Hi i’m currently in the market for a new notebook and have become pretty convinced it is going to be an apple (for the first time!!). Now, as many of you have probably noticed, yesterday saw the introduction of the new Macbooks (pro) and this leaves me with some questions.
I am now wondering whether I should buy the new (alluminium cased) macbooks or try to get an old macbook pro. The new macbooks pro are out of my price range, but i’ve heard that eol products become quite a bit cheaper when the new models are introduced. Luckily they are now both pretty (yes I am superficial, so sue me:D) so that is not of concern. I m also not that bothered with the smaller screen and the missing fire wire port (as a long time windows user I haven’t needed it before and can probably survive without in the future;)). What I really would like to know is what I can do with an eol Macbook pro and not with the new macbook.
Also, I’ve heard some comments about the new Nvidia graphics proccessor being great, but this doesn’t mean that the new Macbooks have better graphics than the old pro’s, right?
My understanding is that the differences aren’t all that great, and unless you’re doing really high powered stuff (editing video, etc.), you won’t really need (though it is always nice to have) a new MacBook. I will say, however, if you’re expecting a significant price drop on an EOL MacBook (regular or Pro), you’re going to be disappointed. Macs tend to hold their value far better than PCs do. I have an old G4 iMac (doesn’t work) and I looked at getting an identical one off of eBay, the things were going for as much as a new eMachines PC sells for at Wal-Mart! Mind you, the G4s weren’t even Intel-based ones, so their usefulness in running new Mac software is pretty limited. Why folks want (and get) so much for an older machine like that, is beyond me. (Heck 1st gen. iPhones are going for $400+ on eBay, the last time I looked! Its crazy.)
You’re quite right Tuckerfan, the biggest discount I’ve seen announced thusfar is 200 euro’s on the old macbook pro, which still makes it still 400 euro’s more expensive than the new Macbook (entry level). So I’ve gone ahead and ordered one of the new macbooks, can’t wait till it arrives
It might. The new graphics processor looks nice, although I think you’re getting an on-board chip on the Macbook and a separate card (with its own memory) on the Pro. I couldn’t tell you how much that difference is going to matter. Are you a big gamer? If not, I bet the graphics don’t make a difference.
One thing that’s almost certainly better on the new ones is battery life. People tend to discount battery life on laptops, but I think it’s really important. All the whiz-bang features a high-end laptop might have aren’t that cool 3 hours into a flight when the battery gives out.
Given the way that Macs tend to hold their value, if you’re willing to deal with eBay/craigslist every few years, my advice is to buy the absolute cheapest computer that will do what you want it to do right now. In two years, you can sell it for 75% of the purchase price and buy another cheapest available. On average, you’ll pay less money and have a better computer than someone who buys the top of the line every 4 or 5 years.