[ebh5348]

I am looking at buying a MacBook Pro 15.4" 2.33GHz the middle of this month, but before I do this I would like to know what the possibility that Apple will update this laptop with anything significant. What comes to mind first is that Think Secret has a report that Apple is considering upping the screen resolution for the 17" MAcBook Pro to 1980x1200 which is suffice to say a significant increase. I would wonder if that would follow suit with the 15.4" MBP as well. I am investing a lot of money in this laptop and I would like to get something that is not outdated within a month.

This is my first Mac that I am buying so I have no idea what Apple does for the most part with their products. So any information that you can give me would help me out a lot.

Thanks.

[Shades of Blue]

If you need it now, buy it now. If you can afford to wait a few more months, Leopard will be coming out soon ("Spring 2007") and there is some possibility of hardware updates coming out around the same time.

That said, a 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro isn't in any danger of being outdated in a month. It may not be state-of-the-art in a month, but if it's good for your needs this month, it'll continue to serve them next month and for a whole lot of months afterwards. Apple updates its hardware lineup several times a year, and you'll never buy a computer if you're worried about it being replaced soon.

[zsummers]

Welcome, ebh5348.

Shades of Blue pretty much nails it. I've followed rumors as closely as I could and then had Apple drop an update the week after I thought I was safe to buy. And I've bought when I thought they'd release soon (because I had to) and ended up safe. In both cases, though, I was quite satisfied.

If it helps, I just grabbed a 2.16 GHz MBP yesterday, which I thought was a great deal. I expect we will see new MBP's by May. The update cycle on the MBP (and old PBs) suggests so as well: MacRumors Buyer's Guide. Quite frankly, I think it's a crap-shoot most of the time. If I didn't have to buy now, I would've waited for Leopard. And if you can wait, I recommend it. Otherwise, pull the trigger and ignore what else comes out. You'll waste a heck of a lot of time chasing rumors that have no basis, and if you're like me and many others, you'll be plenty happy anyways.

Just a few other notes not related to your question, in case you plan on hanging around (I recommend it; I learn something new about my Mac every week):
1.) Make sure you're in the appropriate forum when posting (hint: check "Purchasing Advice" for questions like this).
2.) Use the Forum search tools to see if there are similar threads before you post a new one (hint: there are lots in this case, over in "Purchasing Advice"): here,
and here among other places.
3.) Play nice with others, and others will reward you 10 fold.
4.) Check out the "Posting Guidelines." The moderators around here do a really good job, and it makes their job easier if you play by their rules.

And welcome again!

[ebh5348]

Thanks for the advice. I will put that into my equation so to speak on when I get my MBP. Thanks again.

[Paranoid666au]

Thing is though, it will cost you extra to upgrade to leopard. You might be lucky to get a discount but still. Leopard will have to come out with in the next three months if it wants to make make a spring release. So can you wait three months?

[Luca]

Thread moved.

Also, the standard philosophy for getting any new computer (not just Macs) is "wait if you can, buy if you can't." Computer tech is always getting faster and cheaper, so the longer you wait, the better deal you get. But if you can't wait, you should just buy what you need and get on with things, to get the most use out of whatever you end up buying. You shouldn't suffer with a cruddy, broken-down computer just because you're holding out to get something 8% faster for the same price.

Finally, you will have to pay full price for Leopard ($129 most likely) unless you wait until Apple officially announces its release date (usually about a month before release). If you order a Mac after the release date is announced, but before Leopard ships, you can get a 10.5 upgrade disc for $20. Once it's actually released, though, Leopard will come pre-loaded and you won't have to buy any upgrades or anything, saving you some hassle.

[ebh5348]

Thanks again for all of your help, sorry that I posted the thread in the wrong forum. I have gotten a lot of information to try and cram into my equation right now to figure out what I am going to do. I don't "need" the MBP right now, I would like it, but I can see the point in waiting until at least when Leopard is announced or at least until after the April 15th announcements.

Though this is my first Mac product that I am buying it is not by far my first computer so I do know of the idea that you buy now if you have to or wait until later, but for the most part you will never be able to keep up with technology unless you have unlimited funds, which I do not.

So after looking at most of what you have said I am probably going to wait until at least April 15th and see what Apple will do then, by that time Apple will have to release some sort of announcement on Leopard if they want to get in their Spring 2007 time frame.

Once again, thanks for all the information, and I know that I will keep posting on these forums after I get my MBP because I know that I will need some more advice on the way OSX works.

[digitalprimate]

I bought one just now because I wanted to have some time learning new software (FCP). If I had waited another 3 months, that time would have gone unused.
The MBP is simply amazing. The transition went very smoothly.

[rampancy]

FYI, arstechnica's Infinite Loop has a nice piece discussing buying an MacBook Pro vs. buying a MacBook here.

That being said, I have to echo earlier posts - if you feel you need it now, get it now. I was on a 700 Mhz G3 iBook, and I considered waiting for when Leopard comes out so I could get a free upgrade. However, I realized that I simply couldn't wait anymore given my iBook's anemic RAM ceiling, which I'd already hit.

And if you are waiting for when Leopard to come out before you buy new hardware, I'd remind you that you should wait a little extra for the inevitable 10.5.x updates to trickle out to iron out the bugs.