Buying a Macbook... worth waiting?

Tute · 26 Apr 2009 at 00:02

Hey all.

I bought a MacBook back in October when the unibody ones had just been launched, however I then sold it to upgrade to a MBP but in the end decided to just stay with a MacBook as I prefer the portability.

I had to wait for some money to come through, but now it has, i'm wondering if I should wait.

Are upgrades/updates planned soon?

I know there's no definitive answer to this, as it's all speculation, but what would others suggest?

Thanks.

braz2kuk · 26 Apr 2009 at 13:13

Tute said:
Hey all.

I bought a MacBook back in October when the unibody ones had just been launched, however I then sold it to upgrade to a MBP but in the end decided to just stay with a MacBook as I prefer the portability.

I had to wait for some money to come through, but now it has, i'm wondering if I should wait.

Are upgrades/updates planned soon?

I know there's no definitive answer to this, as it's all speculation, but what would others suggest?

Thanks.

Well with WWDC in June there is a high possibility that we will see a new iPhone model on that i'm sure, with regard to notebooks if there was to be any sort of changes i imagine it would be processor speed bumps and storage upgrades to current models.

But as you said no one knows for sure, that's just my opinion.

Feek · 26 Apr 2009 at 13:48

I posted this in a different thread a few days ago. It's still valid!

Feek said:
There are no rumours regarding a Macbook refresh that I'm aware of. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't any

If the current spec meets your requirements, then you should buy. Otherwise you'll be waiting forever.

Tute · 26 Apr 2009 at 16:54

Ended up going for the Macbook 2.4GHz. Feek's right, I could end up waiting forever!

Mattitude · 26 Apr 2009 at 18:56

Im waiting for snow leopard, well at least the conference to see where they are with it, i think having that on the notebook would be the best thing to wait for as a upgrade.

I do think that apple may bring the 17" battery design to the macbook pro thou and a non glossy screen.

Tute · 26 Apr 2009 at 19:00

Snow Leopard can just be upgraded to when it launches though, it's not like it's a massive investment.

I do have a question though.

Without copious amounts of competitor hinting, is it advised to upgrade the RAM yourself rather than go through Apple? The guy in the shop recommended Crucial's 4GB DDR3 SODIMM kit for use in the Unibody Macbook.

It looks a lot cheaper than asking Apple to do it, is this the path most people take?

Feek · 26 Apr 2009 at 19:06

Tute said:
It looks a lot cheaper than asking Apple to do it, is this the path most people take?

When I ordered it would have cost me £60 to get 4Gb of Crucial or pay Apple £80 to supply and fit the extra memory. I went with the Apple option simply for the convenience and the fact that it's covered by their warranty.

Tute · 26 Apr 2009 at 19:09

Feek said:
When I ordered it would have cost me £60 to get 4Gb of Crucial or pay Apple £80 to supply and fit the extra memory. I went with the Apple option simply for the convenience and the fact that it's covered by their warranty.

The guy in the shop claimed that it was a "user serviceable part" - I assume that means I can't bugger it up?

It's a pity OcUK don't sell the MB DDR3 yet.

Feek · 26 Apr 2009 at 19:37

Oh you can fit it yourself easily enough, that's no problem. I just know that I'd rather have the confidence of manufacturer installed parts fully covered by warranty. If I have a problem later I don't want to be faffing about taking out memory to see if that's the problem.

I'm getting old, I want an easy life

mr.sly · 26 Apr 2009 at 20:01

Tute said:
The guy in the shop claimed that it was a "user serviceable part" - I assume that means I can't bugger it up?

It's a pity OcUK don't sell the MB DDR3 yet.

I think by "user serviceable part" he means you won't be breaking the warranty on your Mac by installing it yourself.

glitch · 27 Apr 2009 at 10:15

Mattitude said:
I do think that apple may bring the 17" battery design to the macbook pro thou and a non glossy screen.

The possible addition of a matte screen to the 15" model is holding my purchase back. As nice as the glossy screen is, the matte would suit my needs that little bit better.

And should they actually add matte as an option, I'm wondering if they'll also shove in an extended-gamut panel as they have with the 17" models.

Sareth · 27 Apr 2009 at 10:22

Tute said:
Without copious amounts of competitor hinting, is it advised to upgrade the RAM yourself rather than go through Apple? The guy in the shop recommended Crucial's 4GB DDR3 SODIMM kit for use in the Unibody Macbook.
take?

Some people are having problems with the unibodies and third party ram, Crucial have recognised there is an issue.

Makes me wish I'd payed the Apple tax.

Tute · 2 May 2009 at 13:38

Okay, another question.

I'm trying to find out what I need to do to get my MB upgraded to 4GB.

First thing I wanted to know is the cost, and also if I need to book, or can I just walk into my store and they'll do it on the spot?

I've tried calling the store but I just get a phone system that tells me if I want to book to see a Genius I need to do it online, but I don't really know what i'm doing. Nor is there a mention of how much it would cost.

Help out a Mac n00b. What am I doing wrong?

Cybertronic · 2 May 2009 at 18:11

Sareth said:
Some people are having problems with the unibodies and third party ram

Haven't had any issues on my unibody MacBook Pro which is installed with 2 X 2GB Crucial memory.

Sareth said:
Crucial have recognised there is an issue.

Do you have a source for Crucial's statement?

Tute said:
Okay, another question.

I'm trying to find out what I need to do to get my MB upgraded to 4GB.

First thing I wanted to know is the cost, and also if I need to book, or can I just walk into my store and they'll do it on the spot?

I've tried calling the store but I just get a phone system that tells me if I want to book to see a Genius I need to do it online, but I don't really know what i'm doing. Nor is there a mention of how much it would cost.

Help out a Mac n00b. What am I doing wrong?

Why not do it yourself?

Memory and hard drives on MacBooks are user replaceable parts therefore your warranty does not get voided if you upgrade them yourself.

Sareth · 2 May 2009 at 18:42

Cybertronic said:
Do you have a source for Crucial's statement?

Afraid not, it was among several of the statements from people having problems.

Feek · 2 May 2009 at 19:17

Tute said:
I've tried calling the store but I just get a phone system that tells me if I want to book to see a Genius I need to do it online, but I don't really know what i'm doing. Nor is there a mention of how much it would cost.

I've called a couple of different Apple stores (Lakeside and the Trafford Centre) and each time there's been an option to speak to someone. It's quite a long winded call management system but it gets there in the end. Stick with it and they'll tell you all you need to know.