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Macbook, the refresh and prices

I certainly see no harm in waiting especially if the current deals are expected to last through Mar. 27. As long as inventories do not run out, you can make an informed decision once we see what happens next week. If for some reason you need a new Mac now, go for it.

I personally pulled the trigger and bought the base MacBook at Best Buy for $999, and barring some remarkable new feature, I have no reason to believe that I will be disappointed.

I am a very frequent business traveler, and I purchased my rMB just before another long trip overseas. The rMB performed flawlessly. For years I carried a late-2010 MBA, which I loved, but I wanted a retina screen, a backlit keyboard (for dark places like airplanes at night), and a speed upgrade. A year ago, I bought the 13" MacBook Pro Retina. It was a fantastic machine, very fast with a great screen, but I definitely noticed the extra weight, so I "downgraded" to the rMB and gave the Pro to my son for college.

For everything that I do (email, web, movies, some Photoshop), the rMB is fantastic. It runs circles around my old MBA, has a better screen and battery life while weighing even less. If Apple updates the rMB with a new processor that is 10-20% faster, it would not bother me one bit. To me, the savings outweigh the speed difference especially since my rMB is fast enough for my needs. YMMV
 
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First, this machine isn't as underpowered as the specs make it seem. It runs spectacularly, and the only time I notice a difference between my mid-2012 15" rMBP and the base rMB is when I'm exporting a video in FCPX.

Also, for the record, I guarantee you Best Buy knows NOTHING! ESPECIALLY any in-store rep. How do I know? Because the Apple Store employees have no idea. Best Buy gets no advance Apple info. They find out when we do, as do the Apple Stores in almost every instance. So any sales are speculation or coincidence.

I don't think we see an update next week, based on the lack of credible rumors.
 
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Everyone is discussing the 12" retina MacBook. You're in the MacBook forum, not the MacBook Pro forum.
 
It's definitely tough not to pull the trigger right now. I have been firm in my position for a while now that I'd wait for the next revision to see if they're able to add TB3 and/or another port. I also hope to see a slight increase in battery life, and I obviously expect the speed bump brought with the Skylake chips.

However, seeing these prices at Best Buy is really making me question my position. With their current prices, the possibility for a movers coupon, and the open-box option, you're really getting like 1/3 of the cost cut off. I'm specifically looking at the Open Box 1.2/512GB version, and the savings are extremely big.

Since I'd be able to get such a great machine for such a significant discount, it makes me wonder if TB3 is really going to be that important. I'm glad the sale will last until the 27th so I'll have more time to consider if an update isn't announced.

It is worth noting that the next revision will almost certainly include a price reduction from what they're currently offering models at. The base is currently retailing for $1299; I expect that number to go down $50-150. Most likely $100. I also think we could see a more significant education discount; current models are only available at a $50 edu discount. Wouldn't surprise me to see $100 edu discount since they implemented these reduced discount during a time of extremely limited supply. Just something worth noting since many are doing a 1:1 comparison of what they will get now, $$ wise, and what they'll be able to get once the revision is announced.
 
I incline not to base my prediction on the lack of rumor/evidence of upgraded rMB. This is because I believe previous spec-upgrade only Macbook didn't surface until 1 or 2 days before the event with printed spec on their boxes. This is probably because they look exactly the same. If this revision is also spec-upgrade only, I don't think much rumor will surface.

I'd also think it's worth mentioning that Australian Apple is having a promotion of free Beat headphone ending on 21 March; and the keynote is on 22 March (Australia - we are head of everyone else).

*Buy a new iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro, including configure-to-order versions of such products (“Mac”), and elect to receive either (i) 1 pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear Headphones (Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red, Gloss Blue,), for which an instant credit in the amount of A$259.95 will be applied to your order, or (ii) 1 pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones (Space Gray, Silver, Gold, or Rose Gold), for which an instant credit in the amount of A$259.95 will be applied to your order. If you elect to receive Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones as part of this promotion, you must pay the remaining balance (A$140) following application of the instant credit to the purchase price of such headphones. Mac mini and refurbished Apple Computers are not eligible for this promotion. Purchases must be made between February 3, 2016 and March 21, 2016 from either (x) an Australian Apple Retail Store or (y) the Australian Apple Online Store for Education Individuals or by calling 133-622. You must be eligible for Apple Education Individual Pricing. Quantity limits apply. Offer subject to availability. If your Mac is returned without your promotional Beats headphones, your refund will be reduced by the full purchase price of such headphones. If your promotional Beats headphones are returned for any reason and are not exchanged for another equivalent set of Beats headphones, such headphones must be returned with your Mac in order to receive a full refund. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.apple.com/au/promo for full details. TM and © 2016 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
 
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huythanhv2 said:
I incline not to base my prediction on the lack of rumor/evidence of upgraded rMB. This is because I believe previous spec-upgrade only Macbook didn't surface until 1 or 2 days before the event with printed spec on their boxes. This is probably because they look exactly the same. If this revision is also spec-upgrade only, I don't think much rumor will surface.

I'd also think it's worth mentioning that Australian Apple is having a promotion of free Beat headphone ending on 21 March; and the keynote is on 22 March (Australia - we are head of everyone else).

*Buy a new iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro, including configure-to-order versions of such products (“Mac”), and elect to receive either (i) 1 pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear Headphones (Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red, Gloss Blue,), for which an instant credit in the amount of A$259.95 will be applied to your order, or (ii) 1 pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones (Space Gray, Silver, Gold, or Rose Gold), for which an instant credit in the amount of A$259.95 will be applied to your order. If you elect to receive Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones as part of this promotion, you must pay the remaining balance (A$140) following application of the instant credit to the purchase price of such headphones. Mac mini and refurbished Apple Computers are not eligible for this promotion. Purchases must be made between February 3, 2016 and March 21, 2016 from either (x) an Australian Apple Retail Store or (y) the Australian Apple Online Store for Education Individuals or by calling 133-622. You must be eligible for Apple Education Individual Pricing. Quantity limits apply. Offer subject to availability. If your Mac is returned without your promotional Beats headphones, your refund will be reduced by the full purchase price of such headphones. If your promotional Beats headphones are returned for any reason and are not exchanged for another equivalent set of Beats headphones, such headphones must be returned with your Mac in order to receive a full refund. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.apple.com/au/promo for full details. TM and © 2016 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
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Agreed. I don't think you'll ever see evidence of an upgrade until the actual keynote. I'm inclined to believe there will be no physical changes at all to the new model, only spec bumps. Hard to imagine we'd see any evidence of that leak prior unless via a new model # on GeekBench or something.
 
After staying up until the wee hours of the morning playing with this, I'm very happy with my purchase at $899+ tax. Even if it is updated next week I doubt I'd rather have the updated one for an extra $400. This seems like a good deal at $899.
 
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Much appreciate your real world experience wit the rMB. I also travel a lot both domestically and internationally and use a 2010 MBA as my machine. The rMB size just is so attractive that I plan to replace the MBA shortly. I have been using an IPad Pro quite a bit, but think the rMB is actually just as easily transportable.

NTxAppleGuy said:
I certainly see no harm in waiting especially if the current deals are expected to last through Mar. 27. As long as inventories do not run out, you can make an informed decision once we see what happens next week. If for some reason you need a new Mac now, go for it.

I personally pulled the trigger and bought the base MacBook at Best Buy for $999, and barring some remarkable new feature, I have no reason to believe that I will be disappointed.

I am a very frequent business traveler, and I purchased my rMB just before another long trip overseas. The rMB performed flawlessly. For years I carried a late-2010 MBA, which I loved, but I wanted a retina screen, a backlit keyboard (for dark places like airplanes at night), and a speed upgrade. A year ago, I bought the 13" MacBook Pro Retina. It was a fantastic machine, very fast with a great screen, but I definitely noticed the extra weight, so I "downgraded" to the rMB and gave the Pro to my son for college.

For everything that I do (email, web, movies, some Photoshop), the rMB is fantastic. It runs circles around my old MBA, has a better screen and battery life while weighing even less. If Apple updates the rMB with a new processor that is 10-20% faster, it would not bother me one bit. To me, the savings outweigh the speed difference especially since my rMB is fast enough for my needs. YMMV
Click to expand...
 
Eric8199 said:
Everyone is discussing the 12" retina MacBook. You're in the MacBook forum, not the MacBook Pro forum.
Click to expand...

The 12" retina MacBook is not a MacBook Pro, nor is it a MacBook Air. Apple sells it as the latest MacBook.

While I agree that it seems odd that it is sharing a forum with the legacy MacBook, the only choices are MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The retina MacBook clearly belongs in the first category and not the latter two. It also appears that a significant number of the threads in the MacBook forum are about the retina MacBook.

Perhaps you should suggest to MacRumors to add a Retina MacBook forum to differentiate the forum from the legacy MacBook.
 
I like the idea of a separate rMB forum. Because I don't have any interest in the discussion of the old one, so I wouldn't have to sift through the posts.

I think people are getting confused because they consider all the Apple laptops MacBooks, especially since there hasn't been a MacBook for a few years. So they think this is a generic laptop discussion forum, even though it's not.
 
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