Mac guys: buy macbook now or wait for new models?

[Yinzer]

Is looking like the rumor mill is saying no broadwell for a long time.

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/09/broadwell-early-to-mid-2015/

Rumors are just rumors but...Anyone else hear or know anything of note?

I'm thinking it's time to pull bait and pick up an NA1 MBA to start getting some work done with it and not be too concerned with how much "better" the NA2 MBA will be when it finally comes out!

 

[bngl3rt]

LOL @ "NA1 MBA"!

IMO we are already on the "NA2 MBA" - the NA1 was the one with a single USB port and painfully slow iPod hard drive. The second generation (2010) brought two USB ports, SSDs across the board, and the 11" model.

 

[Yinzer]

I'd say that gen was more like the Prelude.

 

[ky650]

Forget NA2, I want to see 2.0

MBA retina 120hz 3d screen (for CAD)
4 cylinder CPU, none of this 2 cylinder stuff :tongue:
*hybrid* integrated/dedicated gpu
15 hour range
carbon fiber monocoque (aluminum is so 1991)
curb weight of 2lbs


Yinzer, Prelude sounds generous, you sure you didn't mean Pilot?

 

[Yinzer]

Yinzer, Prelude sounds generous, you sure you didn't mean Pilot?

Funny! As more time passes, we'll think "4 cylinder 1990 civic" instead of Pilot.


I almost pulled the trigger this week on a 4GB/128GB 13" MBA at $950-delivered-price w/free included 3 years of Apple Care at Adorama. If anyone's looking for a discounted current-gen Mac and wants Apple Care, that seems like a really good deal - no tax other than for NY & NJ, free shipping, and free Apple Care.

For me personally, I wanted to get in ahead of Yosemite and retain the choice to keep Mavericks or not, as I'm not at all a fan of the dumbed down flat graphics and "enhanced" Jony Ive interface cues from iOS7 and which I expect to see more of in Yosemite. Normally I wouldn't wait for incremental improvements but in this case I think Retina & broadwell/battery efficiency are pretty big potential improvements worth waiting for... Plus I still fully expect a 12" retina combo MBA/iPad this fall and am willing to bet a case of Iron City Beer on it, delivered at NSXPO. There is no doubt that this is the direction of the future; the question is whether Apple is ready and willing yet. No jokes about Iron City beer being made directly from the Allegheny River or wanting the money over the beer.

 

[Yinzer]

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/27/speed-bumped-15-inch-retina-macbook-pro-16gb-ram/

http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-pro/

[h=2]What We Expect[/h]<SECTION>A minor update to the Retina MacBook Pro appears imminent, arriving as soon as Tuesday, July 29. The update will apparently include slightly faster Haswell processors and an increase in RAM on the low-end 15-inch model from 8 GB to 16 GB.
Apple had been expected to update the notebooks later in the third quarter of 2014 alongside a revamped ultra thin 12-inch MacBook Air, but delays in Intel's schedule for next-generation Broadwell chips appears to have forced Apple to adjust its notebook plans somewhat. Broadwell chips appropriate for the MacBook Pro are not slated to ship until 2015, perhaps as late as the middle of the year.

</SECTION>

 

[NetViper]

I'm pretty disappointed they didn't update the graphics chips. The newer chips are quite a bit faster. I'll wait for the next one.

 

[Yinzer]

The MBA's and MBPr's both have SSD's now, are not too different size and weight, and ditched the optical drive. Seems like they mainly differ in processor and retina graphics as well as the battery to make up for the processor & retina power needs. Once MBA's supposedly go to retina and (I'd assume) both MBA/MBP go to the more efficient processor/battery, can anyone hazard a guess as to what could differentiate the MBA and MBP line at that point? A separable touch tablet is all I could guess. As I need to replace my ipad that's been really showing its age over the past month (slooooooow even for basic tasks, and even when reset or restored), I'm going to wait too.

 

[Yinzer]

If you happen to already have a MBP/Air and ran out of SSD space this is a pretty convenient way to offload media files and other things that don't need SSD speed: http://www.transcend-info.com/apple/jetdrivelite/

Thanks again for that link. Have you found any issue with faster battery drain or with the drive unmounting every time the macbook air goes to sleep? Those are some of the critiques in the buyer reviews at Amazon.

I pulled the trigger on a 128gb 8gb 13" MBA with the 1.7GHz/i7 upgrade and 3 years apple care for $1229 all-in as-shipped from Adorama. Apparently they're bundling 3 years of Apple Care free if you sign up for their free VIP club thru Aug 12. This setup should more than meet my needs for the next few years - I was very happy to realize that it's possible to easily pinch-zoom out the screen with the trackpad whenever some of the text gets too small; I was concerned about text readability with the MBA's "low" resolution at times when reading text or using spreadsheets, especially after spending a few minutes with a retina screen next to an MBA. I'm feeling very happy with the purchase after some deliberation time to rationalize why or why not to wait until the Fall or why/why not splurge on a MBPr, just like when I bought the NSX after 2 years of hunting and with zero buyer's remorse from the moment I struck the deal with the seller over the phone. Although in ways that shopping experience took less thought than the MBA, since that was a 20 year old car and I was only waiting for the right seller to appear rather than wait for the next product cycle upgrade.

If you're looking for a discounted Apple computer ahead of the coming upgrades, check out Adorama. Good prices I think.

 

[flaminio]

Having recently installed the beta of Yosemite (the next Mac OSX), I do have this to say: it looks terrible on non-retina screens. It is a beta, yes, and hopefully this will be cleaned up by release, but it is a consideration if one is considering a non-retina Mac at this point in time. On a retina display it looks fine, if you like that kind of flat presentation .

 

[Yinzer]

That's disappointing to hear. Thanks for that comment. Weight & battery life were key to my going with an MBA over an MBAr, but what made it a no-brainer to jump now vs. wait was my desire to retain the option to pick my OS. I can't be sure that Apple won't go gestapo over the consumer's choice of OS like it did with iOS 7 and remove Mavericks downloads from the app store or interfere with any CDRom installation overtop Yosemite. I feel like I'm the only person who absolutely detests the uninspiring and less intuitive/usable low-contrast flat design & translucent window trend, both functionally and aesthetically.