MacBook Pro or Last Year’s Model?
Derrick has a great post that sums up my feelings about whether it’s time to buy a new Mac notebook: buy what you need when it’s available. I’ve been growing unhappy with my 12″ PowerBook, which is still pretty new, actually (99 days left on its 1-year warranty). Unlike Derrick, it’s not disk space, memory, or graphics speed that are troubling me. I’m mostly bothered by the limited resolution on my Mac. I keep my PowerBook plugged into a 20″ LCD panel most of the time.
So, a 15″ Mac is pretty tempting. After I read Derrick’s post, I wondered whether it might be a great time to buy a 15″ G4. After all, the latest model will pretty much be, by definition, the best 15″ G4 PowerBook ever made. And refurbs of those models are starting to appear on the Apple Store: 1.67GHz, 1440×960 resolution, $1,699.
I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that a refurb might be less likely to suffer from the latest PowerBook defect. After all, a refurb has left the factory twice (sort of).
January 26th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I’m getting a MacBook Pro, but I think if you have the time to wait, it would make more sense to get a refurbished MacBook Pro over a 15-inch G4. Don’t get me wrong: the 15-inch is a great machine, but if my new Intel-based iMac is any indicator, you’re going to quickly feel like you have a slow-puppy machine when everyone else starts popping up with speedy MacBook Pros around you.
January 28th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Thanks, C.K. Here’s a little more detail on where I’m at, and why I’m still leaning toward the G4. I figure if I hang onto my 12″ for 3 more months, I’m going to have to spend $350 on the AppleCare plan. But, if I sell it now, I can still offer the buyer the not-too-shabby remaining days of warranty, which is pretty decent for a used machine.
So that’s $350 I can defer for another year, but I think I will actually get to defer it twice, because around 9 months after I get the 15″, I’ll be ready to sell it and buy a MacBook. If by then they have a 12″ widescreen model, I’ll be all over that!
March 13th, 2006 at 10:47 am
I can get a great price on a 17″ refurb PowerBook. But its just so frigging big.
I want to see if Apple will release a 12″ MacBookPro at WWDC or AppleExpo Paris that has 1280×1024+.
If they pull that rabbit out, I’m sold. Gimme Gimme. But otherwise, I’m happy with my 12″ in almost all respects except that resolution issue on-device.
I also keep it ‘docked’ at home.
That and I hardly ever buy Rev A of anything Apple — I think a faster DVD recorder is imminent.