Update now, or wait for Skylake?

[Tanax]

MacBook Pro non retina haven't been in the lineup for a while actually. They changed the name to just MacBook Pro, without the retina. Not sure if it was this or last iteration.
The Air will probably not see another update and disappear from the lineup eventually. The thing is they have to lower the Macbook price if they kill the Air. Currently just because of the price the Air probably still sells good.

What they should do is over another thin 15" Macbook and a 17" MacBook Pro and kill the Air and rearrange prices that show that retina is standard in high quality notebooks not some expensive upgrade.
A 17" retina display might have been expensive when they first launched them but now it would just round out the line up and offer something with a decent dGPU. And there really should be a cheaper more mobile 15" thin bezel option for people that don't need a Pro and just want the display size.

Uhm, yes they do.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro

At far left.
They will lower prices of Macbook before killing off the Macbook Air, just like they have done to the Macbook Pro.

 

[Freyqq]

I'd agree that the "optimal" choice is usually a 2nd revision of a new design. 3rd+ revision usually means a device that's a bit past its prime in some ways (but still sells for the same price), 1st version often has issues.

For example I'd buy a Surface Pro 2 over a 3 (better pen digitizer, less thermal throttling, and it has better battery life and display quality than the SP1).

If I were buying a 15" rMBP right now I'd probably try to find a good deal on the Haswell (2013) model since it's basically identical to the 2014 model, but will be lower in price because it's technically a generation older.

Eh, Surface example isn't a good one. I see what you're saying, but it is really to avoid the first version of a redesign. In the surface's case, the 3rd version is a complete redesign. The advice is wise for most tech that is cutting-edge.

For the macbook pro, you know exactly what you're getting - just the same thing with newer chipsets.

 

[dusk007]

Uhm, yes they do.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro

At far left.
They will lower prices of Macbook before killing off the Macbook Air, just like they have done to the Macbook Pro.

I didn't know that is still in the store, it isn't listed if you click on Mac.
It is also a 1200€ laptop that has no SSD, not seen an Update since Ivy Bridge and still the low res 1280x800 screen. That is old stock the equivalent of selling refurbs. They are phased out essentially. I don't see any sane person still going for such a crappy package at that price.
That it hasn't seen an update since Ivy Bridge should show that it is effectively killed off in the product lineup.

I am also quite sure that when I bought mine they didn't have them anymore. They must have reintroduced them because some still wanted hdds or something or because they still had too much stock. Mine (Haswell) was the first MacBook Pro that just says MacBook Pro on the box it ships in while the older boxes said MacBook Pro Retina.

 

[827538]

I sell my current Macbook every year or two and recoup about 70-80% of its original value. I'm surprised more people don't do this.

I do this too, or I would do if Apple released an updated 15" rMBP. With my student discount it makes it cheap as anything to stay up to date.

 

[Tanax]

I didn't know that is still in the store, it isn't listed if you click on Mac.
It is also a 1200€ laptop that has no SSD, not seen an Update since Ivy Bridge and still the low res 1280x800 screen. That is old stock the equivalent of selling refurbs. They are phased out essentially. I don't see any sane person still going for such a crappy package at that price.
That it hasn't seen an update since Ivy Bridge should show that it is effectively killed off in the product lineup.

I am also quite sure that when I bought mine they didn't have them anymore. They must have reintroduced them because some still wanted hdds or something or because they still had too much stock. Mine (Haswell) was the first MacBook Pro that just says MacBook Pro on the box it ships in while the older boxes said MacBook Pro Retina.

They have always had the non-retina Macbook Pro in the online Apple Store since the introduction of the retina Macbook Pro. It wasn't re-introduced (that would be stupid).

And no, no sane person would get it. Like I said in my original post you quoted at first, I think that during the next iteration of the retina Macbook Pro, they'll drop the non-retina Macbook Pro as well as "phase" out the current Macbook Air in the same way they've done with the non-retina Macbook Pro, by not updating it.

This of course will be done in tandem with reduced prices of the Macbook which will be more affordable than it currently is. All this leads to a more streamlined laptop product lineup consisting of Macbook, non-retina Macbook (phased out Macbook Air with non-updated internals) and Macbook Pro. After a few years they'll drop the Macbook Air as well.

 

[dusk007]

It is weird how expensive the MacBook is anyway. It is essentially a tablet with one port like the 450$ yoga 2 pro with a broadwell instead of a atom cpu. They should be able to go down to 800$ and still make a good profit margin on that unit.

 

[applesith]

My 2011 MBP is chugging along well. I'm planning to wait for Skylake and upgrade to SSD in the meantime.

 

[exizeo]

It is weird how expensive the MacBook is anyway. It is essentially a tablet with one port like the 450$ yoga 2 pro with a broadwell instead of a atom cpu. They should be able to go down to 800$ and still make a good profit margin on that unit.

That would be the Yoga 3 Pro, which is somehow less powerful than the Yoga 2 Pro.

Yoga 3 Pro starts at $1399.

 

[Jammm]

I sell my current Macbook every year or two and recoup about 70-80% of its original value. I'm surprised more people don't do this.

Just bought 13" pro with 14% student discount and 3 years warranty. Hoping to do the same when new version is released. how do you sell? eBay fees are nuts

 

[solo118]

Just bought 13" pro with 14% student discount and 3 years warranty. Hoping to do the same when new version is released. how do you sell? eBay fees are nuts

Many people use Craigslist, but I will admit that eBay tends to fetch a bit more which should cover the 9% they charge.

 

[Kirjava444]

I'd say it depends - do you need a new computer now or can you wait?

I'm going back to university in September and my old 15" is too heavy for me to carry around anymore so I'm going to upgrade soon instead of waiting

 

[mcarling]

The OP did not indicate (as far as I can see) whether he wants a 13" or 15" MBP.

Now is an excellent time to buy a 13" MBP and a good time to buy a 15" MBP.

Personally, I would not put up with the performance of a six year old computer. I would replace any six year old MBP immediately, whether 13" or 15". Other people may value performance differently.

Another factor is whether or not the OP has a lot of USB peripherals. The new 13" Broadwell MBP, the current 15" Haswell MBP, and the 15" Broadwell MBP all have USB Type A connectors. The Skylake MBPs which I expect to be released in February or March of 2016 will probably have USB Type C connectors instead.