The Agony of a Brand-New MacBook Pro Purchase

Pete Mortensen ()

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By the time this message posts, I might have already put in an order for a brand-new MacBook Pro. And, like any good Machead, the prospect of new hardware makes me miserable. After all, my old PowerBook G4 is incredibly obsolete, and I’m used to its idiosyncrasies. But I can’t deal with the idea of something spendy, flashy and new that’s behind the curve. I’d rather be way behind the times than just a few minutes off the mark.

This is the tremendous irony of loving Apple. The company’s computers are more elegant and functional than any other devices on the market, even without OS X. Unfortunately, Apple does such an amazing job adding features over time, that even a three month-old Mac can look a little long in the tooth. Now, I know this is meaningless quibbling. There will always be a great reason not to upgrade. New software, new I/O, new GPU, new processing architectures. But that’s particularly unlikely these days. The current MacBook Pros have multi-touch, very strong graphic processors, high-end Core 2 Duo chips, 802.11n, ExpressCard, MagSafe, and Mac OS X Leopard. That’s a set-up that will rock for years to come.

On the other hand, the following technologies should become relatively ubiquitous and economical in the next two years: SSD, mobile quad cores, WiMax, USB 3.0, ExpressCard 2.0, eSATA, DDR3 RAM, LTE, Blu-Ray, DisplayPort, ray-tracing graphic acceleration. I’m sure I could come up with others if I tried hard enough.Intel is supposed to release a few new Core 2 Duos for mobile with the launch of its Centrino 2 platform on July 14, and the most promising aspect is lower power consumption with a faster front side bus. Which doesn’t mean Apple will have new hardware on the 14th — Steve usually waits a few weeks.

The point being, I’m terrified of Apple taking the wraps off a new set of MacBooks and MacBook Pros the second that I invest, and I’ve lost the ability to accurately predict when the company will jump. Everyone knows the anxiety of the Apple early adopter – what on earth can be done for the agony of the late adopter? Anyone else dealing with the same pain?

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About the author

Petemortensen

Pete Mortensen is a design strategist for consulting firm Jump Associates and the co-author of Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy, a book and blog that are significantly more interesting than you might initially think. Pete's particular Apple avocations are both around design--interface and industrial. Follow him on Twitter!

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Posted in Macintosh, Quickies |

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  • imajoebob

    I’d wait for the new model, then decide if they’re worth 25% more than current, which you can get from the clearance page (based on current discounts of old models). Don’t forget that you can get a free iPod touch (after rebate), which you can hawk on eBay for at least 200 bucks.

  • http://fav.or.it/user/profile/6076 Mike Butcher

    I feel your pain

    sent from: fav.or.it [FID196442]

  • http://www.yourmaccoach.com Ashley Grayson

    So some years from now this couple in their 90s pass away in their sleep and wake up in Heaven. St. Peter shows them around their new place: huge apartment a block from the best deli in Heaven. Itzhak Perlman can be heard playing his violin next door. Julia Child drops in with a plate of snacks for the new comers. Each window looks out on a different vista: Central Park, the Eiffel Tower, Niagra Falls.

    The husband turns to the wife and says, “If it wasn’t for you and your healthy diet meals and plenty of exercise, we could have had all this years ago!”

    Just enjoy your Mac.

  • http://6weeks.ca Brett Legree

    If you need it now, buy it now. If you don’t, wait and see. I just bought a new MBP about a month ago, and I love it. Yes, I knew that there would be upgrades soon, and I didn’t care.

    There will always be upgrades. The latest version will always be better than the previous version. I know that what I have in my hands right now is the best machine for me. It will do the job until I am ready to buy a new one.

    It lets me get my work done and stays out of the way. I think it looks better than anything else out there.

    Or, you could spend your life sitting in the dark, rocking back and forth, muttering to yourself, worrying about having the “latest greatest”… never buying anything… :)

  • Ben

    Currently, I’m stuck.

    I’m a year away from college, and I have a four year old 12″ 1 GHz iBook G4.

    I’m holding out… I’m screaming for a new system, but I’m holding out just one more year. I’m convinced that I only need new hardware about every five years, and that I need a Pro system so it can hold up for a good five years.

    And next summer this time, I’m getting myself a shit-hot Mac Pro.

  • John Doe

    Maybe you should just buy one so that Apple upgrades them for sure in the next few days. Then the rest of us can buy a new MBP =) you could probably afford do get another one in a few months and we are all happy..

  • Aaron

    Yea i am wanting to buy a new MBP but want the new system with the design. I am going to buy a crrent one on ebay then seling it and buying a new one when they come out. ebay is like my best freind for selling computers! That is what i always do.

  • checo

    I was in the same situation, My first generation aluminium powerbook G4 could stand anymore, the display wasnt working right, the batteries are dead and the hard drive full, instead of fixing and waiting I decided this week to buy a new MacBook Pro, I tought there wasnt going to be much diference but WOW, small details, small changes super bright screen and keyboard light super fast.
    What I would do instead wait for the first or second revision of the new design of the MacBook in order to wait for all fixes and will upgrade my laptop again.

  • Greg

    Set yourself a goal to wait for then when it is available… you buy.
    Personally, I’m waiting on iMac w/ Bluray and I will not buy until then.

  • Karl

    I think they’ll only come out with a new design once people have lost their addiction to optical drives (like I have 4 years ago), or once other companies start making comparable laptops (which I think won’t happen for a few years).

    So as much as I would love the new MBP’s to be thinner and lighter (and would buy a 17 inch one the first second it would come out), I don’t think it will happen this year.

    Also note that Apple rarely introduces major design changes without a major speech by Steve. None are announced at present.

  • Anastasia

    Going to university in october and would advise anyone (myself, anyway) to wait until then. MacPros were upgraded once last year, sothe chances are they will be upgraded twice (more?) this year and the moos probable time is after the ipod offer, towards october. We shall hope, anyway. There is always the beginning of next year, of course and updates for years to come.

  • Lucas

    i’m sorry but if you play this whole “but any second they are going to announce something better” game you will never buy anything. computers are generally only good for 2-3 years (which is why Apple only extends out to 36 months with their applecare program) at which point there will likely be something better than what you are waiting for. if the machines that are out now look like they will work for you for the next couple of years get the dang thing already.

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