Why hasn't Apple released new Macbook Pro before school starts?

[phillyfan9090]

I am going to be a college student and am SO frustrated with Apple these past few months.
All I want to do is buy the new Macbook Pro with Haswell, but of course I have to wait months with Apples mystery. I thought it would come in June.. waited until now.. and soon I have to buy one now that Im going to college

So heres my questions to you:
1. Why wouldn't Apple release a new Macbook Pro before kids go back to school?
2. I have to go to college in 3 weeks. Is it worth waiting or will the launch most likely be in September or October?
3. Which Macbook Pro should I buy for a college student? (specs included) I think the 15" is too expensive, but would like to see which model is best for college kids? (fast, no lags, but not 2,000+)

 

[APedro]

cuz pro is for pro's, air is for newbies like me and u

 

[pgiguere1]

They're probably waiting for Falcon Ridge (Thunderbolt 2 controller), or Intel's "special high-end Haswell processors", or most likely both.

I think the MacBook Air is mainly what Apple tries to sell to students anyway. Judging by what you ask (Haswell, no more than $2000, no lag), you've pretty much eliminated everything but the MBA anyway, at least until Mavericks comes to fix the 13" rMBP's lag.

 

[phillyfan9090]

They're probably waiting for Cactus Ridge (Thunderbolt 2 controller), or Intel's "special high-end Haswell processors", or most likely both.

I think the MacBook Air is mainly what Apple tries to sell to students anyway. Judging by what you ask (Haswell, no more than $2000, no lag), you've pretty much eliminated everything but the MBA anyway, at least until Mavericks comes to fix the 13" rMBP's lag.

you think the 13" Haswells will be above $2,000? I thought they would replace the current retina prices and everything else drop in price

 

[pgiguere1]

you think the 13" Haswells will be above $2,000? I thought they would replace the current retina prices and everything else drop in price

No, I think the 13" rMBPs will stay at the current prices, or maybe $50-100 less. I was eliminating them of your options because you want a computer that doesn't lag, and the 13" rMBP lags and will keep lagging until Mavericks is released this Fall. As for the regular, non-Retina 13", it may not be updated to Haswell considering it didn't get spec-bumped last time in February when the rMBPs did.

I personally have no interest in the 13" non-Retina MBP at this point anyway, Haswell or not. I suggest either buying a 13" MBA now, or buying a Haswell 13" rMBP when it comes out and deal with the slight lag until Mavericks comes out. They may even come out at the same which would solve the lag problem entirely.

 

[xkmxkmxlmx]

Because the current gen will literally do *anything* you need it to do.

 

[tgi]

Get refurb 2012 15" rMBP for $1,599 /thread.

 

[john123]

Get refurb 2012 15" rMBP for $1,599 /thread.

This. It's a no-brainer.

 

[ronjon10]

Because the current gen will literally do *anything* you need it to do.

Agreed, but the extra battery life would be useful for a long day of classes. Of course, that would point one back to the air.

 

[NewbieCanada]

What are you actually going to do with it?

For almost anything you're likely to be doing, the MBA is speedy as a word I can't say here.

 

[thundersteele]

13'' Air seems to be perfect for college. Crazy battery life, very light, and it is a bit less expensive so it hurts less if it is stolen or if beer is spilled on it.

Computing power is rarely an issue with modern laptops.

 

[B...]

They're probably waiting for Cactus Ridge (Thunderbolt 2 controller), or Intel's "special high-end Haswell processors", or most likely both.

I think the MacBook Air is mainly what Apple tries to sell to students anyway. Judging by what you ask (Haswell, no more than $2000, no lag), you've pretty much eliminated everything but the MBA anyway, at least until Mavericks comes to fix the 13" rMBP's lag.

Falcon Ridge?

 

[phillyfan9090]

13'' Air seems to be perfect for college. Crazy battery life, very light, and it is a bit less expensive so it hurts less if it is stolen or if beer is spilled on it.

Computing power is rarely an issue with modern laptops.

It is a great computer. But I'm going to be using Photoshop, gaming a little Although the Air could probably handle it... i'd rather have extra power than needing more power (and not being able to upgrade with the Retinas)
And sure the Macbook Air is lightweight, but the Macbooks are getting so much slimmer and lighter that it doesn't make a big difference. Anyone else agree?
I just think Macbook Airs would good for most of the college students, but I do need a little extra boost that the pros provide

 

[blueroom]

Dont schools normally start after Labor day.

 

[phillyfan9090]

Dont schools normally start after Labor day.

not college

 

[john123]

It is a great computer. But I'm going to be using Photoshop, gaming a little Although the Air could probably handle it... i'd rather have extra power than needing more power (and not being able to upgrade with the Retinas)
And sure the Macbook Air is lightweight, but the Macbooks are getting so much slimmer and lighter that it doesn't make a big difference. Anyone else agree?
I just think Macbook Airs would good for most of the college students, but I do need a little extra boost that the pros provide

Sorry, I don't understand what your upgrade concern is with the Retinas. In theory, people talk about it, but in practice, it just doesn't seem relevant. Is there a reason why you can't pick the amount of RAM and SSD you believe you'll need for the next few years and make your purchase accordingly? If you think 8/128 or 8/256 won't cut it, then you can spend a little more upfront.

I guess you can go with the cMBP, but you're getting ripped off. It's $1499 for 13"/8GB/128SSD for either the Retina or non-Retina, and $1249 if you go the refurb route ($1359 for 256SSD). Or $1599 for the 15" refurb. These all seem like good choices, depending upon your preferences for screen size and a dedicated GPU, and all are well within your budget.

 

[phillyfan9090]

Sorry, I don't understand what your upgrade concern is with the Retinas. In theory, people talk about it, but in practice, it just doesn't seem relevant. Is there a reason why you can't pick the amount of RAM and SSD you believe you'll need for the next few years and make your purchase accordingly? If you think 8/128 or 8/256 won't cut it, then you can spend a little more upfront.

I guess you can go with the cMBP, but you're getting ripped off. It's $1499 for 13"/8GB/128SSD for either the Retina or non-Retina, and $1249 if you go the refurb route ($1359 for 256SSD). Or $1599 for the 15" refurb. These all seem like good choices, depending upon your preferences for screen size and a dedicated GPU, and all are well within your budget.

Thanks for the good info. I just want to make sure that I get the right specs. I'm probably going to go with the 13" retina with 256 GB Flash and upgrade the processor to 3.0 GZ so I have the I7

 

[john123]

Thanks for the good info. I just want to make sure that I get the right specs. I'm probably going to go with the 13" retina with 256 GB Flash and upgrade the processor to 3.0 GZ so I have the I7

Solid choice. The only thing I would suggest is that you reconsider the 15"for two reasons:

1. You mentioned both Photoshop and gaming, both of which rely on that GPU. I can't begin to tell you the difference I felt on my 15" when doing light gaming (i.e., WoW) on my 650M versus the HD 4000.
2. You'll routinely get more bang for your buck out of the quad-core i7 on the 15" (despite its lower clock speed) than you will out of the dual-core i7 on the 13". You're paying a real premium to get that high-clock i7, but I vividly remember moving from a 2.53Ghz dual core to a 2.0Ghz quad core a couple years ago and being amazed at how much better it was.

Obviously the choice is yours, and the increased portability and smaller size may trump those considerations. I just figured I'd throw them out there.

Good luck. No matter what, I'm sure you'll love it!

P.S. Good move on y'all keeping Cliff Lee. Although I'd have preferred he left. (ATL )

 

[phillyfan9090]

Solid choice. The only thing I would suggest is that you reconsider the 15"for two reasons:

1. You mentioned both Photoshop and gaming, both of which rely on that GPU. I can't begin to tell you the difference I felt on my 15" when doing light gaming (i.e., WoW) on my 650M versus the HD 4000.
2. You'll routinely get more bang for your buck out of the quad-core i7 on the 15" (despite its lower clock speed) than you will out of the dual-core i7 on the 13". You're paying a real premium to get that high-clock i7, but I vividly remember moving from a 2.53Ghz dual core to a 2.0Ghz quad core a couple years ago and being amazed at how much better it was.

Obviously the choice is yours, and the increased portability and smaller size may trump those considerations. I just figured I'd throw them out there.

Good luck. No matter what, I'm sure you'll love it!

P.S. Good move on y'all keeping Cliff Lee. Although I'd have preferred he left. (ATL )

I appreciate your help. this helps me a lot.
I would definitely consider the 15" if I can get the money for it. From what I've heard, it is a fantastic machine and it does include everything. but the 15" is a big price difference from the 13". the base models are a $700 difference! thats a windows laptop right there! lol.

And I'm fine with keeping Lee, but after all the hype of the trade deadline, im disappointed to not trade for anyone. like not one single trade. our future is full of aging players. we need some fresh talent and the longer we wait the less theyre worth

 

[john123]

I appreciate your help. this helps me a lot.
I would definitely consider the 15" if I can get the money for it. From what I've heard, it is a fantastic machine and it does include everything. but the 15" is a big price difference from the 13". the base models are a $700 difference! thats a windows laptop right there! lol.

Isn't it a $300 (retail) price difference from the 13" you're looking at?

That's also why I mentioned the refurbs though. I've bought somewhere between 12 and 15 new MacBook Pros since about 2003, and I just bought my first refurb one last month after doing a lot of reading (sold my old one on which the warranty was about to run out, and bought a refurb to tide me over until Haswell). Other than the box, it looked, felt, behaved, and even smelled like a new one. I've generally been anti-refurb when it comes to electronics, but everything I've read has indicated that your chances with an Apple refurb are as good or better than a "new" Apple product. And, at a savings of $600, it's hard to beat.

 

[jread]

You can get a refurbished 15" rMBP for $1599, which is cheaper than a new 13" and not much more than a MBA. I personally hate the display on the MBA, so I'd never get one. I love my i7 13", but I'm going to order the $1599 15" for myself and pass the 13" on to the wife. Given the performance of the 15", I can't pass up a deal like that, and I'm not seeing anything that says the Haswell 15" will be better (but it will definitely cost a lot more than $1599).

 

[bbishop93]

Troll Ebay, wait for a 15" rMBP 512gb SSD to sell for 2.1k or less --Brand New-- And lock that sucker up and you've got a steal.

 

[pgiguere1]

Falcon Ridge?

Yeah, my bad. Cactus Ridge is the current (Thunderbolt 1) controller.

 

[adjeff8]

This. It's a no-brainer.

Getting ANY Apple first generation ANYTHING is a I-Got-No-Brainer. Especially for that kind of money

 

[tgi]

Getting ANY Apple first generation ANYTHING is a I-Got-No-Brainer. Especially for that kind of money

So the millions of people who bought the first gen iPhone had no brain? What about the first gen iPod that dominated the portable music player market? The people that bought those must be brainless as well. Just cause you like to wait for a refresh, doesn't make you smarter than all the early adpoters. That's your decision.