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rMBP Feb 2014 Incremental upgrade?

S

SSD-GUY

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 20, 2012
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2,121
Interstellar
Hi guys,

Will the rMBP be getting a Feb 2014 refresh as if you follow the buyers guide, it seems as if every feb they get their processors bumped slightly.

I ask as I will probably be getting a rMBP this December/January and was wondering whether it was worth waiting till Feb.

However, as the Haswell rMBPs were delayed, do you reckon Apple will just skip the Feb release and wait for Broadwell to come out later in 2014?

Thanks
 
SSD-GUY said:
Hi guys,

Will the rMBP be getting a Feb 2014 refresh as if you follow the buyers guide, it seems as if every feb they get their processors bumped slightly.

I ask as I will probably be getting a rMBP this December/January and was wondering whether it was worth waiting till Feb.

However, as the Haswell rMBPs were delayed, do you reckon Apple will just skip the Feb release and wait for Broadwell to come out later in 2014?

Thanks
Click to expand...

From a quick Google search, many of the top Apple speculators do seem to be expecting a minor processor bump in Q1 of 2014. However, the bump will be negligible compared to the Broadwell update expected to arrive in Q4 of 2014.

Anyone have any guesses about which models' processors might see the upgrade?
 
Last edited:
T-Bob said:
What bump?

https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/1...ricing-drops-pricing-on-high-end-macbook-air/

That is just a configuration jigging. There won't be new CPUs out by then anyway.
Click to expand...

They did introduce updated CPUs, 2.6GHz on the 13" and 2.4GHz on the 15" (+0.1GHz). Last year there were new CPUs that came out in September, but this year there probably won't be any new chips with Iris/Iris Pro, and with Haswell only coming last month it is probably too soon for another refresh. If Apple does update them before Broadwell, it would have to be with the same CPUs, and probably March-June to leave enough time between refreshes.
 
Feb 2014...? Nah...!

I'll place my bet on June to coincide with WWDC 2014... Feb is too soon considering the current lifespan of rMBP will only be 4 months by that time...
 
jz- said:
They did introduce updated CPUs, 2.6GHz on the 13" and 2.4GHz on the 15" (+0.1GHz). Last year there were new CPUs that came out in September, but this year there probably won't be any new chips with Iris/Iris Pro, and with Haswell only coming last month it is probably too soon for another refresh. If Apple does update them before Broadwell, it would have to be with the same CPUs, and probably March-June to leave enough time between refreshes.
Click to expand...

Ah right. So there aren't any new haswell processors out in the next few months that are slightly more powerful like we saw in Feb this year with ivy bridge?

The main reason I'm willing to wait is because of resell value, Early 2014 rMBP will fetch more than late 2013 rMBP in two years time - But if they're due out in June, which I think is when broadwell will be released, then I can wait that long. Max time is around 2 months from now.
 
Steve121178 said:
I can't see there being a Feb update. Why would there be so soon after launch of the new MacBook's?
Click to expand...

Well there was last year. If you take a look at the buyers guide, when the Ivy bridge retinas came out in October 2012, they were followed by a small bump in Feb 2013.

The Airs are updated once a year, I find it a bit strange that the Pros are updated twice a year.
 
SSD-GUY said:
Well there was last year. If you take a look at the buyers guide, when the Ivy bridge retinas came out in October 2012, they were followed by a small bump in Feb 2013.

The Airs are updated once a year, I find it a bit strange that the Pros are updated twice a year.
Click to expand...

Apple most likely knew in advance that they wouldn't have Haswell chips for the Pros until October, so refreshed it in February. The 15" rMBPs actually came out in June, so a 16 month cycle is a bit too long for their flagship laptop line. The 13" was released in October, but at a ridiculously high price, maybe to limit demand to ensure they could keep up with it. Once the holidays were over, they were able to drop prices to closer to where they should have been.

Apart from that staggered release, the Macbook Pros have generally been on a 8-12 month cycle, so I wouldn't expect anything in February next year.
 
Eithanius said:
Feb 2014...? Nah...!

I'll place my bet on June to coincide with WWDC 2014... Feb is too soon considering the current lifespan of rMBP will only be 4 months by that time...
Click to expand...

Maybe closer to March or April, but not in June, that's too close to the Broadwell update. You realize we're talking about a incremental upgrade right?
 
simon48 said:
Maybe closer to March or April, but not in June, that's too close to the Broadwell update. You realize we're talking about a incremental upgrade right?
Click to expand...

Still too early... If it's too close to Broadwell they might as well release them in Sept/Oct time frame. Sides, one year is not exactly too long a lifespan. Even the 2012 iMacs lasted 11 months... Incremental update could also mean addition BTO option of an even higher-end processor on the rMBP say.., a Haswell-based 2.8GHz Quad-core i7...? Remember the 2010 cMBPs...?

Or maybe with the so-called special relationship between Apple and Intel, Apple might be able to coerce Intel to access Broadwell for themselves months ahead of other OEMs... :D
 
SSD-GUY said:
Ah right. So there aren't any new haswell processors out in the next few months that are slightly more powerful like we saw in Feb this year with ivy bridge?

The main reason I'm willing to wait is because of resell value, Early 2014 rMBP will fetch more than late 2013 rMBP in two years time - But if they're due out in June, which I think is when broadwell will be released, then I can wait that long. Max time is around 2 months from now.
Click to expand...

They won't get much more. Many people won't even care. If you are concerned with resale, why not wait for a real change rather than a mid-season or buy refurbished if that is an option? Broadwell is rumored to be pretty far out right now.
 
thekev said:
They won't get much more. Many people won't even care. If you are concerned with resale, why not wait for a real change rather than a mid-season or buy refurbished if that is an option? Broadwell is rumored to be pretty far out right now.
Click to expand...

But not 'farther' than December of next year?
 
.:Aleph:. said:
But not 'farther' than December of next year?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, but it will probably be late in the year. Intel has been a little cautious about releasing hardware before it's truly ready. Note what happened with Sandy Bridge a couple years ago. They had to issue an expensive recall early on.
 
thekev said:
They won't get much more. Many people won't even care. If you are concerned with resale, why not wait for a real change rather than a mid-season or buy refurbished if that is an option? Broadwell is rumored to be pretty far out right now.
Click to expand...

Would you say that the Haswell 13 rMBP is an example of "real change" or should I wait?
 
Most of you guys are looking at this entirely wrong. In a nutshell, your world view is that of the tail wagging the dog.

Figuring out what's likely becomes a lot easier when you ask yourself just a couple basic questions:
• What are the primary things that cause a company like Apple to decide it's time to roll out a new model?
• What are the primary things that hold a company like Apple back from introducing new models?

I don't think, "It's February!" is, ever, an answer to either question. However, intelligent and logical answers to those questions can explain why we've often seen February updates in the past.

Hint: things like independent supply chains, marketing, competitors, retail sales cycles, inventory, R&D, quarterly sales, etc. all factor into the answers.
 
Forgive me for necro'n this back but I've been wondering the same thing since I'm in the market for a new Haswell MBP 15". The reason why I'm wondering is because a Feb update will drive down the price of Late 2013 refurb or used models. Guess I'm going to have to wait to find out but waiting is so hard for impatient guys like me.
 
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