Hey all!
I'm currently in the market for a new laptop. I've been extremely happy with my late 2008 aluminum 13" Macbook for the past ~4 years, but I'm about to head off to college and it's time for an update. I'm a physics major, so I need something with some computing power as I'll be working on a few computational physics projects. I'll probably have to Bootcamp Windows for some physics software and I'd like to also dualboot Ubuntu. Beyond that, I won't be using it for too much video/photo editing, just the standard Google Docs/email/communication machine. I really like the 13" size and less weight is always nice, because I'll be lugging it around campus. I'd also like the durability of a SSD. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary - the 13" Air just doesn't seem like it would have the power I need, but the 13" MBP seems less desirable when I compare it to the 15" rMBP. I can wait until October to get a new laptop, and if I do, what do you think the odds are that Apple'd release a 13" rMBP? I've heard the rumors going around, but do you think it is worth waiting? It would satisfy my desire for a light, powerful computer, and it will feel new for a few years - I'll probably be keeping whatever I end up getting for four years or so. So should I try my luck waiting, or bite the bullet and just get a 13" MBP with SSD, or suck it up and get a 15" rMBP? I have a scholarship that will pay around $1200 of the cost, so price isn't the biggest issue as long as it's not much more than 2k.
Thanks so much,
tbk
I'm currently in the market for a new laptop. I've been extremely happy with my late 2008 aluminum 13" Macbook for the past ~4 years, but I'm about to head off to college and it's time for an update. I'm a physics major, so I need something with some computing power as I'll be working on a few computational physics projects. I'll probably have to Bootcamp Windows for some physics software and I'd like to also dualboot Ubuntu. Beyond that, I won't be using it for too much video/photo editing, just the standard Google Docs/email/communication machine. I really like the 13" size and less weight is always nice, because I'll be lugging it around campus. I'd also like the durability of a SSD. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary - the 13" Air just doesn't seem like it would have the power I need, but the 13" MBP seems less desirable when I compare it to the 15" rMBP. I can wait until October to get a new laptop, and if I do, what do you think the odds are that Apple'd release a 13" rMBP? I've heard the rumors going around, but do you think it is worth waiting? It would satisfy my desire for a light, powerful computer, and it will feel new for a few years - I'll probably be keeping whatever I end up getting for four years or so. So should I try my luck waiting, or bite the bullet and just get a 13" MBP with SSD, or suck it up and get a 15" rMBP? I have a scholarship that will pay around $1200 of the cost, so price isn't the biggest issue as long as it's not much more than 2k.
Thanks so much,
tbk
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