To wait for not to wait... cMBP vs. rMBP

[wolfboy]

First of all, go for the rMBP. If you want an upgrade to hold onto for a long time, go for the newest. I assure you that the high-resolution will be standard in a couple years.

Second of all, a lot of people will say just get it now or wait forever, but a lot of them also upgrade every 2-3 years. I have the same exact model you have and unless you absolutely need it now, I'd suggest you wait. I have no plans to play early adopter on Apple's test machine again, especially when it's this expensive. From experience, the 1st version Apple products always always have some shortcomings that are a just a little annoying now, but become a giant nagging nuisance later.

Reasons to wait:
1. Haswell is coming sooner than you think (sometime this year, guaranteed)
2. There may be an incoming price drop on the rMBP
3. You were already an early 1st gen adopter of the 2006 model. You want to make that same mistake and get burned again?
4. Highly unlikely, but always a chance of a base spec bump, like upping the RAM to 16gb standard (again not likely, a guy can dream though!)
5. Slim chance of a minor redesign to fix any issues they had in the 1st version

 

[adjeff8]

WWDC has always been early June. New processors are early June. Therefore no computers at WWDC.

True true. But the HARD info will be released at that time. At least then we will know the facts and can make an informed decision.

 

[Ledgem]

So here's another burning question. The current cMBP date since last refresh is nearing 300 days... are the processor and components considered out of date considering the MacRumors Buyers Guide is suggesting to not buy? Or are you all arguing that the user upgrades trumps the 'out of date' philosophy.

The MacRumors buying guide isn't based on technological developments but on refresh rate cycles. They track how many days pass between refreshes and then extrapolate when a new refresh rate might be expected, and base the buying advice on that. Apple was fairly consistent with their timing in the past, but more recently they have been less consistent.

As far as technology goes, the current chipset used in the 2012 systems ("ivy bridge") is the latest and greatest, although Ivy Bridge only represents a refinement to the "sandy bridge" chipsets used in the 2011 systems. The performance increase is not massive (aside from the built-in graphics) and the savings are more to do with power usage and heat generation. By comparison, Intel is due to launch the next generation of its chipset, "Haswell," in the near future. If you're familiar with the term, it's a "tock" in Intel's "tick-tock" development strategy. It should offer a greater jump over Ivy Bridge than Ivy Bridge offered over Sandy Bridge.

Nobody can say for certain when these things will be released, but the general guesses (including my own) are for this summer. It may be mid-summer, it may be late summer... if you can wait then by all means, wait a bit longer. But if you have a good need for a system now, then go for it. There's always something better around the corner, just a few months away...

Another factor that I neglected to include is that I have been collecting Apple Gift Cards for nearly two years to help pay for this purchase. It's not going to cover the whole amount, but it should cover at least one-third the cost... but it prevents me from shopping elsewhere other than the Apple Store.

Refurbished systems are an option. As far as I know there are no restrictions on how you can pay for them. I don't know how long it usually takes for current-generation systems to show up in the refurbished section of the Apple store, though.