Stick with my Late 11 MBP or Go Retina?

[JT123]

Sorry if you have already had a question like this. I currently have a Late 11 2.4Ghz 8GB Ram w/OCZ Vertex 3 SSD, AG Macbook Pro. Was wondering do you think I should sell it and buy the newer Retina?

I was weighing it up, wait and my Mac depreciates. Buy it now, there may be problems with the new model.

I don't need a hundred people calling me an Apple whore who buys anything Apple releases. The Retina is a significant upgrade, which I don't know if I want to take advantage of.

Is the HiDPI mode or whatever it is actually working properly yet, or is it better to wait till all the little issues are ironed out?

 

[v654321]

My advice: although a fairly significant upgrade (purely from a screen resolution perspective), you need to ask yourself whether you need it.

The rMBP is a new generation and with each new generation of products there are always some minor flaws.

Given your current config and given the fact that most people use their rMBP most likely on one of the scaled resolutions, I doubt you will see much improvements in your productivity workflow.

If you really care for very crisp text and images, then retina is the best you can get. If however you have no need for that, your current config should be perfectly fine and get you through your work for another year, at which time a second revision will be out.

 

[miniConvert]

I think anyone with a late 2011 MBP can make a pretty strong case to themselves for waiting for the next revision of rMBP. I'd really like one myself, but at the same time this is my primary machine and do I really want to go from the very refined MBP to the rev. A rMBP?

I don't need retina graphics, and I've already got 8GB RAM and a SSD, so I'm just going to have to make myself wait. USB3 is quite tempting, but I've got Thunderbolt which I find far more interesting anyway so I should be able to make it...

 

[throAU]

Do you need the fastest machine money can buy for work?


yes? buy one.
no? want to brag about your super fast new machine? buy one if you want bragging rights and are prepared to pay for it.


if neither of the above are true, the 2011 is still a fine machine. upgrading every year is generally just throwing money away, i'd hold off until the 2013 spec bump/teething problems are fixed at least.

retina is nice but isn't a "omg must have" unless you're doing a lot of high end video/imaging work imho.

 

[alexiszorba]

your current mac is loosing value but the retina would be loosing value as fast if not faster (especially if flaws are discovered in the next few months).

Generally, a completely new machine looses value faster the first year than it looses the following years. This is often accentuated in the case of rev.A models like the retina.

So the argument that your mac is loosing value does not hold. If value was your only concern, stick with your existing mbp.

The question is : do you want to be an early adopter of that model or not ? Can you afford it comfortably ?

 

[tejagamer]

Stick with it and upgrade when gen 2 retina mbps come

 

[JT123]

I see your points. The think the unanimous opinion is to stick with it and wait. And, yes, that was one of the things that was holding me back too- never buy the first of anything.

That's also what I wanted to know, so right now there isn't that much of an improvement in the screen due to the scaling?