Should I wait for the Macbook Pro 2018?

[lucy18]

I'm 18 and I've never had a Macbook before but I'm looking to buy a 13 inch Macbook Pro for going to uni in September. I’m not studying anything computer based so it will just be used for essays, Netflix etc.

Is it worth waiting for the MacBook Pro 2018? Will there be significant differences that I will notice or is it more so for people who use it for video editing or gaming etc? Also, if I did wait would the 2018 model be likely to be significantly more expensive than the current model or would it be a similar price?

Thank you!

 

[Glmnet1]

Hi,

The 2018 MBP will evidently bring a few performance upgrades, at least a more recent CPU and GPU, but probably nothing that you will notice for your usage. Nobody expects a major redesign either.

On the other hand, a lot of users reported problems with the reliability of the keyboard on the 2016/2017 models (less on the 2017 but still) so you might want to wait and see if they improve it in 2018.

I expect the price to remain similar. Maybe we will see better value for a similar price, such as bigger SSDs etc. No major redesign makes it very unlikely to see a price hike and Apple doesn't often lower significantly their prices for no reason either.

If you don't need it until September I recommend you wait, if only because it's a lot more fun to buy it on day 1 than to buy a 6-7 months old device

 

[andy9l]

Always worth waiting if you don't need one now. The performance difference should fall loosely in line with previous years - around the 15-25% mark on certain benchmarks.

Doing what you've described, you won't notice peak performance differences. You will, however, still benefit from improved efficiency, which is what manufacturers are focusing on heavily these days. Improved efficiency means better battery life and a cooler and quieter laptop.

 

[tkwolf]

I've been thinking of upgraded my 2013 late 2012 macbook pro to the 2017 one but I am so afraid of the keyboard issue. :/

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

andy has it right in reply 3 above.

If you don't absolutely have-to-have it now, I'd suggest waiting until July-August to see what comes out in the summer.

The big problem with the 2017 models is the keyboard, which seems to develop problems in too many units. The replacement isn't easy -- the whole case has to be replaced.

This -might- get fixed in the 2018's (then again it might not be).
If that happens, it will make it "worth the wait".

 

[tkwolf]

I'll just have to tough this out then!

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I suspect you'll be hearing about keyboard issues for this entire generation to be honest. Nothing Apple can do will calm the threads here at least, and many people will be very sensitive to the slightest imperfection that it'll just carry on until people are recommending you wait until the 2019 model...

As you don't need it now, wait. No one knows when the 2018 will be released too, could be anywhere up to November. Or they could just skip it entirely and not release one this year. So that's why it's always best to wait until you need it otherwise you'll have an expensive computer for no use and then regret not waiting as you could have had the latest thing when you needed it.