Wife wants a new Mac

draksia

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So best buy has the Macbook on sale, it is time to replace the wife's 2009 mac book pro, I was thinking a new Macbook but I just saw that updates are probably coming in March.

Any idea what the update will be and would it be worth it? Right now a Macbook is 999 at bestbuy.

Thanks
 
If you're talking about the regular Macbook, definitely wait. The next revision should have a Thunderbolt 3 port in it instead of the single USB-C (USB 3.0 only) port. Even if your wife doesn't need this functionality, the massive difference between the two versions will cause the price of the previous version of the machine to drop like a rock.

If you want to buy now, look at the Macbook Air instead. In exchange for a non-Retina screen, you get so much more performance and functionality at the same pricepoint.
 
If you're talking about the regular Macbook, definitely wait. The next revision should have a Thunderbolt 3 port in it instead of the single USB-C (USB 3.0 only) port. Even if your wife doesn't need this functionality, the massive difference between the two versions will cause the price of the previous version of the machine to drop like a rock.

If you want to buy now, look at the Macbook Air instead. In exchange for a non-Retina screen, you get so much more performance and functionality at the same pricepoint.


The shit screen just kills it for me, I hate spending that much for so little resolution. I don't know why they haven't updated that yet.
 
What's the pricing for a 13-inch MacBook Pro? (You may want to look at Apple's refurbs, or third-party stores like MacMall) It may be a better pick in the short term.

It's not certain when the new 12-inch MacBook will drop. There are Skylake-based Core Ms out there right now, and Apple hasn't touched them for months. My guess is that it's waiting for Intel's Kaby Lake, which would mean a refresh somewhere in the middle of the year.

Me, I just hope that the next-gen MacBook gets a speed boost and a second USB-C port. Those two would tackle most of the initial gripes and make it useful for most people... at least, those that don't want a built-in SD Card reader.
 
The pro 13" with ssd is 1200, I just not sure she needs the more ports but the macbook is so limited and the air has a shit screen for money
 
The pro 13" with ssd is 1200, I just not sure she needs the more ports but the macbook is so limited and the air has a shit screen for money

It's defintiely more expensive, then, but $200 extra might be worth it to get a system that will last longer.
 
There's no way to get 7 years of use out of the new Macbook. The Core M was underpowered even on release and will be a piece of garbage 7 years from now. MBP Retina is where you should be looking, based on what you've said so far. Try a refurb or a closeout last-gen model. You can get a 13" MBP Retina for <$1000 if you don't mind going refurb or back one generation. Best time to buy is always shortly after new models release.
 
Sounds like it is best to get a MBP retina, sucks that is 1200 new though
 
Sounds like it is best to get a MBP retina, sucks that is 1200 new though

I look at it this way: I bought a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro in late 2013. It still feels like a fast system in 2016, and the big reasons I'm likely to upgrade this year are to change screen sizes and get modern ports (USB 3.1). Any performance improvements would just be gravy.
 
Go for the MBP. It will last

Update will probably be Skylake-based, with a bit better battery life (or less weight, same battery life) - probably a bit better integrated graphics (but it's all integrated graphics, so meh). I doubt much will change on the Retina displays, and yeah, minor changes in port configuration.

The Pros as of March 2015 are Broadwell based. I have a 2012 and a 2014 15" Pros, I can't tell the difference between the two if I'm just using them day to day. I can barely tell the difference from a 2009 15" (that one isn't retina, the other two are, that was the biggest change, the CPU speed bump was meh). And there wasn't that big of a difference between Skylake and Broadwell CPUs.

They are due for a layout change, but they haven't significantly adjusted the layout in many years now and perhaps won't tweak something that isn't broken.
 
I think I am going to wait until the refresh announcement and then decide if I should get her new one or not. She isn't hard on them and her current really lasted so it seems like the MBP is the best option.
 
IMO, yeah -- you *always* want to wait for Apple's "media events" or announcements of new products before purchasing. With Apple, this is much more critical than with most other companies, because Apple only refreshes a given product line once a year or so, in most cases. Sometimes they go even longer, or alternately, they do a small performance bump to an existing model after 6 months or so. Much depends on Intel's CPU roadmap these days. (Apple often needs Intel to update a certain processor series so they can get one suitable to go into a given Mac. If it gets delayed by Intel, then Apple usually just waits it out, rather than releasing a new model with the same old processor inside it. But exceptions happen here too, as with the last update to the 15" Macbook Pro Retina. They *really* wanted to hold out for a quad-core Skylake CPU but Intel took too long on that, so they used a Broadwell again. The 13" Retina, by contrast, went Skylake, since it only had a dual-core version in it.)

Personally, I consider myself enough of a "power user" or at least "enthusiast" that I won't even consider an Apple laptop *other* than the "Pro Retina" models. To me, the weak spot in most laptops today is the video chipset, so I want the best one Apple will sell me in a given notebook. By contrast though? We use a lot of Mac hardware where I work, and surprisingly (to me), the majority of our employees love the Macbook Air and if they get an old 2011 or 2012 model upgraded, they always insist on another Air instead of a slightly more expensive 13" Retina Macbook Pro (which we tend to suggest to them as the "better upgrade"). The biggest thing they want from the Air is a model with a 512GB SSD in it and 8GB of RAM (because they usually come from an older model that only had 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD in it). They tell me they like the Air's longer battery life (probably 2 hours more than a Retina Pro can get), the slightly lighter weight, and I guess just the fact they're familiar with it. I think the display resolution on them does suck -- but they can (obviously) do a lot more if you attach an external display. Since that's how these usually get used during the day, at someone's desk, I guess that's all they care about there?


I think I am going to wait until the refresh announcement and then decide if I should get her new one or not. She isn't hard on them and her current really lasted so it seems like the MBP is the best option.
 
The current MacBook is just crap. That is unless you only want to use it for checking email and/or browsing the web. Otherwise it's a very underpowered $1200 but pretty Apple laptop. I bought one to try and I returned it two days later. It was way too weak for doing some simple multitasking tasks.

I then decided to look for a 13" 2015 MacBook Pro on Craigslist. I was able to find one (2.7 i5 - 256GB SSD) in flawless condition for $1100. Same machine from an Apple store would have run me almost $1600 after sales tax. I saved almost $500 on a laptop that was literally in brand new condition.
 
There is a lot of sage advice in this thread. I agree that if you're to buy, today, now, picking up a 13" MBPr makes the most sense. Of course if you can buy one used and save yourself a bundle, do so. I did the same and am extremely happy with my purchase (although I got a 15" MBPr, which fits my needs better, but for your wife the 13" makes more sense).

Only commentary I have is that people want an MBA for ultimate portability and longest battery life. It's seriously unmatched by the rest of the line. If all you do is browse and do documents, office stuff, etc, you can get 10 hours out of the thing. The lower resolution isn't THAT bad. Everyone would like a resolution increase there, but some of you are making it sound like the worst thing of all time. It's more than enough for most people. And it's more than enough to get any tasks done that are necessary.
There are plenty of even high profile photographers that use them as a tether machine as an example. I worked with Jay Bartlett and he uses a 13" MBA to take tethered files off a 40-60MP PhaseOne back. Lara Jade does similar with a Canon. So even something that most would scream demands resolution can be done, and no it's not horrifying, and yes both of them have the money in their pockets to buy a more expensive higher-end Mac if they wanted. They just prefer the MBA.

I actually think the MBA isn't going to get an update however. I think the product line is going to disappear. I more or less expect it to merge with the regular Macbook line. And I expect the Macbook line to become fleshed out and have more options in both the processor and video card section. The MBA is becoming less necessary for Apple to maintain, now that the Macbook is tiny and the MBPr also has a significantly lighter and smaller footprint. I could be wrong though. It could survive another year. But much like the regular MBP disappearing, I just don't think the MBA can really last.
 
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i also want to buy a new mac, my old one, i almost forget its brand and i seldom open it cause it is damn slow. i want to change to apple one, but i seldom use computer and it's a little expensive to me, so i'm still considering.
 
i also want to buy a new mac, my old one, i almost forget its brand and i seldom open it cause it is damn slow. i want to change to apple one, but i seldom use computer and it's a little expensive to me, so i'm still considering.

I look at it this way: you're investing in a computer you'd actually want to use. It's going to be faster, better-built and probably easier to carry, too.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is the sweet spot and what I'd normally recommend, but if you still don't think you'll use your laptop often, a MacBook Air (11-inch is fine if you're okay with the screen size) will do the trick.
 
Yeah ended up with a decent deal from bestbuy for a MBP retina. The new one was taking too long

It looks like it'll be released at the end of this year, I wouldn't worry about it too much, although you can always sell it and buy the new one if it's really that much better.
 
It looks like it'll be released at the end of this year, I wouldn't worry about it too much, although you can always sell it and buy the new one if it's really that much better.
I've been holding out for the MBP refresh, but am thinking it might be time to go for a Surface 4 Pro, instead. Got to use one for a few days on a side project and was very impressed. A lot less expensive than a Mac, too.
 
I've been holding out for the MBP refresh, but am thinking it might be time to go for a Surface 4 Pro, instead. Got to use one for a few days on a side project and was very impressed. A lot less expensive than a Mac, too.
It's about the same price. But you get a lot more functionality than a with a similare priced mac. And the pen is unbelievable.
At the office, all MBP's have been exchanged for Surface Pro 4's now (i5, 256GB, 8GB ram). There is only one guy that doesn't like it (he never used windows before), the other 6 that have one are very impressed.
I'm waiting for the new Surface Book that comes in 4 months or so.
 
At this point I would wait until at least next week and see what Apple does at WWDC.
 
So best buy has the Macbook on sale, it is time to replace the wife's 2009 mac book pro, I was thinking a new Macbook but I just saw that updates are probably coming in March.

Any idea what the update will be and would it be worth it? Right now a Macbook is 999 at bestbuy.

Thanks
I would wait till the New AMD chips are released. Looks like they'll be a big jump with Macbooks
 
I'd strongly recommend you look at the 13inch MacBook Pro Retina. Or if resolution doesn't matter, the standard 13inch MacBook Pro. The current MacBook is essentially an iPad Pro in terms of computing performance, it's only really suited for email and web browsing.
 
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