Buying the current model after the new one comes out

[Djombo]

Hi .

I'm looking to upgrade my laptop from a 2006 MacBook to a newer MacBook Air. It will be used almost exclusively to run Scrivener, Final Draft, and Microsoft Word, and I'll be blogging from Wordpress. Because of its size, the 11 inch Air seems like the perfect Mac for this portable work. Everything else I can do from a 2009 iMac and an iPad.

How much do you suppose the price of the current model will be cut after the new ones are released? Does the current model run these programs well? With wifi off, how is the battery life?

Thanks for reading and replying.

 

[Orlandoech]

$200-$300 at most I would imagine.

I sold my iPhone 3GS for $320 when the iPhone4 came out, thats $20 more than I paid for the 3GS and $20 more than I paid for the iP4.

 

[nebulos]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

I hope it's obvious why selling an iPhone (w out a contract) is a completely different and irrelevant situation.

The current models will prob drop another $100 or so from what they go for now on the refurb page. The base 11" will maybe be $769.

 

[Djombo]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

I hope it's obvious why selling an iPhone (w out a contract) is a completely different and irrelevant situation.

The current models will prob drop another $100 or so from what they go for now on the refurb page. The base 11" will maybe be $769.

Thanks a lot. Does that mean the refurbs will go down too? Basically I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for my wallet.

 

[Hankster]

Thanks a lot. Does that mean the refurbs will go down too? Basically I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for my wallet.

If you're looking for a good deal wait until the refresh and get a refurbished 2010 MBA. You're going to probably pay around $800-900 for a great machine!

 

[nebulos]

Thanks a lot. Does that mean the refurbs will go down too? Basically I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for my wallet.

the refurbs drop in price and the outgoing model is sold as refurbished. so, you're looking at around $769 for the base 11" whether it's truly 'refurbished' or not.

 

[Djombo]

the refurbs drop in price and the outgoing model is sold as refurbished. so, you're looking at around $769 for the base 11" whether it's truly 'refurbished' or not.

I see. Looks like this is what I'll be doing. I'll order as soon as the new ones are announced.

 

[1infiniteNerdd]

well I found someone selling a mint condition 2010 Macbook Air Ultimate for $1400. Is that a steal? I'm hoping to save up enough before someone buys it

 

[Abstract]

Like others have said, if the price drops on returns after the update are significant, you may as well get a refurb directly from Apple. After the update, those refurbs may actually be new machines being sold as refurbs (i.e. at a discount).

 

[1infiniteNerdd]

should i buy it?

 

[Abstract]

What if the low-end MBA is faster than the current "Ultimate"?

 

[1infiniteNerdd]

you make a great point but man I'm saving over $450 off of the retail price plus tax so it is a very hard decision to make

 

[nebulos]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

The new base model will almost certainly smoke the current 'ultimate', by a large margin.

However, not everyone needs CPU power and for them a deep discount on the 2010 may be the better choice.

Of course, there's also the back to school deal to consider (starting tomorrow?)

 

[1infiniteNerdd]

Do you think the price listed here on Amazon is still too high for an ultimate or keep looking elsewhere?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...ie=UTF8&qid=1308099630&sr=8-10&condition=used

 

[dommeister]

Hi Djombo,

The speculated processors used in the upgrade would spank the Core 2 Duos all day long regarding raw CPU power.

However, the Intel Integrated graphics would be less powerful than what's currently in the 13" MBPs as the TDP is 17W v 35W, so even if the turbo frequencies are similar, they have access to less power than the current 13" MBPs, with less thermal cooling.

You already have a desktop to do the heavy lifting, so the current 11" MBA will meet the needs you listed in your first post for a few years.

However, it would be best to wait a few days after the release so you can read user reviews here and elsewhere b4 making a decision based on the new model and the information you have already. It's not as if all the refurbs (the current models) will be sold in 2-3 days after the release.

 

[nebulos]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

Apple's refurb page is probably the best place to measure prices, if not buy.

You can find cheaper deals out there, but buying from Apple has it's advantages.

What I look for is a trusted seller, some type seller accountability system (like on eBay and amazon), and how much warranty is left on the machine.

Other people are happy to get a better but riskier deal, on craigslist, for example.

Personally, I wouldn't buy from an unrated seller on either eBay or amazon. Thats just my own unwritten rule.

 

[dommeister]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)

Apple's refurb page is probably the best place to measure prices, if not buy.

You can find cheaper deals out there, but buying from Apple has it's advantages.

What I look for is a trusted seller, some type seller accountability system (like on eBay and amazon), and how much warranty is left on the machine.

Other people are happy to get a better but riskier deal, on craigslist, for example.

Personally, I wouldn't buy from an unrated seller on either eBay or amazon. Thats just my own unwritten rule.

+1 Good advice!

 

[Djombo]

Hi Djombo,

You already have a desktop to do the heavy lifting, so the current 11" MBA will meet the needs you listed in your first post for a few years.

However, it would be best to wait a few days after the release so you can read user reviews here and elsewhere b4 making a decision based on the new model and the information you have already. It's not as if all the refurbs (the current models) will be sold in 2-3 days after the release.

Fantastic, fantastic advice. One of my main concerns is that the refurbs will all get snatched up the day the new ones come out and I'll be left with no choice.

Other than the writing programs I've listed, the major things I'll be using it for are Netflix and probably (if I'm being honest) Minecraft. The only thing I can see tempting me to buy the newer model would be a significantly increased battery life.

Thanks for your detailed response.

 

[macjonny1]

Fantastic, fantastic advice. One of my main concerns is that the refurbs will all get snatched up the day the new ones come out and I'll be left with no choice.

Other than the writing programs I've listed, the major things I'll be using it for are Netflix and probably (if I'm being honest) Minecraft. The only thing I can see tempting me to buy the newer model would be a significantly increased battery life.

Thanks for your detailed response.

I think there is minimal risk buying things off of ebay and amazon, given the buyer protection there. And I say this as a seller AND buyer of thousands of dollars of merchandise each year. The buyer protection on both is SO completely biased toward the buyer it is ridiculous. That deal for $1350 on the 13" ultimate is very good. I just purchased one a couple of weeks ago for $1600 and it came with Applecare and a PDAir case. A decent deal but this one for $1350 is really good.

 

[rlu929s]

I am in the same boat. I'm hoping to get a 11" 2010 with 64GB drive and 4GB RAM after the new versions come out.

I'm going to be doing the same things such has office tasks, internet, light coding and graphics. Basically and extension of my home office when I'm on the go.

 

[fyrefly]

One of my main concerns is that the refurbs will all get snatched up the day the new ones come out and I'll be left with no choice.

I wouldn't worry about that.

It sometimes even takes Apple a few days to re-price the refurbs to match the new (lower) selling price of the NIB, recently replaced C2D units.

So don't worry - and the refurb store will restock after a few hours/days anyway - so unless you're in dire need, I'd make sure the prices have dropped and then buy whenever they're available.

 

[FuNGi]

Fantastic, fantastic advice. One of my main concerns is that the refurbs will all get snatched up the day the new ones come out and I'll be left with no choice.

Other than the writing programs I've listed, the major things I'll be using it for are Netflix and probably (if I'm being honest) Minecraft. The only thing I can see tempting me to buy the newer model would be a significantly increased battery life.

Thanks for your detailed response.

Yeah, I don't think they will squeeze anymore battery life than they already have. Some people can get 10 hours of real work on the 13". If battery is what your after then I would consider the 13 over the 11. Sounds like you won't need the added CPU at all, so as others have said, wait a few days or so after the new ones come out then look on refurb.me for the model you're after.

 

[Djombo]

I bought it. I couldn't wait. I didn't want to wait. The new ones plus the Back to School deal would have been too tempting and I absolutely cannot afford that.