refurb mbp or not?

[beachbump12121]

I have always been a pc guy, but I use a 15 mbp at work. There are a few big reasons why I want a mac:

1) I don't want to upgrade to windows 8
2) I am looking for a computer for dj'ing live, and music production, and the advantage of mac for this is uniformity of hardware
3) Honestly I have started to like mac os better than windows and this is largely because i use a mbp at work for programming.

That being said, I am not sure if now is the time to buy a new mbp. I would love a retina, but honestly its a bit too expensive. Additionally, new mbp's will be out in june 2013. If I plan to upgrade then I don't want to drop a lot of money right now. I also feel like the design of the current gen mbp is a little dated.

My main criteria is that I want a light weight (portable) laptop that has enough ram (8gigs at least) and decent cpu (at least a core i5 1.9ghz or something). I feel like the current generation mac books (not retina) fit my needs but I am hesitant to buy because of the update to mbp coming out in june.

I have been looking at windows laptops, but honestly there is nothing I currently want to buy. I don't want an ultrabook. The only pc I was eyeing was the lenovo yoga, but it has windows 8 which is a deal breaker for me.

Should I just get a refub mbp then upgrade in june 2013?

 

[Arnezie]

If your a gotta have the latest greatest MBP then wait till the next release. I for one could care less what is going to be released my rMBP is the fastest machine I've ever used and its way more of a computer than i need but its great, and i can guarantee you mine wont automatically slow down when the new model is released .

 

[xShane]

I have always been a pc guy, but I use a 15 mbp at work. There are a few big reasons why I want a mac:

1) I don't want to upgrade to windows 8
2) I am looking for a computer for dj'ing live, and music production, and the advantage of mac for this is uniformity of hardware
3) Honestly I have started to like mac os better than windows and this is largely because i use a mbp at work for programming.

That being said, I am not sure if now is the time to buy a new mbp. I would love a retina, but honestly its a bit too expensive. Additionally, new mbp's will be out in june 2013. If I plan to upgrade then I don't want to drop a lot of money right now. I also feel like the design of the current gen mbp is a little dated.

My main criteria is that I want a light weight (portable) laptop that has enough ram (8gigs at least) and decent cpu (at least a core i5 1.9ghz or something). I feel like the current generation mac books (not retina) fit my needs but I am hesitant to buy because of the update to mbp coming out in june.

I have been looking at windows laptops, but honestly there is nothing I currently want to buy. I don't want an ultrabook. The only pc I was eyeing was the lenovo yoga, but it has windows 8 which is a deal breaker for me.

Should I just get a refub mbp then upgrade in june 2013?

First of all, I'd like to point out that updates from Apple aren't guaranteed within a certain time frame, and who knows what the update will even include in the first place.

That being said, I almost always recommend refurbs over brand new models. In many ways, you could say they are "better". If you get a 15", you'll have a strong CPU (Quad i7) with a good amount of ram. The 15" MBPs can, unofficially, be upgraded to 16GB RAM, also. That should last you a long time.

Although I'm not too experienced in the field of music production and DJing (although I do know a little), the rMBP has no optical drive. I'm not sure how important CDs are to you, but this is something to consider.

 

[KPOM]

That being said, I am not sure if now is the time to buy a new mbp. I would love a retina, but honestly its a bit too expensive. Additionally, new mbp's will be out in june 2013. If I plan to upgrade then I don't want to drop a lot of money right now. I also feel like the design of the current gen mbp is a little dated.

My main criteria is that I want a light weight (portable) laptop that has enough ram (8gigs at least) and decent cpu (at least a core i5 1.9ghz or something). I feel like the current generation mac books (not retina) fit my needs but I am hesitant to buy because of the update to mbp coming out in june.

Should I just get a refub mbp then upgrade in june 2013?

If you want something lightweight, have you considered the MacBook Air? You can equip them with the ULV 2.0GHz Core i7 which has similar overall performance to the 2.5GHz Core i5. The Apple store has plenty of refurbished models. The 2012 Airs are very good machines.

I wouldn't recommend getting one now and replacing it in 5-6 months. Even the refurbs will drop a fair amount since Apple is likely to reduce the refurbished units to 75% of their initial price (from 85%) when the new generation is available. I wouldn't expect radical changes to the MBP line. Perhaps we'll see some resolution changes to the MBA, but I don't expect to see Retina anytime soon. But that's just speculation so I'd just wait and see if you don't like the current generation.

 

[beachbump12121]

If you want something lightweight, have you considered the MacBook Air? You can equip them with the ULV 2.0GHz Core i7 which has similar overall performance to the 2.5GHz Core i5. The Apple store has plenty of refurbished models. The 2012 Airs are very good machines.

I wouldn't recommend getting one now and replacing it in 5-6 months. Even the refurbs will drop a fair amount since Apple is likely to reduce the refurbished units to 75% of their initial price (from 85%) when the new generation is available. I wouldn't expect radical changes to the MBP line. Perhaps we'll see some resolution changes to the MBA, but I don't expect to see Retina anytime soon. But that's just speculation so I'd just wait and see if you don't like the current generation.

I am considering it but I am not a huge fan of the air's. The design seems dated compared to similar ultrabook models.

 

[isephmusic]

i got the 15inch 2012 for the same needs you have, runs traktor and ableton so fast so fluid, close immediately dont take anything less than an i7 quad core and thats the only reason i couldnt get the 13 inch even tho i want a smaller laptop. hope to god the next 13 inch has option for quad core i7 because 15 inch is really big to carry with all the other DJ stuff. its totally do-able and i am getting it done, its just.. it COULD be better / lighter. maybe the next 15 inch will be as skinny as retina then i would truly be happy because its awsome to have such a nice size screen to compare tracks with