Worth updating to MBP before new models?

[Michael CM1]

Hey folks. I've got an early 2014 MacBook Air that I really love. The only real drawback on it has been the 128GB of storage. That went quicker than I thought, especially once I put Parallels and Windows on here to run ArcGIS. Worked around it by throwing my Photos library onto an SD card, but would be nice to not do that.

My mom has a PC that's about a decade old and on its last legs. It takes 5 minutes to boot. Yah. So I'm exploring options for her. She basically needs email, web browsing, and Office. I'm trying to inform her that even if she got a brand new Windows PC, Office would look about like it does on my Mac -- vastly different from the 2003 version she's using. I've been wanting to get her on a Mac forever -- she's had an iPhone and iPad for at least 5 years -- and I don't think she would have trouble learning.

So my idea is to give her this MacBook Air and to get myself a new computer. I don't necessarily need it (yet), but she's never really into the latest and greatest. Only way I got her to budge on an iPhone 8 Plus was the giant screen and her crap battery life on an iPhone 5s.

I'm obviously considering each of the three MacBook lines, and I personally don't need much above the minimum right now. I may try to learn more GIS using ArcGIS, but this MBA ran it well on 4GB of RAM. I use email and browsing, manage my photos (not much editing since I don't have Photoshop), and sometimes do some video editing from iPhone videos or 2.5K drone videos (no 4K).

So I see this refurbished MBP that looks to have everything I need for a decent price: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...-Intel-Core-i5-with-Retina-display-Space-Gray

I love the movement to USB-C, and a friend at work (not Hulk or Thor) showed me neat adapters to get all the old ports if needed. I think it's about as light as my MacBook Air and probably way more powerful. Most importantly, it has 256GB of storage.

So is this a great option? I've read about a lot of possible updates for the MacBook lines, but none of them seem like they're going to happen until June, maybe mostly much later in the year. Even then, they probably won't be completely worth the extra few hundred bucks and I doubt these refurbs will drop much more. I haven't used a MacBook Pro since about 2010, so I'd love to hear owners' advice. Thanks!

 

[maflynn]

I don't necessarily need it (yet),

Hold off if you don't need it.

So is this a great option? I've read about a lot of possible updates for the MacBook lines, but none of them seem like they're going to happen until June, maybe mostly much later in the year.

The lower priced MacBook Air is rumored to be delayed, not the Macbook Pro. Since we're only a month away, what is the harm in waiting? I can gaurentee that when apple rolls out new MBPs in June, you'll be silently kicking yourself for not waiting. You said it yourself you don't need one now, so there's no real rush

 

[leman]

Second to what maflynn says, wait some more. It is very likely that new models are released in June, so you'd be able to get an even better deal on current gen.

The lower priced MacBook Air is rumored to be delayed

Since you guys have already caused quite some confusion with your newslines, I can't help myself but to butt in. Its not the "low priced MacBook Air". Its a "rumoured successor to the MacBook Air". Please don't call this hypothetical laptop MacBook Air. It only confuses the readers.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Worth updating to MBP before new models?"

NO...!
WAIT for the 2018's.

Buying a 2017 is a risky proposition -- will you get a good one, or will you end up with KeyGate™ ...?

 

[jerryk]

"Worth updating to MBP before new models?"

NO...!
WAIT for the 2018's.

Buying a 2017 is a risky proposition -- will you get a good one, or will you end up with KeyGate™ ...?

You trademarked KeyGate already!! You bet me to it!

 

[MSastre]

You trademarked KeyGate already!! You bet me to it!

Keygate ... good one! I agree with all the others, the OP should wait and see for any announcements at WWDC in June.

 

[zone23]

Honestly if I waited every time someone on here said wait... well I'd still be waiting. Intel will release a newer processor then the new MacBook Pro will come out and everyone will say what for the new processor it happens every year it seems. I didn't wait on my 2016 MacBook Pro and I have no regrets at all. As far as specs go if your looking to run a VM I would think you might want 8GB of RAM. That way you can give 4gb to MacOS and 4GB to Windows. Thats just my opinion.

 

[bent00]

Since you guys have already caused quite some confusion with your newslines, I can't help myself but to butt in. Its not the "low priced MacBook Air". Its a "rumoured successor to the MacBook Air". Please don't call this hypothetical laptop MacBook Air. It only confuses the readers.

What if there turns out to be a cheaper MacBook Air?

 

[Michael CM1]

Hold off if you don't need it.


The lower priced MacBook Air is rumored to be delayed, not the Macbook Pro. Since we're only a month away, what is the harm in waiting? I can gaurentee that when apple rolls out new MBPs in June, you'll be silently kicking yourself for not waiting. You said it yourself you don't need one now, so there's no real rush

Thanks to everyone. I guess I should have pointed out that I personally don't need a new computer, but that dinosaur my mom has could go kaput at any time. I figure the more time I have to train her on a new version of Office and the Mac OS with that crutch of a Windows computer at least existing upstairs, the better.

I've definitely been KILLED by the upgrade then get bit bug before. I bought a Mac mini about four weeks before THE INTEL SWITCH. After my next purchase was a MacBook Pro and they again dropped new models a month later, I believe that was about the time I started reading a bunch of stuff here.

Since the MBP isn't delayed as much as I thought, I'mma see what WWDC brings. Thanks again to all.
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Honestly if I waited every time someone on here said wait... well I'd still be waiting. Intel will release a newer processor then the new MacBook Pro will come out and everyone will say what for the new processor it happens every year it seems. I didn't wait on my 2016 MacBook Pro and I have no regrets at all. As far as specs go if your looking to run a VM I would think you might want 8GB of RAM. That way you can give 4gb to MacOS and 4GB to Windows. Thats just my opinion.

Yes, that extra RAM would've been nice. But it was my final semester and I had had the MBA for three years. I had barely heard of GIS at the time I bought the computer. Amazingly, my barely-enough-storage and barely-enough-RAM computer worked better than the computers in the lab running the software on straight-up Windows. Somehow we pay football and basketball coaches to not play, but ol' geography/geology gotta wait on new computers.

If the new models that come out aren't some huge difference (like 16GB RAM for the same as 8GB, same thing with storage models, some other spec I'm not thinking about), I will probably head straight to the 2017 refurbs. But I'll at least know what's out, and I might find some clearance deals at the time.

 

[leman]

What if there turns out to be a cheaper MacBook Air?

Then its going to be a cheaper MacBook Air Still, I don't see any reason to put the card before the horse. The truth is that we know very little about this rumoured model and to which laptop line it will belong.