Should I wait to buy?

[jacobiwinkle]

So, I need to buy a laptop, and I'd really like it to be a Mac. I've been trolling the refurbished arenas, because as much as I'd love a brand new Macbook, it's really not in the budget right now.

My question is, is it worth it to wait until the new Macbook is released? Historically, do prices of the refurbished (or new, for that matter) Apple laptops go down when new models are released? I've honestly never paid attention before, because we've always gone for the newest models in the past. I could make do with my current laptop for a little while longer...but it's getting to be a real pain, so if I shouldn't expect a drop in prices, I'd rather not wait. My gut tells me that Apple probably has this figured out and doesn't drop the prices much, since people love Apple and will buy it anyway. But I figure you guys are the experts, so you may have some insight.

Thanks!

 

[tmarks11]

USED:
As soon as the new models are announced, people start unloading their old models. So if you want to buy a used one off of eBay (or wherever), now is the time to start looking.

The updated MBA are already shipping, so there are a bunch of owners who already have new models trying to unload their 1-2 year old models.

If you don't see prices you like, then wait two weeks. There will probably be another glut of used MBA on the market when the MB starts shipping (Apr 10).

NEW:
What you see is what you get. Apple has announced the new MBA and pricing, and the last years models are not available from Apple. 3rd party vendors will probably be selling them (some of them as "new models").

Since this is about the weakest CPU upgrade in recent history (slightly better thermal performance, slightly better battery life), if you can sang a good deal on a 2014 model, you won't be missing much. Although the updated SSD in the 13" model are worth having, apparently.

REFURBISHED:
Apple is selling refurbished MBA, and a refurbished 2014 MBA (256GB SSD) is selling for $250 cheaper than new, which is a good deal... if you wanted a 256GB SSD. The downside is that they don't have any *GB machines, and since I run a VM on my laptop, that won't work for me (but might work for you).

DROP IN PRICES:
Apple drop prices? Don't hold your breath. They are pretty good at holding their prices rock solid across the entire year, except for a couple short lived sales. Might as well buy now if your existing computer is painful to live with.

The time to buy a new laptop IMHO is when Apple releases a new model. No, I don't mean buy a new one every year. I mean that way you will have the new version for the longest time period before your shiny new toy becomes last years model (my current 2012 was last years model 2 years ago).

It is just amusing to read the consume rage on this site when Apple dares to release a new model only 45 days after someone has bought a new laptop. As if the BUYERS GUIDE link at the top of the page wasn't there to protect people from their urge to buy without doing a modicum of research first.

 

[motrek]

So, I need to buy a laptop, and I'd really like it to be a Mac. I've been trolling the refurbished arenas, because as much as I'd love a brand new Macbook, it's really not in the budget right now.

My question is, is it worth it to wait until the new Macbook is released? Historically, do prices of the refurbished (or new, for that matter) Apple laptops go down when new models are released? I've honestly never paid attention before, because we've always gone for the newest models in the past. I could make do with my current laptop for a little while longer...but it's getting to be a real pain, so if I shouldn't expect a drop in prices, I'd rather not wait. My gut tells me that Apple probably has this figured out and doesn't drop the prices much, since people love Apple and will buy it anyway. But I figure you guys are the experts, so you may have some insight.

Thanks!

Now is the time to buy a new 2014 MBA since stores are presumably unloading their unsold stock to make "room" for the 2015 model. Best Buy increased their discounts a couple weeks ago. If you buy online from a place that doesn't charge sales tax, you can likely get a new base model for less than an Apple refurb.

 

[michaelsviews]

So, I need to buy a laptop, and I'd really like it to be a Mac. I've been trolling the refurbished arenas, because as much as I'd love a brand new Macbook, it's really not in the budget right now.

My question is, is it worth it to wait until the new Macbook is released? Historically, do prices of the refurbished (or new, for that matter) Apple laptops go down when new models are released? I've honestly never paid attention before, because we've always gone for the newest models in the past. I could make do with my current laptop for a little while longer...but it's getting to be a real pain, so if I shouldn't expect a drop in prices, I'd rather not wait. My gut tells me that Apple probably has this figured out and doesn't drop the prices much, since people love Apple and will buy it anyway. But I figure you guys are the experts, so you may have some insight.

Thanks!

Whats the primary use going to be? And if the budget could afford it what price range are you looking at?

 

[Boyd01]

I've been trolling the refurbished arenas, because as much as I'd love a brand new Macbook, it's really not in the budget right now.

Not sure what a "refurbished arena is". But if money is tight, I think the sweet spot is the 2013 MBA. That was the year they added the fast 802.11ac wifi, started using faster SSDs and greatly increased the battery life.

Apple refurb (same warranty as new) 2013 11" i5/4gb/256gb is currently $809

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...nch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

Or a 13" for $889

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...nch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

I am still very happy with my 2013 11" MBA and see no reason to upgrade. However I have the i7/8gb/512gb model. But I use it as my primary computer with an external screen and a bunch of peripherals at home, running software like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, etc.

 

[AWgamer]

The discount on the outgoing model wasn't enough on the MBA in my opinion to justify buying an older model or a refurbished. It's a good thing because the MacBooks hold value which is good once you own one IMO. I did look on Amazon and saw the old MBA for 830 something but for 949 on amazon they had the 2015 that just got a refresh. I keep laptops a long time so to me it was worth the extra to have the latest model. Of course if you do go with an older or refurb model it leaves room for apple care or software, neither of which I bought.