MBP 13.3" Enough Power?

[vtbean]

I'm seriously debating about getting MacBook Pro 13.3" refurb for 999.99 now OR wait for new MBP next year. I need your input on whether current MBP is powerful enough to handle my daily tasks. I will be doing a lot of iPhone development (main purpose of getting MBP) and some video editing (Adobe Premier CS4 and/or Final Cut Pro 7) and maybe some digital photo work (Adobe Photoshop CS4). But like I said my main goal is to do a lot of work in developing iPhone (maybe future iTablet) softwares. I was going to buy MBP 13.3" refurb last night but couldn't pull the trigger because 1) I wasn't sure if this is powerful enough and 2) all the rumors about MBP update coming SOON. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks friends!

 

[spinnerlys]

The 13" MBP is powerful enough, it just might be a little to small display-wise as it has only 1280*800 pixels.

Also this year will not see any further updates to the MBP line according to Schiller. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/27/apple_states_its_2009_holiday_lineup_is_set.html

If the MBPs are updated next year the 13" will most likely see only a minor bump in CPU speed, HDD storage and maybe a better integrated graphics chip.

If you need it now, buy it now, as there is always something better around the corner.

 

[MacKiddyWiddy]

i would get it now, any updates will be a long way away and won't be significant according to most sources. Also 13 might be a little short of screen space for you... maybe a refurb 15? as for power, ALL MACS are powerfull enough for anything lol

 

[vtbean]

Thanks for the advise. I'm not too concerned about the screen size since I'll be doing most of my Video/Photo works on my i7 desktop (PC....biggest mistake I've ever made....) and I'll be using MBP mostly for light works on the go. The main reason for buying MBP is I need OSX to develop iPhone programs. So pretty much everywhere I look, the consensus is that I shouldn't wait...but that brings to my next question. Do you think it's worth waiting until Black Friday for good deals on MBPs? Any past Mac shoppers here?

 

[Bbusyb]

Well, If I remember Correctly, Apple Did have some discounts around Black Friday / Cyber Monday last Year. Think it was about $100 or so max, so not that big a Deal. I believe other Resellers like MacMall had better deals.

You can probably find a similar or better deal if you can get somebody with a student ID to get you one at Edu Pricing ,

 

[tempusfugit]

if you just want an on-the-go computer to do some light video/photo stuff and iphone dev, the 13" MBP will suit you fine. It does for me, and I use all of the stuff you mentioned. Editing HD video gets cumbersome sometimes, especially when the timeline on your project gets longer, and I think this is mostly an issue with the 9400m. So if thats going to bug you, you need to look into a 15" w/discreet gfx or wait till a discreet option comes to the 13". Personally I love my 13" MBP and its my ultimate portable powerhouse, but I'm getting a 27" i7 imac in a month or two to do my heavier duty stuff on at home because I feel like I waste a lot of time waiting for this to finish encoding stuff.


You might want to consider the new revised macbooks, though. I like the new rounded look to the polycarbonates, although not as much as the alu unibodies. However, they're pretty much the same when it comes to the guts of the machine. 2.26 C2D, 2 gigs of ram (cheaply upgradeable), and the nvidia 9400m.

The new macbooks have basically no performance difference in comparison to the 13" MBP, and cost $200 less than the low end 13" MBP.

The multi touch trackpad, updated screen, and bumped specs make the macbook really hold its own.

Or you can make it aluminum, pay $200 more, and refer to it as a "pro."

Good luck with the decision.