School Special MBP vs. Waiting for Haswell

[RollTide91]

Hey guys,

My university is having a special on Macbook Pros, both non-Retina and Retina, that has the laptop along with a lot of other stuff (ex. AppleCare, sleeve, Microsoft Office 365 University, 500 GB G-Drive Mobile USB 3.0 drive, ethernet cable and surge protector, and an 8 GB flash drive), for basically the price of the computer itself. I'm looking at the Retina 13 inch Macbook Pro bundle, which sells for $1749 with the bundle. *Edit*: Other stats for the one offered through my school for the rMBP 13 in is 2.5GHz dual core Intel I5, 8 GB 1600 MHz memory, 128 GB flash storage, Intel HD 4000 graphics.

This would be my first Mac purchase, but I've been browsing around the forums and internet and learned that apparently the MBPs will be upgraded within the next few months (speculated). So, I was wondering if this bundle through my school is worth the money, or if it will truly be worth it to wait for the new Haswell MBP. I would normally wait for it, but I'm not sure how Apple works, and am worried that a higher price would be associated with the upgraded MBP. Is this the most likely scenario? And in that case, is my school's bundle the better deal? I am not a hardcore gamer, or hardcore art/photo person, so I am not as concerned with that stuff, but moreso with speed and performance. The majority of my memory will come from music I predict.

Basically, I am torn between buying my school's bundle, which at first glance would save a lot of money, or waiting for this speculated new upgraded MBP, that I'm sure would have better performance. The school special would of course be over by the time it comes out, so yea.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Stetrain]

Most likely an updated rMBP would not have a higher price.

In fact the recent Macbook Air update dropped prices by $100.

Most likely the updated 13" rMBP will have a bit better battery life (probably not as long as the 12 hour Macbook Air but some improvement), a bit faster SSD, and better graphics (Intel Iris HD 5100 instead of HD 4000), but probably no real increase in CPU power.

I'm guessing that price is for the 256GB model? You should compare it with Apple Refurbished and with resellers like MacMall:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-26ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display

http://www.macmall.com/p/Apple-MacBook-Pro/product~dpno~9418688~pdp.iadfdbh

http://www.macmall.com/p/Apple-MacBook-Pro/product~dpno~9418743~pdp.iadfdhc

I think if you get a really good deal on it then go ahead and grab one.

Edit: The refurbished 13"/2.6/256GB with Apple Care (edu pricing) is $1622. So for $127 you're getting everything else you listed. Seems like a decent deal to me.

 

[RollTide91]

Ah, thank you for the help! I'm definitely considering those options as well. Haven't heard of macmall before, so thank you for that.

Any other opinions?

 

[johnnyyt]

Ah, thank you for the help! I'm definitely considering those options as well. Haven't heard of macmall before, so thank you for that.

Any other opinions?

the real question is, is the upcoming haswell rmbp gonna be worth losing out on all the extras that are going to be coming with your school's offer?

applecare isn't exactly cheap and it seems like you're getting a good assortment of stuff with the school deal.

 

[FrankB1191]

I went to the Apple Store earlier this week, and bought a 13" MBP with retina display (which is also low glare, and the non-retina is not). Using my son's student ID, we received a $100 discount off the price, as well as a $100 iTunes gift card. We bought the 256GB version with a 2.6GHz i5, and 8GB RAM. I used to own a retail business, and accessories have a HUGE markup. You get a one year Apple Care warranty with a new MacBook, and then you can purchase an additional one or two years if you like. This does not cover accidental damage, unless you get Apple Care+.

 

[RollTide91]

the real question is, is the upcoming haswell rmbp gonna be worth losing out on all the extras that are going to be coming with your school's offer?

applecare isn't exactly cheap and it seems like you're getting a good assortment of stuff with the school deal.

I agree, that's exactly what I'm asking opinions about. Whether it truly will be worth it to wait, or if the extra goodies my school is offering right now with the current rMBP is the better deal.

 

[thundersteele]

My university is having a special on Macbook Pros, both non-Retina and Retina, that has the laptop along with a lot of other stuff (ex. AppleCare, sleeve, Microsoft Office 365 University, 500 GB G-Drive Mobile USB 3.0 drive, ethernet cable and surge protector, and an 8 GB flash drive), for basically the price of the computer itself. I'm looking at the Retina 13 inch Macbook Pro bundle, which sells for $1749 with the bundle. *Edit*: Other stats for the one offered through my school for the rMBP 13 in is 2.5GHz dual core Intel I5, 8 GB 1600 MHz memory, 128 GB flash storage, Intel HD 4000 graphics.

rMBP: $1399 (education pricing)
Applecare: $183 (education)
MS Office 365 Uni: $80 (4 year, so $20/year)
G-Drive USB: $80-$90 (but kinda outdated)
the other stuff: $20

So we look at a value of $1763. Essentially this means you can get the same deal yourself, with the advantage that you can select only what you need. Also if you buy now you get a $100 Apple gift card, which seems to be missing from the above offer.

Not a good deal!


Edit: Further one has to take into account that some universities give access to even cheaper options to obtain MS-Office (i.e. free in some places). The external drive might be nice, but really 500 GB is somewhat small if you want to use it for both external storage & backups.

 

[Stetrain]

*Edit*: Other stats for the one offered through my school for the rMBP 13 in is 2.5GHz dual core Intel I5, 8 GB 1600 MHz memory, 128 GB flash storage, Intel HD 4000 graphics.

You aren't really getting a good deal then since this is a 128GB model. You could get the refurbished 256GB model I linked with Applecare for less money, and buy the exact accessories you really need to go with it.

Here's an Apple Certified Refurbished 2.5Ghz/128GB for comparison: $1269. With AppleCare that's $1452.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...z-dual-core-intel-core-i5-with-retina-display