The Agony of a Brand-New MacBook Pro Purchase

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By the time this message posts, I might have already put in an order for a brand-new MacBook Pro. And, like any good Machead, the prospect of new hardware makes me miserable. After all, my old PowerBook G4 is incredibly obsolete, and I’m used to its idiosyncrasies. But I can’t deal with the idea of something spendy, flashy and new that’s behind the curve. I’d rather be way behind the times than just a few minutes off the mark.

This is the tremendous irony of loving Apple. The company’s computers are more elegant and functional than any other devices on the market, even without OS X. Unfortunately, Apple does such an amazing job adding features over time, that even a three month-old Mac can look a little long in the tooth. Now, I know this is meaningless quibbling. There will always be a great reason not to upgrade. New software, new I/O, new GPU, new processing architectures. But that’s particularly unlikely these days. The current MacBook Pros have multi-touch, very strong graphic processors, high-end Core 2 Duo chips, 802.11n, ExpressCard, MagSafe, and Mac OS X Leopard. That’s a set-up that will rock for years to come.

On the other hand, the following technologies should become relatively ubiquitous and economical in the next two years: SSD, mobile quad cores, WiMax, USB 3.0, ExpressCard 2.0, eSATA, DDR3 RAM, LTE, Blu-Ray, DisplayPort, ray-tracing graphic acceleration. I’m sure I could come up with others if I tried hard enough.Intel is supposed to release a few new Core 2 Duos for mobile with the launch of its Centrino 2 platform on July 14, and the most promising aspect is lower power consumption with a faster front side bus. Which doesn’t mean Apple will have new hardware on the 14th — Steve usually waits a few weeks.

The point being, I’m terrified of Apple taking the wraps off a new set of MacBooks and MacBook Pros the second that I invest, and I’ve lost the ability to accurately predict when the company will jump. Everyone knows the anxiety of the Apple early adopter – what on earth can be done for the agony of the late adopter? Anyone else dealing with the same pain?

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125 responses to “The Agony of a Brand-New MacBook Pro Purchase”

  1. Juan Nunez-Iglesias says:

    Why on Earth would you purchase so close to an all but confirmed release??? I think the new MBPs should boast not only an improved processor but also a new redesign—including the awesome new keyboard design, which I think is much better than the current MBP keyboard.

    In conclusion, if I were you, I’d hold out another month and a half.

    Juan.

  2. Jonathan W. says:

    I say:
    Just do it. Have a little cry when the new MacBook Pro comes out. Then look around and notice that most other people are using boxes that have Dell, Acer and HP etched into their plastic casings.
    Smile.
    Repeat.

  3. ADrian says:

    Yea just do it.

    Just remember all the people that just bought an iPhone 2.5G – should make you feel much better :-)

  4. owen-b says:

    I can feel your pain, but you’re always going to have that problem unless you buy on the day of an update to the hardware. You could always keep an eye on this:

    http://buyersguide.macrumors.c

    A good guide to when the next update might be due.

  5. Bill Shady says:

    I suffered and still have moments lust for new equipment but I found a way to put the some of the burden back on the product. I set time (2 years), level of performance advancement (4x) and feature goals for the next piece of equipment (i.e. computer). I have cheated a little on one of the three but not two. It takes some of the pressure off you and puts it on the design team to meet your needs. With Apple’s team, I have been rarely disappointed but I am waiting for a new Mac Pro to meet two of the three. It has been over three years too.

    Good luck!

  6. rdas7 says:

    You should realize by now that technology moves at a very fast pace. A new machine can only be expected to be “top of the line” for 9-10 months at the most, before a newer version is released.

    Having said that, the improvements are mostly incremental, with a “major leap” occurring every 18 months or so.

    If it is cost effective for your work (ie. you benefit from the improvements in a measurable way) then get a new machine every 9 months (selling the old one on ebay while it’s still “new” works remarkably well). If not, then look to get a new machine every 2-3 years.

    If you factor in the resale value of your “old” machine, into the purchase of the new one, you’ll see that while you may spend several hundred dollars per cycle (whether the cycle is 9-10, or more like 24 months), at least you won’t be spending the full cost of a new machine regularly.

    Holding on to a machine for more than 2-3 years only loses you money, as the resale value remains steady for a while, and then drops significantly.

    Personally, I’ve “upgraded” my machine with every new release since about 2003 and this has worked out great for me. I always have a machine that’s in warranty, as fast as possible, and with the latest features.

    Having said that, does anyone need a 2007 MacBook Pro? :)

  7. Rich says:

    I’m waiting to buy presently 2 new MBP’s (me and my bro), but I’m holding down and waiting for Montevina platform to hit in, plus one month for feedback from the net & reviews – then I jump and won’t look back.

  8. oreixa says:

    Buy a refurbished. I did, almost new, no scratches, and half the price. If a new model arrives you can keep the refurb or sell it to buy the new one.

  9. Lu says:

    I’m dealing exactly with the same problem, I’m planning to buy a Macbook Pro in the next few days and have your same doubts. But I will just do it. :-)

  10. tony says:

    Normally I’d say go for it. But, the whole macbook line (including pros) is due for a major refresh – meaning new casings. Once the new one comes out the old one will look considerably older than it actually is.

    I’m sure you know all of this already, as well as being aware of the macrumors buying guide.

  11. Mrod says:

    I twittered this exact sentiment yesterday:

    Starting to think seriously about upgrading to macbook (finally) — and I could use a new iPod…

    Concurrent fear that Apple will release a vastly superior upgrade 60 days after I purchase a new macbook is setting in as well. Damn you SJ.

  12. Judi says:

    Buying refurbished helps squelch these thoughts–except when the day after you put in your order for an iMac, the new/much faster ones are released, thus lowering the price of all refurb’d iMacs, like, a LOT. Yeah. That sucked.
    However, Apple was really easy to work with at exchanging my small, “slow” machine for the small, much faster refurb’d iMac with the way better graphics card. They understand the dilemma. About a month later, I am so very happy I finally learned to stop worrying and love the Mac. AND I’m using Leopard!
    Now to just figure out what to do with this ol’ G4…

  13. Stu says:

    The Macrumors site got it wrong with the last iteration, they came a lot earlier than their guide predicted. I’m waiting for the new ones myself, having bought the the black MacBook in March after the update, only to find it made some weird static noise, I went through two of them with the same problems. I’m hoping for a new case design before trying again.

    I’d say, you’ve waited this long, why not just wait until September? It’s not like you don’t have a machine to use at the moment.

    I’m using a borrowed iMac G5 until then.

  14. malxb says:

    I bought a macbook pro last month. At first I was worried about a new update coming out but then I thought that the current macbook pro form and general specs are all well known so there should be no real issues. If a new macbook pro redesign comes out then i can do without worrying about the first edition bugs. That helped me fell safe in ordering even though there are pretty strong rumors of an update soon-ish.

  15. leigh says:

    I feel your pain, I usually try and upgrade in time with a product announcement… (now of course that means if you want to buy my current MBPro you’ll get a deal on it once they announce the new ones… ;) )

    Macrumors keeps a nice history of product releases and advice on if it’s the right time to buy:

    http://buyersguide.macrumors.c

  16. leigh says:

    @Owen-b: Jinx buy me a coke…

  17. Brendan West says:

    I had a little cry when, four months after I bought my CD MacBook Pro, the C2Ds came out with an extra USB port and a FireWire 800 port, faster CPUs and a drastically bigger HDD.

    And then I got over it. Mine still runs great, even if it only has 120GB of space.

  18. -V says:

    I bought one of the previous generation white 17″ iMacs (my first mac, by the way) THE DAY BEFORE the new aluminum ones came out, featureing a bigger screen & hard drive, for the same price. I ate the 10% restocking fee and upgraded to the 20″.

    -V

  19. Jerry Y says:

    I know the feeling. I was hoping to wait until fall to get the next generation MBP, but the hard drive died in my PBG4 just as I was on deadline. I capitulated and bought the MBP.

    I’m sure I’ll cry when the new one comes out, but boy is the MBP a sweet machine. I’m in heaven. I’m saving so much time (especially having XP and Linux on my machine for web testing).

    Having a computer when it’s needed is better than waiting and losing that productivity!

  20. Tyler says:

    I’m looking to get one for university – but same deal. I’ll probably wait till August and see. My consolation is that my desktop will still be plenty more powerful than any new MBP, so whether I get the latest revision or not, meaty tasks can be handled by the desktop.

    By the way, glossy or matte screen?

  21. john-francis says:

    i just bought a new 2.6 Core2Duo macbook pro this spring…
    upgrading from my 1.5 Ghz powerbook…

    PLUS) i am very happy with multi-touch, longer battery life, larger HD, built-in camera, faster wifi and dual layer DVD burner…

    MINUS) However, I am not happy with the florescent color of the screen, and I must
    honestly say that I am disappointed with the speed of the processor– the beach
    ball is far more frequent than on my powerbook and the 2.6 processor is beginning to freeze due to heat now that the weather is much warmer… Perhaps I need to optimize my system a bit more BUT I honestly don’t feel I got an extra 1.1 Ghz along with an extra core… And that is with run of the mill applications not processor intensive audio or video programs…

    TWO CENTS) My advice wait for Montevina (or whatever is replacing Penryn)… I also heard there is some new samsung technology that achieves better colors using the same low power florescent bulb…

  22. InRussetShadows says:

    You can’t know when something new will come, so what’s to gain in worrying about it? All you can do is evaluate your own needs and see if there is something out there that will fulfill them. If you find that something and buy it, then you’ve made the best choice you could at the time with the information that you had. Whether something else new comes later doesn’t matter, as your choice at the time would have been unaffected. So you have a new computer or gizmo? Enjoy it and rest easy, knowing that your needs have been fulfilled.

  23. AJB says:

    I also recommend buying a refurbished MBP–I’ve done this for all of my Apple products over the past three years and never had any problems. I upgraded my trusty PB G4 12″ after Christmas to a refurb MBP and I couldn’t be happier. I do understand the pain of always desiring constant updates, but think of buying a computer this way: does it do what I need it to do? If the answer is yes, be content.

  24. dorkhero says:

    At least it was a choice for you. After someone broke into our apartment earlier this year, my wife and I had no choice but to replace our G4 laptops with Intel Mac laptops. The thieves left behind my old G3 iMac, and that just wasn’t going to cut it…

  25. leigh says:

    I too recommend refurbished. I’ve bought a couple that way. It saves a LOT.

  26. Matt says:

    I’m considering making the vast leap over from PC to mac, particulaly with the gracious discounts apple give to us UK university students. I am mostly looking at the high end macbook (more in my price range) and was wondering if there are any rumours or news about this line that maybe i should wait for before buying?

  27. MisterRon says:

    Welcome to “The Mac of the Month Club!” The way to look at it is to figure out what the resale value of your shiny new Mac will be in, say, five years, and then compare it to what the resale value of the next model will be in five years. The difference is going to be minute. Go on to ebay and check out prices on various Mac models from five years ago, and you’ll see what I mean.

    -=-Ron-=-

  28. Pete says:

    Thanks for all the advice, everyone.

    1. Matte screen. (though I dream of transflective)

    2. Fortunately, I found out this morning that my wife and I see moving in the next month, so I don’t have the cash for the new MacBook Pro until we get our security deposit back from our previous apartment. God willing, there will be a Montevina upgrade by then.

  29. Orlando says:

    I bought my G4 Powerbook two weeks before the Intel Macbook Pros came out. Ok, so I was a little upset for a few days, but then I started reading about how unstable and buggy the new Pros were. 3 years later and I am still quite happy with my Powerbook. It’s extremely stable, It only locked up 3 or 4 times over these 3 years and I never lost data. Ok, so I don’t have a camera.. Big deal. As long as I can still run Final Cut I am keeping it!

  30. Thom says:

    Buy a used one to hold you over until August or so. Apple is pretty consistent with it’s release timing.

  31. phoenix says:

    You know, I used to be in the same boat – I bought iPods 3 weeks before new releases, and bought one of the 2nd generation MBPs right before the Core 2 Duo was released and stashed under the hood.

    I’m typing this on a Penryn MBP that I picked up a couple of months ago, right after the announcement that the Penryns were going under the hood and that the MBP got the multi-touch touchpad. Will there be upgrades that’ll put this puppy behind the times? Sure. Can I enjoy being on top of the game now anyway? Damn right. :D

    It’s kind of like buying a car without the regularity of the upgrades. You may not know exactly when the new features will come and what they’ll be, but you know they’re coming. But you get something when you need it and when you can afford it; not so much when you think the best features for you will be standard. I think the only reason this hurts us Mac lovers more than Windows PC buyers is because the upgrades in our hardware and devices are so much more highly publicized. I don’t think someone who just picked up a Dell XPS 1530 laptop is quite so unhappy when the 1550 is released, so why should we?

  32. Andrew DK says:

    Wow, talk about coincidence. I just put up my iMac G5 for sale in order to buy my first evah Pro laptop. I know I won’t get the the educational discount forever plus the free $300 iPod touch is just so sweet. I then realized that the iPod deals lasts til mid sept so I really should be in no rush. I’d take the iMac off the market except it usually takes a few weeks to actually find a local buyer (could ebay it up but I’d rather deal locally).

    “By the way, glossy or matte screen?”

    Yeah, that is a really good question. I thought I hated the glary, glossy screens but now I’m not so sure. What do you people think?

  33. Chuck says:

    Let me allay your fears, or at least one of them—Apple’s not (ever?) going to release a Blu-Ray drive option for their computers. (I could, however, possibly see it added to AppleTV at some point, but doubtful there as well…)

    1. Blu-Ray is a disk. Steve doesn’t like disks. Steve wants you to download all your entertainment from Apple’s servers.

    2. Blu-Ray has a DRM that’s tied to the CPU and Steve doesn’t want his motherboards used for that kind of policing. It goes against everything he’s done with iTMS.

  34. Paco says:

    Yep. Same problem here. I need to pick up a MBP for work, probably sooner rather than later, because I want to make my 17″ iMac more of a “home” machine. The thing is, with work cycles at my company, I need to take the bite and do it in the next couple weeks rather than waiting until September. In the end, I’ll probably go refurb, and save $300.

  35. bonose says:

    I’ve been waiting for a 12″ MB Pro forever and have forced myself to wait a little longer (until new releases for this school year?). My 12″ G4 Powerbook’s hard-drive has been dead 8 months (I’m using an external firewire drive for my boot drive) and my fan sounds like a 747 on steroids, but I’m bound and determined to stick it out.

  36. fukijama says:

    I just upgraded from my 06 MBP with matte to a new MBP with glossy. And I gotta say…

    glossy. glossy. glossy.

    there is no comparison for me. I was mostly concerned about glare outdoors. but you can’t see ANYTHING on a matte outdoors. it completely washes it out. but the new one…the glossy is perfect outdoors. indoors, yeah, if you stand at an extreme angle you can see a little. but straight on…nothing. colors are so much better.

    granted, my 06 was LCD and these are backlit LED. But still, I’m so glad I took the chance. Best decision I could have made.

  37. Andrew DK says:

    “I’ve been waiting for a 12″ MB Pro forever and have forced myself to wait a little longer”

    I hope you’re a very patient person.

  38. rodbert says:

    Isn’t this a problem with all computers? Except that if Dell launches an updated (version of a) computer, nobody really notices.

  39. Mythical says:

    I suffered the ultimate agony when I purchased an iBook G4 about a month before the Intel deal was announced. I am still reeling from the pain…

  40. DJ says:

    I sort of find that by the time I’ve filled the HD to bursting point and am memory mangement by the moment, then…

    … oops it’s time for another. Having kids who have a taste for legacy hardware, it’s not hard to justify a new one.

    Re outdatedness, you just have to say “yes but it does what I want it to do” Doesn’t it? (sob)

  41. Dan says:

    Didn’t Apple just upgrade these things? Sheesh, technology does move fast…

    I do know how this goes – I bought a 2.2Ghz MacBook Pro in early February – a few weeks before they were upgraded. *Sigh* I knew it was coming fairly soon, however – after all, the MBP’s hadn’t been upgraded since the previous summer.

    How did I justify it? Well, I was using a 2005 model PowerBook, which was slow, incredibly unstable (for a Mac), had a stuffed hard drive, a dim LCD, and 2.5 hours of battery life – if I was lucky. By unstable, I mean UNSTABLE – I was having kernel panics one or two times a day, lots of application crashes, network problems, and so on. A downgrade from Leopard to Tiger (I had upgraded it) helped some, but I was still having trouble. This was unacceptable for an essential note-taking computer, and was a major motivation…

    When the MBP’s were speed bumped, while I was certainly sad, I didn’t fret much. Even my new Mac was now “Old tech”, it was far more powerful (etc, etc) than my Powerbook. In other words, it did what I bought it for, and was a huge jump up. No, it wasn’t the bleeding-edge Mac, but it was way better than what I was used to.

    Of course, I did end up upgrading my MBP’s hard drive out of jealousy… And swapping a RAM card did help the Powerbook – it’s not crashing as often.

    In any case, if you’re not on the bleeding edge – and don’t care much about being so – it’s not a big deal to have an older machine. My Primary/Secondary computer since the mid 2000s has been a Sawtooth PowerMac G4. It’s now running Tiger (and OS 9), with 1.5GB RAM, Two “big” hard drives, USB 2 card, and a DVD burner – and works just fine. It makes a fantastic file-print-iTunes server, and is quite capable of holding its own as my only Mac if my laptop goes in for service.

  42. Pete says:

    By the way, I should clarify that I don’t mind not being off the cutting edge — I have been for, well, ever. My Powerbook is FIVE YEARS OLD.

    I’m most paranoid about waiting to upgrade because I’ve missed out on major architectural shifts on each of my previous purchases.

    I got a Strawberry 1G iMac right before the C2 iMacs with FireWire dropped, which ended up meaning no iPod until I got a new machine.

    I got my 12″ Powerbook right before USB 2.0 was introduced, which means that all recent iPods either update incredibly slowly over USB 1.1 or just don’t work in the case of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

    I’ve never been burned as badly as missing a switch to Intel, but I really don’t want to just barely miss a major and eventually mandatory interface, such as USB 2.

    But the more I think about it, USB 3.0 isn’t going to be necessary for years, if ever. I still want the lower wattage Penryn upgrade, though. I’m biting the second it hits.

    Still. I would love a transflective screen in addition to the LED backlight…

  43. Jon Riswell says:

    When you return your 3rd faulty unit,
    ask for one of the new ones. Simple!

  44. Vivek Prabhakar says:

    When you’ve gotta buy , you’ve gotta buy… I just ordered my 17 MBP.. I know for SURE that Steve will release a whole new casing… but … as I said.. When you’ve gotta buy , you’ve gotta buy…

  45. Carlos Santos says:

    I’ve been running every single day for the last 6 YEARS on a considerably very old G4 POWERBOOK, the last Titannium series in a 867 form, it runs Tiger 10.4.11 with any kind of apps, audio (Max/msp, logic…) Adobe CS, even Final Cut (with very slow render times), but it does the trick.
    I waited during the aluminium series, then the first Intel machines, the second Intel wave, and now going into the third wave with Montevina… I’m still waiting for the next big leap (according to apple), but in September i’ll make my move and perhaps go into a Macbook, the pros do not deserve the money, at least speed wise (built is another talk)…
    Just for the record, I bought a Wallstreet G3/300 (now with a 500/G3 upgrade) back in 1998, and my older daughter still uses it for text, web surfing, simple photo editing and even some multitrack audio… its a 10 year Powerbook!!! and still running…

  46. allyson says:

    I am dealing with the same issues for two machines. The company I work for updates my entire system every three years and I don’t know how long I can hold out and get a Macbook Pro (rather than a Mac Pro – mobility has to trump power lately) with the quad-core, etc. updates. The last work computer I ordered was long in the tooth only three weeks after receiving it and it is a real bite in the ass. I too have a PowerBook G4 at home (c. 2003) that is obsolete for anything more than web browsing or email. Due to finances and space, I would like to get the iMac for home, but as an artist, the glossy screen makes color management a nightmare – even with consistent calibration. I cannot decide if I am spoiled by Apple and have become demanding or if new hardware targeted toward a more consumer (rather than professional) market is compromising the reasons we love Apple in the first place. Who knows?

  47. allyson says:

    I am dealing with the same issues for two machines. The company I work for updates my entire system every three years and I don’t know how long I can hold out and get a Macbook Pro (rather than a Mac Pro – mobility has to trump power lately) with the quad-core, etc. updates. The last work computer I ordered was long in the tooth only three weeks after receiving it and it is a real bite in the ass. I too have a PowerBook G4 at home (c. 2003) that is obsolete for anything more than web browsing or email. Due to finances and space, I would like to get the iMac for home, but as an artist, the glossy screen makes color management a nightmare – even with consistent calibration. I cannot decide if I am spoiled by Apple and have become demanding or if new hardware targeted toward a more consumer (rather than professional) market is compromising the reasons we love Apple in the first place. Who knows?

  48. Samiq says:

    Well I struggle as well this week… and after going back and for between apple.com and amazon, I saw that a rebate of $150 was added to the MBP, meaning there might be something new around the corner. I need the computer right now and with apple is better wait a couple of months before buying new stuff… can’t affort the way. my macbook will be delivered tomorrow ;)

  49. Samiq says:

    Here is the link for the rebate [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013…] offer ends on june 23th as I got see while putting the rebate form, so for those cheking it out, it is $60 off from regular price + $150 in rebate… I think it’s a good deal!

  50. Tiberius says:

    I’m surprised no one has said this yet … but the closest thing that I think comes to accurately predicting updates is a website called mactactic.com. It displays all apple products and tells you the average update frequency and how far a product is over/under the predicted update times. While this is NOT a guarantee for when a produt might be released, I think this is probably the best way to predict it (and also be paying attention to WWDC’s, special announcements, and Stevenotes).

  51. Dave Barnes says:

    Wait.
    We own 2 MacBooks and 1 AirBook. The display on the AirBook is so superior. Hopefully, the new BacBooks will have the same display.
    Wait.
    The AirBook has a backlit keyboard. Hopefully…
    Wait.
    The AirBook has an aluminium case. (Helpful when you stupidly drop it in a parking lot.)
    Wait.

  52. imajoebob says:

    I’d wait for the new model, then decide if they’re worth 25% more than current, which you can get from the clearance page (based on current discounts of old models). Don’t forget that you can get a free iPod touch (after rebate), which you can hawk on eBay for at least 200 bucks.

  53. Mike Butcher says:

    I feel your pain

    sent from: fav.or.it [FID196442]

  54. Ashley Grayson says:

    So some years from now this couple in their 90s pass away in their sleep and wake up in Heaven. St. Peter shows them around their new place: huge apartment a block from the best deli in Heaven. Itzhak Perlman can be heard playing his violin next door. Julia Child drops in with a plate of snacks for the new comers. Each window looks out on a different vista: Central Park, the Eiffel Tower, Niagra Falls.

    The husband turns to the wife and says, “If it wasn’t for you and your healthy diet meals and plenty of exercise, we could have had all this years ago!”

    Just enjoy your Mac.

  55. Brett Legree says:

    If you need it now, buy it now. If you don’t, wait and see. I just bought a new MBP about a month ago, and I love it. Yes, I knew that there would be upgrades soon, and I didn’t care.

    There will always be upgrades. The latest version will always be better than the previous version. I know that what I have in my hands right now is the best machine for me. It will do the job until I am ready to buy a new one.

    It lets me get my work done and stays out of the way. I think it looks better than anything else out there.

    Or, you could spend your life sitting in the dark, rocking back and forth, muttering to yourself, worrying about having the “latest greatest”… never buying anything… :)

  56. Ben says:

    Currently, I’m stuck.

    I’m a year away from college, and I have a four year old 12″ 1 GHz iBook G4.

    I’m holding out… I’m screaming for a new system, but I’m holding out just one more year. I’m convinced that I only need new hardware about every five years, and that I need a Pro system so it can hold up for a good five years.

    And next summer this time, I’m getting myself a shit-hot Mac Pro.

  57. John Doe says:

    Maybe you should just buy one so that Apple upgrades them for sure in the next few days. Then the rest of us can buy a new MBP =) you could probably afford do get another one in a few months and we are all happy..

  58. Aaron says:

    Yea i am wanting to buy a new MBP but want the new system with the design. I am going to buy a crrent one on ebay then seling it and buying a new one when they come out. ebay is like my best freind for selling computers! That is what i always do.

  59. checo says:

    I was in the same situation, My first generation aluminium powerbook G4 could stand anymore, the display wasnt working right, the batteries are dead and the hard drive full, instead of fixing and waiting I decided this week to buy a new MacBook Pro, I tought there wasnt going to be much diference but WOW, small details, small changes super bright screen and keyboard light super fast.
    What I would do instead wait for the first or second revision of the new design of the MacBook in order to wait for all fixes and will upgrade my laptop again.

  60. Greg says:

    Set yourself a goal to wait for then when it is available… you buy.
    Personally, I’m waiting on iMac w/ Bluray and I will not buy until then.

  61. Karl says:

    I think they’ll only come out with a new design once people have lost their addiction to optical drives (like I have 4 years ago), or once other companies start making comparable laptops (which I think won’t happen for a few years).

    So as much as I would love the new MBP’s to be thinner and lighter (and would buy a 17 inch one the first second it would come out), I don’t think it will happen this year.

    Also note that Apple rarely introduces major design changes without a major speech by Steve. None are announced at present.

  62. Anastasia says:

    Going to university in october and would advise anyone (myself, anyway) to wait until then. MacPros were upgraded once last year, sothe chances are they will be upgraded twice (more?) this year and the moos probable time is after the ipod offer, towards october. We shall hope, anyway. There is always the beginning of next year, of course and updates for years to come.

  63. charli says:

    i’m sorry but if you play this whole “but any second they are going to announce something better” game you will never buy anything. computers are generally only good for 2-3 years (which is why Apple only extends out to 36 months with their applecare program) at which point there will likely be something better than what you are waiting for. if the machines that are out now look like they will work for you for the next couple of years get the dang thing already.