Questions for mpb13 owners please offer me some advice

[sero94]

Hello there,
Im a new mac owner and wow I am really loving the whole experience and simplicity of opening up this laptop and it works every time!! My questions for you current macbook pro owners. I just purchased my 13" macbook pro about 5 days ago. I am pretty happy with the macbook pro overall but I am thinking that I want to take it back now and hold out the 5 or 6 months for possibly a much more updated model. I could get by with my 13.3 Asus ul30vt-a1 win7 laptop for a while longer. Im 27, and I will be going back to school this spring which is the main reason for getting a new machine I can use every day. My Asus will most likely go to my wife or I will sell it and get her a mac since she's drooling over the new 11.6 air. I will be using the laptop for school and online IT classes. I go to tech websites, local news, hulu check email and thats about it. I will be using iwork or office for my school work. I don't think i will be using windows at all unless one of the classes requires me to so then i would maybe need to run parallels. From what i'm reading about the Airs they are very quick for being so supposedly underpowered. Another thing is the most I've ever spent on a laptop in quite some time. I really want to feel that Im getting the best for my investment as I will probably not upgrade for a few years. Is this laptop fine and Im just overanalyzing my purchase? Would it be wise to take this back and huff it until a possible full refresh mid 2011. Would the macbook air 11.6/2/128 or 13.3/2/128 handle my tasks as the weight would be a much welcome from some of the classes that I will have books. I have also looked into the 128gb owc ssd for this mac and from the looks would help with the speed issues i'm seeing on certain things loading but not the almost 2 year old processor that I didn't even think about during the purchase. Apologies for this long post but I really need some insight from you guys on what the best course of action is. Thank you and I look forward to some suggestions. Regards,
Brian
MacBook Pro 13(Mid 2010) 2.4/4GB/250GB

 

[miata]

The 13" MBP is a nice machine, with quite a bit of expandability -- RAM, storage, I/O etc. Sure the the 15" models are a little faster, but you might not even notice the difference.

If you can hold out longer you might be able to get a unit with higher resolution screen and faster CPU.

 

[jkhashab]

I also have a late 2010 MBP 13" and do a whole lot more with it than you do/plan to do, and it's working fabulously. I did expand the HD to 500, but otherwise everything else was as is. This machine will be great and you won't regret having it now. I don't upgrade often at all (every 4-5 years) and I'm happy with this purchase. Good luck.

 

[cambookpro]

I also have a late 2010 MBP 13" and do a whole lot more with it than you do/plan to do, and it's working fabulously. I did expand the HD to 500, but otherwise everything else was as is. This machine will be great and you won't regret having it now. I don't upgrade often at all (every 4-5 years) and I'm happy with this purchase. Good luck.

There isn't a MBP Late 2010. Try Mid-2010

 

[applepearpp]

according to the description you gave, you and your new mac should be happily ever after for the duration of your program.

sure, the spec isn't the most advance, but unless you run something really CPU demanding you won't be able to tell. and if you're doing IT work most likely the 330m GPU will suit your need. and you can always add more ram to boost the performance. if you want more space and dont' need to load CD/DVD, you can take out the optical drive and put another hard drive or solid state drive in there.

and the best part of all is you can save yourself a whole lot of time not getting frustrated over a computer crash like it is on windows.

just keep the computer. next gen macbook will give you a faster experience but if i were you i'd just stick with what i have right now.

 

[CosmoPilot]

I'm 36, and just purchased my first Mac computer (mid-2010 MBP 13"). Like you, as soon as I purchased it I felt like all of us do, "wonder what I'll miss out on when Apple updates?" However, I do have a few years of wisdom under my belt, so I'll explain why in my opinion, you should hang onto this computer.

1.) Open Spaces preferences and set it to 9. Open 9 separate Apps and have them in each space. Try to have 2 or 3 movies (iTunes, VLC, iDVD) in a separate space. Now play around with each app. They just work flawlessly, each movie plays without hick-up (in full screen modes). In other words, the 13" MBP is a powerful computer for anything you've mentioned you'll be using it for. Unlike "Windows" it will stay this way as long as you own it!

2.) Holding out now, you'll miss months of "learning" Mac OS X. I've only had mine for 3 months now, and while I've learned a great deal visiting this site on a daily basis...I'm still learning something new everyday. Knowing what I know now, I wish I'd bought a Mac years ago. Of course, if I did that...I'd probably be asking myself then if I should wait until today to get one!

3.) Apple has a track record of updating hardware fairly often. You'll never be able to stay ahead of the curve regardless. As soon as you get an updated version in the Spring of 2011 (assuming one is offered), the next day you'll start reading rumors of the fall 2011 update! Then the cycle starts all over again. Seriously, this computer rocks for what you and I use it for!

4.) If you're like me, you know someday down the road you'll 'need' a new computer. I set a 3 year time frame for new laptops, a 4 year time frame for desktops, and a 2 year time frame for phones. REGARDLESS, whatever technology is available at the time, that's when I jump on board with the latest and greatest. Your timeline for a new computer might be different than mine...the point is, enjoy what you have and set an arbitrary date when you believe you'll start looking to upgrade. It could be 2, 3, 4 years down the road, but you'll know the day is coming and it will prevent you from stressing over "having the latest technology."

I say as long as the screen size is sufficient for your needs, then don't sweat it!

Cosmo

 

[sero94]

Thank you everyone for the good replies and things for thought. I think that sticking with this macbook pro will be the best bet as I also have to factor in the great 24 month financing I get with it from our local apple reseller vs the standard 12 month I would of gotten with amazon or apple. I guess I just needed a little reassurance on the purchase and to not have regrets of something bigger and better coming out in a few months. Time to get this macbook pro to its full potential. Cheers
Brian S.
MacBook Pro 13/2.4/4GB/250GB/

 

[gonnabuyamacbsh]

if I were you I'd probably return and wait. I think the refresh will be worth it

 

[fsumom]

I've had my MBP 13" for 9 days now, and so far I love it. My thinking is that technology is always advancing! I find no need to continuously wait for the next best thing. I knew buying this laptop would be all I'd need.

 

[SpudGT]

Something better, faster, and cheaper will always come.

I have the same mid-2010 MBP as you do, I have no issues running:
- Windows and Linux using VMware
- Xcode

Every once and I while I wish the display offered a bit more real estate, but I am not willing to trade the additional size/weight to move to a 15 incher, or give up the battery life moving to a MBA. I also use the Firewire on a regular basis.

I recently added an SSD ... boot and application launch times are amazing! I think the 13 inch MBP is a really good package, the right set of compromises for what I need.

 

[jlw2387]

I have the base model 2010 13" MBP, and trust me, you will not be disappointed with its performance. Right now I have Xcode, iTunes and Parallels (Windows 7) running and I'm still ripping a DVD to my external drive at 60fps. I'm really not seeing any slowdown at all.

 

[Built]

Hello there,
Im a new mac owner and wow I am really loving the whole experience and simplicity of opening up this laptop and it works every time!! My questions for you current macbook pro owners. I just purchased my 13" macbook pro about 5 days ago. I am pretty happy with the macbook pro overall but I am thinking that I want to take it back now and hold out the 5 or 6 months for possibly a much more updated model. I could get by with my 13.3 Asus ul30vt-a1 win7 laptop for a while longer. Im 27, and I will be going back to school this spring which is the main reason for getting a new machine I can use every day. My Asus will most likely go to my wife or I will sell it and get her a mac since she's drooling over the new 11.6 air. I will be using the laptop for school and online IT classes. I go to tech websites, local news, hulu check email and thats about it. I will be using iwork or office for my school work. I don't think i will be using windows at all unless one of the classes requires me to so then i would maybe need to run parallels. From what i'm reading about the Airs they are very quick for being so supposedly underpowered. Another thing is the most I've ever spent on a laptop in quite some time. I really want to feel that Im getting the best for my investment as I will probably not upgrade for a few years. Is this laptop fine and Im just overanalyzing my purchase? Would it be wise to take this back and huff it until a possible full refresh mid 2011. Would the macbook air 11.6/2/128 or 13.3/2/128 handle my tasks as the weight would be a much welcome from some of the classes that I will have books. I have also looked into the 128gb owc ssd for this mac and from the looks would help with the speed issues i'm seeing on certain things loading but not the almost 2 year old processor that I didn't even think about during the purchase. Apologies for this long post but I really need some insight from you guys on what the best course of action is. Thank you and I look forward to some suggestions. Regards,
Brian
MacBook Pro 13(Mid 2010) 2.4/4GB/250GB

Hey Brian...

I, too, made the "leap" a few days ago on the MBP 13 with the same specs as yours.

I am a techno-junkie...Was an early adopter for the iPhone, got the Iphone 3G, skipped the 3GS, and got the 4. Got the iPad...and may, depending on the new iPad developments next year, decide to trade up.

I am, admittedly, still more of a PC person...Still do the bulk of my work on 2 desktop PCs, but I did occasionally use a Macbook late 2007 vintage for creative stuff.

I want to give Mac another chance so decided to upgrade and to be honest, the advent of new models does not concern me. The thing to remember is that there is ALWAYS a new model around the corner.

I managed to get my order in to Apple for the iPhone 4 during the big frenzy on June 15th. Apple delivered it the morning before the official launch day to my house...and ALREADY there were threads on this site about what people expected to see in the iPhone 5!

The MBP that you got (same one as mine) gives you all sorts of opportunities to grow...upgrade RAM, etc.

Sure, there is a lot of speculation on here as to what the new MBP line would have...PERHAPS the Sandy Bridge processor...who knows? BUT...there is every possibility that this processor will only be made available to the high-end MBPs, and, in the end, if THAT was what you were waiting for, you may be disappointed.

Enjoy your new MBP. The 24-month no interest deal is a good one (I think I know where you got yours, as I got mine there too with the same deal LOL)...

The other thing you will realize is that reading these forums can be informative and fun...but it can also lead to significant buyer's remorse, and an OCD-like concern with issues that most of us would never even notice (i.e. things like, "My right palmrest feels 2 degrees hotter than my left palmrest LOL)....

Enjoy it, buddy!

 

[MsMerryMac]

Gadzooks...I went through the same thing after purchasing my MBP. I bought it 34 days before the mid 2010 model came out and really volleyed between returning mine days before the predicted refresh. I was really torn, but decided to stick with the one I had and have not regretted it one bit. Yes, I could have had the faster processor, but honestly didn't need it at all.

Not long after the last refresh the rumors were already churning about the Spring 2011 refresh and to be honest, I am tired of always wondering if I should wait for new technology. There will ALWAYS be new technology.

I think if I had an iMac, resolution, etc. would be more important, but I am very pleased with my 13" MBP and glad I didn't wait.

 

[spmiz12]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Where did you guys get your 13" MBP with 24 months????

 

[Built]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)

Where did you guys get your 13" MBP with 24 months????

Best Buy...and I got them to price-match the $999 Microcenter deal...

Put it on my Best Buy store card...I'll have it paid off long before 24 months...

It was a VERY positive experience.

 

[zachcheatham]

I have a mid-2009 model 13" MBP and I bought it about 3 weeks before they came out with new ones earlier this year. I wish I would've held out that small amount of time. At least they didn't do that big of changes. I would've been happy with that 4 GB of ram though.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

if I were you I'd probably return and wait. I think the refresh will be worth it

What an interesting post. How can one make the decision to wait, with absolutely no information? Newer is not always better. Especially when it's something like a computer. If one finds a model that meets their needs that's all that matters.

Each time I upgrade to a new model, I keep the old one. Most of those I still use with enjoyment.

 

[Built]

What an interesting post. How can one make the decision to wait, with absolutely no information? Newer is not always better. Especially when it's something like a computer. If one finds a model that meets their needs that's all that matters.

Each time I upgrade to a new model, I keep the old one. Most of those I still use with enjoyment.

AMEN. I completely agree.

 

[applefanDrew]

Something better, faster, and cheaper will always come.

I have the same mid-2010 MBP as you do, I have no issues running:
- Windows and Linux using VMware
- Xcode

Every once and I while I wish the display offered a bit more real estate, but I am not willing to trade the additional size/weight to move to a 15 incher, or give up the battery life moving to a MBA. I also use the Firewire on a regular basis.

I recently added an SSD ... boot and application launch times are amazing! I think the 13 inch MBP is a really good package, the right set of compromises for what I need.

What model SSD did you get and how has worked? I'm thinking about adding one to mine.

 

[blueroom]

I dropped in a OCZ Vertex 2 SSD, very very fast.

 

[Built]

After travelling with a 13.3 inch Toshiba for a couple of years, I don't think I could ever go back to a 15-incher, so my choice of the MBP 13 was an easy one.

 

[SpudGT]

I was looking at a couple of Sandforce based SSDs, but settled on the OCZ Vertex 2 based on price.

I had some trouble after cloning my HDD to the SSD, but everything has been working perfectly after I broke down and did a clean OS X install on the SSD. Not sure what I messed up ... but very happy now.

 

[sero94]

Little Update..

I got my MacBook Pro at Nebraska Furniture Mart. The 24 Months no interest was why I purchased it there and since they offered the Apple Care, I bought that too as I really didn't have extra cash to go buy it outright from the apple store. I guess my only gripe so far is I'm getting some these damn beach balls with opening some simple things. Running pages or playing with editing a single picture in iphoto. I did not see this kind of lag on the Airs even the entry level base model 11.6. I have read that the ssd option for the mbp brings it up to near MacBook Air speeds in boot time and application loading. Im really thinking of getting a the vertex 2 or owc and then if there is a "update" I'd just spend that additional 130.00 of so for the 8GB ram upgrade. I think the one thing I would like but maybe not need is a bit more screen real estate which the 13" MBA offers. Im guilty as I made the mistake of reading far too many posts on here about the next pro model speculations but have shrugged that off as I don't think I would need anything more in terms of specs. The 2 upgrades that can be done on this laptop and not on the Air later down the road makes that pretty clear. The more I mess around on this Pro it seems like a more solid machine than the Air in terms of overall performance. It may be more bulky but talking to some other friends that also purchased the 13 Pro made the clear case and point that its such a blast to use every day and its no surprise functionality for that reason alone makes me mad I didn't switch years ago. Don't get me wrong the Airs are zippy as I've been to the apple store and played with the 11.6 and the 13.3 a few times now. The side by side comparison of the 11.6 next to the 13 Pro is pretty substantial but then there are lots of tradeoffs and 2 completely different categories but it still is a shock and awe kinda view when pulling that out of a bag. They are impressive more so in size than performance. This 11.6 would be awesome for my classes in terms of carrying extra books and any weight savings is a plus. But for true use in the few years to come I doubt Id be happy especially with a 64GB baseline Air. Id have to have my Portable HD, Ethernet adapter, a wireless mouse, etc. No more ultra portable feeling for that model. As a little test, I ran some simple tasks on the baseline 11.6 air I had previously played with in the apple store and it had a good size iphoto library loaded on it. I rebooted it and it got some beach balls trying to access pictures or switch between folders. Hmm odd didn't do that the previous week, did the update have some bugs, Hard drive was still at 52GB free. Now I wasn't so frustrated about the issues I'm dealing with on my Pro. I attempted to run just 2 720p movie trailers (Avatar, Toy Story 3) on the Air in separate windows and she had some stuttering issues. I did let both videos fully buffer and load before playing. Kinda disappointed as I like to watch trailers from time to time and even my old Lenovo S10 netbook with a so so atom and 2gb of ram can handle 2 videos with no issues. Not sure what the deal was but it was a eye opener from previous times trying it out. I left there walking back to my car thinking to myself that yes I really want something that small and portable but the whole goal for me is to get a machine thats consistent on daily tasks, something I can depend on as none of my current setups give me that. I really wouldn't like that sacrifice as I can just keep the 13.3" ASUS thats about 6 months old which has decent performance but its no workhorse. I could easily limp through the end of the year and take the netbook out when I need portability but then there go any real tasks of getting real work done. I am really hoping this MacBook Pro will eliminate these other 2 crippled machines and leave me at a happy medium for now and hey maybe a little later down the road the 11.6 Air with backlit keyboard and more then 5 hour battery will arise and then I think I could justify that purchase. Or maybe that more practical iPad 2 i'm waiting for with a camera and some more storage will pop up in the spring and then Id have the portable take to a friends for basic browsing and couch surfing. For now Id like to focus on some good tweaks to do to this laptop and some good apps to run. Again thank you to everyone for the good posts as its eased my woes I was first having. I look forward to making many more posts and learning more as I dig deeper into the OSX world.
Brian S.

 

[Built]

When I read "24 Months No Interest," I figured it was the same deal I got at Best Buy.

Guess we didn't get it at the same place after all.