Want to buy a new Mac laptop: What are my options?

[haydensydney]

Hi Everyone,

I still have my old 15" Macbook Pro that was purchased circa 2 years ago. It has been the most amazing piece of machinery and i've only ever had one issue/crash - which was two nights ago when I was playing with iMovie for the first time. Time to get a new one I thought.

Now... I am not 100% sure when the Apple release cycles are "due" (though I am aware that these are top secret) but someone mentioned that I may be better off holding back until Apple release their new Macbook Pro range, which could be between March & May. Does anyone have any insight as to when these could be expected to be released? If at all this year?

Further - I note an increase in people buying those Macbook Air things - the only thing that puts me off these is the limited storage (256 GB is the max I believe). I mainly use my laptop for work, internet, downloading, movies and music. Occasionally pull out a game like Civ, so my requirement is something that can handle a heavy game on occasion. Air might not be the best choice for me, so I might stick with the Pro range and get the top level 15"er.

Any thoughts from my AFF posse?

Danke!

 

[awilcockson]

Does anyone have any insight as to when these could be expected to be released? If at all this year?

Have a look here

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone

79 days since last refresh, average is 267, so I wouldn't be holding off.

edit: if you look at the links to the right of that page, there are indeed rumours of a refresh in Q2 (possibly April) so it may be worth hanging on. Depends how desperate you are for a new toy

 

[richie9x]

I just looked up the Australian dealer pricing for Apple. MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.2GHz have been marked as discontinued and is marked with a promo price of $1,635.55 ex GST. This discount should make its way through to retail shops soon. MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.4GHz is still at their normal price. Usually (but not always) that is a sign companies are clearing out old stock to make way for a new model or maybe just a slightly better spec for an existing model.

 

[aliens]

The MacBook air are lighter and smaller so ideal for travel. If you need 15 inch screen they only come in 11 and 13 inch. So if you need larger screen then need to go MacBook Pro. I wouldn't wait just buy now what you need. Proven technology.
For me for travel and mainly email, internet and movie watching I just take my iPad. so much easier to travel with and great battery.

You can look at comparison specs here:

Apple - Why You


256 Gb is not enough storage? Cant use the Cloud?

 

[haydensydney]

Have a look here

Mac Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy Your Mac, iPod or iPhone

Great link! Good information and advice re: when to buy.

79 days since last refresh, average is 267, so I wouldn't be holding off.

edit: if you look at the links to the right of that page, there are indeed rumours of a refresh in Q2 (possibly April) so it may be worth hanging on. Depends how desperate you are for a new toy

I love new toys so can't see myself holding out for a new release.

aliens - good point re: proven technology. I'm don't usually put a machine through it's paces, so anything thats currently available should do the trick.

Also... I was tempted by the new Asus Zenbook thought the cnet reviews weren't hugely inspiring.
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Notebooks- ASUS ASUS ZENBOOK UX21E

 

[Robert K]

If you only occasionally play games, I'd get the MBA. It is the best laptop I've ever gotten.

Especially with the new processor and SSD, it's miles ahead of my previous MBP.

There a plenty of performance comparison videos on YouTube.

The weight difference alone is worth the price premium.

If you don't use it for any graphic intensive purposes, like video editing or major photoshop work, MBA is fine.

And when you do occasionally play a game, just turn the graphic setting to low and it should run fine.

 

[haydensydney]

256 Gb is not enough storage? Cant use the Cloud?

PS... Maybe I should be more embracing of "the cloud" but I still like the idea of having everything I want on my machine: for times when I can't access the net (i.e. when flying for example). But I will look into.

Also, the air doesn't come with a DVD/CD slot, which limits me slightly.

 

[Robert K]

256 is actually plenty of space if you don't keep every naughty video you download. Get a external harddrive.

It wasn't that long ago when I had to live with a 60gig laptop harddrive.

 

[aliens]

I remember buying my first hard drive for my Mac of .......



20Mb!!

 

[samh004]

PS... Maybe I should be more embracing of "the cloud" but I still like the idea of having everything I want on my machine: for times when I can't access the net (i.e. when flying for example). But I will look into.

Also, the air doesn't come with a DVD/CD slot, which limits me slightly.

Switch to something like steam… but then you’ll really need more storage.

256 is actually plenty of space if you don't keep every naughty video you download. Get a external harddrive.

It wasn't that long ago when I had to live with a 60gig laptop harddrive.

iTunes, among a few other things, don’t perform as well when you need to connect an external HDD just to access content. I’m similarly holding off on an SSD purchase until they reach what I’m at now (500GB) and come down in price at the same time. I also need it in a laptop

I don’t see the point in sacrificing speed (SSD) for storage space, especially if that means buying an external HDD that will in turn be a lot slower…

I saw your post on Facebook Hayden, so I’d agree with waiting, you’ll survive a bit longer.

 

[markis10]

I don’t see the point in sacrificing speed (SSD) for storage space, especially if that means buying an external HDD that will in turn be a lot slower… .

Its a bit more than just speed, it makes a massive difference to battery life as well having a SSD, I have been happily living of an 80Gb for some time, just need to be more organised at times and clean up, it gives me an extra three hours compared to a normal HDD.

 

[samh004]

Its a bit more than just speed, it makes a massive difference to battery life as well having a SSD, I have been happily living of an 80Gb for some time, just need to be more organised at times and clean up, it gives me an extra three hours compared to a normal HDD.

I have 132GB of audio, 51GB of movies (and that’s small compared to how many movies my sister has), 40GB of personal photos and only 11GB of apps, but if I was into gaming I’d imagine that number jumping significantly.

Battery life would be nothing without my content

 

[MELso]

Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors are expected to come out in April, and Apple tends to do their speed bump one to two months after release of each new processor generation. So new MBAs are likely to arrive in May or June. (EDIT and they should come with much better Intel integrated graphics than the just okay HD3000 in the current model).

As for the SSD/HDD choice, it's simple. Unless you really, really need to store your entire video library on your lappy, get the SSD. You will notice a considerable performance boost, even though the 15" MBP has a quad core processor.

Also, the MBA, despite having a 13" screen, has the same screen resolution as the standard 15" MBP. It's also MUCH lighter, making it easier to travel with (you WILL notice not having to lug 1.3KG around, including a - presumably - largely unused DVD drive).

I've got a 13" MBA and it's simply the best laptop I've ever owned.

 

[haydensydney]

I've got a 13" MBA and it's simply the best laptop I've ever owned.

You actually make it seem very very appealing. You make good points also. Maybe I should roll dice... would probably help me make my mind up for me

 

[Simo]

I have a 15 inch MBP and love it for e mail and web surfing.

Battery life is awesome and also turning it on takes no time at all to be ready to use.

 

[djfuzz]

Can't believe I missed this!

haydensydney, I would second the calls on the MBA. 13 inch MBA is one of the nicest bits of kit out at the moment, and pimped up to the reasonable max (4GB RAM, 256GB SSD, i7 processor) it is pretty hard to beat. I jumped the gun and upgraded my machine to a 13 inch MBP just before the MBA was upgraded from Core 2 to i5 / i7, but I nevertheless upgraded to a 128GB SSD and 8GB RAM and am loving it. But the added bulk and the superfluous (for me) optical drive have made it a bit of a pain to travel with. Now that the MBA's have finally been given the i5s / i7s, I wouldn't hesitate to get one - and, for me, the performance would be adequate for my gaming needs (I played Portal 2 on Steam on my Core 2 MBP, so an i5 is heaven for me).

As far as movies / music - I only keep my Dropbox and essential apps on the SSD, as well as any movies / music I'm hoping to listen for the first time or like to keep on regular rotation. For everything else, I use a 1TB 2.5 inch hard drive that I got before the Thai floods, but prices are starting to come down again so that's a viable option once more. If you can't imagine living without an optical drive, you can get the external drive and keep it in your bag, but I would wager that it will get progressively less use as time goes by.

The Macrumors Buyer's Guide is a useful historical guide, but I would never recommend using it as the basis for holding off on a purchase - if you were after an updated Mac Pro for instance, you'd have been royally screwed by it. While it's true the next batch of Intel processors is not far off, IMHO wouldn't expect any particularly exciting updates to either of the MBP or MBA ranges for a bit - if anything, the lines will merge and the MBP will lose its optical drive. However, unless there's a substantial change around the corner (eg complete redesign / refresh or significant processor upgrade - eg Core 2 to i5 / i7), my rule of thumb is that the best time to upgrade to a new machine is when you actually need to; so if you need to do it now, go ahead. If it can wait a few months, then there's no harm in waiting.

Dick Smith has 10% off Macs every other week, so if I were in the market I'd wait until then before buying - of course, if you prefer Myer One points to EDR / QFF, Myer price matches as well (so do Apple). And you can usually go into any JB HiFi most of the time and bargain them down 10% as well.

 

[Foreigner]

I'm considering buying laptop to complement my gen. 1 iPad. At first, I was thinking of Netbooks but I don't think they're good enough for using multiple programs at one time. Am not in rush so await new releases of Apple products mid year. Any non-Apple products worth considering? I prefer lightweight.

 

[Vinny]

Is it dead or nearly? I'm a recent mac convert - about a year and a half - with a few machines all with applecare. It costs but so does a new machine with no support. It seems a pain but the backup and replacement if needed is second to none. Used for business or partly so it's a tax deduction.

if there's a problem, a phone call to Apple, usually to an Australian will help.

I used to work for microsoft.

 

[jgm]

You can always add USB storage to a MBA. USB flash drives are readily available up to 256GB & Wikipedia says that 1TB has now been developed. Else you can add a USB powered hard disk of 1 to 2 TB.

 

[AVC]

I'm considering buying laptop to complement my gen. 1 iPad. At first, I was thinking of Netbooks but I don't think they're good enough for using multiple programs at one time. Am not in rush so await new releases of Apple products mid year. Any non-Apple products worth considering? I prefer lightweight.

Don't be focussed too much on the brand, but the type of CPU if you are considering a new laptop. Go with at minimum an i5 or an i7 if you want to multitask or use it for anything serious. The Intel Atom CPU for instance is rubbish. It will make the 1st gen Ipad look like the iPad 8. Especially if you're using airport or hotel wireless. We have a bunch of these on a wireless network at work and they aren't worth ****ing on.