Should I wait until October?

[matthewp]

I was about to purchase a MacBook this weekend when I found out they were not upgraded to the Santa Rosa platforms with intel X3100 graphics processors.

Would it be worth waiting till October to see if they are updated to the above spec? Or should I just buy a MacBook Pro?

I can afford either, howver the MacBook Pro might be a bit overkill as i'm not really planning on gaming, however I don't want to buy a machine with old technology! (old Napa with intel GMA 950). Whats the chances of the MacBook upgrading in time for the release of Leopard?

 

[Aniej]

gaming is definitely not the deciding factor between MB and MBP so if that is your only reason I would just go and get the MBP based on your technology desires. Or if you want to wait a little for the smaller MB to get an update it shouldn't be too far away, but I think it will not be in Oct. there is no direct reason it would be.

 

[matthewp]

gaming is definitely not the deciding factor between MB and MBP so if that is your only reason I would just go and get the MBP based on your technology desires. Or if you want to wait a little for the smaller MB to get an update it shouldn't be too far away, but I think it will not be in Oct. there is no direct reason it would be.

What would a realistic guess be for the MacBook update? Before / after October?

I think if the MacBook had the SR chip, X3100 and I bumped up the RAM to 2gigs i'd be satisfied. Else i'll just get the MBP

 

[matthewp]

? chances of a midcycle SR bump with X3100 on the MacBook?

 

[CalBoy]

? chances of a midcycle SR bump with X3100 on the MacBook?

Not so good. The last update was late May 15th. Count at least 5 months until the update, but 6 is more realistic.

For your first post, I have to ask, how badly are you in need of a new computer? Is it near death, or is it ok still? Are you in college or going to college in the fall? All of these things will affect your purchase.

 

[booksacool1]

I'd wait, but not until November. I'd wait until February. The macbook has recently been updated without santa rosa and will probably stay that way until the end of its cycle.

Yeah it sucks, especially if you want to play games as apparently the x3100 is a substantial improvement (assuming intel gets their drivers together).
And SR's idle battery life is really impressive.

Your going to have to wait longer than you expect. If you can't wait, grab a recently updated one now. The GMA950 is a decent chipset capable of playing HL2.

 

[jamesaberry]

Do you think I should wait also, I have £2k of Telefonica shares riding on O2 getting the iPhone but am due for an upgrade of my phone (K800i). I am thinking of the N95 but don't want to tie myself into another contract when I could be amongst the first to get the iPhone in the UK *IF* my gamble pays off and O2 get the contract.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

[CalBoy]

Do you think I should wait also, I have £2k of Telefonica shares riding on O2 getting the iPhone but am due for an upgrade of my phone (K800i). I am thinking of the N95 but don't want to tie myself into another contract when I could be amongst the first to get the iPhone in the UK *IF* my gamble pays off and O2 get the contract.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Please don't hijack threads. Start your own, esspecially because your situation is a tad bit different from the OP's.

I'd wait, but not until November. I'd wait until February. The macbook has recently been updated without santa rosa and will probably stay that way until the end of its cycle.

February? If the OP needs a computer by Fall, or within a month or two, I think he'll have to go with the mbp. February is only an option if one doesn't need a computer soon.

 

[JFreak]

Only reason to wait would be the desire to save 129 bucks because Leopard would be included to the system at that time. If you don't mind buying the upgrade, then there's no reason to wait. Neither MB nor MBP will be updated until later this year or perhaps even Q1/2008

 

[skye12]

Wait for Oct. Leopard and always the possibility of upgraded machine.

"Wait as long as you can and then 3 months longer."

 

[ajaygrover]

Dell recently updated their home line of notebooks with Dell Vostro which incorporates an 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Bad news for people who have to choose between a mac and pc.

Apple should keep track of market developments and take actions sooner

 

[JHacker]

Dell recently updated their home line of notebooks with Dell Vostro which incorporates an 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Bad news for people who have to choose between a mac and pc.

Apple should keep track of market developments and take actions sooner

Is this Dell Vostro exactly equivalent to a Macbook, except for the graphics card?

Because if it's not, then please just go away.

 

[richard4339]

The MacBook and MacBook Pro were the most recently updated products, so they should be the last to see updates again (though Apple has been doing its best to prove this wrong for some time). Based on averages, the MacBook is updated every seven months (if you include the iBook into this stat), which would put an update around December/January. However, the MacBook has been updated every six months without fail if you just look at the MacBook. But even so, that puts the next refresh in November. So, if October is the longest you're wanting to wait, I'd say that the only thing you will get for waiting will be Leopard.

 

[CalBoy]

Dell recently updated their home line of notebooks with Dell Vostro which incorporates an 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

Bad news for people who have to choose between a mac and pc.

Apple should keep track of market developments and take actions sooner

The price comparison will always go back and forth, but ultimately, the differnce is not that great. Apple really sells a limited selection of products. Apple can't sell to everyone, so they make the product line as simple as possible. Obviously it's working, as Apple is doing better than Dell in terms of Market Cap. and growth.