Buy MB or MBP now? Or wait until Leopord Release?

[RichL]

I'm going away to college in September and I am currently planning on buying a Mac Book or Mac Book Pro. Since Leopard is coming out a month or so after class starts do you guys think it would be wise to wait until then to purchase one? I was figuring maybe they would up the processors and/or RAM and/or add anything worth waiting for.

Also, through my friends school they are offering a Mac Book Pro for a really good price but the offer ends in September. What do I do?! ><

-Rich L.

 

[zioxide]

Buy it now. You'll be able to get a free iPod nano, which is 3 times the price of Leopard for students. ($199 vs $69)

Plus there's no way in hell you'll be able to do two months of college without a laptop. There aren't going to be any updates in the laptop line for at least five or six months, so just buy now.

 

[mayoko185]

The next big thing will always be a few months/half year/year etc away. I would just go ahead and buy now and never look back

 

[RichL]

Thanks for the advice. I needed someone to reassure me on that.

...and that Nano promotion deal...am I being dumb or are they giving you $50 from the rebate if you buy the standard one plus the $200 student discount? So, I save $250 and get a free Nano? @_@

-Rich L.

 

[Erasmus]

Plus there's no way in hell you'll be able to do two months of college without a laptop. There aren't going to be any updates in the laptop line for at least five or six months, so just buy now.

I managed for three semesters without a laptop. Doing Engineering and Science!
It was definitely not fun though.

I recommend buying the MBP now. Use the iPod deal, or maybe look into the Student ADC hardware discount if you don't want an iPod. If you go ADC, you *might* get Leopard sent to you for free.

 

[basicfiend]

I think the Leopard student price will be more than $69. Academic price for Tiger was $79. But with the $200 iPod rebate, you definitely come out ahead.

 

[Akira1980]

I was going to wait, but I decided to buy now. It comes with a final version of Tiger which is almost bullet proof. And if Leopard is not stable or have a lots of bugs, I have the option of going back to Tiger.

 

[Butthead]

I'm going away to college in September and I am currently planning on buying a Mac Book or Mac Book Pro. Since Leopard is coming out a month or so after class starts do you guys think it would be wise to wait until then to purchase one? I was figuring maybe they would up the processors and/or RAM and/or add anything worth waiting for.

Also, through my friends school they are offering a Mac Book Pro for a really good price but the offer ends in September. What do I do?! ><

-Rich L.

LOL, are you planning on being a art history major or computer science? Shall we assume that you're going away to college as a Freshman, or a Senior?

Rumors have it that Intel will release speed bumped Meroms with top speed going from current 2.4Ghz to 2.6Ghz in Sept (whether or not Apple immediatelyu updates eitther the MBP or MB is unknown). MBP already has discrete GPU and Santa Rose chipset/plaform. MB will likely, but not for sure move to the SR chipset before then end of the year.

If you're a freshman, and you already have a laptop computer running OSX, I would wait until Sept to see if Apple updates with LED backlit MB's running on SR platform with new integrated GPU, or buy a speed bumped SR MBP. If you have never used OSX and a Apple laptop, then I would suggest getting whatever Apple has now, and using it for the months before you get hit with the whirlwind shock of college life (trust me, been there done that). If you ge into a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, or same sex lol, then you'll be so stressed out it won't matter when you get your laptop, but getting it sooner now and learning everything you can about it so it's 2nd hand nature will give you a fighting chance .

The differences btw current MB or MBP and what will be released around Sept, will be very small in comparison to utter and complete familiarity with the OS and quirks of your system (kind of like relationships, lol...and good luck).

 

[RichL]

Physics/Mathematics major! lol

I'm gonna be considered a Soph from my credit transfers. I did decide to go ahead and buy it sooner than later because of the Nano and like you said it would be nice to get used to the OS X because I have been a Windows user for 10 years.

..."Where the heck is the start button?!"...

-Rich L.

 

[powerocool]

Thanks for the advice. I needed someone to reassure me on that.

...and that Nano promotion deal...am I being dumb or are they giving you $50 from the rebate if you buy the standard one plus the $200 student discount? So, I save $250 and get a free Nano? @_@

-Rich L.

Basically, you get these discounts
- MBPs you get $200 off and MB for $100 off. Normal student discount. (instant discount)
- $200 off an iPod (mail-in rebate)
- $100 off a printer (main-in rebate)

Oh, make sure you buy them together in one order.

 

[outlandos]

Basically, you get these discounts
- MBPs you get $200 off and MB for $100 off. Normal student discount. (instant discount)
- $200 off an iPod (mail-in rebate)
- $100 off a printer (main-in rebate)

Oh, make sure you buy them together in one order.

Does the free iPod deal only counts for people in the US? Because where I live - The Netherlands - I can't find anything about a free Ipod

 

[blaaat]

Does the free iPod deal only counts for people in the US? Because where I live - The Netherlands - I can't find anything about a free Ipod

it's US only for now. Last year we had a ipod-deal in the netherlands around august, but it's not sure it's coming back this year.

 

[furcalchick]

Plus there's no way in hell you'll be able to do two months of college without a laptop.

i went through college without a laptop (borrowed one for a couple of assignments), and i turned out fine. although i used my pc for college.

but i would buy now, assuming you do not have a computer that you can use for college now. if you do have a computer you can use for a while, then wait.

 

[RichL]

but i would buy now, assuming you do not have a computer that you can use for college now. if you do have a computer you can use for a while, then wait.

I have a big ol' custom PC I built. It's an amazing computer but the tower is far too big to bring from New Jersey to Chicago. Plus, when I come home for breaks I wont have a computer back at home and that will not fly! This is why I'd like a petite and stylish MBP to tote around campus and my apartment.

That being said, my choices were to buy now and get accustomed to the OS X or wait until Oct. and buy the MBP in Chicago's store (or online).

-Rich L.

 

[furcalchick]

I have a big ol' custom PC I built. It's an amazing computer but the tower is far too big to bring from New Jersey to Chicago. Plus, when I come home for breaks I wont have a computer back at home and that will not fly! This is why I'd like a petite and stylish MBP to tote around campus and my apartment.

That being said, my choices were to buy now and get accustomed to the OS X or wait until Oct. and buy the MBP in Chicago's store (or online).

-Rich L.

in that case, get it now. get accustomed to os x before school starts.

 

[ghettochild]

I think the only difference b/w buying now v. in October will be having Leopard bundled then, and as other have said before, you can easily make up for that by selling the iPod. I doubt that there will be any hardware changes in the MBP in only 4 months.

 

[kolax]

I'd wait until October. Better waiting until you desperately need one.

I'd think they would update the MB/P range in sync with the Leopard release.

 

[Erasmus]

I'd wait until October. Better waiting until you desperately need one.

I'd think they would update the MB/P range in sync with the Leopard release.

Update the MBP to what? It already uses the best parts available.

The MBP will not be updated until early next year, when it gets a Penryn CPU. Almost everything else will remain the same.