-bit leopard....
 
suneohair said:
There might not be any more Core Duo refubs when Leopard hits. Good news though, if there is a new Santa Rosa model the current Core 2 Duos will see a price cut in the refurb store.
Click to expand...

So you think if they release the Santa Rosa chipset there will be no more C2D refurbished models for sale? I do agree though that the price would probably drop, I guess in my case I find Leopard more important than the Santa Rosa chipset.

twoodcc said:
i agree here. i highly advise you to do this. and you will want a Core2Duo, for the 64-bit leopard....
Click to expand...

Will Leopard be able to run perfectly with C2D? Personally, I think I am leaning towards a Macbook more than a MBP.

Can a Macbook run Photoshop without any problems? Will Apple still sell refurbished C2D models with Leopard when the new Santa Rosa chipset is released? Man, I just want to be a new happy Mac switcher now.. ugh, why must you be so cruel Apple haha! Just my little vent, thanks again!
 
these issues are hashed out in MULTIPLE TOPICS. Not to be a jerk, but I am getting tired of answering the same question time and time again.

Valid points keep being brought up over numerous topics. Can we just make one topic so all the points can be in one place and we can stop making the case for one way or another 20 billion times?
 
these issues are hashed out in MULTIPLE TOPICS. Not to be a jerk, but I am getting tired of answering the same question time and time again.

Valid points keep being brought up over numerous topics. Can we just make one topic so all the points can be in one place and we can stop making the case for one way or another 20 billion times?
Click to expand...

I am someone who had the same 'I am thinking of switching post' about a month ago.... and I have seen lots of posts since then with the same questions about switching and hardware/software/OS that I had. Considering the increased public interest, the 'Do not buy' recommendation in the Buying tips section, and the lack of information from Apple about a release date for hardware, I also think it would help if this forum or a conglomerate forum with the most asked questions and answers for newbies updating/switching was stickied.

I have decided to wait, at least for Leopard.
 
You guys are students. You're forgetting your greatest asset when it comes to buying Macs and their software...the educational discount. If you're waiting for Leopard to be released, it's almost not worth the wait. You'll likely be able to get an educational discount and just pay $60-$70 for the new OS.
 
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