So I'm looking for a new laptop for high school (I have a pc now, which won't turn on, it's pretty much bricked) and I'm looking at the mba 13 inch. I have to buy this thing myself so I'm looking into the cheaper end of macs. So, I'd like to have a computer soon since it's hard fighting my family for our dell desktop (and I hate windows). So, would you say buy now (I can get $90 off on amazon.com right now) or wait until the new model comes out (I heard only better battery and Ivy Bridge). Battery doesn't matter much to me, and the current generation is plenty fast for me, though graphics could use a boost (The only game I play is GTA). In past generations apple has alternated between summer and autumn for air upgrades, and since last year was summer, it looks like an october upgrade this year, meaning I'll need to go through the first two months of school without a dedicated computer (my school strongly reccomends carrying a laptop), and that means the upgrade is almost half a year away. Any advice? Thanks!
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Should I wait or not?
- Thread starter corysilver
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I'm gonna say go ahead and buy. I'm currently waiting for the new iMacs but I have a functioning computer and they will be out sooner.
Pros of buying now:
You get it now and can start getting used to/transferring your files over to it before you get into the school year.
You have a life and don't spend every waking hour of the day on here waiting for a rumor (like me!
)Cons:
Your gonna feel like you wasted a bunch of money if the new one is awsome.
Go for it, consider getting a refurbished one off of the apple store.
I'm gonna say go ahead and buy. I'm currently waiting for the new iMacs but I have a functioning computer and they will be out sooner.
Pros of buying now:
You get it now and can start getting used to/transferring your files over to it before you get into the school year.
You have a life and don't spend every waking hour of the day on here waiting for a rumor (like me!
Cons:
Your gonna feel like you wasted a bunch of money if the new one is awsome.
Go for it, consider getting a refurbished one off of the apple store.
Good advice, I'd say. If you want one now, get one. Maybe a good compromise would be to wait until about three weeks before school starts up to buy. That way if a new one comes out in the summer, you might hit it. And you'd have a couple weeks to get used to it before you need it.
And good for you for buying it yourself. Tell your parents they're doing a good job.
The "grass is always greener" is just that. A myth. I have both a 13" 2010 & 13" 2011 MBA. The 2011 was a relatively significant upgrade, therefore the next model is not likely to be much different.
I've been upgrading annually simply because I can, and I'm a very serious Apple enthusiast. Rarely is an upgrade so dramatic it really stands out. Oh sure they're always hyped as such, but thats pure marketing. Even if benchmarks are greater, in real life the difference is rather minimal.
Buy now and enjoy
I've been upgrading annually simply because I can, and I'm a very serious Apple enthusiast. Rarely is an upgrade so dramatic it really stands out. Oh sure they're always hyped as such, but thats pure marketing. Even if benchmarks are greater, in real life the difference is rather minimal.
Buy now and enjoy
To simplify your post:
"I need a computer for school!"
Correct response:
Buy now so that you aren't "without" for school. The current MBA will do everything you need to for school.
"I need a computer for school!"
Correct response:
Buy now so that you aren't "without" for school. The current MBA will do everything you need to for school.
Quote.
If you need it, you buy it. If you want it, you wait.
Me myself don't have a laptop now (my whitebook 2008 died last month), but I have another computer that I can use. So I think I will wait until the new MBAs are out. But of course, if I realize that I need a laptop now, I would not hesitate to buy a MBA today (pity that we don't have refurbs here in the Netherlands).
But a refurb now, and re-sell it (probably without losing any money) when the new ones are released.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC965LL/A
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC965LL/A
Thanks for the responses. Is anyone holding out for ivy bridge? Also, do you think apple might merge the 13 inch pro with the air?
"Holding out for Ivy Bridge" only really makes sense if you are holding out for better power consumption/battery life; they will not be significantly faster (possibly not faster at all) than the 32nm form factor of Sandy Bridge.
I think the battery will be the same, but will last longer with IB than SB. Will it be significant? Hard to say; the backlight is what sucks down the power most of the time; school stuff would not really suck much power on either IB or SB. Heavy gaming would probably be where you would see a big difference in battery life.
I also would not expect them to be available until late summer. If you start school soon after that and can wait, then wait.
But performance-wise it makes no sense to hold out; that will be incremental at best.
I think the battery will be the same, but will last longer with IB than SB. Will it be significant? Hard to say; the backlight is what sucks down the power most of the time; school stuff would not really suck much power on either IB or SB. Heavy gaming would probably be where you would see a big difference in battery life.
I also would not expect them to be available until late summer. If you start school soon after that and can wait, then wait.
But performance-wise it makes no sense to hold out; that will be incremental at best.
Well if you like the current gen, by all means go for it. If the new macbook air (which might not even come till October) has killer features (retina, more storage, ect) then you can always just sell. Macs have a high resale value, I just sold my 2008 Macbook for about $700.
So in conclusion, go for it, and dont look back! And if you do look back, you can always get the new one, for maybe $100-200 (if you sell yours)
So in conclusion, go for it, and dont look back! And if you do look back, you can always get the new one, for maybe $100-200 (if you sell yours)
I have a 2009 MBA, and I'm holding out for Ivy Bridge. My computer works (and is currently installing CS6) but the low RAM is starting to bother me. Since I have a working computer, I can handle waiting a few more months. If I didn't, I would probably buy now.