Macbook Pro now .....or wait? (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

I came this close to buying a 27" Apple display to

compliment my 27" iMac.


However, I thought that money might be put to better

use on a new Macbook Pro.


My current 17" Macbook Pro is not particularly old. It

was bought in 2009, and is a 2.8GHZ Duo core.


I do a lot of video editing on the laptop using iMovie

and surprisingly, the Macbook keeps up with it, though

you can tell that it's straining to do so.


I am fascinated with i7 technology since my iMac has

it and I can throw anything at it without any kind of

performance strain.


Sooooooo.....


I am looking to buy a 2011 Macbook Pro either in July

when Lion is released -or- wait it out till early next year

when the next refresh happens.


Anyone have any insight into what may happen with the

next refresh that I would benefit from?

A small bump in speed would not bother me. A total

redesign, on the other hand, might. Retina display is

also being rumored.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

Hopefully the next refresh will be closer to the MacBook Air form factor...ditching the optical drive in favor of greater battery capacity and getting rid of the HDD.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Mike!


I think there needs to be a better distinction between

the Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air.


The Macbook Pro needs to remain a workhorse computer.

You can't ditch the optical drive -- especially if you want to

edit and make your own DVD movies.


I still don't think we are at the point where SSD drives are

cheap enough to replace HDD drives fully.


I would love to get a Macbook Air, but it just doesn't have

the ability to function like a powerful desktop or movie-editing

machine which I need while out in the field.

 

[Sam Posten]

I will be shocked if -any- 2012 machines have a physical drive. I love the hell out of my 2011 but if you can find a difference between what you have thats gotta be less than 2 years old i'll be shocked.


You aren't gonna get anything outta thunderbolt for another 6 months it seems, so that's no big wow.


You aren't a gamer


Your video encodes might be a LITTLE faster but how many times are you gonna do that in the next six months? Is THAT ALONE worth dropping $3k on?

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

For the minuscule number of times that I actually need to access a CD or DVD on my laptop, I would gladly settle for the option of an external optical drive in lieu of the better battery life and less weight.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Your video encodes might be a LITTLE faster but how many times are you gonna do that in the next six months? Is THAT ALONE worth dropping $3k on?

Quite often. We are doing a lot more video reviews and

coverage than ever before. When time is of the essence

one considers the best methods of gaining it.


I will take this decision day-by-day. My gut tells me to

wait until the (what I expect to be) February refresh only

8 months away.


The best thing that could happen to the Macbook Pro is

the absence of any HDD whatsoever. However, with SDD
drive costs still up there, I am wondering if a 500GB SSD
drive would be offered at the same price a 500GB HDD drive

is now selling for on the Macbook Pro.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Decided to wait for the February 2012 refresh.


My concern is SSD prices. I just priced a 450GB

SSD drive for about $850 (thereabouts). I kind of

doubt we'll see prices come down to the $500 level

for 500GB drives by next year -and- even if they do,

Apple will still charge a premium if you want them

incorporated in your Macbook Pro.

 

[Thomas Newton]

By the time SSDs get cheaper (per byte), HDs will also have gotten cheaper (per byte). That's the way it has pretty much always been with any form of semiconductor memory vs any form of magnetic storage for the past 20+ years. If the future is more of the same, price parity any time soon seems unlikely.


SSDs will probably begin to displace notebook HDs when SSDs get "big enough", "cheap enough", and "reliable enough".

 

[Sam Posten]

History shows that will be sooner than anyone expects.

 

[DaveF]

Originally Posted by Thomas Newton

History shows that will be sooner than anyone expects.

Not my experience, since I thought (and you and Ron, I think) all anticipated SSDs would be half the current cost by now. But they're not. They seem to be taking longer than anyone expects

 

[Sam Posten]

-HOPED- not expected!

 

[Sam Posten]

Leaks of a possible refresh, seems AWFUL early! http://www.macgasm.net/2011/07/14/macbook-pro-img/