Is the idea of buying an i7 MBP to get the highest /latest/greatest spec's and to "future proof" your purchase really that wise?
Do you "need" all this power and what's this "future proofing" because I think for some it comes at a higher cost than some may realize.
As or more important, what about the "everyday user experience" .... all the months and years you're going to use your new laptop?
The i7 when tasked runs hotter and louder than the i5 and battery life is shorter as a result ... no doubt the i5 will EASILY handle 95% of all the tasks people do on their laptops.
About future proofing, that's pretty over blown if you ask me, first remember you're paying more for the higher spec'd machine when you buy it, it will hold more value when you go to sell it down the road? But really how much more value? Considering you paid more for it in the beginning you 'might' be a few hundred dollars ahead a few years down the road.
Now, take into consideration that you've had to put up with a hotter and louder notebook for the years you've used it, shorter battery life too.
Often on forums "user experience" isn't discussed or included in reviews often enough. It should be one of your highest considerations when buying. Bigger, better, faster ... but maybe not necessarily the best for 'you'. Unless you're doing heavy work on the notebook, or gaming, other than bragging about having the 'best' MBP, the real benefit to most could be a cooler, quieter notebook.
I've went one step further backwards ... I was disappointed Apple didn't keep the option of an anti glare screen on the 1440 x 900 screen. So instead of settling for an April 10 i5/i7 15" MBP with hi-res and anti glare ... I'm going to purchase an '09 C2D 15" MBP with anti glare ... that will give me the screen and the font size I like AND it will easily handle the tasks I'll use it for, latest and greatest spec's? No. Future Proofing? No. But, I'll have a notebook that provides the user experience I'm looking for and not at the cost of small fonts, fan noise, or a warm lap ... I'm confident 8gb of ram and a 256ssd will help make up any short comings
Do you "need" all this power and what's this "future proofing" because I think for some it comes at a higher cost than some may realize.
As or more important, what about the "everyday user experience" .... all the months and years you're going to use your new laptop?
The i7 when tasked runs hotter and louder than the i5 and battery life is shorter as a result ... no doubt the i5 will EASILY handle 95% of all the tasks people do on their laptops.
About future proofing, that's pretty over blown if you ask me, first remember you're paying more for the higher spec'd machine when you buy it, it will hold more value when you go to sell it down the road? But really how much more value? Considering you paid more for it in the beginning you 'might' be a few hundred dollars ahead a few years down the road.
Now, take into consideration that you've had to put up with a hotter and louder notebook for the years you've used it, shorter battery life too.
Often on forums "user experience" isn't discussed or included in reviews often enough. It should be one of your highest considerations when buying. Bigger, better, faster ... but maybe not necessarily the best for 'you'. Unless you're doing heavy work on the notebook, or gaming, other than bragging about having the 'best' MBP, the real benefit to most could be a cooler, quieter notebook.
I've went one step further backwards ... I was disappointed Apple didn't keep the option of an anti glare screen on the 1440 x 900 screen. So instead of settling for an April 10 i5/i7 15" MBP with hi-res and anti glare ... I'm going to purchase an '09 C2D 15" MBP with anti glare ... that will give me the screen and the font size I like AND it will easily handle the tasks I'll use it for, latest and greatest spec's? No. Future Proofing? No. But, I'll have a notebook that provides the user experience I'm looking for and not at the cost of small fonts, fan noise, or a warm lap ... I'm confident 8gb of ram and a 256ssd will help make up any short comings