Should I wait for the next rMBP 15?

[crankmeup]

Hey guys,
Probably a millionth thread. I've been waiting for the new rMBP 15, but again there was nothing new at the latest Apple event. I want to buy one for music engineering purpose, so I aim for i7 quad, 16 ram and some 512 ssd (or at least 256). I've been told to wait for updated processor and maybe a bump on the price for the previous 15s (current ones).
Do you guys think that the sell point of the current line will be lowered once the new ones are introduced? If so when could that happen?
I'm swinging with the idea and can't make my mind. I decided to ask you since you are more experienced with the apple politics and previous updates.

I need some advice.

Yours,
Crankmeup

Ps. I've got some other issues: I imagine that most of the new I/o will be based on USB-C and that's no good for all the audio interfaces I have (I know there will be a host cable or such, but that's another thing to buy and since I'm thinking about selling my kidney* to get the MacBook at first place I'd rather like to keep the cost as low as possible without loosing any quality components of the spec).


*obviously a joke

 

[keviig]

If cost is more important to you than having the latest and greatest, a refurbished 15" now, or even better, after the new ones are released (probably at WWDC in June) will be great value. If you don't need one now, i'd wait the 2 months to see what Apple has in store for us. Worst case, if you don't like the new ones you'll be able to make a great deal on the 2015 gen 15".

 

[BenTrovato]

Waiting is the best option. See what new Macs offer and if you want to those features. If not, buy a refurbished powerhouse for more of a discount. Win-win.

 

[Howard2k]

I'm waiting. My 2007 iMac is still living and breathing so I can suck it up for a couple more months until something happens. At that time hopefully I'll have a choice of a discount on the current 13" MBPro, or a bunch of new shiny laptops to consider.

 

[matt_on_a_mtn]

Only you can make the call, but here are some things to ask yourself.

- Does the current model suit your needs?

- When do you need it?

- Do you have a current machine to handle your needs?

- Do current tumors of the next gen sound appealing, or put you off?

- Is cost a factor?

Personally I liked the current model, it suited my needs, and there was a great deal on a refurb through Apple. I too wasn't very enthused about USB C or potentially needing adapters to use hardware I already own, so I went for the 2015 model and I'm happy with it. My needs may not be yours though, so ask yourself the questions above and decide what's important to you in your decision. That's the best way to sort it out.

 

[crankmeup]

thanks guys! You're all right and gave me some nice insights!
I'll wait till June and see what comes out from Apple. Now, I'm struggling with one old Windows laptop, one that runs Win 10, and I'll be fine, at least for two more months. If the new products suit my needs, I'll go for it. If it's now, I'll be heading the ispot or other reseller and try to get some nice deal for current rMBP. One thing is really great - the refurbished ones. BUT here in Poland I haven't seen any deals like you guys have in UK or US (except for some ipads or ipods). I will check it sometime later and maybe I'll find someone who can help me out getting refurbished one from UK.

I've read some predictions and wishlists from another thread about upcoming rMBP. Few ideas are pretty great. Especially 16" and faster RAM (not to mention fresh processors) and maybe even a bigger SSD. I know that it's just a prediction but it's worth waiting a bit longer. Like Matt said, if the new features puts me off, there is always a chance of getting nice deal for previous line.

 

[mountain]

I think you should wait for the new version but if you need it now then that's a different story. I doubt they will increase price on the new macbooks.

 

[saytheenay]

I would buy the 2015 model less than 14 days before WWDC keynote. If you'd rather have the new one, cancel or return the 2015 order.

I love my 2013 MBA and will be ordering a fully loaded 2015 a couple days before the keynote. I could care less about USB C and need Thunderbolt 2 for my Dell U2715, but I also need 2 USB 3 ports and a headphone jack, and I am not willing to deal with any more dongles.

 

[marmiteturkey]

I'm waiting - a thin and light 15in (or 14in) MBP is perfect for me and will tempt me away from my (perfectly functional) 13in rMBP.

 

[Essenar]

If I were you I would be very worried about drastic changes to the next 15" line.
There's a very real possibility they are going to remove ports, give it a less powerful CPU/GPU to make it "thinner" and "innovative".
If they do that, I hope I can secure a fully loaded 15" 2015 model with the R9, 32GB of ram and a 512GB SSD, because that machine will be the last Apple laptop I ever buy and I hope by the time that machine is obsolete, they'll have learned their lesson and given us back a "power" notebook that engineers/developers/designers need or I'll have fully trained myself in Linux, other development platforms so I will no longer depend on iOS development for my career.

 

[AFEPPL]

i would wait.

 

[mildocjr]

Prices will remain the same, they have over the past many versions (on the same tier), you should probably wait because the skylake processors are faster than the broadwell processors (it's the tock in tick-tock architecture) and provide performance optimizations that allow it to use less energy, including better 4k streaming abilities.
Plus the new laptops will be out by June according to Apple's typical update schedule.

 

[crankmeup]

I decided to wait till June. If it looses features I need, I'll get the previous one. Looking at the general tendency to aim for the looks I am worried about new line of Pro laptops by Apple. Air and MacBook are useless to me. I really keep my fingers crossed for a nice refinement of pro line. In fact I don't care about the looks and thickness. Obviously the current pro models look more than great to me. I wouldn't change a thing except for the internal organs.

I'd love to see the introduction of the new lineup as soon as possible. June is closing in, but still some more weeks of waiting.

Thank you guys for your input!

 

[judgedeath2]

I gave in. Or: how I learned to love the deal and abandon the wait. I have a late-2013 13" base model rMBP that desperately needs more SSD space and could use a horsepower boost.

I would have liked to stay in the 13" form factor but the dGPU was too tempting and I know that they will never put one in 13" models. I'm too afraid come June that Apple will make the 13" thinner, less powerful, and will eliminate ports. At which point I'll be forced to look elsewhere, probably Razer Blade or SurfaceBook. But I really don't want to go back to Windows.

I saw today the mid-2015 15", 16 GB/512 SSD with the dGPU for $1939, which was too good to pass up. Even if Apple does everything right with the 2016 13" rMBP, this one will still beat the pants off of it and didn't break the bank.

 

[ABC5S]

I would buy the 2015 model less than 14 days before WWDC keynote. If you'd rather have the new one, cancel or return the 2015 order.

I love my 2013 MBA and will be ordering a fully loaded 2015 a couple days before the keynote. I could care less about USB C and need Thunderbolt 2 for my Dell U2715, but I also need 2 USB 3 ports and a headphone jack, and I am not willing to deal with any more dongles.

Don't understand the reasoning in bold. When released, the price of the previous model will go down some, not before. Getting one less than 14 days, and the price will remain as it is now. I would rather have a better price than pay full just a couple months or under 14 days from the announcement.

 

[Howard2k]

Depends on the store, obviously, but some offer price protection. If you buy it and the price drops within 30 days (or whatever their policy is) you get a rebate.

 

[saytheenay]

Don't understand the reasoning in bold. When released, the price of the previous model will go down some, not before. Getting one less than 14 days, and the price will remain as it is now. I would rather have a better price than pay full just a couple months or under 14 days from the announcement.

I should have added in my original post that I was assuming Apple will cancel the MBA outright--no update, no reduced price, just gone.