Should I wait to buy the 2014 MacBook Pro?

[MemoryBoy]

I am planning to buy a MacBook Pro, the earliest in March. I know that Apple updates the MacBook Pro every year, but I'm wondering if its worth waiting for the update. I'm going to keep this computer for serveral years, so if I have to wait a few months I think it would be worth it.

When will Apple most likely release the new MacBook Pro? And will it be worth waiting for, beacause of how close it is to when its usually updated?

Also I will be using it primarily for music production, so what specifications should I get? I'm on a tight budget, probably around $1,500.

I've got a lot of questions, but if you could answer any of them that would be great!

Thanks!
-CZ-

 

[ElectronGuru]

Apple likes to push old models for back to school season, so prob have to wait till just after that.

 

[MemoryBoy]

So early summer is probably when it will come out? Also is it likely that's it's going to be an update worth waiting for?

 

[Bear]

So early summer is probably when it will come out? Also is it likely that's it's going to be an update worth waiting for?

Probably not early summer as I don't think there will be a processor upgrade that soon. I expect it will be September/October before upgrades are announced.

The real question for you is how long can you really wait before you need the Mac?

 

[MiesVanDerRobot]

No need to wait. The new ones are still new. They're marvelous machines. The new-new ones in 2014 will be incremental improvements not worth waiting for. With Retina Display and Thunderbolt 2, you're already very well future-proofed with a laptop that will last you for years.

Just be sure to max out the memory if you can afford to do so....you won't be able to increase it later.

 

[MemoryBoy]

No need to wait. The new ones are still new. They're marvelous machines. The new-new ones in 2014 will be incremental improvements not worth waiting for. With Retina Display and Thunderbolt 2, you're already very well future-proofed with a laptop that will last you for years.

Just be sure to max out the memory if you can afford to do so....you won't be able to increase it later.

Thanks for the conformation. I figured that was the case with the update, but you can never tell for sure with Apple.

I was thinking of spending an extra $100 for 8GB of RAM, but would it be worth spending an additional $350 for the 16GB? I'm sure I'd be fine with just 8GB, but would I notice a difference with 16GB?

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Probably not early summer as I don't think there will be a processor upgrade that soon. I expect it will be September/October before upgrades are announced.

The real question for you is how long can you really wait before you need the Mac?

That seems more likely. And I would like a Mac as soon as I can get one. I don't NEED one yet, but I most definitely want one. The sooner the better so I can start making music. In that case, I will probably buy the most recent version.

 

[linkgx1]

I'd get it in March. For me the cut off date for 2013s would be July 2014 to buy. Other than that, you should be golden. The problem with waiting so long is that you may be disappointed. If you want to make something, make it now and don't wait.

 

[rick3000]

In the past, there was normally a 'refresh' in the Spring, just a minor spec bump. However, I am not sure if that will happen this year. I would check in closer to when you are actually looking to make a purchase.

 

[MiesVanDerRobot]

Thanks for the conformation. I figured that was the case with the update, but you can never tell for sure with Apple.

I was thinking of spending an extra $100 for 8GB of RAM, but would it be worth spending an additional $350 for the 16GB? I'm sure I'd be fine with just 8GB, but would I notice a difference with 16GB?

It's true you never can tell. They may have other big features up their sleeve, but it seems like Retina and Thunderbolt 2 are the marquee technologies of the moment for Mac and those are already covered. Note that the Mac Pros shipped with essentially the same suite of connections as the MBP, just more of them: HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0, Thunderbolt 2, 802.11ac, USB3. That's a pretty good indication the rMBP is mature enough to lock in on long-term.

As for the RAM, if you are doing music production you will definitely notice it. Logic, Live, etc. and their many 3rd-party plug-ins are not miserly in their use of memory.

Also keep in mind that even the supposedly low-power stuff like web browsing has been increasing in memory usage over time. Last night my system was using 7.5gb with nothing open but the OS, the menu-bar apps, and 20 tabs in Safari.

So I'd say 8gb is great for a system you want to be smooth and painless right now, but 16gb is the target to go for if you want it to be just as smooth 3 years from now.

 

[Moonjumper]

The only issue is if the HDMI and Thunderbolt ports get full 4K support via a firmware update, or if that is something reserved for the next model.

Thunderbolt is capable of it in Windows, so I hold out hope an update will allow it in OS X. I'm more doubtful that a firmware update will bring the HDMI port up to 2.0 spec. But both points are far from certain either way.