Hi everyone, I've been following the Mac Rumor forums for sometime now, watching in the background but this is my first post as I really need some advice! Im heading to University this coming weeekend and Im about to purchase a new latop, Im going to take the plunge and buy from my local AppleStore my first ever Mac in the form of the BlackBook with 1GB RAM, with my Higer Education discount this will cost me 967GB pounds (sorry I cant figure out how to type the pound symbol on my PC!) But the prospect of an Apple upgrade to the line within a few weeks of my purchase really scares me. I thought id wait out for the Sept 12th announcement but to no avail and now Im this clsoe to buying when people start talking about a MacBook upgrade next Tuesday at that Fotonika event (or whatever you call it!) Its killing me now as Im desperate for my Mac but dont want it to be outdated within a few weeks of purchase? Shall I just ignore the talk as Ive been waiting for months now or should I hold out and wait a bit longer, I don't know how much more I can take though! Any advice seriously appreciated. Thanks
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To Buy or Not to Buy? Help needed!
- Thread starter bensparrow
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Welcome and good luck with university. I am about to go back after a year in the real world earning real money (well not earning. just enough to get by with really!). The old "what happens if they upgrade next week" topic is a common one really. My advice is to go and buy one now if you need it now. What will be the upgrade, probably only a processor and HD upgrade. In the grand scheme of things could you really tell the difference between 2.00GHz and 2.16GHz? I doubt it. It is not like you are changing whole processor architecture or enclosure design.
Just my opinion, but go for it now and enjoy a great laptop and the best years of your life at uni.
Just my opinion, but go for it now and enjoy a great laptop and the best years of your life at uni.
bensparrow said:
If you need a computer buy it, if you don't then wait.
Nobody here knows when there will be an update to the MacBooks.
A photography conference seems like an unlikely place for Apple to unveil new MBs. Most likely the updates will just some up on the website like the iMacs.
the general consensus on this "game" is that if you need it now, buy, if not, wait.
there will always be something around the corner.. but buying computers is a bit of a push your luck guessing game. you have to judge how long you can hold out (known) against when the next revision might be (unknown).
the next "guess" is sept 25, but we're far from sure the macbooks will be updated. sure, we know merom is close, but when? we thought it'd be here already, but we were wrong. another unknown to throw into the mix: will the macbooks be updated alongside the MBPs, or will Apple separate the lines a bit?
basically my advice is this: do you need to have a laptop before you get to school? yes: buy now and be happy - it will be an awesome computer. no: wait, at least until the 25th, and see if it's updated. after that, i would just buy. yes, within a few months your computer will not be the newest, but it will HARDLY be "outdated."
there will always be something around the corner.. but buying computers is a bit of a push your luck guessing game. you have to judge how long you can hold out (known) against when the next revision might be (unknown).
the next "guess" is sept 25, but we're far from sure the macbooks will be updated. sure, we know merom is close, but when? we thought it'd be here already, but we were wrong. another unknown to throw into the mix: will the macbooks be updated alongside the MBPs, or will Apple separate the lines a bit?
basically my advice is this: do you need to have a laptop before you get to school? yes: buy now and be happy - it will be an awesome computer. no: wait, at least until the 25th, and see if it's updated. after that, i would just buy. yes, within a few months your computer will not be the newest, but it will HARDLY be "outdated."
If you need it now, get it now. I got myself a macbook for uni months ago, i don't goto uni until this coming friday . Do I regret it? No. Will I regret it if a better one comes out next week? no. Everything is pretty much obsolete within a month or so these days anyway, and just because a new one comes out, doesn't mean that mine has become useless. far from it. When people freak out over things like this, my response is normally... 'get a life, it's just technology' 
I had the same thing with my MBP, i was coming out to Sweden to study for a year and needed a laptop and wanted a Mac! Just buy it dude, you can't go wrong. If you keep holding out till the next revision for that little something extra you will be old and grey and still laptopless.
I disagree with the "need it now, buy it now" unless you absolutely need it for a living. There are a few other exceptions, but the above rule doesn't always apply.
What I do is set a time table for a purchase based on established events and then stick to those. If an Apple event is within a week or two, it's definately worth the wait. It's usually safe to buy within a month or two after upgrades or announcements. Apples whole mobile line is due for an upgrade, and there is an event scheduled within two weeks, so I would wait. Once I set a buying goal, I stick with it. It's easy to get caught-up in the hype so you need to be reasonable in your expectations.
That all being said, another consideration is what you use your computer for. If it's just for web stuff and writing papers, the current Macbooks are fine. If a person needs to have the latest greatest, then waiting a few weeks here and there is worth it.
Awhile back, I desperately needed a new computer for video editing. I almost ordered a G5 2.5, but decided to wait to see what Apple announced at Macworld. It was a 3 month wait to find out, but it was definately worth it. For the price of the G5, I wound up getting a better computer when I bought the Macpro. If I would have followed the "buy it when you need it" axiom, I would have really missed out on a superior computer that cost less than the G5.
peace
What I do is set a time table for a purchase based on established events and then stick to those. If an Apple event is within a week or two, it's definately worth the wait. It's usually safe to buy within a month or two after upgrades or announcements. Apples whole mobile line is due for an upgrade, and there is an event scheduled within two weeks, so I would wait. Once I set a buying goal, I stick with it. It's easy to get caught-up in the hype so you need to be reasonable in your expectations.
That all being said, another consideration is what you use your computer for. If it's just for web stuff and writing papers, the current Macbooks are fine. If a person needs to have the latest greatest, then waiting a few weeks here and there is worth it.
Awhile back, I desperately needed a new computer for video editing. I almost ordered a G5 2.5, but decided to wait to see what Apple announced at Macworld. It was a 3 month wait to find out, but it was definately worth it. For the price of the G5, I wound up getting a better computer when I bought the Macpro. If I would have followed the "buy it when you need it" axiom, I would have really missed out on a superior computer that cost less than the G5.
peace
R.Youden said:
I have to agree, whatever update (if it happens at all) on September 12th is unlikely to yield a large improvement in performance. Since you need a MacBook by this coming weekend, I would just say to go and buy one now.
