MacBook Pro - Wait to buy new version?

[moseg]

Hi all --

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this question. I think it's time for me to upgrade and buy a new computer. I have a Powerbook G4 that I bought in 2005. It's not dead yet, but it's getting there, and I actually just dropped it for the first time I ever yesterday which was probably a subconscious move to make me finally upgrade. And at this point, I'm shut out from a lot of simple software that isn't available to my computer and OS (Google Chrome, Netflix streaming, etc).

Anyway, when I bought my Powerbook in 2005, this was the year before they switched to the intel processors and the macbook line, so my computer was quickly antiquated.

So I want to avoid getting something that will be so quickly out of date. Is there any sense of when the next cycle will begin? And is there any sense of whether the updates will be radical/important changes or just general tweaks? (I saw the rumor about Apple switching from Intel, but that sounds like it's in mid 2013, which is a long way off).

I can definitely hold out for a few months if something that will definitely be an improvement is on the way. But, if it's minor or if it's going to actually be several months down the line, maybe I should just go for it now.

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

 

[snaky69]

There are no new intel processors coming out until early 2012, so the next update is still quite a while off.

 

[palpatine]

Hi all --

I apologize if this is the wrong place for this question. I think it's time for me to upgrade and buy a new computer. I have a Powerbook G4 that I bought in 2005. It's not dead yet, but it's getting there, and I actually just dropped it for the first time I ever yesterday which was probably a subconscious move to make me finally upgrade. And at this point, I'm shut out from a lot of simple software that isn't available to my computer and OS (Google Chrome, Netflix streaming, etc).

Anyway, when I bought my Powerbook in 2005, this was the year before they switched to the intel processors and the macbook line, so my computer was quickly antiquated.

So I want to avoid getting something that will be so quickly out of date. Is there any sense of when the next cycle will begin? And is there any sense of whether the updates will be radical/important changes or just general tweaks? (I saw the rumor about Apple switching from Intel, but that sounds like it's in mid 2013, which is a long way off).

I can definitely hold out for a few months if something that will definitely be an improvement is on the way. But, if it's minor or if it's going to actually be several months down the line, maybe I should just go for it now.

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

take a look at the newly released airs. they sound adequate for your needs. see the buyer's guide tab up above for lots and lots of information.

a new intel processor is in the works, and we could see something in the spring. i am sure it will be shiny. it may even have a redesigned case.

i just bought mine. i will sell it for a small loss and upgrade if i feel like it. i will keep it if i don't. either way, i am using the programs i want to use now and loving every minute of it. i don't know how you survived this long without an upgrade. you have far more patience than i do.

 

[alust2013]

The next release will likely be in February, or at least the next one worth getting. I have heard rumors of a redesign this fall, but it would still have the same hardware as the current model, so if you want to wait, it will be a while. Even at that, the upgrades aren't going to be massive, as it will just be from sandy bridge (very powerful) to ivy bridge (slightly more powerful). If you have been getting along fine with a G4, any of the current line will be a pretty amazing upgrade, so I think now would be a good time.

 

[moseg]

Awesome. Thanks for the quick replies!