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Time to buy?

A

AoS

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I was really hoping to for an update today, but oh well.

I'm looking to replace my 2012 air, but I haven't found a concrete answer as to how much performance increase the Macbook would provide. Going over Geekbench scores, the scores are almost identical.
 
AoS said:
I was really hoping to for an update today, but oh well.

I'm looking to replace my 2012 air, but I haven't found a concrete answer as to how much performance increase the Macbook would provide. Going over Geekbench scores, the scores are almost identical.
Click to expand...

They might feel the same then. However, speed isn't the only factor when considering an upgrade. You also have:

  • New Keyboard
  • Retina Screen
  • Weighs less
  • No fan so the laptop is completely silent
I got the new rMB when I previously had a 2013 MBA and I survived.
 
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AoS said:
I was really hoping to for an update today, but oh well.

I'm looking to replace my 2012 air, but I haven't found a concrete answer as to how much performance increase the Macbook would provide. Going over Geekbench scores, the scores are almost identical.
Click to expand...
I doubt it'll provide any kind of performance increase other than the SSD read/write speeds.
 
Buy it! I'm loving my new 512 Space Gray that arrived yesterday. Such a speedy little thing that's the perfect size for me and the screen is so gorgeous.
 
applesith said:
Buy it! I'm loving my new 512 Space Gray that arrived yesterday. Such a speedy little thing that's the perfect size for me and the screen is so gorgeous.
Click to expand...
I thought my RMB screen was gorgeous also until I purchased my iPad Pro. It still is just smaller 🙂
 
applesith said:
Buy it! I'm loving my new 512 Space Gray that arrived yesterday. Such a speedy little thing that's the perfect size for me and the screen is so gorgeous.
Click to expand...

I returned my 256 last week in anticipation of an announcement yesterday and also thinking perhaps I would just stick with my Macbook Pro. After lugging around the Macbook Pro for a few days and with no announcement yesterday, I decided it was time to go back. Ordered an open box 512 from BB for $1182. Hard to beat $400 off (actually I think BB prices for this sale are about the right price for this).
 
t.portis said:
I returned my 256 last week in anticipation of an announcement yesterday and also thinking perhaps I would just stick with my Macbook Pro. After lugging around the Macbook Pro for a few days and with no announcement yesterday, I decided it was time to go back. Ordered an open box 512 from BB for $1182. Hard to beat $400 off (actually I think BB prices for this sale are about the right price for this).
Click to expand...

Yeah I ended up paying $1120 open box for the 512GB shipped and taxed. $600 off retail. Can't beat 35% off!
 
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Yes, now is certainly a time to buy. It's unclear whether BestBuy will resume the 10%-off-anything Movers Coupons and the current USPS Movers Packs do NOT include them. The current supply available on eBay all seem to expire March 31st.

Spending $20 for a coupon that saves you $100-$130 is a kind of a no-brainer.
 
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For me it would be hard to buy now. They could drop the Skylake rMB on us at any time which would make me regret not being more patient. My 2011 MBA still works fine so I don't need a new laptop. I just want retina and it's sad that watching HD youtube videos is more enjoyable on my 1080p TV than on the MBA.
 
flow280 said:
At least you have that going for you. Here in Canada, the base rMB is still $1550 ($1900 for 512)!
Click to expand...

You can buy an Apple Certified Refurbished model for about $300 off through Apple Canada. Qualifies for Apple Care extended warranty too.
 
I just bought an open box gold 256gb one for $809 at my local store. Only had 5 battery cycles...That's good. This is my first mac and man I am lost. Definitely different...I have always used Windows. Any good tips or resources for a beginner? Yes, I know google is my friend but I figure you guys might have some better info than what would come from a quick google search.
 
BigCTM said:
I just bought an open box gold 256gb one for $809 at my local store. Only had 5 battery cycles...That's good. This is my first mac and man I am lost. Definitely different...I have always used Windows. Any good tips or resources for a beginner? Yes, I know google is my friend but I figure you guys might have some better info than what would come from a quick google search.
Click to expand...

YouTube OS X for beginners. This will be a great intro.
 
A couple things that threw me at first:
Alt-Tab switched programs, not windows; use Alt-` to switch windows within a program, Alt-Tab to switch programs.
Clicking the red-dot on a window just closes the window, not the application. Use ⌘-Q to quit a program. ⌘-W is good for closing an individual window.
Fn-delete is Backpace.
Also google keyboard shortcuts to find Fn- equivalents of page down/up/end/home/etc -- they're all there if you know the combo.
 
I ended up buying a new open box 1.2 512 Space Gray with 3 years Apple Care for $1,199 U.S. off eBay. After currency conversion, import taxes and shipping to Canada it is about $500+ Cheaper than a new one with Apple Care here, so I was happy with the price. I've had good success buying off eBay in the past so hopefully that will continue with this purchase.
 
AoS said:
I was really hoping to for an update today, but oh well.

I'm looking to replace my 2012 air, but I haven't found a concrete answer as to how much performance increase the Macbook would provide. Going over Geekbench scores, the scores are almost identical.
Click to expand...

The time to buy was last August.

So since you've waited this long you're not allowed to buy one now. You must wait. And wait. And wait. Christmas is coming. Write to Santa.

BJ
 
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^That's a good catch. I hope they release before June so I can pick one up at a Portland Apple store on vacation and save $120 in tax.
 
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east85 said:
Tim to buy: April 2016, when the rMB is silently updated with Skylake.

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/23/2016-12-inch-macbook-reference-spotted/
Click to expand...

Booo... just bought one yesterday.

Though is Skylake going to make that big a difference? It's still going to be a light usage Mac, Skylake isn't going to bump it into MacBook Pro performance levels. A bit of extra battery life, but is an extra hour or two a deal breaker?

Still a very nice machine as it is.

(trying to convince myself that I haven't made a mistake by not hanging on a bit longer!)
 
PaulyB80 said:
Booo... just bought one yesterday.

Though is Skylake going to make that big a difference? It's still going to be a light usage Mac, Skylake isn't going to bump it into MacBook Pro performance levels. A bit of extra battery life, but is an extra hour or two a deal breaker?

Still a very nice machine as it is.

(trying to convince myself that I haven't made a mistake by not hanging on a bit longer!)
Click to expand...

You won't notice the processor. It won't be extra hours, it will be minutes, if anything.
 
PaulyB80 said:
Booo... just bought one yesterday.
Click to expand...
Unless you really hammer the cpu and/or do a lot graphics intensive stuff, it's unlikely you'll perceive a difference.

If you do really hammer the cpu and stretch the limits of the computer in your normal usage, you'll already be feeling it now and the new one won't suddenly make it all better.

Personally I'd say if you got a substantial discount on what you just bought, you'll likely do best to sit tight. If you paid full MSRP for the thing, then you might well consider a return/rebuy if you don't have to have it right now.
 
PaulyB80 said:
Booo... just bought one yesterday.

Though is Skylake going to make that big a difference? It's still going to be a light usage Mac, Skylake isn't going to bump it into MacBook Pro performance levels. A bit of extra battery life, but is an extra hour or two a deal breaker?

Still a very nice machine as it is.

(trying to convince myself that I haven't made a mistake by not hanging on a bit longer!)
Click to expand...

15-20% performance boost in the CPUs Apple will use
Graphics performance could see something like a 60% boost
Better battery performance but unlikely to be very significant
 
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