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Should I buy a MacBook Pro?

I

iamslackinglee

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2011
5
0
I was looking at buying a Macbook Pro but was wondering if there is any news about a new model coming out in 2013. Since it is already about 6 months since the June release. If anyone knows it would help. I am not looking at the retina display models. Thank you.
 
If you wait for the next big thing...you will never purchase one. Take advantage of the holiday sales and jump in.
 
Nah.

No need.

If you needed one, you'd have bought it and not asked a random web forum.

The search function works, also . . .

;)
 
Need one, buy one.

Why to wait for something nobody knows for sure when will happen.
 
If you really want a brand new one right after release, buy a refurb now and sell it next summer when you upgrade to the latest greatest. You'll only take a small financial hit as Apple notebooks keep their value pretty well.
 
avflinsch said:
:) Sure they do - it will happen the week AFTER I buy a new one :)
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This happens all the time, so I am kind of used to that. Just buy it now if you really need/want one. For the future half/1 year I don't know if there will be an improvement. IMO the retina ones are already overkill for people who used them just for entertainment.
 
iamslackinglee said:
I was looking at buying a Macbook Pro but was wondering if there is any news about a new model coming out in 2013. Since it is already about 6 months since the June release. If anyone knows it would help. I am not looking at the retina display models. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Some questions for you:

1. Why do you want/need a MacBook Pro?
2. How old is your current laptop (if you have one)? Is it a Mac?
3. Which MacBook Pro are you seeking? The 13" or the 15" one?

Note that the MacBook Pro was last refreshed in June, 163 days ago, according to the MacRumors Buyer's Guide, with the exception of the 13" retina model, which has just been released.

Apple may release a minor refresh to the MacBook Pros now that Intel released slightly faster Ivy Bridge processors (i7-3630QM and i7-3740QM could replace the processors in the 15" Pro models). However, it has not done so yet and we have no clue whether it will make it.

The next major refresh is likely to happen only in 2013, when Intel releases Haswell, something that will probably happen in Q2 or Q3. Haswell has been marketed by Intel as "the notebook reinvented", as it is supposed to be much more power-efficient than current processors.

Ir you really want/need a MacBook Pro right now, then buy it, because the next big refresh is a few months away. But, at this point, if you don't really want/need it now, just control yourself and it may be worth the wait.

One last note: if you want non-retina MacBook Pros, you'd better get one now. Apple is clearly phasing out these laptops (they didn't get MagSafe 2 in the latest refresh, for instance). Apple may well discontinue the non-retina models in the next refresh (and that may, or may not, be accompanied by price drops in the retina models).
 
skaertus said:
Not more powerful. It's more power-efficient. That's different.
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Yes, you are right, some how...Intel’s big goals for Haswell have been to focus on low power use and increasing battery life on Ultrabooks and improving the on-die graphics which will be twice as fast as the Intel HD 4000 in Ivy Bridge.

It’s laptops and tablets that Intel has its eye on for the future (doesn’t everyone?) I believe Intel fears that powerful Apple - ARM CPUs could enter the low-end laptop and netbook markets.

One thing is for shore that Haswell will replace Ivy Bridge at some point next year.
 
vsighi said:
Yes, you are right, some how...Intel’s big goals for Haswell have been to focus on low power use and increasing battery life on Ultrabooks and improving the on-die graphics which will be twice as fast as the Intel HD 4000 in Ivy Bridge.
Click to expand...

Yes. Haswell processors will be faster than Ivy Bridge, but not by a large margin (about 10% faster). The big leap will be in low power use and integrated graphics performance.

It’s laptops and tablets that Intel has its eye on for the future (doesn’t everyone?) I believe Intel fears that powerful Apple - ARM CPUs could enter the low-end laptop and netbook markets.
Click to expand...

Yes. Intel wants to put its processors inside smaller mobile devices and want its integrated graphics solutions to deliver enough performance for high-resolution displays (retina-like).

There are two threats to Intel. The first is NVIDIA. Intel's current integrated graphics solution (HD 4000) is much more powerful than the previous one, but it might not be sufficient to power ultra high definition displays yet (although it seems to handle the retina MacBook Pros just fine, but I've heard some complains). Intel probably wants to deliver something better before eyes turn to solutions provided by NVIDIA. Should Intel make this, NVIDIA solutions could be increasingly devoted to niche markets, such as gamers and graphic professionals.

The second threat, and the biggest one, is ARM. ARM is delivering very power-efficient processors. They began with smartphones and now they power most tablets out there. Microsoft developed a Windows version for ARM devices. Apple is rumored to be considering a switch to ARM-powered Macs. Intel should act quickly before ARM takes over the personal computer market. And if Intel wants to invade ARM territory (smartphones and tablets), it has to come up with solutions that are better than the ones currently provided by ARM.

And then comes Haswell, which is the first step towards this direction.

One thing is for shore that Haswell will replace Ivy Bridge at some point next year.
Click to expand...

Yes. I hope sooner than later.
 
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