Laptop rotation or not?

[NicApicella]

Hey there!

I have a 13" mid-2013 MBA (16GB RAM). At home, it's connected to an external monitor, so the lid's closed. I'm pretty satisfied with it (and my setup).

Since I'm almost done with university, I thought I'd profit from both the edu-shop discount as well as the back-to-school promo and get a new laptop.
Also, being four years old, my current MBA will probably depreciate (more) rapidly soon; so why not get rid of it now and get a couple of $$$ now rather than try and sell it later.

Thing is, what's the currently available alternative?

MB doesn't fit the bill for me (I'm more of a power-user; a couple of friends with similar usage profiles as me are all dissatisfied with the MB's performance).
So it's either an MBA or an MBP.
But the Air hasn't seen any real/decent update recently, so I'd probably have to go with a Pro to be on the safe side for the next couple of years.

I'd go with a 13" for portability; 256 GB SSD since I've been struggling lately with having "only" 128; 16 GB RAM because I need it.
For a total of almost 2.000 €.

Considering the edu-shop discount, the BTS-value and selling my old laptop, I'm guessing I could recoup ~600-700 €.

Still, I'd be spending >1.000 € for a brand new machine … that I don't really need.
OK, my laptop could be faster, but as I wrote above, I'm "pretty satisfied" with it.

Is spending all that money for a new, future-proof machine with warranty worth it?
Or should I wait?

If I wait, I probably wouldn't be able to "recoup" as much as I could right now.
OTOH, I'd be spending what feels like an awful lot of money for a beautiful screen that ~50% of the time I wouldn't even be using.
It's an investment, if you like; but is it the right time/decision?

Any advice?

Thanks,
Nicola

 

[phairphan]

I'm pointing this out since it may make a difference in your decision-making calculus for a new laptop, are you certain that your current laptop has 16 GB of RAM? If so, you must have a Macbook Pro, not an Air. I do not believe MBAs were ever offered with 16 GB of memory.

 

[ignatius345]

My strategy is usually to wait it out until my current hardware isn't doing what I need anymore. I'm still using this 2013 MacBook Air for web stuff, writing, etc. I could afford to buy a retina MBP but I'd really be buying a marginal improvement in my experience -- no real additional functionality. Plus, you know, there's an environmental impact for every piece of hardware you buy.

Whatever MBP you have your eye on today will get cheaper tomorrow (or, for the same price, you can get whatever the next one is).

 

[NicApicella]

I'm pointing this out since it may make a difference in your decision-making calculus for a new laptop, are you certain that your current laptop has 16 GB of RAM? If so, you must have a Macbook Pro, not an Air. I do not believe MBAs were ever offered with 16 GB of memory.

You're absolutely right: It's got 8 GB of memory!
(Apparently my mind just stored the information "maxed out RAM"…)
[doublepost=1502485692][/doublepost]

My strategy is usually to wait it out until my current hardware isn't doing what I need anymore. I'm still using this 2013 MacBook Air for web stuff, writing, etc. I could afford to buy a retina MBP but I'd really be buying a marginal improvement in my experience -- no real additional functionality. Plus, you know, there's an environmental impact for every piece of hardware you buy.

Whatever MBP you have your eye on today will get cheaper tomorrow (or, for the same price, you can get whatever the next one is).

You're right about the environmental impact. Since I wouldn't be throwing out my current one, the drawback shouldn't be too bad.

I'd usually concur with you in using something if it still can be used and that waiting makes things cheaper, but the combo back to school, edu discount, and "used laptop still worth a bit" is now or … never again (at least not for me ;-) ).

Thanks for your input!

 

[ignatius345]

I'd usually concur with you in using something if it still can be used and that waiting makes things cheaper, but the combo back to school, edu discount, and "used laptop still worth a bit" is now or … never again (at least not for me ;-) ).

Thanks for your input!

Yeah, I get it, the resale thing is real. I'd also recommend keeping an eye on that refurb page -- often cheaper than the educational discount, especially once a particular machine has been out a while... Good luck!